There are few things more important in life than getting a good night’s sleep. Essential for maintaining good physical and mental health, it up to one third of the population thought to suffer from insomnia, which can affect mood, energy and concentration levels, sleep is as essential to our health and wellbeing as eating or drinking. Those precious eight hours are the time when the body works to repair muscle, organs and other cells.
It’s not just about getting those precious recommended hours in though, and we can all benefit from making improvements to the quality of our sleep as well as the duration. For many of us, it may simply be a case of making small lifestyle changes such as taking the time to unwind with a book or a warm bath before bed and banning electronics for the final hours before lights out. Even so, there’s one thing that is fundamental to a good night’s sleep and can make the biggest difference of all. It is, of course, a good quality mattress.
We spend almost a third of our lives sleeping – that’s almost sixteen years in bed – so if there’s one thing you should be treating yourself to, it’s a sumptuous luxury bed. Buying a mattress is not a time for compromise; doing your research beforehand is vital to ensure you really are choosing one that meets your individual needs, and from memory foam to pocket sprung, latex to hybrid, the options are endless. Here’s what to consider before you buy.
Know before you buy
A bed and its mattress should be at least 10cm longer than your height – so a king-size is the minimum for someone who is 6ft tall or more. To test whether a mattress will support you sufficiently, lie down and slide a hand beneath the small of your back. If you’re hand fits easily, it’s too hard, while if it doesn’t fit at all, it’s too soft.
You may want to update your bed base as well as your mattress, as this will affect how the mattress feels when you’re lying on it. A sprung divan will make a mattress feel softer than it does on a solid divan or a slatted base.
Here’s our pick of the best luxury mattresses to treat yourself to this year.
Simba Hybrid Mattress
The Simba Hybrid features a unique combination of 2,500 conical pocket springs and responsive memory foam, with five luxurious layers designed to fit you and help you get the quality of sleep you’ve been dreaming of. Boasting a breathable, hypoallergenic sleep surface which can be removed at the pull of a zip, a cooling comfort layer provides extra support while simultaneously tackling overheating.
A good ‘in between’ option for those who can’t decide between a hard or soft mattress, it comes in a box and takes between 3-5 hours to fully take shape once opened. Adjusting to your shape as you sleep, it’s the perfect choice for side sleepers.
Casper Premium Memory Foam Rolled Mattress
A medium to soft mattress that uses four distinct layers of support, the Casper mattress has won itself a cult following of loyal fans – and with good reason. Delivered in a tiny box for convenience, it combines pressure-relieving memory foam with a springy, breathable top layer to create a sleep layer that leaves you feeling perfectly supported and practically weightless.
Between the open-cell top layer, supple memory foam, transition foam, and zoned foundation layer, the mattress optimises both comfort and support, while ensuring healthy spinal alignment. Allowing air to circulate freely, it keeps you cool during the night, too – promising a more luxurious eight hours than you’ve ever dreamt of.
Nectar Memory Foam Mattress
Billing itself as ‘the last mattress you’ll ever need to buy’, the sumptuous Nectar Memory Foam Mattress features an impressive seven-zone support base developed to ensure a perfect night’s sleep. Custom designed to draw heat away from your body and circulate fresh air each time you move or turn, its smart and innovative memory foam responds to your body to dissipate heat and moisture, regulating body temperature and ensuring maximum comfort throughout the night.
The fact that the company offers a lengthy 365-day trial is testament to its confidence that you’ll be one satisfied customer. On the firmer side of medium to firm, it’s a great choice for front and back sleepers, and certainly lives up to its claims.
Eve Memory Foam Mattress
The Eve Memory Foam Mattress is made with a unique layering system and next generation memory foam, offering more bounce and a cool and comfortable sleep. Comprised of three foam layers including a moisture-wicking top, a breathable air-flow layer and a supportive foam base – all wrapped in a soft and breathable cover – it provides medium to firm support, and is a great option for sleepers who tend to move around a lot in the night.
Much like its competitors, it’s delivered compressed and vacuum sealed, all rolled into a box. Simply unwrap the mattress in your bedroom, and it’ll expand to normal size within a few hours. Another brand offering a lengthy sleep trial – this time, for 100 nights – if it’s not for you, then you have over three months to return it for a free refund.
If you’re looking to elevate your sleep quality to new heights in 2019, then these four luxury mattresses promise a sumptuous way to get those all-important eight hours. Treat yourself, and we guarantee you’ll never look back.
