Mattresses, like many things that benefit the body, are truly an investment worth making. The best mattresses not only keep you comfortable at night, they also support your head, neck and limbs, as well as offer healing so you wake up pain-free and ready to start the day in the best possible shape.
If you regularly wake up with back or neck pain, your mattress may not be giving you the support you need. As a general rule of thumb, mattresses should be changed every 8-10 years. For those who regularly wake up with back pains, stiff necks, sore hips, especially if they are suffering from sciatica, a medium to firm mattress would be ideal, as the the surface is soft enough for comfort but firm enough to support the spine, keeping it aligned and not dipping too deep into the mattress.
But there is no one-size-fits-all mattress. Several factors need to be taken into consideration, such as sleep positions, body weight and anatomical build, as well as preference for materials and construction of the mattress. No matter how you sleep, the spine should always remain straight throughout the night. But ultimately, anything that lets you rest easy and pain-free is a mattress worth getting.
Here are Gafencu’s top tips for picking the right luxury mattress to ensure you get a great night’s rest
To relieve lower back pain and sciatica symptoms
Those suffering from sciatica, disc problems from an old injury or lower back pains are advised to avoid soft and latex mattresses. Instead a medium to firm mattress would put the body more at ease and relieve such pains. Pocket springs serve as the perfect and latest in mattress engineering that allows the weight of the body to spread evenly across the mattress. Unlike traditional coil sprung mattresses, pocket coils are springs that are individually encased within their own fabric, allowing each spring to perform individually – absorbing pressure and evening out the weight distribution while relieving pressure points.
Atlanta-based Simmons’ BeautyRest Black Radiance is an outstanding example of pocketed coil technology. Composed of graphite memory foam and latex gel foam, it provides a breathable material that conforms naturally to the body’s shape, and is said to enhance well-being and overall sleep quality, giving the sleeper optimal support and minimal motion transfer — meaning you won’t feel your partner toss and turn in the middle of the night!
Try: Simmons BeautyRest Black Radiance
Price: From HK$15,500
Where to go: simmons.com
Yet another example of the benefits of pocketed coil, pioneering in posturepedic-designed mattress is Australian-made handcrafted mattress manufacturer Sealy. Teaming up with orthopaedic surgeons to develop innovative solutions to contribute to consumers’ orthopaedic health and a good night’s rest, they have put out the Heritage collection.
Featuring the highest grade of patented coils, keys locking into the inner spring, a wider edge for more stability and even weight distribution and a unique three-stage advanced edge support system that gradually adjusts to the sleeper’s weight, the result is optimum comfort throughout the night. Its exceptional comfort is further reinforced with gel-infused visco elastic foam that provides even better conformance and enhanced spinal support.
Try: Sealy Heritage Collection
Price: From HK$59,800
Where to go: sealy.com
Also Read: Smart gadgets to get sound sleep
For a foam-based option to suit any sleeping position
For those who tend to sleep on their sides, faced down, or alternate in positions throughout the night, a mattress that can support the spine, neck and hips are essential. Foam-based constructions are made to contour to the unique shape of the body, adjusting to its shape while offering support to the spine and relieving pressure points.
Steeped in stylish Italian design, Dorelan incorporates technology and craftsmanship together through intensive research, innovative approaches and the use of carefully selected raw materials to redefine sleep quality for quality lifestyle. Created based on five decades of science-based research, its Myform mattress is an innovative solution to superior comfort for any sleeping position. Created with hypoallergenic fabric and a synergy of components layered to provide an ergonomic and comfortable anatomic support for sleepers of all types.
Try: Dorelan Myform
Price: From HK$14,435
Where to go: hkdorelan.com
For a Latex mattress option
However, in some cases it would be proven true that having less springs can offer more pressure relief for those who tend to sleep on their sides or have heavier contours on their shoulders and hips. Softer mattresses that cushions the body can help relieve pressure at these key points and reduce muscle spasms.
Hong Kong-based Okooko by European Bedding offers a mattress with natural latex fabric made from the sap of a rubber tree. Unlike other soft mattresses, such as memory foam, Okooko’s Heveya® Natural Organic Latex Mattress III provides amazing support for the spine, distributing weight evenly — accommodating the preference of various levels of firmness. Its construction is made with 100% natural, organic and sustainable materials that are breathable, mould- and dust mute- resistant and hypoallergenic, which perfectly suits Hong Kong’s humid weather and air quality problem.
Try: Okooko Heveya® Natural Organic Latex Mattress III
Price: From HK$20,500 (Single)
Where to go: europeanbedding.hk
Also Read: Philips’ Somneo Sleep and Wake-Up Light for a more soothing sleep
For a hybrid coil and foam option
Do you prefer something soft or firm? Or perhaps something in between? Hybrid mattresses are a combination of coils and foam; providing good support and comfort that delivers equally on conform-ability and alleviate pressure point pain in most people. Providing a plush but firm construction for sleepers who need a soft, breathable layer free of uneven dips and reinforced with good support for the back, neck and for back sleepers — allowing the shoulder and hips to sink in slightly, especially for those who have a broader structure.
UK-based Glencraft, suppliers to the royals, also features its own Heritage collection which, although demands a hefty price, will have you sleeping like a King (or Queen) — so they claim. Boasting 3,800 individual pocket springs that are layered, above and below, with silk, alpaca, horsetail, wool, horsehair and Egyptian cotton, this mattress provides sleepers with breathable quality materials to regulate temperature throughout the night, while enjoying the support of that is perfectly levelled to support the spine and neck. Its natural fibers also helps adjust to the contours of the body, providing extraordinary comfort and not the slightest disturbance as your partner tosses and turns next to you.
Try: Glencraft Heritage Collection
Price: From HK$142,380
Where to go: glencraft.luxury
For a sustainably-made option
Prized for the use of soft wool, on the other hand, is the Nº4 The New Standard by London based Savoir, supplier to the world’s most luxurious hotels. With the ambition to set a new standard in for luxury sleep, this hand-tufted and knotted mattress delivers on the utmost comfort for a rejuvenated body and well-rested mind.
Replete with superior quality wool, a hair pad and needled cotton, layered above and below tall nested pocket springs, this mattress provides great comfort and better circulation for the body. Paired with its mattress topper which is filled with soft loose cotton wrapped in soft, thick soft wool, it makes for a sumptuously soft and comfortable resting spot as the wool helps regulates the temperature throughout the night.
Try: Savoir Beds Nº4 The New Standard
Price: From HK$39,523
Where to go: Beyond Sleep
Similarly made up with sustainable materials as Savoir, Vispring’s Diamond Majesty is hand-filled with some of the world’s finest natural materials, such as British wool, hand-opened Austrian Moosburger® horsetail, Shetland organic cotton and wool blended with cashmere and silk, as well as bamboo and lavish Vicuña fleece wool. Hand-tufted and -stitched, it features a two layer hand-nested calico pocket spring construction with 2,832 springs within a solid beech frame. Its spring tension and firmness can be customised from soft and medium to extra firm.
Try: Vispring Diamond Majesty
Price: From HK$303,538
Where to go: Beyond Sleep