Golden slumber

When it comes to mattress shopping, the “Goldilocks approach” is the best bet for finding a bed that is just right.

“You have to come in and try all of the beds, like Goldilocks, so we can help you find the perfect bed for you. Each bed has its own features and benefits,” says Shari Mead, store manager of Select Comfort in Tysons Corner Center.

Mrs. Mead has customers try five different Sleep Number beds. The beds, created by Select Comfort Corp. in Minneapolis, consist of an air chamber that supports the back and spine, topped with various types and thicknesses of foams and fibers, or comfort materials. A remote control is used to adjust the Sleep Number, or firmness and amount of air in the air chamber. The Sleep Number decreases in increments of five from 100, or extra firm, down to 5, or featherbed soft. Larger beds have controls for both sides of the bed.

“Air naturally finds the curves and contours of the body,” says Pete Bils, senior director of sleep innovation for Select Comfort Corp. “Your body is wonderfully enveloped in the air chamber rather than sagging in the middle or lying on top. What it’s designed to do is distribute your weight.”

Unevenly distributed weight can create pressure points on the back, hips and shoulders from bearing all of the body’s weight, Mr. Bils says.

Select Comfort uses a pressure-mapping system to display the pressure points and show how an adjustment in the Sleep Number can reduce them, Mrs. Mead says.

“It’s one thing to feel it and know it feels good. It’s a whole other thing to see why it feels good and to understand the science behind your Sleep Number,” she says.

Companies such as Select Comfort have come out with alternative types of bedding to the traditional steel innerspring, providing more options for consumers than were available 10 years ago, says Nancy Shark, executive director of the Better Sleep Council, the consumer education arm of the International Sleep Products Association in Alexandria.

“It’s interesting to see the range of feels among the different products,” Ms. Shark says.

The core of a mattress can be made of innerspring, air or water, or foam in solid form or several layers laminated together. On top of the core, the upholstery can be a natural fiber such as cotton or wool or can be made of foam. Foam can come in polyurethane; viscoelastic — or memory foam — that conforms to the shape of the body; and natural or synthetic latex, which has some conforming properties like memory foam but pushes back like an innerspring.

“Foam sinks more and gives you a cradle feel,” says John Rachid, vice president of key accounts for Serta International in Hoffman Estates, Ill.

Innerspring comes in two types, a traditional spring coil with the coils interlaced, or a pocketed or encased coil with the coils wrapped in fabric and the pockets of fabric glued together.

The pocketed or encased coils are designed to stop motion disturbance from movement, says Todd Zimmerman, spokesman for Spring Air Co. in Elk Grove Village, Ill.

“The support layer is in the springs or foam. What goes on top of that is a choice of comfort,” Mr. Zimmerman says.

Upholstery, known in the industry as the topper, sits on top of the coil or core and is what gives the mattress comfort. The topper provides insulation and cushioning between the sleeper and the core that supports the mattress. The comfort level ranges from firm to plush or extra plush in the case of a pillow-top, which adds an extra layer of cushioning to the top of the mattress.

Physicians used to recommend that the upholstery be firm, but too much firmness can cause pressure points and aggravate pain areas, says Dr. David Gross, director of sleep medicine at Washington Hospital Center in Northwest.

“That discomfort can make it difficult to stay asleep,” Dr. Gross says.

However, a good mattress is a small part of good sleep health, he says.

“There’s really been no good studies or data that a better mattress is objectively going to help people sleep better. It is common sense, but it has never been shown,” he says.

Even so, a mattress may need to be replaced if the sleeper notices a decrease in quality of sleep, frequently wakes up stiff and sore, and gets better sleep in another bed, Ms. Shark says.

“Beds are like anything else. They are going to wear out,” she says.

A mattress may need to be replaced after five to seven years, depending on the quality of the bed and its use, Ms. Shark says. Other mattress retailers and manufacturers give a time span of eight to 10 years.

In addition, a mattress should be replaced if it sags, creaks or is bumpy from damaged coils, says David Mullen, spokesman for Sealy Corp. in Archdale, N.C.

“The body needs a smooth surface for regenerative sleep,” Mr. Mullen says.

The foundation or box spring, which is the hard platform sitting underneath the mattress, absorbs the impact of the mattress and is the first thing to wear out, Mr. Rachid says.

Shopping for a new mattress set is like shopping for wine, Mr. Mullen says. Mattresses are big rectangles that may look the same, but it’s what’s on the inside that counts, he says.

“Spend some time on it. You can’t figure out whether it’s the right bed or not by sitting on the edge,” Mr. Mullen says. “If you sleep with a partner, take your partner with you, so you clearly get the bed you both like.”

What drives customers in their purchase is, first, comfort, followed by durability or quality, then price, says Justin Gannon, vice president of merchandising and marketing for Mattress Discounters Corp., a mattress retailer based in Upper Marlboro.

“The real focus should be on comfort level, because you’re going to be in this product for a third of [every day],” Mr. Gannon says.

The final step in mattress shopping is checking the retailer’s return policy for a comfort guarantee, which allows the customer to try out the mattress for a limited time and exchange it if not satisfied.

“When you get a new product, your body is going to have to adjust to that product,” Mr. Gannon says.