Choosing A New Bed

Courtesy of our friends at Sleepeezee - a selection of interesting facts to consider when choosing a new bed, or mattress for you or a member of your family…

• People spend one third of their lives in bed. In fact the bed is used more than the three piece suite, the stereo or even the television.
• The average adult grows in the night by up to 2 centimetres – as during the day the spine becomes compressed.
• Sleep is ‘slimming’ - moisture loss during sleep adds up to as much as one litre per night.
• It is recommended that beds should be replaced every 8 to 10 years for hygiene reasons (as well as wear and tear) although the average replacement cycle is nearer to 15 years.
• 59.6 million working days are lost each year through back problems – 97% of GPs agree that a new bed could alleviate back problems.
• Nearly 1.5 million children in Britain are sleeping in second hand or ‘hand-me-down’ beds and are therefore more likely to suffer from asthma.
• Every £100 you spend on a bed equates to less than 3p per night over 10 years.

Choosing your new bed

At The Yorkshire Bed Company we believe it is important to consider the following when choosing a new bed:

1. How much time we spend in bed
2. How long we expect our bed to last
3. The rejuvenating benefits of healthy, restful sleep
4. The long term health benefits of spinal support

To help you select the right bed we have described in summary the different types of mattress and bases below:

Mattress Types

i) Memory Foam (or Visco Elastic)

Originally developed by NASA scientists to absorb the pressures exerted on astronauts passing through the Earth’s atmosphere, memory foam has since been recognised by medical science as an effective support medium with valuable pressure relieving properties. Reacting to natural body warmth, it gently responds to your weight and shape, moulding to every contour providing a unique combination of comfort and support. As an added benefit the structure of the foam does not allow dust-mites to penetrate the mattress resulting in a clean environment for healthy rejuvenating sleep.

The benefit to you – unique slow recovery properties provide unsurpassed comfort, support and pressure relief in a dust free environment.

ii) Pocket Springs (Spring count – 800 to 4000)

Individual springs are encased in their own fabric pocket and nested together to form a spring unit. With smaller diameter springs than open coil, a pocket sprung mattress generally contains a higher spring count – usually between 800 and 2000 springs (although spring counts in excess of 4000 are available). As a rule of thumb a higher spring count provides an improved level of support due to the increased flexibility of the mattress. Traditionally pocket sprung mattresses contain significantly more fillings than other mattresses, resulting in a more luxurious sleeping experience.

The benefit to you – higher numbers of independent springs combined with more fillings provide increased levels of comfort and spinal support.

iii) Advanced Open Coil (Spring count – approx. 700)

Manufacturers Silentnight and Sealy use their own patented versions of advanced open coil springs. The Silentnight system is called Miracoil, the Sealy system is Posturepedic. Both offer advantages over standard open coil spring units by using more springs and additional support in certain areas of the mattress referred to as posture zones.

The benefit to you – increased numbers of springs and ‘posture zones’ offer greater support than standard open coil.

iv) Open Coil (or Bonnell Springs) (Spring Count – approx. 300 per layer)

The most common type of spring used in a mattress normally found at the value end of the market. The springs are arranged in rows and connected to each other by a spiral wire, with an outer rod to strengthen the edge of the mattress. Some manufacturers increase the number of springs by using more than one layer within a mattress.

The benefit to you – budget end functional product.

v) Latex

Derived from the sap of rubber trees, latex exhibits natural elasticity and durability making it an ideal filling for a mattress. Although pure latex mattresses are available they remain very expensive. Latex is normally used as a filling in conjunction with springs and/or reflex foam. High levels of comfort and support are provided naturally.

The benefit to you – natural substance offering high levels of comfort and support without the need for springs.

vi) Other Fillings

1. Reflex Foam – high performance filling used to add layers of comfort and increase durability.
2. Polyester – man made fibre used to add loft and comfort in mattresses.
3. Natural Fillings – cotton, wool, silk, cashmere, horsehair etc. Such naturally occurring fibres are used predominantly in the luxury pocket sprung market to enhance durability and comfort.

Base Types

The bed base is merely a means of raising the mattress from the floor to ease the process of getting in and out of bed. However, there are different features inherent in bed bases which offer varying benefits. In short there are two categories of bed base; the divan and the bedstead – summarised below:

i) Divans

Sprung Base
(or Sprung Edge Base, Sprung Edge Divan Base)

A divan base with a spring unit on top designed to offer additional support to the mattress. The springs in the base will result in a softer feel and increase the lifespan of the mattress.

The benefit to you – a more luxurious feel and a longer lasting mattress.

Platform Top Base
(or Platform Base, Padded Top, Platform Divan)

A platform top base has no spring unit which serves to improve the responsiveness of memory foam. By providing a firmer feel platform top sets are generally associated with ortho (orthopaedic) divan sets.

The benefit to you – improved memory foam response and a firmer ortho feel.

ii) Bedsteads

A wider variation of designs from different materials has resulted in the rise in the popularity of the bedstead in recent years. The mattress is supported on either a slatted or a mesh base.

The benefit to you – improved mattress ventilation, the option to choose the design you want from pine, oak, cherry, brass, nickel, chrome, microsuede, leather, sleigh…

Standard UK Size Guide

Further Questions

At The Yorkshire Bed Company we pride ourselves on giving impartial advice with a view to helping you choose the right bed for you. If you have any questions which remain unanswered after reading the above please feel free to contact us on our freephone telephone number 0800 542 2157 or via our email address – see below.

And remember – every £100 you spend represents an investment of under 3p per night over 10 years. Treat yourself to a little luxury – you deserve it!