There are so many mattress deals available online that sometimes it’s incredibly tempting to hit “buy” on that affordable mattress that you’ve had your eye on for so long. However, we’re going to stop and tell you that you should seriously reconsider.
Mattresses are generally considered a long-term investment because they’re for your general wellbeing, they’re expensive, and they last pretty long. So as with all investments, it’s worth making sure that you get your money’s worth.
Let’s take a look at why testing your mattress before purchasing it is a great idea.
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Gauging the Mattress’ Comfort
You won’t be able to know if the mattress is comfortable for you (and your partner) if you don’t physically test it out.
One thing that a lot of people don’t know is that there’s no standard mattress type that’s suited for everyone because everyone has specific sleeping needs.
If you combine that fact with finding the perfect mattress for your partner as well, you’ll end up with particular choices that won’t apply to other people.
Comfort is usually measured first by the firmness of the mattress.
There are levels of firmness that you should take a look at, and these usually vary in names and labels depending on the supplier. However, the consensus is that there are five categories: firm, medium-firm, medium, medium soft, and soft. Deciding on which of these categories you want your mattress to fall in can’t be done in front of your screen.
There are instances where people have wanted the softest possible mattress but find out that it isn’t ideal for them because they’re stomach or back sleepers. This option offers too much contouring and can increase spine curvature due to the way they sleep.
Finding the right mattress takes a lot of experimentation and testing, and this is the reason why it would still be advisable that you visit your local bed store to check out what works for you.
Places like Amerisleep retail store even have specialized personnel that can work with you to determine what other comfort requirements you might need.
One good rule of testing mattresses is to try all your usual sleeping positions on it to check if there’s one position that you feel makes you uncomfortable.
How Much Support Do You Need?
In the previous section, we spoke briefly about comfort and firmness, and although support and firmness share a weird relationship, they’re not the same.
Support is more objective in allowing you to check out how a particular mattress can support your spine correctly and offer pressure point relief at the same time. Think about it this way: a soft bed can still support certain body types but will fail to help others.
You need to be able to find the right combination of firmness and support, and you’ll only be able to achieve this by visiting a proper mattress store.
While you’re at it, you can even ask the in-store specialist about the possible conditions that you have that are affected by sleeping, e.g., back pain, arthritis, etc. and they’ll be able to help add to the shortlist of mattresses that you should check out.
Finding Out What Features You Need (And, Don’t Need)
There are so many different mattress features being released nowadays that are so heavily reliant on marketing that you feel like you need them all to be able to win sleep. However, as with all add-ons, extra features will cost you additional dollars.
These are some features you don’t need at all though. For example, it would be nice to have a bed that had cooling characteristics for people who are considered “hot sleepers.” However, if you and your partner don’t have this problem, it makes no sense for you to spend a considerable amount of money for this feature.
There are other considerations, too, like the type of mattress that you want. Some people prefer memory foam, some like latex, while others consider the coil spring mattress to be their standard of comfortability.
By allowing yourself the time to check out what features you want, you’ll be able to make a more informed decision and save a lot of money in the long run.
If you’re shopping for your kids’ mattresses, it’s also a good idea for them to be able to test their future beds, too.
Remember that a mattress will last you years, and it’s important to do mattress testing before purchase because you’ll be sleeping with that decision for a long time! Be a good consumer and test before you buy it.
