Archive for the ‘Furniture’ Category

Buying a Cheap Mattress

Tuesday, May 5, 2009
posted by Frank Stevens

Buying a Cheap Mattress

Buying a new mattress can represent a significant investment for most people. But buying the wrong mattress can impact a large portion of your life. On average, people spend more than one third of their lives in bed. An uncomfortable or poorly made mattress can seriously impact the amount and quality of sleep one gets.

Another reason to purchase a quality mattress right from the beginning is that it will last longer than its cheap counterpart. Quality spring or memory foam mattresses can last up to twenty years and more whereas a cheap mattress will need to be replaced every few years or you will be in for uncomfortable nights as the mattress begins to break down.

Mattresses come in all price ranges from the cheapest factory-made metal spring mattresses to top of the line pillow top or memory foam mattresses. In mattresses, like with many other purchases, you get what you pay for. Cheap mattresses mean cheap workmanship as well as inferior quality materials.

When comparing traditional metal spring mattresses, look for one that has a cushioning padding on top of the springs. Gone are the days when doctors recommended a cement-hard mattress for proper sleep. Now, the advice is to have a mattress that conforms to your body, supporting the curves. A quality coil or spring mattress will have a higher gauge of wire and more coils than a cheap mattress. This provides a firmer surface that will outlast a cheaper model. If, however, you are looking for high quality support for your back, you may want to skip the coil mattresses altogether and seek out a memory foam mattress.

Memory foam mattresses are made from high viscosity foam and do not have coils or springs. Memory foam is so called because it “remembers” the shape of the object laying on it and conforms to it. Sleeping on a memory foam mattress can provide a better quality sleep as the support it gives relieves pressure points on the body that cause back aches and other body pains.

But even memory foam mattresses have cheap imitations. Not all foam mattresses are memory foam so it is important to understand what the mattress is made from. Of the mattresses that do contain memory foam, some contain only a thin layer that is coupled with regular foam. Quality memory foam mattresses will contain a minimum of three inches of memory foam on top of other foam. A cheap memory foam mattress may contain a scant inch of the product which will not provide enough support for the body.

Investing in a quality mattress is an investment in your health. Studies show that those who get six or more hours of quality sleep every night are healthier than those who don’t. They are more alert during the day and get more accomplished. You may not pay as much for a cheap mattress now, but you will be paying for it in other ways for years to come.