Mattress purchasing tips

How can you tell which mattress will best suit you? You can choose a mattress by testing how it feels to lie on it in the shop. But what should you pay attention to?

Lying down on a certain mattress can feel very comfortable, but it may take some effort to turn over. Or a mattress can annoyingly continue to move. It might take a lot of time before you are lying comfortable again. Some mattresses are recommended because they keep you absolutely still when you are asleep. But lying still is no good at all for the recovery of the body!

In order to provide you with some assistance in selecting a good mattress, here are some points you should consider when trying out a mattress.

Tips for trying out a mattress

Lying on your back

Do you lie with a straight, convex or concave spine? Pay attention to the support in the lower back and how the buttocks sink into the mattress. What mattress is most comfortable when you are lying stretched out?

Lying on your back

Do you lie on top of the mattress or do you sink into it? What do you personally find the most comfortable?

Lying on your side

How does your shoulder sink into the mattress when you are lying on your side? Into which mattress does your shoulder sink the most comfortably?

Moving

Which mattress allows you to turn over from one side to the other the most comfortably?

After turning over

Which mattress allows you to find a comfortable position the fastest after turning over?

Top layer

The top layer of a mattress must be capable of both absorbing moisture and providing heat insulation. This is the function of the ticking (the material used to cover the mattress), which can be made from various materials; both natural and synthetic.

- Damask or velour

There is a lot of choice these days as far as heat insulation is concerned. Damask ticking for instance is smoother and as a result cooler. It is therefore suitable for the summer and for people who quickly get hot in bed. Velour ticking is warmer due to the pile. Because of this, Velour is suitable for the winter and for people who prefer to have a warm feeling in bed.

- Stitched ticking

Ticking is often stitched through, meaning that stitching is used to attach a layer to the inside. This layer can consist of sheep's wool, cashmere or camel hair; possibly combined with other materials such as natural silk. Another possibility is a three dimensional knitted material that can be machine washed. Such material allows optimum ventilation, due to its open structure. This makes the mattress feel cool; ideal for the summer and for people who feel hot quickly.
Tip: always pay attention to the washing instructions when purchasing a mattress!

Interior

The interior of the mattress must in turn be capable of dispersing the moisture that the top layer has absorbed. There are various types of interiors available.

- Pocket springs

A system in which the springs are encased in separate pockets. The result is that a lot of air is present; therefore there is optimum ventilation and moisture can be easily dispersed. Due to this open structure you will sleep comfortably and cool on a mattress with pocket springs.
Because these springs can be felt, a comfort layer and a layer designed to distribute the pressure are often placed between the ticking and the springs. The comfort layer is normally made of foam. One of the best types of foam is Talalay latex, which provides optimum ventilation. The pressure distribution layer is fitted between the comfort layer and the pocket springs. It is sometimes made of horse hair, but three dimensional open knitted material is more durable, comfortable and affords much better ventilation.

- Foam types

For example latex and polyurethane. These materials provide good ventilation, but not as good as that provided by pocket springs. The advantage of foam is that it is a very good insulator. A latex mattress retains much more heat than a pocket spring mattress. If you get cold quickly, a core made of latex is pre-eminently suitable.
The best quality latex is Talalay. During the production process, the material is cooled to -30 °C for a short time, causing the cells to burst open. This allows Talalay to ventilate optimally. Further treatment of the material ensures that it is very elastic.

Hardness

The material the mattress is filled with, in addition to its quality, determines its hardness. Hardness determines whether you sink somewhat into the mattress or whether you really lie on top of it. In other words, hardness is measured by the size of the contact area between the sleeping person and the mattress.

A softer mattress surrounds the body more and is therefore warmer. A harder mattress surrounds less and is therefore cooler. Personal preference also plays a major role when choosing between hard and soft,. We recommend that you choose a mattress on which you lie the most comfortably. Take your time trying this out in a bed shop. By choosing a cool or a warm ticking, you can compensate for the heat characteristics of the mattress.

Symmetrical or non-symmetrical

Symmetrical mattresses are mattresses with identical top and bottom layers. There are also non-symmetrical mattresses, with differing top and bottom layers. The latter is not illogical; the top must absorb moisture and insulate, while the bottom must remove the moisture.

In short, there are different requirements for the top and bottom layers of a mattress. A type of felt is often used for the bottom layer in non-symmetrical mattresses; this material has excellent ventilation properties.

As a result, non-symmetrical mattresses do not need to be turned over, as is often recommended for symmetrical mattresses (incidentally, this is something that does not happen often in practice, as it is a heavy job). All in all, it seems most sensible to choose a non-symmetrical mattress.

Heating

There are also mattresses that feature built-in heating. This allows you to raise the temperature of your bed to a comfortable level at the right moment. Some bed models only have heating in the foot section.

Heating is ideal for people who have difficulty falling asleep due to having cold feet; it is also a perfect solution for very cold bedrooms. In addition to this, the system can be used to dry the mattress during the day. Just turn the thermostat to a high position for a while.