In the last two decades, we have filled our bedrooms with several activities and stuff that are not even remotely associated with sleep. Many of us are using our bedrooms as home-office, movie-theater, snack-room, and even as a home gym. Despite all this, the importance of bedroom and its primary purpose (to provide rest after a long day) cannot be overlooked.
Human beings, on average, spend a third of their life in their bedrooms. With growing literature and the latest research, awareness of sleep hygiene and its health benefits are now becoming common knowledge. People now realize the need to make their bedroom experience better in pursuit of healthy sleep.
The first thing that comes into our mind when we think about our bedroom is the ‘bed.’ The bed or the mattress is the single most significant thing that makes a bedroom a ‘bed-room.’ The mattress industry has been keeping up with the massive task of providing each bedroom in the world with a suitable mattress. With online mattress availability, it has become reasonably easy to change your bed in no time.
How Can a Mattress Affect your Bedroom Experience?
A comfortable mattress can have surprisingly profound effects on your health, overall well-being, and bedroom experience. On the other hand, if you don’t give your bed the proper respect and cut your mattress spending money, it can cost you dearly. Let us have a look at some of these aspects in detail:
- Restfulness
A comfortable mattress of appropriate firmness, support, and temperature regulation can make your nap time enjoyable. A quality bed can entirely transform your bedroom into a sleep sanctuary. After a full day of scrambling for work and looking after the kids, your bedroom becomes the only place you want to be.
On the other hand, saggy and unsupportive mattress can cause neck pain and even lead to more significant spinal issues. A super-firm bed can cause joint pain, and you can wake-up sore and achy.
- A Plush Mattress can Make You Stress-Free
A study conducted in 2009 in Oklahoma State University revealed that sleeping on a new medium-firm mattress can decrease stress levels in a small population for 28 consecutive nights.
The study also concluded that sleep surfaces are directly related to sleep quality. People who were given new beds reported reduced stress levels, body pains, worrying thoughts, and restlessness.
- Sharing a Bed
A couple or a small family with a pet sharing the same mattress can be a tricky business. The appropriate mattress for a couple or a family must have excellent motion isolation properties. Newly designed mattresses provide better motion isolation let each partner sleep undisturbed.
Split mattresses offer a solution to cater for different sleep requirements of each partner. The size of the bed must also be large enough to accommodate a small family or a pet (if you own one) King and Cali King Sizes are preferred in such bedrooms.
- Intimacy
Bedroom intimacy and privacy are crucial for a relationship. A sleep surface with excellent support is an absolute must for any couple’s sex life. Beds with appropriate bounce can complement the movement and make the moments enjoyable.
Couples need to choose a bed size that they are comfortable with. Couples living in modern apartment bedrooms mostly prefer Queen size mattresses. If both partners find the mattress equally comforting, they can relax together and enjoy each other’s company.
- Mattress Allergies, Spinal Issues, and Medical Conditions
If you are experiencing any symptoms of allergy when you go to bed, they might be due to dust and mites inside your mattress and bedding. In such cases, your bed is the source of allergens sitting right in the middle of your bedroom. Washing your bedding regularly and using waterproof protectors can mitigate such issues.
People with back, neck pain, and other medical conditions can improve their bedroom experience by choosing a comfortable bed for themselves.
- Color Scheme and Design of your Bedding
Bedding color schemes not only adds to the aesthetics of your bedroom it can enhance your sleep experience as well. Mattress companies now offer protectors, sheets, and pillows of matching décor. Bedroom and bedding colors can have a substantial effect on our mood and spirit.
Experts recommend blue, orange, silver, and green shades are more conducive to sleep than others. They can have a calming effect and lower your anxiety, helping you fall asleep quickly. Some sleepers are also sensitive to the smell of the bedding and mattress. Lavender and vanilla-scented pillow cover or sheets can foster a welcoming sensation.
How will you know that it’s Time to Change Your Mattress?
Mattress brands nowadays are offering warranties from 2 years to lifetime. But this does not necessarily mean that you should use it for the same duration. The average age of a quality mattress is found to be 7 to 10 years, and sleep experts recommend that you change your bedding in this window.
The longevity of a bed also depends on its construction and design. Air beds and latex mattresses are usually more durable than innerspring and hybrid mattresses.
However, if you are experiencing any pain or tossing and turning at night, this might be an indication that you need a new mattress. Some sleep surfaces incur physical changes with constant use like sagging, off-gassing, lumps, rips/tears, and loss of edge support. These are also an indication that the mattress is at the end of its life.
Your bedroom experience depends heavily on your mattress. A suitable bed can help you avoid sleep disorders and put your mind at ease. As a result, you can maintain a healthy sleep routine which not only prepares you for the next day but has positive long-term effects on your lifestyle.