Month: August 2016

Common Sleeping Disorders and What to Do About Them

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Sleeping Disorders - Mattress Store San Diego

We all want to sleep easy at night. That’s why we invest in a top quality mattress. Still, some of us suffer from sleeping disorders. Some are quite mild and can be shrugged off as a slight nuisance. Others can be quite troublesome, and even downright dangerous. Some of them need to be treated by a professional, whereas others can be caused by something as preventable as having a bad bed, or an unfavorable sleeping position. Following is a list of most common sleeping disorders.

Sleep apnea

Sleep apnea is a disorder where the sleeper’s breathing is interrupted during sleep. It can be quite a serious condition if not treated. There are actually two subtypes of this condition. Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by an obstruction in the airways. Most commonly, it is the soft tissue of the velum which causes the obstruction. It is characterized by snoring, fatigue and sleepiness during daytime as well as gasping during sleep.

The second type of sleep apnea is more serious. It is called central sleep apnea. It is not caused by the blockage of airways, but by the brain’s failure to instruct the body to breathe. The name comes from the connection to the problem in the central nervous system. Central sleep apnea is characterized by gasping for air and awakening at night.

Restless leg syndrome

This disorder is not limited to the sleeping state, as it is often reported in people who are fully awake. It occurs during longer periods of non-movement. The sufferers experience strong urge to move their limbs. The reason it is categorized as a sleep disorder is that it often occurs in the evening, making it very difficult to fall asleep, or to stay asleep. It leads to daytime sleepiness, irritability and inability to concentrate during the day.

Narcolepsy

This is a neurological disorder which causes the sufferer to have irregular sleeping patterns, with uncontrollable urge to fall asleep during the day. These episodes of sleepiness can occur at any time, which makes them very dangerous for the sufferers.

Circadian rhythm sleep disorder

This is far less problematic than the previous entry, yet it can cause quite a lot of problems to the sufferer. This disorder manifests in the inability to fall asleep and wake up at socially accepted times. The sufferer can attain a normal duration and quality sleep, just not at the expected time. Circadian rhythm of these individuals is not disrupted, only shifted to atypical time of day.

Insomnia

The most well-known sleep disorder is probably insomnia. The inability to attain sleep at times affects at least 50% of the population. This is known as acute insomnia. It can be caused by many things, including stress, diet, uncomfortable bed, etc. If the problem persists for longer than one month, the condition is considered chronic. People suffering from insomnia reportedly suffer from lack of energy, forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating, but can also suffer some more serious consequences, such as poor performance at work/school, disruptions in personal or professional lives and even depression.

All of these conditions can seriously decrease the quality of our lives if left untreated. However, if you recognize some of the symptoms in yourself, you don’t necessarily suffer from the disorder. You might just be sleeping on a wrong type of mattress. To find out more about what’s best for you, consult our useful blog post about mattress types. If you decide you need a new mattress, find our mattress store in San Diego, or contact us.

The 9 Most Common Mattress Shopping Mistakes… And How To Avoid Them

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It’s no secret that mattress shopping in San Diego isn’t the most fun and easy thing to do. It also doesn’t help when you have mattress companies capitalizing on customers lack of knowledge when it comes to mattresses and mattress shopping.

This has led to many unhappy customers throughout the industry, and the mattress industry as a whole has gained a very bad reputation that has been compared to the used car industry, no offense if you’re reading this and in the used car business.  

We’re going to share with you the 9 most common mattress shopping mistakes and how to avoid them.

 1. Buying Solely Off Another Person’s Experience

We’re not saying to completely discredit other people’s opinion especially friends and family, but when it comes to mattress shopping you want to keep in mind that your body is completely different from other people. We are each unique and have different preferences when it comes to comfort and a mattress should fulfill our needs for our body. Some people have more sensitive shoulders and hips which may result to enjoying a softer mattress whereas other people may really like the firm surface. Your sleeping position which is a big factor when choosing a mattress may not be the same as your friend who recommended a particular mattress.

