Innerspring Mattresses Have Their Merits

Innerspring mattress

Innerspring mattressHave you started hunting for a new mattress or are you still thinking about it? Did you know that buying a new mattress is said to be more stressful than buying a new car? It’s not something you buy on very often and the retailers are bent on confusing you. But, if you collect some information before you start, the visits to mattress stores will be much easier to manage.

With all the rave about latex mattresses, some people think innerspring mattresses are the worst kind you could get. However, that’s not true. Different types of mattresses fit different types of profiles and needs. Here is what you need to know about innerspring and pocketed coil mattresses.

Number of coils isn’t the best indicator

People used to believe that the support a mattress would give depends on how many coils it has. However, it doesn’t go quite like that. The quality of coil construction is much more important when you want to determine the support. Double tempered steel coils are made to last and will provide strong support for years to come.

Another thing is that innerspring mattresses are heavily covered in foam layers so they are much more relieved of heavy duty in comparison with their predecessors in previous decades.

What is the foam like

The type and density of foam will let you in on what to expect from the mattress. First of all, check for chemicals it contains. Chemical fire retardants will emit toxic fumes over time. It would be good to get one with foam that has a certificate stating it’s free of toxic chemicals.

Next, most manufacturers produce 1.5lb density foam. Foam that has a higher density than that is bound to give you more comfort for a longer time.

What about the edge?

Mattresses with a strengthened edge will also provide enhanced support as they will prevent roll off and sag at the edges.

Pocketed coil

This type is perfect if one of the partners is a restless sleeper because this type of mattress has a reduced motion transfer. Each coil is independently encased and they usually have more turns to make them stronger because they work separately. The more turns in a coil, the better the support and the softer the bed. This mattress make isn’t the best choice for large people as heavy weight will wear the springs quicker. You should also expect these mattresses to be more expensive than continuous innerspring ones because more material is needed due to their construction design.

The final tip would be to simply go with your gut feeling along with these considerations. You should definitely inspect the quality, certifications and warranties, but don’t buy a mattress just on that basis. You must be able to try a mattress out to find out how it feels for you. If it appears too firm or too soft, there isn’t a certificate that would make that mattress right for you. Simply, take into account how the mattress feels on top of everything else.

If you are checking out mattresses in San Diego, make sure you drop by Mattress Makers showroom. We manufacture premium quality mattresses and deliver them right to our customers, absolutely no middle-men and no mark-up. We can provide you top-notch quality at very reasonable prices because our business goes from our factory directly to customers. Call us to find out more and come to try out our mattresses!

Are You Sleeping With Dust Mites?

Dust Mites In Bed - San Diego Mattress Makers

Dust Mites In Bed - San Diego Mattress MakersBe careful what you go to bed with. If you have a mattress you haven’t changed in years and  you don’t wash your bedding every week in hot water, chances are high your bed is home to dust mites. In that case, you might be providing these microscopic creatures with everything they need –a soft, warm and humid place to live plus regular meals in the form of skin flakes you shed daily. Sounds gross, doesn’t it? That’s ‘cause it is.

Dust mites live in colonies and thrive best in hot humid climates. If you live in a dry climate, it’s less likely you have these bedmates. It has been said that if your home is full of static electricity that’s a sign of their absence.

Most people go through life never learning about the existence of dust mites. But, with one quarter of Americans being allergy sufferers and two thirds of those being allergic to mites, it becomes clear that hypoallergenic bedding is necessary for many.

The tricky part is knowing whether you fall into that category or no. Many people don’t even realize they’re allergic to mites, because the symptoms vary in intensity, from subtle to obvious. Ask yourself these for a quick check:

  • Is your nose constantly blocked?
  • Do you sneeze repeatedly first thing in the morning?
  • Do your eyes feel itchy when you wake up?
  • Do you suffer from frequent sinus headaches?
  • Do you have any breathing problems?
  • Do you have eczema?

If you answered only one of these questions positively, you should pay a visit to an allergist or otolaryngologist. If you have children, bring them along. Dust mite sensitivity is very wide-spread in children and can lead to asthma.

