If sleep on one's
new mattress is not coming easily, it could be habit more than habitat.Experts generally agree that the average
American is not sleeping well. The fast paced life is not leading human fast to
sleep, but rather the opposite. Beds should be havens of peace from the hassels
of the day, but Americans are often bringing work into the bed to get a little
more time on that project or presentation. This leaves them fighting to stay
alert right up until the moment they can't fight anymore and the body is
suddenly expected to switch gears with no similar switch in location. Late
night programming is not meant to lull one to sleep, but keep the viewer
engaged for through the next commercial break.
To get a better
night's sleep leave the work in the home office, and come into the bed ready for
relaxation. Perhaps some soft music would help provide a transition. Brahms
wrote the traditional lullaby, but many artists have tunes that could be views
as soothing at the very least.
Warm milk has
always been viewed as soothing. The chocolate in hot chocolate is a bit of a
stimulant, so if one really wants a flavor for the milk try a splash of
vanilla. Some might consider alcohol, but experts general agree that the
alcohol can lead to a disruption of the sleep cycle in the middle of the night.
A cigarette before hitting the bed mattress is not only unwise, but unsafe.
Falling asleep with a lit cigarette can lead to a house fire, and the nicotine
is a stimulant that will be trying to counter effecting any comfort.
Regular bedtimes
are also key to feeling rested. After investing money in a good mattress take
advantage of it earlier rather than waiting till one is falling asleep in
another room. Go to bed every night at the same time, and provide a bed time
ritual to signal to the body what is going on. If ones body doesn't “feel”
sleepy, try purposefully relaxing each muscle. Closing ones eyes and thinking
back on a pleasant life story or favorite moment in the day will help the mind
relax and move one into a dream state. If ones is feeling particularly
stressed, remember that stress reduction techniques like deep breathing that
work during the day can also be used at night.
A comfortable bed
mattress can only go so far. It the room is too lit, sleep can be hindered or
disturbed. Get a reading light with a timer, or light blocking curtains if the
light is coming from outside.
Remember that it
is also normal to wake in the middle of the night. Normal sleep patterns follow
a wave, and there will be a cycle of more alertness in the middle of a full
nights rest. If a half ration of sleep is not required, keep the eyes, and try
to let the mind wander.Tossing and
turning at this point might occur, perhaps the sleep was disturbed because too
much (or not enough) heat was being trapped by a blanket.
Be sure to
respect the bed room and mattress within. It doesn't matter if it is a king
mattress or twin mattress; sleep is important for the body and mind to rejuvanate
itself.
Many sleepers
take their box spring for granted when buying a bed mattress. The fact that
some mattresses do not require box springs does not help. Box springs were
created because mattresses needed some foundation. Initially a lattice of rope
or wire was created to raise the mattress above the floor. The lattice provided
a more flexible foundation than the hard floor or raised platform of earlier
beds.
As the use of
springs expanded and the production of the springs got more inexpensive it
became a cost effective way to provide a flexible base for a lumpy,
batting-filled mattress. Eventually they would be used beneath early foams to
provide afirm but flexible surface to
counterbalance the overly soft cushion of the foam mattress. Four inches or so
of a single type of foam would distribute the weight across multiple springs
while simultaneously reduce the pressure from any particular spring.
These box springs
also served the purpose of raising the bed up sufficiently to allow the sleeper
an easier time of getting in and out of bed. The box springs would be wood or
metal frames covered in cloth to coordinate with the mattress on top. The bed frames beneath adjusted their
style to the expected box springs. In some instances they reduced themselves to
a simple metal frame on wheels expecting the bedding on top to provide the
decoration in the bed room as opposed to a distinct frame. Bed skirts were the
most subdued of this decoration sitting between the bed mattress and box spring
and covering the previously bare cloth and metal frame. Most box springs today
are made to match their particular bed mattress. An innerspring mattress will
be sure to work with the springs in the box beneath to their optimum value.
Their values are linked as well as their warranties.
