Do I need a new mattress?

A 1996 survey revealed that although consumers widely believe that a good mattress is important to sleep, health and preventing back problems, they tend to hold onto their mattress until it is well past its prime and actually disrupting sleep. The survey of 400 adults, conducted by Arc Consulting for the Better Sleep Council, includes these surprising findings as well:

• Over 8 in 10 people (82 percent) believe that sleep problems can be caused by a poor mattress. Yet, close to half (46 percent) describe the condition of their mattress when they bought a new one as "bad" or "very bad.
• When asked to name the main factor that disturbs their sleep, "stress" outpaced "bad mattress" by a five-to-one margin. This survey finding indicates that many more consumers may be unaware that their mattress is disturbing their sleep.
• Consumers recognize on a theoretical level the crucial role of the mattress to a person's sleep and health. But, on a practical level, when it comes to their own sleep and health, they often overlook the condition of the mattress they sleep on every night."

"Consumers seem to be remarkably unaware that their mattress may be undermining their attempts to get a good night's sleep," says Better Sleep Council. "

The "shelf life" of a mattress depends on several factors such as usage, quality and even your own changing comfort and support preferences. In general, a mattress set that has been in use for five to seven years may no longer provide proper comfort and support, and should be evaluated.

QUIZ: IS IT TIME FOR A NEW MATTRESS?

Answer these five questions, suggested by the Better Sleep Council, to see if it's time for a new mattress:

1. Is your mattress over five to seven years old?
2. Do you wake up with more stiffness, numbness, aches and pains than when you went to bed?
3. Did you have a better night's sleep somewhere other than your own bed?
4. Does your mattress show visible signs of wear and tear?
5. Are you are sleeping better or worse than you did a year ago and if a new mattress might improve your sleep?

The Do's and Don'ts of Mattress Care

• Give your mattress set good, solid support with a proper frame.
• Use a good quality, protective mattress pad to keep your mattress fresh and sanitary.
• When washing your mattress pad, vacuum your mattress to freshen it. Open your window and let your mattress and room refresh itself.
• Rotate your mattress regularly to equalize wear and tear.
• Don't remove the tag. The information will help identify the set.
• Don't bend or fold your mattress. The borders are not designed to bend.
• Don't dry clean your mattress. The chemicals may be harmful to the fabric or underlying materials. Use a protective pad and vacuum to clean.
• Don't use your mattress as a trampoline. Jumping on a sleep set may damage the interior construction and void any warranty provided.
• Don't use boards between the mattress and foundation. It may feel better, but it is only masking the problem of a worn out foundation.
• Don't hand down a worn out set. If it wasn't good enough for you, it isn't good enough for anyone else.

Tips for Better Sleep

The sleep set is literally the foundation of your sleep. But beyond your investment in the mattress, it's important to make an overall commitment to sleep.

Here are some tips for maintaining a healthy sleep cycle and ensuring the best night's rest.

1. Maintain a regular bed and wake time schedule, including weekends.
2. Establish a relaxing bedtime routine, such as soaking in a hot bath or hot tub and then reading a book or listening to soothing music.
3. Create a sleep-conducive environment that is dark, quiet, comfortable and cool.
4. Sleep on a comfortable mattress and pillow.
5. Use your bedroom only for sleep and sex. It is best to take work materials, computers and televisions out of the sleeping environment.
6. Finish eating at least two to three hours before your regular bedtime.
7. Exercise regularly. It is ideal to complete your workout at least a few hours before bedtime.
8. Avoid alcohol, nicotine (e.g., cigarettes, tobacco products), and caffeine (e.g., coffee, tea, soft drinks, chocolate) close to bedtime. These can lead to poor sleep, keep you awake or disrupt sleep later in the night.

Visit sleepfoundation.org for more information.

Shopping Tips

Start your shopping process at a store that you know and trust. To find the mattress that best meets your personal preferences and needs, it is important to have an educated salesperson who can guide you through the many choices.

How to Test a Mattress In-store

Once in the store, be sure to "test drive" your new mattress. If you have a coat on, take it off. Remove your shoes and lie down on several different models of mattresses in various positions, especially the position you usually sleep in. (Note: If you're a woman, it's best to go mattress-shopping in jeans or pants.) These few extra minutes of focusing on the "feel" of different mattress choices can save a lot of time and discomfort later. Partners should shop and test beds together. Try several different mattress comfort levels to insure your best selection.

Criteria for Evaluating a Mattress

Regardless of the type of sleep system you decide to purchase, always evaluate a mattress for:

• Comfort. Today's top quality mattress/foundation ensembles are built for superior comfort. Luxurious new cushioning materials and extra-soft surface treatments create a plusher, more comfortable feel. However, the core provides the needed support for your body. You'll sleep best on a mattress and foundation that offer you superior comfort as well as appropriate support. Trust your body to tell you which one feels best.
• Support. A good mattress and foundation will gently support your body at all points and keep your spine in the same shape as a person with good standing posture. Pay special attention to your shoulders, hips and lower back - the heaviest parts of the body. If there's too little support, you can develop back pain. But if the mattress is too rigid for you, you can experience uncomfortable pressure.
• Durability. The quality of the materials used and how they're put together will determine how long a mattress and foundation will provide comfort and support.
• Space. Cramped quarters can turn sleeping into a nightly wrestling match. A healthy person moves anywhere from 40-60 times a night, including dozens of full body turns. You need freedom of motion while you sleep and to help you relax while getting to sleep. Make sure that your mattress gives you room to move around comfortably throughout the night.

