For all of the elements you have in your bedroom to help you sleep better, the most important is also the most basic: your mattress. Without a good mattress, any other effort you make to improve your sleep quality will be a waste of time. One of the most important characteristics of the mattress you’ll choose is its size. While there are dozens of different mattress types available from a wide variety of manufacturers, getting this simple characteristic correct needs to be first on your agenda. Here are a few ways to ensure you don’t wake up with buyer’s remorse.
Check Your Room Size
A basic consideration you’ll need to make when choosing a mattress size is the size of the room where you plan on placing the mattress. In a smaller room, a mattress that’s too large can overwhelm the room visually, creating an unpleasing and unsettling aesthetic.
In addition, a mattress that’s too big will constrict the space you have around your bed to move around. This could be especially problematic in the middle of the night when you’re stumbling around in the dark. To prevent stubbed toes and other problems, make sure you’ll have at least 30 inches of space on three sides of your mattress.
Check Your Sleep Patterns
If you’re living by yourself and want the most economical option for a mattress, a twin is typically the way to go. However, if you toss and turn a lot, you may be trading a lot of lost sleep for a few dollars saved. A larger mattress ensures you have a place to roll to when you inevitably roll over in the middle of the night. While it’s unlikely you’ll fall off of a smaller mattress, the lack of space to move, the lack of cooler surfaces, and the subconscious restriction you feel will leave you feeling groggy when you wake up. It’s best, then, to get the largest mattress you can comfortably fit in your room so you’ll always have plenty of space.
Check Your Partner
If you have a partner sleeping with you in the same bed, choosing mattress sizes becomes even more complicated. Take, for instance, the problem of tossing and turning. Even if you’re not one who “gets your groove on” during the night, your partner may be. To provide enough space for both of you to have an enjoyable and restful sleep, then, it’s important to get the largest mattress you can fit in your room.
Keep in mind that, when divided equally, only a king provides the same space as a twin for each person. Any smaller, and the amount of individual space becomes less than you’d have in separate twin beds. Not that you can’t find comfort in a smaller size, just that you may find it more difficult, especially if at least one of you is a mover and a shaker at night.
Check Your Limits
Though a larger mattress typically provides more options for comfort, you may find that delivering that comfort to your bedroom is an impossible task. Outside of any size limitations in the bedroom itself, you may run into size limitations in doorways, staircases, hallways, or other tight spots.
To avoid this problem once you’ve already purchased your mattress and rounded up some volunteers to help you set it up, it’s important to measure and re-measure any potential “pinch points,” making sure to provide a slight space cushion on all sides. These measurements, typically, will be the ultimate limit on the largest mattress you can select.
Set Yourself Up for Success
Once your new mattress is in place, it’s important to ensure the rest of your bedroom is conducive to sleep, as well. While other elements can’t bring sleep if you have a terrible mattress, they can certainly help your body rest more completely when you do have a good mattress. Get everything in place, and you’ll be ready to enjoy a great night’s sleep from the very first night.
