Choosing a mattress (the easy way)
There are so many options when it comes to choosing a mattress that a trip to the showroom can result in a bit of a panic. (Which, when you think about it, is the opposite of how you should feel when you’re looking for your perfect bed!)
Luckily, help is at hand. Sleeping well is our business (literally), so we’ve put together a simple mattress buying guide to help you get started.
Questions to ask before choosing a mattress
Before you start bouncing in the showroom or clicking online, ask yourself these questions. They’re a good way to clear your mind before you’re swamped by your options.
1. Do you have enough space in your current bed, or is it time to upgrade to a bigger size?
2. Are you a front, back, or side sleeper (or a combination of all three?)
3. How firm or soft is your ideal mattress?
4. Who else sleeps in your bed, and what are their answers to the above?
If you can start your search by saying “I want a firm king size bed that’s suitable for a side sleeper and a back sleeper,” you’ve already narrowed down your options. Now you just need to choose the winner.
Choosing mattress support
It might not be able to listen to all your problems, but your mattress still needs to have your back. It should keep your spine in the neutral position, and support your body evenly to take the weight off your pressure points. Here’s how to choose the right mattress support:
1. Lie on the mattress flat on your back.
2. Slide your fingers between your lower back and the mattress.
If your fingers slide in very easily your mattress is too firm; if they don’t at all, the mattress is too soft. You want to find something in the middle.
When you’ve found something that fits, try lying on your side, front, or any other position you often find yourself in. Does it still feel comfortable?
Here’s a handy little hack - in the Simba Hybrid® Mattress, our patented conical springs are in individual pockets, so they move with you instead of against you. We’ve packed 2,500 in every one of our king size mattresses, and they’re designed to cradle your shoulders, hips and spine. Underneath our springs there are layers of high quality foam for sleep that leaves you feeling seriously supported. Best of all, our mattresses are designed for all sleepers and body types, so both you and your partner can snooze in peace.
Getting the temperature right
Our core body temperature needs to stay within a certain range for us to rest easy, so the last thing you want is a mattress that gets you roasting. If you tend to get warm at night, steer clear of traditional memory foam.
To tackle this, we created a new layer in our hybrid mattresses called Simbatex. It works its magic in between our hypoallergenic sleep surface and our pocket springs, allowing air to circulate through the mattress and stop you from getting too warm.
Choosing a mattress that minimises disruption
Sleeping couples can be a match made in hell, because when one of you starts to move around it’s a surefire way to wake the other one up - so you need a mattress that prevents this. The best way to test this is to get on the bed with your partner - literally - and practise shuffling around a bit. How much does the other side of the mattress move when you’re both on the bed, and can you put up with it?
Luckily, the combination of foam and springs in our hybrid mattresses (we love our springs!), are designed to minimise motion transfer between couples, so if one starts rolling the other can soundly sleep on. As for whose turn it is to do the dishes, unfortunately that’s not our area.
Testing your mattress
It takes around 30 days for your body to adjust to a new mattress, so only the bravest of sleepers would give the nod to one they couldn’t return. For the rest of us, it’s essential to choose one that lets you take it for a test drive before making the commitment to keeping it for good. Don’t be afraid to lie down on every mattress you’re considering buying, ask questions and, if the option is available, take it for a (nocturnal) road test.
We offer a 200 night trial on all of our mattresses, so you’ve got plenty of time to get used to it. If it’s not love at first night (although we think it will be), you can return it to us for any reason for a full refund. We’ll even come and pick it up, so there’s nothing to lose sleep over.
Choosing a mattress size
When it comes to mattresses, size matters. Aside from how roomy your bedroom is, the size of your mattress depends on how much space you like to have when you snooze. For back sleepers who sprawl out, a larger King size mattress is going to help keep the peace between sleeping partners, while curled up side sleepers can get away with something smaller like a small double or 4ft mattress. Our mattresses come in a whole host of sizes, from a small single all the way to an emperor, and we even have a mattress designed especially for bunk beds so smaller sleepers are covered too.
