Buying Guide

Shopping Guidelines

Mattress shopping is simple when you know the guidelines. What should you look for in a mattress? Comfort, support and durability - provided by a brand name you trust. It's that simple.

Comfort

Mattress comfort is a matter of personal preference. The upholstery, comprised of various layers of material between your body and the innerspring, largely determines surface comfort. Both the type and thickness of these materials will produce different degrees of comfort.

A variety of comfort levels are available, depending on the brand of bed you select. The most common comfort levels are:

• Firm: Offers the least surface "give" and would be considered harder in feel compared to other surface comforts.
• Plush: Offers more surface "give" and provide a softer surface comfort.
• Pillowtop: Offers a lofty layer of cushioned softness, reducing motion and providing a better night's sleep.
• Eurotop: Offers the softest surface with the highest level of comfort, support, and motion reduction.

The old saying, "Firmer is better", is not necessarily true. Typically, your body type determines the comfort level that's best for you. A mattress that's too firm will not support all parts of the body evenly and can cause discomfort at the shoulders and hips, your body's heaviest parts. The increased pressure on these points reduces blood circulation, which can result in a poor night's sleep.

A mattress that's too soft will not keep your spine in proper alignment. Therefore, your muscles will need to work throughout the night to keep your spine straight. This extra effort can leave you feeling tired and aching in the morning.

Support

Support is a function of the bed's innerspring, which is located in the center of the mattress. The type of support the innerspring provides depends on its coil configuration and design. Heavy-gauge steel coils that are hinged together for conformance and stability provide uniform comfort and support. The solid edge support means you won't feel like you'll slide off the mattress when lying or sitting near the edge. A good, strong coil helps to support your back.

Durability

You want a sleep system that's going to last, so durability is very important. The upholstery materials, type of steel and the design of the innerspring impact the durability of the mattress. For example, coil systems that are heat tempered twice are more durable and better able to maintain their shape that mere heat-tempered coils.

The purpose of a box spring is to help extend the life of the sleep system. The box spring works much like a shock absorber in a car's suspension; it absorbs the major portion of stress and weight. A properly designed box spring provides strong support as well as some flex and eliminates stress in the mattress unit. A worn-out box spring can shorten the life of a mattress as much as 50%. Not using a box spring with your mattress also shortens the life of the mattress.

Bed Price	Cost Per Day*
$600	16 cents
$1000	27 cents
$1500	41 cents
$3000	82 cents
*based on 10 years of use

The average person spends one-third of their life in bed, so it makes sense to buy the best quality mattress you can afford. And when you divide the cost of a quality mattress over its 10-year life, a good night's sleep probably costs only pennies per night.

A high quality bed is a small investment that will pay off year after year.

The example on your right illistrates how much money you will invest on a day-to-day basis.