by Diggle

Created on: February 02, 2010

The mattress you sleep on can have a profound effect on the quality of your life. Not just whilst you're asleep, but as you work and play throughout the day. Without a good night's sleep you simply won't function as well as you can and persistent poor sleep will have terrible long term implications for your health – high blood pressure, memory loss and depression are just some of the conditions linked to poor or insufficient sleep.

So it makes profound sense to make sure that you get the right mattress. But what is the right mattress for you and how do you choose? If you haven't had to think about buying a mattress for some time then you may be surprised at how much high technology goes into mattresses. The traditional simple spring mattresses of earlier generations has long been surpassed by ultra sophisticated materials and construction using space age techniques pioneered for NASA. Here's a check list to decide which mattress is right for you. First consider your budget. Unfortunately you do mostly get what you pay for when buying mattresses – a cheap mattress probably means a poor experience. So this is an item of expenditure where you should try to allocate what you can reasonably afford rather than look to cut corners. On the bright side a good memory foam mattress will last for up to 20 years, so the cost per day actually works out to be only a few cents. Which is very good value.

If you decide to go for a conventional spring mattress then aim for a pocket sprung rather than a spring frame one if you possibly can. The former will have you rolling into any one you share the bed with. Foam mattresses are more comfortable than spring and memory foam is best of all – though more expensive. A key indicator of quality for foam is its density. When comparing brands make sure you find out before deciding which to buy.

If you have back problems, be wary of mattresses sold as orthopaedic. The old thinking was that very firm was best for backs, but this is no longer seen as valid. A study published in the Lancet medical journal suggested that a good quality memory foam mattress could help back pain sufferers.

Finally consider the size of mattress you need. The so called twin and standard sized mattresses are pretty cramped for a couple – in fact each adult has about the size of a crib mattress each! If you have the room, go for a queen or king sized. If you like your space, a California King is the largest standard sized mattress available, although you may be able to find the new and larger Alaska sized beds in some specialist places.

If you want more advice on mattress and what to consider then king-mattresses might be able to help.

Learn more about this author, Diggle.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.