Bed Buying Guide

How firm should my mattress be?

A mattress needs to support your body so that you sleep with a good posture. A well-made mattress can be supportive, even if it has a soft or medium feel. Look for a mattress that keeps your back straight and supports your body curves. It is important to spend time trying out different mattresses in your normal sleeping position.

Your sleep position has a direct impact on your health. Poor sleep posture can lead to numerous issues, such as:

• Neck and Back Pain: Improper support can strain your spine, causing pain and stiffness in the neck, back, and shoulders.

• Disrupted Sleep: Waking up frequently to adjust your position due to discomfort can prevent you from getting the deep, restorative sleep you need.

• Breathing Problems: The way you position your head and neck can obstruct your airways, leading to snoring or even sleep apnoea.

Choose  the right size

Choose from Single, Small Double, Double, Kingsize or Super King beds, depending on what suits you and fits your room.

If you are unsure what size bed you have, just let us know the width and length of your mattress and we can tell you what size you have.

We have many beds that can be made in non-standard sizes, such as the huge Emperor size (200cm x 200cm!) and European sizes.

Types of mattress

Most sprung mattresses made today contain “Pocket Springs”. These individual springs move independently to support your body in a healthy posture, plus they help to prevent feeling a partner moving around in bed and reduce “Roll-Together”.

Mattresses can contain many different types of fillings, to provide different levels of comfort:

Natural fillings: Breathable fibres such as wool, cotton, silk, cashmere are very good at regulating temperature and provide a sumptuous, luxurious feel. These mattresses tend to have better recyclability.

Memory Foam: Very supportive and comfortable. Moulds to your body, great for joint and back pain.

Latex: Similar to memory foam, but made from natural, renewable material and is hypoallergenic. Latex has been used in beds for over a century and is a durable and reliable product.

Gel: Gel beds are similar to memory foam, also designed to reduce pressure pain. They provide good temperature regulation.

Micro Springs: These tiny springs are a more recent innovation and really help to reduce pressure in a similar way to memory foam and latex. These will normally be found in the best natural filled beds. These springs can also help a mattress keep its shape for longer.

Fibre Fillings: Synthetic hollow fibre fillings, similar to what you have in many pillows. These durable fillings make a mattress easy to maintain and are handy if you don’t want wool, foam or latex!

Turn or no-turn?

Many mattresses with natural fillings should be turned regularly to maintain them correctly. Wool and cashmere fillings will compact over time, which will leave depressions in the mattress where you have been sleeping. This is known as “settlement”. This is perfectly normal, but the impact of settlement can be reduced by regularly turning (flipping over) or rotating the mattress head-to-toe.

If you want to avoid turning a heavy mattress, then we have plenty of “no-turn” options with either natural or synthetic fillings.

Budget

Remember that a good mattress is an investment in your health. You spend nearly a third of your life in bed, so it’s probably the most used item in your house. We have great value mattresses to cater for all budgets.

Bases

You can often re-use an existing base if it is in good condition, but some mattresses are only fully guaranteed if they are placed on a new base.

Divan bases can now be ordered in a wide variety of colours to match the scheme of your room and might mean that you don’t need to use a traditional valance.

Bases can subtly change the feel of a mattress depending on if they are sprung or platform (non-sprung) divans. Bedframes can also have sprung slats which flex, or solid plank slats.

Pillows and Bedding

Don't forget comfy pillows and bedding to go with your new mattress for a cosy sleep. It is a good idea to change old pillows and protectors when you get a new bed so that everything is fresh from day one. Front sleepers will normally need a softer, flatter pillow compared to back and side sleepers.