It’s time to put to bed the myth that aging causes sleep disruptions. While ailments associated with growing older are likely the blame of a poor night’s sleep, if you’re healthy, getting plenty of exercise and watching the amount of caffeine and alcohol you drink at night, it might be your old mattress that’s robbing you of rest each night.
If you think mattresses are nothing but coils and quilting, it’s time to rise and shine to the latest trends in bedding. From space-age foam to rubbery gels to inner-bed air pockets that inflate and deflate at the touch of a button, today’s mattresses are constantly striving to give you that perfect night’s sleep. Even some new innerspring mattresses have been seriously beefed up with as many as four times the springs found in beds just 10 years ago.
“Today’s market offers an exciting range of mattress options for the consumer,” says Nancy Shark, executive director of the Virginia-based Better Sleep Council, a consumer education organization supported by the mattress industry. “Air, foam, gel, water, springs — they all have a different feel, and it just comes down to what gives you the best night’s sleep.”
Here’s a comparison of some of today’s new sleep options:
Memory foam mattress
Today’s foam bed has its genesis in NASA technology. The dense, squishy material generically called “memory foam” was developed for space-shuttle seats to absorb the G-forces that batter astronauts on liftoff and landing. Tempur-Pedic was the first manufacturer to produce beds made of viscoelastic cells, which mold to the body and readjust when a sleeper moves.
The material is supposed to support and conform to the body, relieving pressure that can cut off circulation and lead to hours of tossing and turning. Since the foam surrounds the body’s contours, the neck and spine are kept in alignment, and some say the mattresses can provide relief from muscle aches and arthritis pain.
“With a Tempur-Pedic, the spine is in alignment no matter if you sleep on your stomach, side or back,” says Mark Neel, owner of Scripps Back Comfort in Carlsbad, Calif. “And the material breathes. It’s temperature-sensitive and doesn’t heat up beyond your own body temperature. Some people say they’re a bit warmer when sleeping on a Tempur-Pedic, but it’s only because they’re experiencing better circulation.”
Today, there are several memory foam mattresses available that imitate the Tempur-Pedic concept. Although many of them offer the same general characteristics of Tempur-Pedic, many are not as dense as the original. The Tempur-Pedic material weighs about 5 pounds per cubic foot, compared with 3 or 3.5 pounds for many of the other viscoelastic foams.
Foam mattresses require a solid foundation instead of a box spring. Most of the foam mattresses come with a 20-year warranty. You can also find memory foam sold as a top layer sewn into a mattress, removable mattress pads of varying thickness and pillows.
Latex foam
If you like the idea of a no-pressure sleeping surface but want more resilience and bounce, consider a latex foam mattress.
Latex foam is a natural product made of whipped rubber that can be used for an entire mattress, as a mattress core or as a layer in an innerspring mattress. High-end, European platform beds typically have solid foam-rubber mattresses.
Gel mattress
For a different type of sleep cushioning, a gel mattress may be an option. Intelli-Beds contain Gelastic, a soft, rubberlike material that’s so strong it can be stretched to more than 20 times its resting length and snap right back into shape. It’s the same material that’s used in shoe inserts like Dr. Scholl’s gel insoles.
The Intelli-Bed’s gel is formed into a series of hundreds of support-cell columns that are designed to stand firm under lighter loads but relax and bend under increased pressure. Under heavier parts of the body, like the hips and shoulders, the rubbery cells fold over, relieving pressure and contouring exactly to your shape. When the weight is removed, the gel cells spring back .
Adjustable air mattress
Your idea of a perfect sleep surface may not be the same as your sleep partner’s. Some people prefer a soft mattress that cradles their body, while others opt for something more rigid. That can be a problem when they share the same bed — unless that bed is a Sleep Number, which allows each person to control the mattress firmness on his or her side.
“No two people are alike, yet many people sleep on a bed that’s the same on both sides,” says Pete Bils, senior director of sleep innovations at Minneapolis-based Sleep Comfort, maker of the Sleep Number bed. “The Sleep Number bed can make the bed dramatically different from one side to the other at the touch of a button.”
Chambers or bladders inside the Sleep Number mattress are inflated with air and clad in layers of padding. The firmness is adjusted by a pump that inflates or deflates in incremental settings via a remote control. To change from the firmest setting (100) to half the firmness (50) takes about 15 seconds.
The pump is operated by an electric motor that on some models is accompanied by a fan. The operation can emit sounds ranging from a subtle hum to a more piercing vacuum-type noise. However, Bils says this usually isn’t a problem, since the bed is normally not adjusted as you sleep.
“Over time we all change physically. Unfortunately, when you buy any other kind of mattress, you buy one that’s right for you on that particular day. A Sleep Number, on the other hand, can change as you change,” Bils says. “An air bed is designed for everybody. It not only matches the curves and contours of the body, but it can be adjusted to suit your personal preference.”
Innerspring mattress
Even traditional innerspring mattresses have been noticeably enhanced. Manufacturers have added more coils and packed them in more tightly, which can mean better support.
The Dux bed by Swedish-based Duxiana is the ultimate in innerspring luxury. A queen-size Dux bed has up to 3,600 springs, compared to 900 springs normally found in conventional queen-size mattresses. With four times the springs, the Dux folks say their mattress contours to the natural curves of the body, allowing the spine to rest in its natural alignment.
However, sleep experts caution shoppers not to comparison-shop based only on the number of coils listed on the label. The shape, size and placement of each spring can vary so much from brand to brand that the numbers aren’t comparable. It’s a better idea to compare models under the same brand name.
When buying a mattress, however, price, promises and high-tech innovations should all be secondary to the way the bed feels.
“Shop for comfort first,” says the Better Sleep Council’s Shark. “The most important thing when shopping for a mattress is to choose a sleep surface that gives you the level of comfort and support you need. You’ll be spending years in it, so make your choice a good one.”
When shopping for a mattress, here are some suggestions:
• Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing when you shop.
• Lie on the store model for at least 15 minutes.
• When you test a mattress, lie on your back and your side to check for pressure points in both positions.
• Find out what the warranty covers.
• Ask about return or exchange policies. Check on fees for return shipment and restocking.
• Buy both a mattress and foundation. They’re usually designed to work together.
• Know what’s included with delivery — setup, removal of old mattress set, extra charges for stairs.
• Buy on sale. There’s always a mattress sale somewhere.
• If you sleep with a partner, shop with that partner.