To avoid this mistake you want to stay away from specific mattress recommendations and focus on their experience with the particular company they worked with. Ask them about the customer service, did they charge for delivery, were the salespeople knowledgeable in the materials and mattresses or were they using sleazy sales tactics? These are good questions to ask when asking friends and family and reading review sites when mattress shopping so you know who you are working with.

 2. Buying a Mattress that is Too Firm

One of the biggest mistakes people make when purchasing a new mattress is believing the myth that firmer is better. We see it all the time that people convince themselves in getting a firm mattress because they think it’s better for them, when in reality they should have trusted what their body was telling them and go with one that felt better, even though it was a little softer.

Getting a mattress that is too firm can cause painful pressure points on the hips and shoulders causing you to toss and turn trying to get comfortable or even cutting off your circulation.

Another problem with buying a mattress that is too firm, is that it is not conforming to your curves properly. If a mattress does not contour to your body then the muscles around your spine will be forced to overcompensate for the lack of support thus you may end up with back pain.

 3. Suckered Into Outlandish Sales

We love getting good deals just as much as the next person but have you ever stopped and wondered how a mattress store can really sell a mattress for 50, 60, or even 70% off and still be in business? Not only that but it seems like these sales are going on every week. Well, here’s a little secret about the mattress industry. The average mattress retailer marks up their mattress prices 200%-500%! I know it’s hard to believe but it’s true. So a king mattress that may cost a big box retailer $900 typically sell for $3,500-$5,000! With prices that high they’re able to do 50% off sales and still have huge profits. Another reason prices tend to be spiked high is because certain brands have pricing requirements and each mattress is touching multiple hands to finally reach you. So there is a lot of expenses that are spend before it’s on the floor.

So here’s a tip when mattress shopping look for local manufacturers in your area. They don’t carry the big brands so they’re not locked into price requirements and also they’re usually more connected with their customers so they have their customer’s best interest in mind.

 4. Trying Too Many Mattresses

We know it can be tempting to flop down on every mattress to make sure you’re getting the right one, but trying every mattress is a recipe for confusion and “paralysis by analysis”. When trying out too many mattresses it’s so easy to get overwhelmed and confused and then everything else starts to feel the same, almost like wine tasting. Best solution is doing a comfort test first by trying out a firm, medium, then a soft, and picking the best feel in that category. Doing that will narrow down your choices in the showroom and make it a lot easier to select a mattress. We recommend narrowing it down to 2 or 3 mattresses and then taking at least 10 minutes on each one to get a better idea of the comfort that is best for you.

 5. Buying Solely On Price

We understand a mattress purchase is a large investment and figuring out how much you’re willing to spend on your mattress purchase is a good idea. However, you want to have realistic expectations when beginning the process. Just because you saw a $300 queen size set for sale at one store doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a quality mattress even if it did have a really cool cover and design, and if you do decide to buy mattress at that price don’t expect it to give you 10 years of comfortable sleep. Heck, we’ve seen $2,500 queen mattresses last only 2-3 years! So how do you avoid this mistake?

You want to pay attention to the quality of materials inside the mattress. To understand more about how to determine quality materials click here.

 6. Buying Based On Name Brand

Unfortunately in the mattress industry you don’t get what you pay for and purchasing a big name brand is the epitome of this being true. Here’s a little background on the mattress industry, about 60%-70% of the market is owned by two very large companies. We won’t name names here but we’ll call them the “big S” companies (with one T). These companies really drive the direction of the industry and over the years we have seen the quality of their products slowly decline. The mattresses may feel very comfortable and look very nice but it’s what’s on the inside that counts. Also keep in mind with the brand name comes insane markups because of high overhead cost. So instead of focusing on brand, focus on craftsmanship and the material that make up the mattress.