If it so happens that you are allergic to dust mites, the one thing you can do for yourself is reduce the exposure. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute recommend patients with asthma and dust mite allergy to use hypoallergenic or allergen-free encasings for their beds, which has proven successful in relieving symptoms.

Natural hypoallergenic materials are the best, because some studies have found that chemically-treated beddings that advertise as allergen-proof could cause asthmalike symptoms as well. Natural latex mattresses are an excellent choice as they present an inhospitable environment for mites.

If you cannot consider buying a new mattress, then you should invest in some allergen-proof encasings. They are woven very thickly which keeps mites away. Give new pillows a serious thought – since they are major collectors of dust mite feces as well. We haven’t mentioned that already, as it just sounds more disgusting, but it is the dust mite feces people get allergic to. Over a period of 2 years, your pillow can accumulate up to 2 pounds of mite excrements. Yuck!

Apart from a latex mattress and hypoallergenic encasings, a good preventive is washing your linen, together with comforters and covers, in hot water once a week and drying them in a hot dryer. If you spill any liquid on your duvet or comforter, it might be best to replace them. Otherwise you could be risking getting mold or mildew which would only make matters worse. Mattresses should be cleaned late in winter or early in spring, because that significantly reduces their numbers before the hot months come.

For the most severe symptoms, it would be recommendable to remove carpets and fabric drapes out of the bedroom. Mites can take up residence in carpets and drapes, but luckily not on hard and plastic surfaces.

The Perfect Bedtime?

What Is The Perfect Bedtime? - Mattress Store San Diego

What Is The Perfect Bedtime? - Mattress Store San DiegoHave your grandparents always nagged to you about going to bed late? Did they reiterate: An hour before midnight is worth two after? Well, maybe you’ll be pleased to know that they’re not quite right. Dr. Matt Walker, who teaches at the University of California, says that there is no magic sleep that goes away at the stroke of midnight, but the time of night does affect the quality of your sleep. Hm… Yeah, there’s no straightforward answer, but there is some insightful information to help you understand our sleeping lives better.

Walker says that as the moon runs its course across the sky, the structure and quality of our sleep changes. Our sleep has a circadian rhythm in 90-minute cycles. During sleep, our brain moves from deep, restorative, non-rapid eye movement (REM) sleep to dreamy REM sleep. The cycle is quite stable, but as the night wears on the ratio of non-REM to REM sleep changes.

According to Walker, deep non-REM sleep dominates the early night. As sunrise gets closer, REM takes over. Is that what the adage had in mind? Maybe, though both types of sleep have their respective benefits for the body.

How does this connect to the best bedtime? The transition from non-REM to REM sleep occurs at certain times of night and the time when you went to bed doesn’t matter. If you turn in late, like 4 a.m., you’ll get REM sleep, which is lighter and dream-laden. But, when you get up, you won’t be up to your best.

That is bad news for those who regularly work night shift. Dr. Walker says efficient sleep just isn’t possible at unconventional times of night and day.  It’s unfortunate that our circadian rhythms of sleep and wake, which have been tuned for hundreds of thousands of years, don’t leave a lot of room for change. If you go to bed late because you’re a bartender, a nightshift worker or a student who likes studying at night, the fact you’re doing that for a few years or even decades is nowhere near enough to shift the cycles which have been inscribed in our bodies.

Between 8 p.m. and 12 a.m. approximately, you can get all the non-REM and REM sleep you need, if you like to sleep little. Maybe that’s the reason why we sometimes wake up in middle of the night completely refreshed if we go to bed very early.

And, your genes dictate whether you’re a night owl, an early bird or something in between. So, depending on your genes, you have a preference for an earlier or a later point in that 4-hour window before midnight.

Dr. Allison Siebern of Stanford University confirms that going to bed early defies the physiology of night owls. The same goes for early birds who try to hit the sack late. For both of these sleeper types, and all those who are somewhere in between, the best advice is to listen to their body and go to bed when they feel most sleepy.

Dr. Siebner explains that there’s no point in forcing yourself to go to bed when you don’t feel like it. The catch is that your family and work may have the deciding influence on when you go to bed. The best would be to try to match your biology to your schedule and get 8 hours of shuteye.

