Photos via: Living Etc

The day of the mattress on a box spring is becoming obsolete. There are so many different kinds of mattresses for sale these days that will give you exactly what you want. You may like a soft mattress, a firm mattress, or a mattress that will please you and your partner.

If you wake up fairly stiff, or with incredible pain in your back or neck, your mattress is not supporting your spine and body the way that it should. Over time and with use, a mattress will eventually break down and will not be able to support you as effectively as it once did. If your mattress is uncomfortable in any way, or is lumpy, you may want to start looking at mattresses for sale. If you live to be the ripe old age of 75, you will have spent about 25 years of your life on your mattress, so you want it to be able to do its job. You should wake up refreshed and pain-free. If you spend most of the night tossing and turning, you are not getting the quality of sleep that you should, and it is time to retire your old mattress.

Mattress shopping may not be as straightforward as you think, and it can be good to start out with what you want in mind. Do you want a firm mattress or a not-so-firm mattress? Do you want a basic mattress or are you looking to change things up and go for a mattress that has some extras? What does your partner want? You may want a bed that is adjustable, and that makes it easy to get in and out of your bed. Or you may want a mattress that can become firm for you and less firm for your partner so that you can both be happy. You should also know the size of your current mattress since you will want to shop for a new one that is the same size. If you don’t know if it is a queen, full, twin, or king size you can always measure your bed frame.

An adjustable mattress isn’t only relaxing and comfortable, but it also helps to reduce health conditions, such as acid reflux, since you can raise the head as well as the feet. An adjustable bed will often have dual controls, so it is easy to adjust both sides of the bed. You and your partner will have a remote, and when it is flat, it looks just like an “ordinary” bed. Some mattresses also come with available features, such as anti-snore controls and massage options. If that sounds enticing, you will want to be sure to ask your salesperson about them. They may not cost too much extra and will be well worth it in the long run. It isn’t every day that you buy a new mattress, so you might as well splurge a little.

Choosing a new mattress will depend on the budget that you have to work with, but you should go for the best mattress that you can afford. Shop around locally and see what you can find, or if that is not an option for you because there is not a mattress store near you, you can normally buy a mattress online that comes with a money back guarantee. You can try it out for a period of time, and if you don’t love it, you can send it back.

You spend almost a third of your life lying on your mattress, so you want it to be comfortable. You will also save money of you are sleeping on a suitable mattress since you won’t need as many chiropractic adjustments and you will not miss work because of a back that went out. Life is hard on your body, and especially if you have a particularly demanding job. You need to give it the best rest that you can for that seven to eight hours a night.

Photo: Catherine Nguyen Photography

According to the America Sleep Association, between 50 and 70 million U.S. adults suffer from some form of sleep disorder. This represents a huge proportion of the North American population, meaning that a vast number of people are struggling to enjoy a good nights’ sleep. While this may occasionally be the result of an underlying illness, many sleepless nights are simply caused by an uncomfortable mattress of the layout of the interior space.

We’ll address some of these concerns below, while asking how you can design your bedroom for a better nights’ sleep: 

Invest in the Right Mattress

The mattress that you lie on is one of the most important contributing factors to a good nights’ sleep, and there are a number of potential reasons for this. In order to make your bedroom cozy for winter, a comfortable mattress is a must.

One of the biggest issues is commonly known as ‘sleeping hot’, which refers to the fact that specific mattresses cause our bodies to retain heat throughout the course of the night. While our core temperature typically drops as we sleep, there are certain types and design of mattress that trap the heat that we shed as the hours tick by.

Photo: Catherine Nguyen Photography

This can cause you to wake up feeling hot and sweaty in the early hours, disrupting your sleep cycle and leaving you feeling overly tired in the process.

The negate this issue, you should consider investing in a cooling mattress, which includes advanced cooling technology within memory foam material that conforms to each individual. This creates the optimal level of comfort, both in terms of your alignment and body temperature. 

Get the Lighting Right (and the Environment) 

When it comes to optimising your sleep cycle, the level of light in your bedroom is an extremely important consideration.

This has been borne out by studies, which have revealed that our mind and natural circadian rhythm tends to follow a dark-light cycle. As a result, having too much light in your room can seriously disrupt your sleep and make it difficult to drift off in the first place.

Photo: Regina Tamburro Photography

This is easier said than done, as our contemporary lifestyles tend to disrupt us from the dark and calm environments that are central to a restful nights’ sleep. After all, modern bedrooms are littered with devices such as televisions, smartphones and computers, which can sporadically light up the space and interrupt your REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep.

With this in mind, it’s important to ensure that the space is as dark as possible when you want to sleep, so consider switching off as many devices as you can. If you need to keep your smartphone on, we’d recommend placing it in a draw where the light cannot disturb you.

Photo: Nicole Forina Home

Pay Attention to the Décor

Your bedroom should be a sanctuary, and a space that has been specifically designed for rest and relaxation. The colour scheme that you use to decorate the space is therefore critical, as muted pastel shades such as light blue or green can create a genuinely calming interior.

Of course, you may have a desire to incorporate some bolder and brighter shades into the space. Rather than introducing these as block colours, however, we’d recommend using them as accents and weaving them into throws, pillows and surrounding artwork.

If you get the balance wrong, you could be left with an overbearing and garish space that is hardly conducive to a good nights’ sleep.