Choosing The Right Mattress For a Good Night’s Rest

We all know that sleep is important for one’s health and we have written at least four articles on this topic alone. However, we forget that a good night’s sleep is sometimes dependent on what we sleep on. A mattress is expected to last us for 5-10 years and how then, like Goldilocks, do we go about choosing the ‘perfect’ mattress that is not too hard nor too soft? We find out more from Marcus Goh, founder of Singaporean mattress company Hennsley®, to find out more.

Q: Could you tell us a little bit more about Hennsley®?

We were established in Singapore with a mission to provide good quality mattresses to consumers so as to improve their wellbeing. All of our mattresses go through stringent product testing in Germany and we’re proud to announce that our mattresses are certified as “Quality Products”, meeting German standards. Our mattresses have been specifically engineered to reduce backaches via zonal technology, without sparing any expense on quality materials that go into the manufacture of each mattress.

Aiming to be the Best Customer Service Mattress brand in Singapore, we treat each customer’s feedback seriously and believe that happy customers are the key to our growth. We are also fine-tuning our products to meet our customers’ requirements, which are based on their feedback.

Q: In layman’s terms, could you explain what people should be looking for when purchasing a new mattress for themselves?

Although purchase decision usually includes price and what materials are used in the mattress (e.g. latex or memory foam), people should avoid obsessing over these two common considerations. Why is that so, you may ask.

The logic is simple – have you ever purchased items that might not be suitable for you but you bought them nonetheless because the price was too good to be missed? Or, you bought something because the specifications are very good, but you end up not using most of the special features of the product? These are common pitfalls for the general consumer, which is perfectly fine for other products except for mattresses.

When it comes to a mattress, each one of us has different physiques, body contours and requirements as well. Thus, at Hennsley®, we normally ask a few questions to determine what customers actually need. Some of the key questions we ask include:

  1. Do you sleep on your back or on your side mostly?
  2. Are you sleeping alone or with a partner?
  3. If you sleep with a partner, does he or she sleep mostly on the back or side?
  4. Why are you changing your mattress?
  5. Are you buying for your new home or there’s some problem with your current mattress?
  6. Are you looking to buy a softer or firmer mattress compared to your existing one?
  7. Do you have any medical conditions or injuries to your back or spine?

Of course, there might be other questions that we may ask to further zoom into a customer’s needs. But it is beneficial to customers if they already know the answers to the above questions and these will be helpful to let the retail consultants shortlist or recommend suitable mattresses.

In short, the right mattress for you is the mattress which can provide you with the right support and comfort. Remember to also ask about the warranty period and understand the terms and conditions of the warranty. For example, Hennsley® provides a 10 Year Full Warranty for all their mattresses, in contrast to some brands which offer a 10 Year Limited Warranty.

Q: Could you describe or explain some commonly found features in mattresses and what exactly do they mean or do?

As mentioned previously, a good mattress provides good support for your body while you sleep, conforms to your body contours to make you comfortable and reduces pressure points. Thus, the key deliverables are Support and Comfort.

Support comes from the core of the mattress, and Comfort comes from the comfort layers inside a mattress. For the core of a mattress, it can be Foam Core, Spring Core, Memory Foam Core, Latex Core or a mixture of these. Depending on the core of the mattress and the types of construction, you will get various types of support.

For the Comfort layers, it will determine if the mattress is firm or plush (soft), does it reduce your pressure points when you sleep, do you feel easy to change sleeping position, etc.

Apart from the above, another thing to note is whether the mattress has good quality encasement around the four sides of the mattress to provide stability of the mattress while you sleep.

Q: Using the above information, how then do we go about choosing a mattress optimised to our needs and body type?

The key is – you need to try the mattress.  Not only that, you need to try on both your side and back sleeping position, regardless of your main sleeping position. The reason being that we toss and turn each night, so we might be sleeping in different positions for a considerable time during our sleep. As you try on the mattress, do take note if you feel any discomfort on any part of your body, e.g. feeling stress on your back, soreness on your shoulder, etc. A general guide is, if you feel discomfort in anyway, it means that you body is giving you a signal that the mattress that you tried might not be the right one for you.

Do feedback to the retail consultants so that they are aware and will then be able to advise you on other mattress models that are more suitable to you. However, you should note that as consultants, we are unable to tell specifically or be 100% sure that the recommended model is 100% right for you.  You will need to let your body tell you. Thus, it is important that you try the mattress for as long as you can.

It is interesting to note that people spend more time researching on other products before purchasing but spend lesser time when it comes to their mattress. In fact, there are customers who shop for mattresses simply by touching or sitting down! This is something that you need to avoid. There’s no need to feel shy or think that all mattresses are the same, because they’re not.

Q: Does the brand of a mattress reflect its quality?

Many local customers tend to relate overseas or international brands as brands with better quality, and local brands as of inferior quality while many overseas see Singapore-branded products to be of good quality and are receptive to them. While it is true that international brands should be of a certain standard and quality due to their history and corporate capability, there are some international brands with less than desired quality products in the market as well. It really is the customers’ perspective and I would dare to say that local brands are able to match the quality of established international brands. In fact, as we understand our local customers better, our quality or selection of products may even surpass some international brands.

 

To find out more about Hennsley® and their mattresses, please head on to http://www.hennsley.com/.


Photo credits: Hennsley and Unsplash

 

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