Finding the right mattress can be a real challenge, especially at the moment when trying one out in person is near impossible. We asked Sara and Siria, members of our Sleep Team, to tell us what exactly makes a good mattress. Sara and Siria are real experts, so hopefully their detailed description of the perfect mattress will help you to make an informed decision.
Mattress Size
First and foremost what size are you after? We always recommend that if you’ve got the space then go as big as you can. This will guarantee a good night’s sleep, especially when sharing the mattress with someone as it minimises any movement you may experience from the other person. With that being said, always make sure that you can get a large mattress through to your bedroom without bending or folding it. It’s vitally important to measure up for access as none of our mattresses come in a box and bending them would ruin the structure.
Type of mattress
You then might want to think about which type of mattress you would like to go for – i.e.: latex, memory foam, pocket sprung. If you’ve slept on a pocket sprung mattress your whole life and have been relatively comfortable with it then we would recommend sticking to what you know.
We wouldn’t usually recommend a memory foam mattress unless you’ve tried one overnight before. It can be a bit hit or miss with memory foam mattresses as they do feel quite different to pocket sprung ones. The memory foam conforms to your body’s contours throughout the night giving you quite a snug fit and reduces movement. It’s this characteristic which makes latex memory foam perfect for people with joint problems or mobility issues: moving during sleep might cause discomfort and wake you up. You don’t want to buy a new type of mattress, try it at home for the first time and not like it. Purchasing a mattress is a long term commitment (8-10 years minimum!) that you must get right.
If you are after a more natural or organic product then it’s best to go for a pocket sprung mattress in our Organic or Natural Sleep range. Most of these mattresses use all natural fillings with no foam or latex present.
Here’s a tip: if you are moving home, remember not to bend or roll your mattress as it can damage the springs. Keep your mattress well-wrapped and laid flat while in transit.
Tension
The next thing to consider would be the tension. We would recommend you go by the weight guidelines. If you weigh roughly between 11-16st/70-100kg then we would say to go for a medium tension. Anyone weighing under 11st/70kg would be a soft tension and anyone over 16st/100kg would be a firm.
It’s a common misconception that we quite often get from customers that the firmer the better, or if you have any sort of back issue then you should go for a firm. This is quite the contrary and in some cases a firm mattress can do more damage than good. You’re going to want a mattress that gives you support in all the right places. It’s always good to go for the correct tension according to your weight and, if after 30 nights it still doesn’t feel right, then you can think about taking advantage of Heal’s Comfort Promise.
If a couple is varied in weight then you can go for a zip and link mattress with two different tensions.
Try it out
On a normal day the best advice we can give is for customers to come into store and spend as long as they can on the mattresses. Laying on them, jumping on them, napping on them. We can also help assess their spine alignment. It truly is the best way to get a real feel for them.