What's keeping Singaporeans awake?
Everyone loves a good night's sleep. However, sleep doesn't always feel the same for all of us.
In fact, Singaporeans are one of the poorest snoozers in the world, with over half of us having problems falling or staying asleep. While most reasons revolve around our lifestyle choices (working late, surfing the net), the bed that we lie on can also affect the quality of our shut eye! Here are 5 ways the wrong mattress can ruin your sleep, along with our top picks from mattress gallery Catnap Lair for tackling each.
Is Your Mattress Making You:
1. Hot and Sweaty
Interior Designer: Cozy Ideas
No, you're not having a fever. If you're constantly waking up to wipe your sweat or shuffle to a cooler area of your bed (despite turning the fan/AC at full blast), you are probably sleeping on an overly heat-retentive mattress. Keep a look out for materials like memory foam, whose dense properties make it particularly efficient at storing heat.
Interior Designer: Edge Interior
Best Mattress To Go For: Coil Spring Mattress
Unlike foam, mattresses made from coil springs have more air space within, which allow heat to pass through and escape easier. For extra breathability and a cooler surface, select a coil mattress made from organic materials instead, such as latex, bamboo or cotton. Top it off with lightweight bedsheets made from cotton or bamboo that help to wick off moisture and prevent sweat from sticking.
Our Pick: Maxcoil's Care Rest Comfy Mattress
Queen: $1,099, King: $1,399
The Care Rest Comfy comes with a refined cotton knitted fabric plush top with pocketed springs and superior side guard support to ensure durability over the years.
2. Toss and Turn
Interior Designer: The Interior Lab
Tossing and turning may seem like part and parcel of one's sleep, but if you find yourself flipping constantly to get comfortable, or even drifting out of sleep just to do that - it might be the result of a wobbly, lumpy mattress.
How? An uneven surface creates muscle tension, which can make lying in one place for too long uncomfortable. Meanwhile, when a mattress isn't firm enough to absorb shock, a small shift could easily shake your body out of sleep.
Interior Designer: Design Collective
Best Mattress To Go For: Memory Foam Mattress
You'll need a sturdy mattress that's slightly soft to sink in. A memory foam mattress ticks all the right boxes - it moulds itself to your body based on heat and pressure, and helps to distribute weight equally, lessening the risk of lumping. Furthermore, its highly dense structure absorbs energy well, which helps to reduce the extent of movements, ensuring an uninterrupted sleep.
Our Pick: Maxcoil's Gracious
Queen: $1,999, King: $2,499
Combining a breathable pocketed spring system with a layer of memory foam, Maxcoil's Gracious promotes seamless support for both side and back sleepers. Its high quality bamboo ticking also ensures anti-bacterial and cooling comfort when sleeping.
3. Itch and Sneeze
Interior Designer: D5 Studio Image
Achoo! Feeling groggy with a runny nose in the morning? Maybe, you're jerking up in the dead of the night, dying for a scratch or sneeze. It's not a passing coincidence - if morning sinus or rashes occur on a regular basis, you might just be allergic to your mattress.
No surprise there, since mattresses are a hotbed for allergens. Moisture, sweat and heat make it the perfect breeding ground for irritants such as dust mites, human/pet remnants and mould.
Interior Designer: Third Avenue Studio
Best Mattress To Go For: Natural Latex Mattress
A latex mattress' dense, cellular core prevents pesky particles and bacteria to be trapped within. The material is also naturally hypoallergenic, resistant to mould and dust mites. For the best, allergy-free experience, go for a mattress made entirely of organic materials, such as cotton, bamboo or natural latex rubber, free from any synthetic chemicals that might cause irritation.
Our Pick #1: Slumberland's Romeo & Juliet
Queen: $2,438, King: $2,858
Made with high quality latex, Tencel fabric & plush pocketed spring, Slumberland's Romeo & Juliet range provides firm and even back support with a softer top layer (and 15 years warranty).
Our Pick #2: Vono's Egrobed 1200 Max
Queen: $1,470, King: $1,690
Vono's medium-firm premium latex & pocketed spring mattress comes with its flagship '7 Zone' feature, specially designed to support seven key pressure zones in your body (e.g. neck, pelvis ankles, etc.)
4. Ache In The Upper Body
Interior Designer: Charlotte's Carpentry
Your bed is supposed to help you relax and repair those muscles, not aggravate them. So, if you constantly feel unrefreshed due to an aching body or stiff neck, perhaps your mattress might be too hard for you.
But aren't firm mattresses supposedly good for back aches? Research has shown that it might actually be counterproductive - when a mattress is overly stiff, it places too much pressure on the muscles/joints, which might lead to spinal misalignment and back pain.
Interior Designer: The Scientist
Best Mattress To Go For: Medium-Firm Mattress
If your back is easily susceptible to aches, a medium-firm mattress is the top choice; something hard enough to straighten out the back, but soft enough to conform to the body.
But what is considered medium-firm? Most brands will have a firmness indicator tagged to each mattress, but it is always best to try it out yourself! (Psst! At Catnap Lair, customers are allowed to take a snooze test on any mattress, up to 8 hours.)
Our Pick: Sleepy Night's Ortho Supreme
Queen: $999, King: $1,299
Made with a bamboo plush top and Multi Zone comfort layer, , the Ortho Supreme mattress is equipped with spacer technology that ensures a sturdy, flat mattress support perfect for back sleepers.
5. Ache In The Lower Body
Interior Designer: akiHAUS
Consequently, if uncomfortable aches in your hips or lower back are disrupting your sleep instead, this might be a possible sign that your mattress might be running too soft and sinking in the middle.
Especially for side sleepers, increased pressure between the hips and mattress can cause a dent. Over time, poor support and further weight strain (due to a 'V' shape sleeping posture) will ultimately cause the spine to curve.
Interior Designer: DISTINCTidENTITY
Best Mattress To Go For: Medium Soft/Medium-Firm Mattress
As a rule of thumb, the heavier the sleeper, the firmer the mattress (as a harder surface can take increased pressure). So, pick a suitable one that would fit your weight profile. If you are used to soft, plush mattresses, you can get a slightly firmer alternative; search for medium-soft mattresses instead.
Our Pick: Dunloppilo Isabella
Queen: $3,999, King: $4,499
Despite the hefty price tag, Dunloppilo's Isabella is well worth the investment - equipped with Nano Silver technology that prevents and kills bacteria, the mattress comes complete with medium soft pocketed springs that provide precise comfort for users of all profiles (and weights).
Our Pick: Vono's Ortho Flex
Queen: $590
For something less pricey, Ortho Flex is an everyday entry level mattress that is provides ample comfort with its high resilience foam, double sided quilting and Intalok Spring System.
Disclaimer: All prices listed are provided by Catnap Lair, and accurate as of May 2017.
Whatever The Mattress, Catnap Lair Has It All
Specialising in bedding solutions and furnishings, Catnap Lair prides itself in giving pocket-friendly, hassle free home solutions for the everyday homeowner. With a comprehensive range of brands (Maxcoil, Slumberland, Dunlopillo, Vono and Sleepy Night) directly imported from factories, we offer lower-than-market prices and flexible payment terms for packages. So, whatever the type of mattress, our attentive staff is always on hand to guide you to the perfect bed of your (literal) dreams.
This post is brought to you by Catnap Lair.
