How to Choose a Bed and Mattress in 9 Simple Steps
Because we only switch beds every few years or so, most people aren’t equipped with knowledge about beds and how to choose them.
Knowing how to choose a bed is an important thing, though, because your mattress affects your sleep, which has effects that ripple out into the rest of your life. We’re going to throw you some tips on selecting a mattress in this article.
Hopefully, you can have a clear idea of the kind of mattress you need after reading this article.
9 Steps on How to Choose a Bed
Getting a mattress is kind of a tedious process. The first thing you should do is determine how you’re going to dispose of your old one.
1. Identify the Need for a New Mattress
While there are plenty of people who would love to be gifted a free mattress, make sure that they know its history and how long it’s been in use. History as in stains and lifespan, etc.
In general, you should try and replace your mattress every 6 to 8 years if you’re consistently using it. This lifespan will vary depending on the quality of the mattress you buy and the materials used in its creation.
Another way to judge whether or not to get a new mattress is by the state of your back and neck.
If pain is something you experience with your old mattress then you may want to consider purchasing an orthopaedic mattress. Sealy mattresses are orthopaedic mattresses and they are specifically designed to provide support and comfort to the parts of the body that need it most.
2. Dispose of Your Old Mattress
Unfortunately, you might need to spend a little change to dispose of your mattress.
If you’re in the process of moving or have access to a large dumpster, you can dispose of it there. If not, you might have to make a run to the dump and pay whatever cost is required.
This is typically in the range of 40 to 100 dollars. Dumping mattresses irresponsibly can be bad for the environment and your community. If you’re hard-pressed to dispose of the mattress, consider donating it to a friend or loved one, or store it.
3. Determine Your Budget
There’s no shortage of wildly expensive mattresses out there. On the other hand, there are some reasonably priced ones too.
A good mattress could run you anywhere from three or four hundred to upwards of five thousand dollars. Where you’ll into trouble is in the features.
We’ll discuss features in a moment, but the key when it comes to price is ensuring that you understand what’s going into the mattress and why. Memory foam and isolated springs might be nice features, but if they don’t have any benefit to your body, you’ll spend unnecessary money on them.
4. Assess Your Body
Getting a new mattress is a great opportunity to meet the needs of your back and neck. That neck pain could be greatly reduced by a mattress tailor-made to your body.
Consider going to a chiropractor to get an update on the state of your neck and back and get suggestions on what types of mattresses might improve your pain.
5. Choose a Material
Choosing materials is arguably the most important step in the process when it comes to personal preference.
The most common, and most affordable option is innerspring coils. We’ve all bounced on an innerspring coil mattress a time or two, seeing as these are the mattresses we all grew up with.
Innerspring mattresses can last an extremely long time and are reasonably comfortable. If you’re on a budget and want value, you might consider going with one of these.
Finally, the space provided by the coils can add extra airflow and reduce the temperature of the mattress during sleep.
The next popular option is latex foam, which is known for extreme responsiveness to body shape. It’s also known to be almost objectively comfortable to most people.
Latex is similar to memory foam, which is a well-known material. If you’re interested in learning more about different available materials, take a look at some of these mattress guides.
6. Consider Adjustable Firmness
If you take a look at your sleeping positions and body-areas that need the most support, you can identify an optimal mattress firmness and adjust to meet it.
In other words, you have the option to design a mattress that is firm in the middle, soft at the bottom, and very firm at the head. Whether or not your sleep on your stomach, back, or side also has an effect on how firm your bed should be.
7. Get Suggestions from Friends and Loved Ones
All of these details can be meaningless if it ends you up with a bed you don’t find comfortable.
Your social circle is bound to have some advice, seeing as each one of them is likely to sleep on a bed every night of their lives. Even if this means taking a trip to their home and plopping on their bed for ten minutes, what’s the harm?
Get some suggestions from the people you love and have some contact with real mattresses. This is especially true if you’re thinking of buying a mattress in a box, which we’ll cover next.
8. Mattress in a Box
One of the biggest impediments to buying a mattress is the fact that they are a pain in the butt to move.
Mattresses in a box are an excellent way to get around this unfortunate process. You can buy the product online, adjust it for your specifications, and receive it conveniently bundled in a box.
It takes a day or two to get unfolded and puffed up to its proper state, but it’s ready to go after that. Different companies will have varying return policies, so be sure to take a look at your company’s return policy.
9. Be Mindful of How You Sleep
When you receive a new mattress, it might take a week or two for your body to get adjusted to it. This means you could have aches and pains, but everything should settle out after a while.
At this point, be sure to notice whether or not your sleep is improved and if you have any pains as a result of the mattress.
Need More Information?
Knowing how to choose a bed is an essential piece of being an adult. It’s tough, though. It makes sense that you would need a little extra information when making such an important decision. Explore the rest of our site for more details about mattresses and which kind is right for you.