 7. Buying Without Testing

Did you know we spend about a third of our lives in our beds? That is a lot of use our mattress gets. So something that is being used everyday and is very important to our health probably shouldn’t be purchased blindly. Wouldn’t you agree? A mattress is the most important piece of furniture in the home and time should be invested trying out different mattresses. You want to find the one that fits your needs and I’m sorry but there is no “one size fits all” mattress.

To avoid this mistake first understand what the 3 most important things a mattress should do explained here and then spend at least 10-15 minutes on the two you like the most and compare them. Spending 10-15 minutes testing a mattress gives you a good amount of time for your body to adjust to the surface. If you have time to lay longer then go for it. The longer the better.

 8. Buying SOLELY On Comfort Alone

Ok, that may sound blasphemous coming from a mattress store, but we said SOLELY on comfort. We know that comfort when it comes to mattresses is for most people the most important thing. However, buying a mattress ONLY because it’s comfortable after laying on it for a couple of minutes doesn’t mean you should buy it. The truth is it’s not all that difficult to make a mattress with very cheap materials and very low cost feel comfortable, but it doesn’t mean you should buy it. When it comes to mattresses you’re looking for something that is not only comfortable but also durable.

To avoid this mistake during your mattress shopping journey you want to test out several different mattresses and when you narrowed it down you want know what are the materials being used in the mattress. Quality materials is key here if you’re looking for a mattress that will give you lasting comfort.

 9. Buying Based on Coil Counts

One of the biggest traps we see shoppers fall into is falling for the coil count myth. Don’t get me wrong, coil counts can play a role in the quality of a mattress but that should not be a primary motivating factor when purchasing a mattress or determining mattress quality. There are way too many variables in comparing coil counts and coil technology and comparing mattresses based on coil counts can lead to a lot of confusion and misinformation.

Coil quality is affected not only by the amount of coils but also the type of coil, the thickness of the coil and the amount of wire in the coil. So it’s best to avoid the coil count conflict unless you are comparing apples to apples, and even then it’s best not to even go there.

 

So when you are out doing your mattress shopping, remember these mistakes and DON’T MAKE THEM! 🙂

 

For more mattress shopping tips download our FREE Mattress Shopping Guide.


 

The Sleep Cycle Explained

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Sleep Cycle - San Diego Mattress

Have you ever had one of those nights when you slept for at least 8 or 9 hours, yet you woke up as tired as you went to bed? Or even more, so have you ever had a night when you only slept 4-6 hours and you woke up feeling recharged and energized? Not all sleep is equal. The quality of your sleep has a lot to do with your sleep cycle. For better sleep, read up on the sleep cycle, how to best manage your sleep and wake up fresh and rested every day.

The basics

First of all, sleep is not a time when our brains shut down and rest from the hard day’s work, as we once thought. Instead, it is a state of altered consciousness, where our typical waking brain patterns are replaced by different ones. The human sleep is controlled by something called the circadian clock, or the circadian rhythm.  It is also known as the inner clock. It tells us when it’s best to sleep. It may vary from person to person, but only slightly. Any bigger discrepancy form the norm is considered a sleeping disorder.

Sleep stages

Two distinctive stages of sleep are REM and non REM sleep. Periods of human sleep usually repeat every 90 minutes. There tend to be 5 cycles per night with non-REM preceding REM phase, and then changing between them until waking up. Non-REM sleep is divided into three separate stages, with each having distinctive physiology and function. So even if you have enough time to sleep, skipping some of these stages can result in feeling tired afterwards.

Non-REM

This part of sleep comprises about 80 percent of all sleep in humans. Some common identifiers of non-REM sleep are a decrease in heart rate, body temperature and energy consumption. Even the brainwaves become slower and bigger. There are 3 stages of non-REM which precede one phase of REM in the sleep cycle.

NREM 1 or light sleep is the first stage, somewhere between wakefulness and sleep. Muscles are still active and can twitch. This is when hypnic jerks occur.

NREM 2 is a deeper kind of sleep. The muscle activity decreases and the sleeper becomes completely unaware of the external world.

