We live in a time where we seldom own anything for the expected life of the product. We lease cars, shackled to a car payment for as long as we get behind the wheel. We buy and sell stocks on a daily basis, and for some it seems like a “for sale” sign is part of the landscaping of their home, always looking for bigger and better. So why do we push our mattress and foundation to the limit and beyond?
We have done the math before, and on average we spend about 3,000 hours per year in bed. In a slightly sarcastic tone, that is why we spend $70,000 on a car and when our mattress starts to sag we buy a cheap pillow top to “just get by” a few more months or years.
It is recommended that we all replace our mattress and foundation every seven to ten years. When you think about it, that is a pretty good deal. You spend around $3,000 for a nice mattress and foundation and sleep on it for 30,000 hours over the course of ten years. Seriously, what else can you do for ten cents an hour? A dime doesn’t get us much these days – can’t make a phone call, mail a letter or even park our expensive car for longer than a few minutes with ten cents. But what we can do is relax in a peaceful slumber and recharge our mind, body and spirit for the next day’s challenges.
By replacing that tired and worn out sleep system with regularity, you could actually feel better. Even the best mattress on the market will begin to lose the feel of comfort and support with each toss and turn over a decade. But a properly constructed mattress and foundation will allow you to wake up refreshed and rested, rather than stiff and sore.
If you have noted throughout this entry, I have always referred to replacing the mattress AND the foundation when you make that next purchase. The foundation or box spring acts like a shock absorber for the body and over time the shocks don’t respond like they used to, so when the mattress goes, so does the foundation.
One final tip before I leave you pondering the question I hope I have raised in your mind – when exactly did I buy the mattress I am sleeping on? I have found that the easiest way to know when to replace is to write the date you purchased the mattress on the box spring or one of the tags on the mattress for a quick reminder. The time to change is not always when there is a bump, lump or sag, sometimes we have to abide by the 30,000 hour rule. Trust me; you will thank me in the morning.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Safety overtakes comfort?
In a recent extremely comprehensive report focused on the bedding industry, I found a startling discussion topic in the analysis. It stated that some manufacturers, due to new flammability standards, are now looking beyond comfort and luxury when designing new products and producing older lines that are now up the new standard. This is more than a bit troubling to me as I know that a mattress can be comfortable as well as compliant – it just takes time, quality and craftsmanship.
Mattresses and sleep systems are not like those found 50 years ago; today’s models are engineering masterpieces in some cases. Every square inch is inspected, every piece, component and material serves a purpose, or at least they should. This is not to say that comfort takes precedence over safety, but rather, these two requirements can and should work in concert with one another.
As a manufacturer of adjustable beds, I am faced with even more engineering possibilities to consider that most traditional mattress manufacturers do not. I deal with power sources, speed and angle of movement, actuators and flex just to name a few, all in addition to the variables that go into crafting a quality mattress.
Even though there is always a mattress sale, the purchase of a quality sleep system is an investment – an investment in a good night’s sleep. I hope that the comments made that flammability compliance trumps comfort were made by a minority and not the majority as they reflect all that is wrong with this industry. Would you buy a car that meets all the governmental guidelines for safety, but doesn’t have a radio, air conditioning, heat, door locks or a trunk – and it costs the same as a model with all of these? Neither would I.
Rest assured that my company did not make these remarks, and more importantly, I am positive that you can get a comfortable night’s rest on an adjustable bed...and it meets all flammability standards.
Mattresses and sleep systems are not like those found 50 years ago; today’s models are engineering masterpieces in some cases. Every square inch is inspected, every piece, component and material serves a purpose, or at least they should. This is not to say that comfort takes precedence over safety, but rather, these two requirements can and should work in concert with one another.
As a manufacturer of adjustable beds, I am faced with even more engineering possibilities to consider that most traditional mattress manufacturers do not. I deal with power sources, speed and angle of movement, actuators and flex just to name a few, all in addition to the variables that go into crafting a quality mattress.
Even though there is always a mattress sale, the purchase of a quality sleep system is an investment – an investment in a good night’s sleep. I hope that the comments made that flammability compliance trumps comfort were made by a minority and not the majority as they reflect all that is wrong with this industry. Would you buy a car that meets all the governmental guidelines for safety, but doesn’t have a radio, air conditioning, heat, door locks or a trunk – and it costs the same as a model with all of these? Neither would I.
Rest assured that my company did not make these remarks, and more importantly, I am positive that you can get a comfortable night’s rest on an adjustable bed...and it meets all flammability standards.
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