How to Choose a New Mattress

Ever have a night when you slept off and on for ten hours and found yourself dragging through the rest of the day? Ever had a night when you only got in about five hours of really good sleep and were full of pith and vinegar the next day? It’s all about the quality, not quantity. If you’ve got a good bed that allows you to sleep deeply when you slumber, it’s almost a guarantee of a better day.

Choosing a mattress is the key to both good sleep and good waking. First things first: size. Does size matter? Is a king worth the price? Is a queen really any better than a double? If you’re planning on sleeping single in a double bed, you’re probably okay. But if you’re planning on sleeping with someone else in that double bed, you should be aware that when two people of average size share a double mattress, they typically have only about 25 inches of space apiece. If that sounds acceptable, then consider this: The average baby crib is the same width. So if you’re sleeping on a double mattress with someone else, it’s kind of like crawling into the crib and attempting to return to the womb. On the other hand, a queen size mattress not only gives you seven more inches of space to share, but is also five inches longer. If you go up to a king size mattress, you get sixteen inches more to share.

When shopping for a new mattress, don’t be fooled by cost. The price of a mattress is dependent upon a large number of factors including store overhead, size, quality of construction and materials, etc. You can save significantly depending on where you shop. For instance, buying the same mattress at a mattress warehouse can be anywhere from 10 to 50 percent cheaper than buying it at a fancy store. Quality does affect price, but not nearly as much as profit affects price.