Maintain a regular bed and wake time schedule (including weekends) to regulate your circadian rhythm. This will allow your body to fall asleep and wake up naturally.

Use your bedroom for only sleep and sex.

If pregnant, in the third trimester, sleep on your left side to allow best blood flow to the fetus and to your uterus and kidneys.

Pillows are an essential aspect in getting a good night’s rest. Ensure that your pillows are clean and suited to the position in which you sleep. This can help prevent neck or back pain, insomnia and headaches upon waking.

Be a role model! Set a good example for your children by establishing your own regular sleep schedule and maintaining a home that promotes healthy sleep.

Minimize noise with earplugs. Minimize light with room darkening curtains or an eye mask. If you get up in the middle of the night, use a night light to guide your way and avoid bright lights.

Regular aerobic exercise can reduce stress hormones and lead to a deeper sleep. Remember to avoid strenuous exercise at least three hours before bedtime.

Learning relaxation techniques, such as breathing exercises taught in yoga or progressive muscle relaxation, and practice them in bed.

Make sleep a priority and keep a regular schedule. If you find you are still having trouble sleeping, talk to your doctor about possible sleep disorders.

Anemia is the leading cause of fatigue in women. Iron deficiency (which can be caused by menstruation) prevents your tissues and organs from receiving adequate oxygen. Taking supplements or eating lean meat, liver, shellfish, beans and iron-enriched cereals can help.

Dehydration causes fatigue. Drink plenty of fluids throughout the day. Your body needs plenty of water to work well and keep cool.

Working nights or rotating shifts can disrupt your circadian rhythm. Limit your exposure to daylight when you need to rest. Make your room dark, quiet and cool. If you are still having issues, talk with your doctor about medications and supplements.

TOSSING AND TURNING?

Avoid caffeine (coffee, tea, soda, chocolate) before bedtime.

Avoid nicotine at all times, but especially close to bedtime. It can keep you awake. This includes second and third hand smoking.

Avoid alcohol close to bedtime. It is a depressant that can help you fall asleep, but as it metabolizes, the subsequent withdrawal syndrome causes awakenings, nightmares and sweats.

If you suffer from heartburn, avoid large amounts of spicy, acidic or fried foods before bed. Sleeping with your torso elevated can also ease acid reflux.

If you suffer from Restless Legs Syndrome, elevate your lower legs and feet while you sleep.

Limit television, video game, smart phone and other electronic usage before bedtime. These highly interactive distractions prevent your body from winding down before bed.

Avoid napping late in the afternoon. If needed, take a brief 10-20 minute nap about 8 hours after you wake.

Try to keep your mind off of worrisome issues before bed. Don’t discuss highly emotional or upsetting issues in bed.

If you wake in the middle of the night, leave the bedroom and read a book until you feel sleepy. Do not stay in bed.

Caffeine is a stimulant found in coffee, tea, soda, chocolate and various OTC medications. Discontinue use at least 4-6 hours before bedtime. Gradually reduce the amount of caffeine you consume to avoid withdrawal symptoms such as headaches.

Stress can wreak havoc on sleep. Develop a pre-sleep routine to break any connection between the stress of the day and bedtime.

DON’T WATCH THE CLOCK!

Clock watching will keep your brain alert, preventing you from falling asleep.

Sleep apnea can cause you to think you’re sleeping through the night; in reality, you are waking multiple times as you briefly stop breathing. The result is sleep deprivation. Sleep with a CPAP device to keep airway passages open at night, quit smoking and lose weight if you are overweight.

You may think of depression as an emotional disorder, but one of the most common symptoms is fatigue. Consult your doctor as depression responds well to psychotherapy and/or medication.

Fatigue may be caused by hypothyroidism. Have thyroid hormone levels tested by a physician. Medication can help regulate your metabolism.

Research indicates that too much caffeine actually causes fatigue in some people. Gradually cut back as stopping suddenly can cause more fatigue.

