If you’re moving into a new Allison Homes property, now’s the time to think about buying a new bed.
The Sleep Council’s sleep advisor Lisa Artis said: “We spend one third of our lives in bed so it’s essential it’s comfortable and supportive. This year, as part of National Bed Month, we are raising awareness of the importance of replacing your bed, ideally every seven years, and why old beds are bad for you”.
According to Lisa your current bed might not look worn out, but it won’t offer the same comfort and support as it did when you first bought it. Sleep Council research shows that sleeping on an uncomfortable mattress can rob you of up to an hour’s sleep per night so investing in your bed is essential to a restful night.
You may not realise it but an uncomfortable, unsupportive bed makes a difference to how well you sleep. According to research into replacing an uncomfortable bed, a new bed was associated with an increase of 42 minutes sleep – who wouldn’t want that?
And according to other research a 10-year old bed will have deteriorated by as much as 70 per cent from its new state. Not only that; Ohio State University experts report that a typical used mattress may have anywhere from 100,000 to 10 million dust mites inside it.
The National Bed Federation recommends that we should think about replacing our beds every seven years. There are a number of health reasons for this.
We lose up to half a pint (284ml) or more of fluid each night – which our beds have to absorb. We aslo shed around 1.3oz (10gm) of skin per week – that’s over 1lb (520g) in a year – much of into our beds. This combination of a warm, moist environment and a ready food source (those skin scales) makes our beds an ideal habitat for dust mites.
According to the Medical Entomology Centre, Cambridge, just two micrograms per gram (mcg/g) of dust mite allergen can cause hypersensitivity in asthma sufferers, while 10 mcg/g can pose a serious health risk. Around one in five aged mattresses can contain between two and 10mcg/g of the dust mite allergen and one in 20 has above 10mcg/g.
Four out of every five adults (80 per cent) will experience back pain at some stage in their life. A US study comparing sleep experience on a new mattress compared with mattresses five years and older found that participants with high back pain reported 63 per cent improvement in back discomfort.
Here is sleep guru Lisa’s advice on beds:
- Choose a reputable dealer with knowledgeable staff and do ‘try before you buy’.
- Remember, you get what you pay for, so spend as much as you can afford: every £100 spent will cost less than four pence a night over seven years.
- If you buy online, check the reviews and makes sure the seller offers secure credit card transactions, clear delivery prices and a returns policy.
- Stick to reputable brands such as National Bed Federation approved members – look for the NBF logo and its tick of approval.
Have a look at Pinterest and Houzz for some ideas on new beds and design ideas for your bedroom.
