Mattresses are an investment. They're not the sort of thing you should go in blindly and buy; they have a real impact on your life, and depending on the one you pick, they can actually be expensive. But expensive as they can be, the right mattress for you is worth every penny.
If you're renting and about to furnish your apartment, we've created a comprehensive guide about why you should prioritize investing in the perfect mattress.
Mattresses Define the Sleep You Get
This one is a given. You must have gone to stay at a hotel, and the first thing you do is dive onto the mattress and make an instant judgment about how comfy the mattress is and whether you're going to get a good night's sleep. They have more of an impact than pillows, lighting, decor, room temperature, the time you go to sleep, etc.
God forbid it's a firm memory foam mattress, and you're a soft spring mattress sleeper.
Whether you're buying a twin mattress for the spare room or your kids' room or a queen mattress for your bedroom, invest in quality and watch the difference in how people sleep.
Poor mattresses can lead to:
Interrupted sleep
Overheating
Tossing and turning
Long-term sleep issues
Poor mood and mental health
Awful energy levels throughout the day
Whereas a good mattress does exactly the opposite. You sink into it with a sigh of relief at the end of the day, and you get the benefit of proper spinal alignment, better weight distribution for reduced pressure points, and overall pure joy. Nobody can deny that feeling.
They Can Improve Your Posture
We started to touch on that above, but if you're trying to furnish a new rental, the last thing you want to do after moving all of your things is wake up the next day with even more aches and pains from a bad back.
A good mattress will improve your posture! It helps support the natural curve of the spine during sleep, and you don't wake up feeling like you've been in a contortionist's box all night.
Poor quality or sagging mattresses can quickly cause the following:
Back pain
Neck stiffness
Joint discomfort
People have their preferences, but the gold standard mattress for maintaining and potentially improving posture is a medium-firm mattress.
A Good Mattress Lasts Longer
We understand that renters, especially younger first-time renters, might not want to spend a lot on a top-of-the-range expensive mattress, and you actually don't need to. You can find a high-quality mattress that might be a little bit more expensive than your basic budget mattress, and it will last 7-10 years, even with daily use. That's the average.
At around the 10-year mark, it is recommended to change a mattress, as even if it looks good from the outside, the internal structures start to lose their integrity. Most mattresses have three to four primary functional layers; some have more, so even if that top layer has nothing but the odd mark or two, it's what's happening underneath that's the issue.
Anyway, the point is, a good mattress lasts longer.
Things to Consider When Buying a Mattress
It can feel overwhelming when deciding what mattress to get: spring or foam, firm or soft. What does latex mean? They're all normal questions.
So, here are some things to consider:
Match the mattress size to the room (essential in rentals). A bigger mattress doesn't necessarily mean comfier; you can just spread out more.
Mattress types: Memory foam is contouring and pressure relief, hybrid gives a balance of support and comfort, latex is more durable and breathable, and innerspring is a more traditional feel.
Firmness level: Try medium-firm, but this is personal preference. It depends on sleeping position and personal preference.
Different sleep styles: Side sleepers suit softer surfaces for pressure relief, back sleepers need medium-firm for support, and stomach sleepers need firmer to prevent sinking.
Even if you order online, you can often return a mattress if you realize it's not what you're looking for. We would recommend going to a store and finding the perfect firmness level and design for you, but don't buy in the store! It's so much cheaper online.