Not all
mattresses come with box springs. Most bunk beds, with a limited amount of space
between the bottom and top bed, will either have a lattice of metal wire or
slats of wood to provide the foundation for a single mattress.
A memory foam
mattress and air mattresswill each
require a firm surface more like a piece of plywood under them as they attempt
to provide all variations of firmness within the mattress. Most mattress
vendors will sell a solid foundation in order to provide the expected height
and maintain the illusion that the mattress is just like a traditional
mattress.
Some sleepers are
moving to a platform style of sleeping which eliminates the box spring beneath
for a firm foundational piece of furniture. If the mattress is not made to be
used on a platform, it will void the warranty. In fact many retailers will not sell
a traditional innerspring mattress without the box spring foundation, if that
is the case. If one wants or has a platform style bed be sure to let any sales
person know so that one can better be served.
If one moves
often or lives in a place with really narrow stairs or door ways, please keep
this in mind when buying the foundation for a mattress. Especially in the case
of a queen or king mattress. Some king sized mattresses will come with a split
box spring for this particular reason.
Just as there are many types of facial tissues, there are
many varieties of the memory foam mattress. Tempur-Pedic is a brand name for
that type of mattress, but it is not the only one. Tempur-Pedic is in fact a
Swedish manufactures variation of a mattress from material developed for NASA.
Today one can buy a bed mattress made of memory foam from any number of
locations. The quality of the materials involved varies as well as guidelines
for toxicity. Only those made the in US, with the exception ofTempur-Pedic, can be guaranteed to be of the
same general quality.
Foam is at its most basic a trapping of air. Meragues,
mousses and souffles are examples in cooking of foams.In the case of memory foam rather than egg
proteins forming the structure and being baked to preserve it, a visco-elastic
polyurethane substance is used to trap and creatively release the air. The
specific viscosity of the foam allows it to condense under a certain ammount of
weight, but bounce back as the weight it lifted or shifte.Styrofoam will dent due to weight but will
not bounce back. The pills in a bean bag, often made of styrofoam will move to
accomadate the shape of the sitter, but one has to manually lift and reposition
the bag if one moves too much. Cotton and wool battings,if over stuffed, won't offer as much give. If
the batting is understuffed, it won't offer as much support. The need for more
precision in support is generally the reason for innerspring mattresses or Box
springs.
A memory foam mattress, on the other hand, often won't use a
box spring at all as the variation of support is done in the foam itself.It will use a layered technique to provide
different levels of firmness. Generally putting a more firm layer toward the
bottom with a softer layer towards the top so that one sinks as weight is
applied, but sink less as the mass reaches the firmer layers.
There are memory foam mattress pads as well that would go on
top of the exisiting mattress. This would work best on a more firm mattress to
provide the softness and contouring effects not provided by the firmmer
mattress without investing in a completely new mattress.
Please note that a memory foam mattress is made from a
scientific process. There may be a chemical smell that eminates from the bed
for the first few days. This will dissapate over time, but can be distracting.
Cleaning or airing the sheets daily will help reduce the presence of the
smell.
Some mattress companies are placing layers of latexfoam with layers of memory foam, as one might
mix some polyester into cotton to make a shirt more wrinkle resistant. The
latex will provide more a softer, less firm layer on top. A latex allergy
should not be affected as those are generally related to direct skin contact.
Be sure to look at the range available and decide for what
level of support is required.
Not all mattresses are the same. There are a few key types of mattresses and they are defined by their contents. Foam mattresses, inner spring mattresses, water beds, and air mattresses. There are of course hybrids of these styles as manufacturers try and bring together the best of the different worlds.
Air mattresses represent the newest invention, but they also are the least developed as far as comfort with a few high end exceptions. Most air mattresses are used for extra guest beds the way the hide-a-bed and futon were in the 80's and 90's. They are also about as welcome to the intended sleepers. There are a few specialty retailers that produce air mattresses for daily use and they will have covers to make them look indistinguishable from the outside to the average sleeper.