Diabetics often run out of energy and feel fatigued despite having enough to eat. If you have persistent, unexplained fatigue, have your doctor test for diabetes. Changes to diet, exercise and insulin therapy can help.

Persistent, unexplained and severe fatigue lasting more than 6 months could indicate Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Fibromyalgia. Talk with your doctor, as there is no cure, changes in daily habits can alleviate the symptoms.

PEACEFUL SLEEP

Establish a regular, relaxing bedtime routine such as soaking in a hot bath, reading a book or listening to soothing music.

Create a sleep-conducive environment that is dark, quiet, comfortable and cool.

Finish eating two to three hours before your regular bedtime.

Exercise regularly and complete your workout at least three hours before your regular bedtime.

Newborns, infants and toddlers need 12-18 hours of sleep per day. School age children need 10-13 hours. Teens need 8-9 hours. Adults need 7-9 hours of sleep.

People benefit most from sleeping in a cool room. The lower temperature will ease bacteria growth keeping your environment healthier as well as allow your heart rate to slow, helping you fall asleep faster.

Adjusting children to a new school schedule? Begin incrementally introducing the new sleep routine two weeks before school begins.

Maintain a sleep schedule for your children. Avoid using weekends to “catch up on sleep.”

If you are hungry before bed, a glass of milk is a good choice. Milk contains the amino acid L-tryptophan which has been proven in studies to help people fall asleep.

Stop working on any task an hour before bedtime to calm mental activity.

Avoid allowing pets in your bed. Pets carry dust mites, dander and other allergens, which can be deposited in your bed causing you to wake with allergic symptoms and increase respiratory illnesses

Avoid sleeping with pets. Their movement in the middle of the night may disturb your sleep and prevent you from attaining a restful (REM) sleep.

Make sure your bedroom is well ventilated and at a temperature between 54 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Room temperatures between 68 and 72 degrees are optimal.

Pay attention to the lights in your room. Red light from an alarm clock is not as unsettling as blue LED light from a cable box. Blue lights indicate “day” to our primordial selves and tend to keep us awake.

Foods that may help promote sleep include tuna, halibut, pumpkin, artichokes, avocados, almonds, eggs, bok choy, peaches, walnuts, apricots, oats, asparagus, potatoes, buckwheat and bananas.

Try not to drink fluids after 8:00 p.m. This will help prevent bathroom breaks in the middle of the night.

Eating too little or eating the wrong foods causes fatigue. Maintain a balanced diet including protein and complex carbohydrates.

Some doctors believe hidden food allergies make you sleepy. If you are experiencing fatigue immediately following a meal, you may have a mild intolerance to something you ate. Try eliminating foods one at a time or speak with an allergist.

I always tell my customers that it often takes a stay at a hotel to show you how uncomfortable you are at home.  Sometimes it takes a complete collapse of your bed to reevaluate your mattress.  I have watched countless couples struggle to determine the age of their current mattress.  It usually starts with, “well, Amy is in college now and we got that mattress when she was….” or, “it was a gift from Uncle Grant for our wedding and I think it was his guest room mattress so it’s probably….” or my favorite, “it was only 1990, so it isn’t that old…”  That is when I usually point out that 1990 was over 20 years ago!

The question is, how long does a mattress last?  The answer is not so simple…

It all depends.  It depends on the quality of the product you purchase.  It depends upon the amount of cushion in the product.  It depends upon the intended use of the product.

The quality of the product has everything to do with the longevity of the product.  A starting point set does not typically last as long as a top of line set.  That is not a steadfast rule, but it applies more often than not.  If the product comes with a coil box spring as opposed to a foundation, it has a better support system and will wear much better.  If a product is two sided and can be flipped and rotated it will last at least twice as long as a one-sided product that cannot be flipped.  If the product is made from high density foams intended to be more durable, the mattress will be more durable.  I could go on and on.  The initial quality helps determine how long a mattress will last.  This is partly why many people believe that mattresses in general just don’t last as long as they used to.  It’s true partly because mass manufacturers do not use the same high-quality materials that they once did.  Raw material vendors don’t offer the same quality in some cases because many manufacturers are buying lesser quality materials to cut costs.  The quality of the springs, foam and fiber all contribute to the overall quality of the product and therefore, how long that product can last.

