8 things you should know before buying a new mattress.

Why I need a new mattress?

Along with good nutrition and exercise, sleep is now recognised as an important contributor to good health. Lack of sleep and poor quality sleep contribute to depression, poor concentration, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

A good quality mattress can improve sleep quality, by ensuring your spine is aligned when sleeping, thus positively affect your health. Most mattresses only last 7-10 years. All our mattresses at Dreams Downunder have a 10-15 year warranty. A sagging mattress can cause back pain because it throws your spine out of alignment. Some other indications that you need a new mattress are it is uncomfortable, you wake up sore or you have worsening allergies or asthma. Sleeping on the wrong type of mattress for you, or a poor quality mattress, can cause or worsen back and body aches and pains.

 

What kinds of mattresses are there?

There are several main types of mattresses, they are however usually made from inner spring coils or foam.

Innerspring/Coil/Pillow tops

This is the traditional and most widely used mattress type. The quality of support and capacity for the bed to contour to your body is simply provided by metal coils known as innersprings. A larger number of coils generally mean better comfort and support, although you generally can’t tell the difference about how many coils a mattress has when it exceeds a coil count of 390. At Dreams Downunder all of our Queen and King mattresses have 390 coils or more.

Our Dreams Downunder mattresses are made from Continuous coils, thus it is made from a single piece of wire looped into strings. On top of the coils, a more comfortable sleeping surface is made with foams, padding and stuffing.

Some advantages for these types of mattress are they retain less heat, they are more durable than foam and are easy to move. They offer a traditional spring feel with strong edge support allowing you to sit on the edge of your bed comfortably. Some disadvantages are cheaper options may lack support over time and may wear out faster. Buying a high quality Dreams Downunder mattress will give you the support you need and you can rest assured with our 10-15 years manufacturer warranty.

The Dream Downunder pillow top mattress has an extra layer of soft material sewn into the mattress on both sides, giving support and adding a pillow like cushion for comfort.

Memory Foam Mattresses

Memory foam mattresses contour to your shape and distribute your weight evenly over the surface. The ‘memory foam’ is used in the upper layer, which is then supported by the denser non-memory base foam. The key metric to look for is foam density. Lower density foam is more prone to breakdown and may not offer the best support, while too high might be too firm.

Some advantages are they have low motion transfer to your partner. The primary issue with memory foam (bed in a box mattresses) is that they more closely contour to the body, this sink can limit airflow around the body causing heat to be absorbed and trapped in the non-breathable material and on the skin, which is also known as “sleeping hot.” They are usually more expensive to buy.

Latex Mattresses

A pure latex mattress is made of only latex foam for both the support core part and comfort layers. Natural latex is durable, eco-friendly and has hypoallergenic properties, giving you comfort bounce and cooling. This usually commands a much higher price tag and they are extremely heavy and difficult to move.

 

What mattress is best for me?

This all depends on the individual and what they want and require out of a mattress. The best way to try a mattress is to sleep on it, hence why we offer a 120 night trial at Dreams Downunder.

A common misconception is the firmer a mattress is the more support you have. It is however important that your spine is straight and supported to best protect your back and the most important factor to ensure this is to get the correct mattress for your sleep position.

Side sleepers have more exaggerated pressure points at the shoulders and hips. A slightly softer mattress is therefore recommended. For most side sleepers, a soft to medium-firm mattress works best, with most people getting the best results in the middle of that range. Our Dreams Downunder pillow-top is constructed with soft enough material to contour to your body allowing you to sink in to the correct position for spine alignment. A plush layer on your mattress helps smooth pressure points throughout your body during sleep.

Back sleepers need support around the lower back in order to make sure that the natural curve of the low back does not get exaggerated. For this reason, we usually advise that back sleepers select a medium firm mattress. Our Superior Orthopaedic is probably ideal for you.

Stomach sleepers need to keep their abdomen and pelvis a little more elevated than other parts of the body. Most stomach sleepers get the most comfort and support from mattresses that are a little firmer. Our Dreams Dowunder Standard Orthopaedic mattress is probably ideal for you.

Most people however regularly sleep in 2 or more positions. These people frequently have the best results when using a medium-firm mattress. The reason for this is that a medium-firm mattress has the most flexibility and ability to provide comfort across a range of positions. Most of our mattresses are of medium firmness for this reason. However please note that you can adjust the firmness for all of our mattresses.

Generally speaking firmer mattresses are good for back pain. If you have back problems or general body aches and pains you need to be careful with your mattress choice. Too firm might put too much pressure on the body which can enhance or trigger pain (especially at your hips shoulders and torso), while too soft may be insufficient support for your bones and joints. One way to tell if your mattress is too hard is if your arm falls asleep even though you’re not putting much weight on it. Injured, weak and mobility-impaired people may prefer a firmer mattress, as it makes it easier to get out of bed, compared to soft sink-in mattresses.

 

When is the best time to buy a mattress?

Mattresses last for a long time and can contain a large amount of expensive materials, such as memory foam, pocket springs or latex thus making them extremely expensive. To make matters worse generally stores have 200-400% mark-up on products, that’s why big companies can offer sales such as “king at single prices”. At Dreams Downunder you don’t have to wait for a sale, we don’t have a shop front and this allows us to have competitive prices all year round. Best of all we offer FREE delivery within metropolitan Melbourne.

 

Where can I dispose of my old mattress?

When your purchase a mattress from Dreams Downunder you can select to have your old mattress disposed of for free. We collect and recycle your old mattress….. That’s right, for FREE recycling. Even though it can sometimes be tricky, most mattresses can still be recycled. Through mattress recycling, as much as 90% of the mattress can be reused.

 

Where are mattresses made?

Most mattresses are made overseas. If you have ever unpackaged a compressed foam mattress in a box and it has smelled for a few days, chances are it’s been made in China with toxic chemicals such as cyanide. At Dreams Downunder we ensure our fabrics are treated safely. All Dreams Downunder mattresses are 100% Australian made in Melbourne with locally sourced Australian products. This helps boost local business and the Australian economy.

 

How do I look after my new mattress?

The better the quality of your mattress and the more care you take of it, the longer it will last. After investing your money on a good night sleep it’s recommended you spend a little extra. A good quality mattress protector can protect your mattress to some degree from general wear and tear, and help reduce allergens. A mattress topper can add support or comfort to your mattress, and is able to help alleviate body aches and pains. Don’t forget to flip and rotate your mattress every 6 months, as this is important in prolonging the life of your mattress and stop it from sagging. All our Dreams Downunder mattresses, including our pillowtop are double sided to enhance the life of your mattress.

 

Will my mattress soften over time?

If you received your new mattress and aren’t as happy with it right away as you expected to be, your mattress might just need to break in some more. Most mattresses take anywhere from 30 to 90 days to fully “break in.” Your new mattress may be different from your old one, or it may feel firm simply because it’s brand new, and thus may seem uncomfortable for a little while.

Just like a new pair of shoes, the mattress materials haven't had time to soften and conform and adjust to your body to get rid of that “new” feeling, and it simply needs time to wear in. It may also take your body a little time to get used to a new mattress that is giving you proper support. If you’re flustered with the break-in period, just remember that the wait is worth it and you’ll be on your way to sleeping comfortably in no time.

This is why at Dreams Downunder we offer 120 night trial period, to allow your body to adjust, if not satisfied anytime within 120 nights from original delivery, we’ll accept a return or exchange. 


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