Water beds hit the market around the 60's, but seem to be falling out of popularity. They have their perks be it heating elements or gentle rocking motion. The requirement for a special foundations though make them a larger investment ;one is not just replacing the mattress but the entire bed, frame and all.
The foam mattress first hit the market in the 1950 and they were primarily a large piece of foam covered with a soft silky fabric. They would go on top of the box spring and provide the cushion to the box spring below. Science had stepped into the stuffing market with something light and full of spring without the internal wires protruding as they were more apt to do in the early days of inner spring mattresses. Today the quality of foam has improved dramatically allowing soft cushions of support across the whole body. Memory foam is added to many types of mattresses today.
Innerspring mattresses were the major invention in the early 20th century. These were composed of either fully autonomous springs enclosed with fabric, or a series of coils that are themselves wound together along a frame. With different levels of firmness and strength to the wire in the spring provides more of less cushion. The replacement or reduction of filling meant there was less material for insects and bacteria to grown. This was before homes were sealed as tight and hygiene standards were different. Mattresses were filled with the wool, horsehair, cotton and other fluffy fillers that were of various states of cleanliness and then quilted with buttons and strong thread to keep the materials from shifting over time the box spring below.
As time progressed the mattress started picking up parts from all these beds. Inner spring mattresses would add more cotton and wool back on top to reduce 'pokes' by errant springs. Different zones were identified as needing more of less support and so springs would be replaced by foam. Pillow toppers have be come very popular making the inner core of the mattress more about support than comfort. Springs represent the longest lasting firmness. Foam “egg-crate” shaped mattress covers have given way to memory foam toppers.
Some special beds like futons may still have old style quilted mattresses which would look more like those from the 19th century than 21st century. The internal filling though is often part natural and partially man-made fibers for optimal comfort.
Americans seem to
go through a pattern of progressively larger bed mattresses. Starting with the
crib mattress, which at a little more than 2 feet by 4 feet would barely
support an adult curled up in a ball, one learns about how to sleep laying down
by oneself. Often a youngster will move to a twin sized bed. A twin mattress
gives the sleeper over 3 feet by 6 feet of sleep space and will allow for the
growth of a youngster. Small children might find it cozy to co-sleep with a
sibling during a thunderstorm, but these are traditionally single beds. In fact
in Europe they are referred to as a single rather than twin bed.
Upon reaching
college, the young adult will find that dorm beds are extra long twin. There
will be an extra 5 inches. This is probably to accommodate the longer length of
the young adult.It certainly
complicates the shopping for this new dorm experience. Old, familiar sheets are
not big enough any longer.
The next sizes
for beds get a little complicated, and it will require the sheet buyer to be
extra cautious of actual sizes. Many will say that full and double bed mattress are the same. Certainly they are both generally about 54 inches (or 4 ½ feet)
wide and the beds are either 75 or 80 inches long. The same lengths of the twin
and twin extra long. Those same 5 inches that made one buy new sheets for
college could leave one tugging and pulling every morning to keep the mattress
covered. There are no specific standards for these names so check what the
actual measurements are of the bed and try to find those same numbers on the
new sheets. One will likely find that the area or a favorite store has some
standard for a full versus a double bed.
The next size up
is the queen mattress. It is a full 5 feet across and the same 80 inches or 6 2/3 feet
of the twin extra long. Though occasionally purchased for a single individual,
this is certainly the more practical choice for two. It still does not provide
as much space across per person as a twin, but for most adults it would be
enough.
Any parent will
tell though, that one thunderstorm is all that stands between them and space to
roll over in their bed. Once children can get out of bed, they will start their
stampede in storms and to escape bad dreams. Parents, depending on the cause
and their personal taste, will make some room and sacrifice a few extra
precious inches. These inches multiply with the family and some parents will
find themselves looking for a King Sized mattress.At over 6 feet wide two people have almost
the same amount of space as if two twin beds were next to each other side by
side.
Historically as
the couple ages one will blame the other for snoring or experience insomnia at
some point and one might move back to a smaller mattress in a guest room. This
is of course all a matter of personal taste.
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