The mattress that best addresses these needs is the mattress for you!

Your Sleep Environment

If you're not sleeping well at night, your mattress or your bedroom could be to blame. Your sleep environment plays a significant role in the quality and quantity of rest you get.

According to a survey of 1,000 adults, conducted by the Bruskin/Goldring Research for the Better Sleep Council, at least 26 percent of the population report that their sleep is frequently sabotaged by environmental factors in the bedroom - whether it's light, noise, temperature or an uncomfortable mattress. The findings also reveal that while consumers have a high awareness of the relationship between their sleep environment and their quality of sleep, a substantial number suffer from disturbed sleep caused by conditions that can easily be corrected.

And for the health of an individual, they should be corrected.

The Consequences of Poor Sleep

The implications of poor sleep reach far beyond daytime weariness, according to sleep experts. Without restorative sleep, people experience higher stress, shortened tempers, lower motivation, slower reflexes and make more mistakes. Sleep also gives our brains time to consolidate the day's experiences into memory and improves the ability to learn. Plus, during sleep, the body replaces old cells with new ones and reenergizes organs and muscles.

Too many people are not getting the sleep they need. More than one-third of survey respondents said that room temperature and noise level frequently disrupt their sleep, at 37 percent and 34 percent, respectively. Sleep experts and the Better Sleep Council offer some helpful recommendations for creating a sleep environment that is conducive to sleep.

How to Create a Better Sleep Environment

• If noise is a problem, consider using earplugs or a white noise machine. Sudden, loud noises from outside or inside the home can result in fragmented sleep. Recent research published in the journal Perceptual and Motor Skills found that noise from passing traffic can make sleep shallower, or even cause the sleeper to awaken.
• If outside light makes your room too bright, try an eye mask or window coverings that darken the bedroom. Light is indeed a powerful cue that can reset the body's circadian rhythm and tell it to wake up. According to a study published in Nature, exposure to even moderate levels of light at night - such as regular household artificial light - can throw off the body's internal clock and cause a state similar to jet lag.
• If you're too hot or too cold, simply adjust the thermostat. People sleep best at a temperature where they don't expend energy either shivering due to cold or sweating due to excess warmth. The optimal temperature for sleep is between 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
• If your mattress makes you toss and turn, consider a new sleep set that may provide the comfort and support you need for a good night's sleep. Over 1 in 4 survey respondents said the condition of their mattress regularly bothered their sleep. A mattress that's past its prime can cause sleepers to toss and turn all night, with their muscles working overtime to support their bodies. For the one in four who links frequent sleep disturbances to the condition of their mattress, the Better Sleep Council recommends conducting a "rest test" by visiting a local mattress retailer and comparing the comfort of the mattresses at the store to their sleep set at home.

Source: The Better Sleep Council, a non-profit organization supported by the mattress industry, is devoted to educating the public about the importance of sleep to good health and quality of life, and about the value of the sleep system and sleep environment in pursuit of a good night's sleep.

History of Sleep

• 10,000 years ago, in the Neolithic period, people began sleeping on primitive "beds."
• 3400 BCE - Egyptian pharaohs discover the benefits of raising a pallet off the earth. King Tutankahmen had a bed of ebony and gold. Common people slept on palm bows heaped in the corner of their home.
• Roman Empire - First luxury bed. Often decorated with gold, silver or bronze, these beds featured mattresses stuffed with reeds, hay, wool or feathers.
• FUN FACT: Great bed of ware. On display at the Victoria and Albert Museum, it originally measured 18 feet six inches wide by 12 feet long and was elaborately carved and canopied. It could accommodate 68 people.
• Roman Empire - Romans discover the waterbed. The sleeper would recline in a cradle of warm water until drowsy, then be lifted onto an adjacent cradle with a mattress, where they would be rocked to sleep.
• Renaissance - Mattresses were made of pea shucks or straw, sometimes feathers, stuffed into coarse ticks, then covered with sumptuous velvets, brocades and silks.
• 16th and 17th centuries - Mattresses were generally stuffed with straw or down, placed atop a latticework of rope.
• FUN FACT: The expression "sleep tight" comes from the 16th and 17th centuries when mattresses were placed on top of ropes that needed regular tightening.
• The late 18th century - Advent of the cast iron bed and cotton mattresses. Together, they provided a sleeping space that was less attractive to bugs. Until that time, assorted vermin were simply accepted as a typical component of even the most royal beds.
• FUN FACT: Louis XIV was inordinately fond of staying in bed, often holding court in the royal bedroom. Reportedly, he owned 413 beds and displayed a special liking for the ultra spacious and ostentatious variety.
• 1865 - The first coil spring construction for bedding was patented.
• 1902 - Horsehair mattress makes its debut.
• 1925 - Innerspring mattresses and upholstered foundations revolutionize the way we sleep.
• 1950's. - Foam rubber mattresses and pillows and pillows appeared on the market.
• 1950's - Waterbeds are first introduced, although they did not become popular until the Sixties. Adjustable beds also started to become popular.
• 1980's - Airbeds introduced
• 1990's - NASA spun off their technology for memory foam mattresses, creating a new alternative in mattress options.