Does Your Bed Make You Happy? A Guide to Buying a Bed, Bedding & Beyond

In my previous article, Are You Sleeping as Well as You Could? Bed, Bath & Isomnia, I noted how everyone I know seems tired.

Maybe we're exhausted because today's world presents us with so many choices. As with, say, cottage cheese, beds are no exception in the overwhelming number of choices department.

Many of us (the lucky ones!) spend around one third of our lives in bed. Below are some options to consider when dreaming of a better night of sleep.

Before buying a bed, it's a good idea to spend at least 15 minutes or so lying on it, using the position in which you usually sleep. Bring your pillow along.

Inner Spring Matresses

• By far the most popular choice, inner spring mattresses are not as different from one another as the hype would have you believe. You should select the mattress that is most comfortable.
• Try out some beds without looking at the price tag; you may find that the $400 product feels as good or better than the $800 one.
• Some experts believe coil counts are overrated. They are difficult to compare due to too many variables, for example, thickness of the wire used.
• To save money, instead of buying a pillowtop, choose from a variety of pads to put on top of your mattress 

Memory Foam

• Roughly 80% of memory foam users are satisfied with their memory foam mattresses.
• The foam responds to body temperature and molds to your shape.
• The biggest complaint appears to be that they retain body heat and thus may feel hot.
• Also, they initially give off an odor.
• Tempurpedic is a well-known brand of memory foam mattress, but hardly the only one. Try this link for ratings of several memory foam manufacturers.

R*E*M Sleep Solutions

• R*E*M Sleep Solutions sells mattresses that mold to your body like memory foam but they use "an air merge chamber which allows cool air to pass through."
• As with many other models and brands, you can get an adjustable bed with a remote that raises the head and the foot.
• I worry that having a device to raise and lower the head and foot is just on more thing in my home that can break and require a sevice call. I use a variety of pillows to elevate my legs and head. 
• The company acknowledges you can expect some odor for at least a few days.

Latex Foam

• Surveys show latex foam mattresses to be nearly as well-liked as memory foam (assuming no latex allergies).
• One benefit is they don't retain heat the way memory foam beds do.
• This kind of mattress is best used on a slatted platform rather than on a box spring.

Air Mattresses

• You've probably heard of the Select Comfort Sleep Number Bed. These air matteresses allow you to adjust your mattress to your preferred level of firmness.
• If two people share a bed, each has the option to set his or her side to their liking.
• However, according to surveys, some owners who use two different numbers are may be less pleased than those who use only one setting.

Luxury Beds

• If you want to spend more than $5000, you can select anything from hand-made Duxiana or Relyon models to a $1.6 million floating bed whose industrial-strength magnets allow the bed to float more than a foot above the floor.

A Less Expensive Option: Memory Foam Mattress Cover

• In my guest room I have an inexpensive rock hard bed that my daughters used over the years. For $150 I bought a memory foam mattress cover, the same type I use when sleeping on the sofa in my daughter's New York apartment.
• Frankly, I like the feel of my cheap bed with the memory foam mattress cover better than my somewhat pricey Stearns & Foster pillowtop.

Pillows

• If you sleep on your back, you may want to use a flat pillow.
• Side sleepers should be sure to support thier necks. I'm a side sleeper and, in additions to using a semi-mushy pillow, I use a neck roll under my neck. For addtional support, I use a small pillow between my knees.
• For stomach sleepers, some advise a soft pillow.
• However, as with a bed, the best pillow is the one that feels best to you.
• Go to a store like Bed, Bath & Beyond to try out a wide variety of pillows. I keep three different types of pillows on my bed.

Bargain with the Salesperson

• Don't forget to bargain. As with cars, bed prices are often negotiable. If they won't budge on price, and even if they do, try asking for free delivery, pillows, and/or mattress cover (the kind that envelops the mattress as a shield against bedbugs)

As for the "Do not remove under penalty of law" label, which always baffled me, it turns out to be for the merchandiser. Still, it is prudent not to remove the label in case you ever need to submit a warranty claim.

What advice do you have for buying beds or for making your bed more comfy?

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