Both Siebner and Walker say that our sleep schedule transforms as we get older. Small children are usually morning larks, whereas college students feel sleepiest around midnight. After college, at the beginning of working life, you tend to turn in earlier in the evening, and this trend is likely to progress with age.

Siebern’s advice is to experiment and focus on the signals your body sends you. Feeling sleepy is your best indicator to go get your Z’s. And you should try to get up at roughly the same time every day. It’s ok to sleep an extra hour when you’re not working, but don’t make huge swings, so that you don’t make it harder for yourself to find the best bedtime for you.

Tricks to Fall Asleep Faster

Tricks To Fall Asleep - Mattress Store San Diego

Tricks To Fall Asleep - Mattress Store San Diego

Counting sheep, hot cocoa and a warm bath don’t do the trick for many of us who find it difficult to fall asleep. Here is a list of some tried and tested hacks that are very likely to get you to your Z’s.

Breathe through the left nostril

This breathing exercise comes from yoga and its aim is blood pressure reduction and calming down. Lie on your left side and close your right nostril with your right hand. You should draw deep breaths through your left nostril. Besides being good for relaxing, this technique is efficient when you overheat and for women with menopause.

Work the muscles

Relaxed muscles should have you fall asleep quicker. Squeezing them and then releasing will serve as a small exercise and relaxation. Lie on your back, breathe slowly and deeply through your nose into your stomach and simultaneously bend your toes as of you want to curl them under and release the squeeze as you exhale.

Next, repeat the procedure but now bend your whole feet toward the knee. You should go on, or up, repeating this for every group pf muscles: calves, thighs, bottom, belly, chest and arms.

In the end, your breath should be deep and steady and you should feel ready to doze off.

Try the opposite

There’s something called the sleep paradox, which says that the more you try to stay awake, the more your brain will want to head to sleep. So, while keeping your eyes wide open, say to yourself over and over again “I will not fall asleep.” The thing is our brains are not very good with processing negatives, so it will see this as a command to go to sleep. It’s the same when someone tells you: Don’t think of a great purple elephant. What do you imagine?

 

Go back through your day

Rewind the day in your mind focusing on conversations and what you saw or heard. Try doing this backwards, instead of the way it happened. Your mind should grow tired and mellow, making it easier for you to fall asleep.

Roll your eyes

With your eyes closed, roll your eyeballs three times or more. This imitates what naturally happens during sleep and so, it may spark the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone.

Visualize

It’s common knowledge that visualizing our happy place helps us relax and calm down. The addition would be that you should try to activate at least three senses while you imagine. For example, if you’re visualizing a tropical beach, imagine the feel of warm sand beneath you, the sound of waves lapping and the salty smell of the sea.

Hum

This is another yogic breathing exercise. You should be in a sitting position for this one. Closing the eyes, make sure you relax your shoulders and let them drop slightly and also relax your lower jaw. Your lips should be closed.

Inhale through the nose slowly and deeply. Make sure you breathe into your stomach – so, your belly should act as a balloon filling with air as you breathe in, and it should retreat toward your spine as you breathe out. Your chest shouldn’t move.

So, you inhale through the nose, but you exhale through the mouth, with you jaw dropped and the lips closed. This will create a humming sound and it will vibrate in the chest. Focus on that sensation. Try to keep the humming steady until you fully exhale. Repeat for at least six times and then suggest yourself you’re ready for bed.

Acupressure

According to ancient Chinese medicine, pressing certain spots on our body gently and firmly stimulates internal organs and triggers processes. As you’re lying in your bed, put your thumb between your eyebrows and move down just a little until you hit an indent between the bridge of your nose and your forehead.

Breathe 4 – 7 – 8

This technique was recently put forward by Dr. Andrew Well of Harvard University, you who explores holistic breathing. His technique says you should inhale to the count of 4, hold it to the count of 7 and exhale it to the count of 8. An important note is that you should curl the tip of your tongue and press the back of it against the ridge above your upper front teeth. This will make sure your throat is open and your breath is fuller. Repeat the exercise for 3 times at least.