NREM 3 or deep sleep is also known as slow-wave sleep. In this phase, most of the external stimuli provoke no reaction from the sleeper. This is the most restful phase of sleep, as it relieves the subjective feeling of sleepiness the most.

REM

REM stands for Rapid Eye Movement and it is most commonly associated with dreaming. The name itself is derived from the quick, involuntary movement of eye muscles. This part of the sleep cycle is often associated with a type of paralysis of skeletal muscles. During this stage, the sleeper’s EEG waves are quite similar to those of a wakeful person, but they are harder to awake than those in any other sleep stage. In addition to that, the brain seems to consume more oxygen and energy than in a wakeful state.

The real purpose of REM is unknown, but the lack of it makes higher cognitive function difficult to perform. Very young children tend to have more REM, but from the age of five, it reduces to just 2 hours per day.

In order to have a healthy night’s sleep, you need to go through all these phases uninterrupted. There are many ways to help you with this, but the first step is a comfortable and supportive mattress. If you’re in San Diego looking for a mattress and you need to catch up on your REM sleep, stop by San Diego Mattress Makers today and get a free nap 🙂 Come by our store or give us a call today.

 

 

Here Is Why the Latex Hybrid Mattress Is So Popular

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Children in Bed with a Laptop - Latex Hybrid Mattress

We have all been witness to the shift in the perspective towards the eco-friendly and sustainable technologies. It is not surprising that we also have natural hybrid mattresses that fall into this category. After all, we spend a large portion of our lives sleeping. Therefore, being surrounded by safe eco-friendly materials during the most important part of our day just makes common sense.

Not all mattresses are created equal. The type that has been gaining a lot of attention in the mattress industry lately is the so-called Latex Hybrid mattress. Read on to find out what makes Latex Hybrid mattresses stand out.

Composition

The San Diego Mattress Makers Company has always taken pride in using natural materials in our latex and hybrid mattresses, creating the mattresses our customers can enjoy. The natural response mattress itself is a hybrid Comfort CoreTM mattress. What it means is that it combines the softness and the durability of the latex mattress, with the support and feel only a coil mattress can provide.

Innovations

The latex hybrid mattress comes with individually wrapped coils. The coils have very limited interaction with one another, causing less motion transfer between two people. If your partner (or kids or pets) decide to jump all over one side of the bed, it will have drastically less effect on you than you’d expect if you are accustomed to traditional coil mattresses.

Natural materials

As mentioned before, San Diego Mattress Makers is dedicated to using natural materials to produce these fine mattresses. Latex Hybrid mattresses are composed of all-natural latex. The latex itself is not treated with any harsh chemicals, so no residual toxicity is an option. The wool used is New Zealand Joma wool, chemically untreated and natural. Finally, the cotton used to line the mattresses is 100% USDA and GOTS certified organic cotton. Just like the latex and the wool, it is not treated with and harmful chemicals, so you can rest assured that you and your family can have a healthy and happy sleep on these mattresses.

Support

The latex layer brings the softness and the feeling of sleeping on a cloud, but it is the coils that provide the rigidness necessary in a quality mattress. And it is precisely this combination that makes this type of mattress an ideal solution for people who prefer the sturdy support, but aren’t willing to sacrifice the comfort. Of course, you get to choose the firmness of the top layer to your preference. Basically, you get the best of both – the support your body needs, and the comfort you want.

Added benefits

We have talked about the natural materials only from the aspect of not requiring strong toxic chemicals in the production process. That alone is a benefit to you as a consumer and for the planet, as the lack of toxic chemicals means less pollution. However, natural ingredients tend to have some (un)expected health benefits. The wool used is hypoallergenic, as it repels dust mites, mildew and mold. In addition, it also has fire retardant properties. The latex layer helps with thermoregulation; something we can all be thankful for during the hot summer nights.

Make the right decision for yourself and your family. Mattress Makers are more than just another mattress store, we manufacture and stand behind our products 100%. Visit our store and find your next mattress.