There is one exception to the “quality debate.”  Cushion.  The more cushion, I.e. foam and fiber, in a product, the more the consumer will notice aging in the product.  When a mattress begins to age, the first material to break down is the fiber, second is the foam.  These materials make up the cushion and thus the “feel” of the mattress.  If you have lots of cushion, a box top or Euro top or pillow top, you will have more foam and fiber to break down.  Your mattress feel will change more significantly than say,  a firm top, or a mattress that had very little foam and fiber from the start.  That is not to say that a firm mattress does not age at the same rate as a soft mattress, only that aging is more noticeable in the soft mattress.  This gives the consumer the impression that a firm mattress lasts longer.  In truth, it feels “like new” longer than a mattress that has lots of cushion.  The real issue here is different.  A firm mattress may seem to last longer, but if you aren’t comfortable on the mattress, do you really want it to last?  Comfort is still the key!

Finally, the intended use of the product helps determine its durability.  A master bedroom set that is used nightly by an adult couple will not last as long as a guest room mattress that is used only sparingly.  A child’s mattress may last much longer as the child weighs less, or may not last as long, if the child does not care for the mattress.  (Mattresses are not trampolines.  We do not recommend using them as so.  If your child wishes to jump, buy him a trampoline.  Mattresses are not designed to hold up to jumping children.)  When a person comes in to buy a new mattress, we always ask about the intended use of the product.  This information helps us help you.  If you are looking for a guest room, I will typically show you different sets than if you are looking for a master bedroom set.  The more use a mattress gets, the more it wears.  That is not to say that your guest room mattress should never be replaced.  Nothing lasts forever.  Unless you really don’t want your guests to come back, make sure to replace the guest room set once or twice, too… maybe just not as often as the other sets in your home.

So when considering all of the factors, keep in mind that every situation is different.  We, unlike another mattress company out there, do not recommend replacing your mattress every eight years.  And by the way, you cannot determine the age of the mattress simply by lifting it.  Nor will your mattress double in weight after eight years, unless you aren’t fond of mattress protectors and general cleanliness.  (Protecting your mattress and regularly washing the protector and other bedding will eliminate excess dust mites, skin flakes and other body fluids that contribute to your mattress gaining weight.)  We do recommend reevaluating your set after ten years.  Simply ask yourself if your mattress still meets your needs.  If it does, keep it.  If it doesn’t, start searching for a set that does.  Sometimes mattresses stop meeting our needs after only a short while.  Great changes in your body, surgeries, pregnancy, shift changes, schedules, etc… can affect your sleep.  When your mattress no longer meets your needs, that is when you need to replace it.

But what happens when you stay in a hotel and have the best sleep you’ve had in a long time? Hotels have really begun to view their beds as a marketing point. They advertise their mattresses in hopes of attracting guests to their hotels. Some even sell the products featured in the hotel. I’ve talked to many people who’ve purchased Hotel line mattresses due to a great night’s sleep while away from home. Sometimes these people are gravely disappointed by what they receive. They ask, “Why is the same mattress in the hotel so much more comfortable than the mattress in my home?” My first question is always, “Did you buy ALL OF THE BEDDING, or just the mattress?” The reason I ask is simple; there is more to the feel of a mattress than just the mattress itself.

Most hotels spend money on basic mattresses. They are typically more durable and less expensive than the luxurious foam-filled counterparts. These mattress sets tend to be the most costly aspects and hotels don’t want to replace them often. Therefore, the hotel buys lofty featherbeds and foam toppers. They buy high-thread count sheets and goose down pillows and duvets. These linen items are replaced inexpensively and create a luxurious feel without sacrificing the durability of the mattress set.

If you truly want to recreate the feel of a hotel bed at home, buy it all, down to the last decorative throw pillow. It is the only way to ensure you will achieve the feel. All of these items together aren’t cheap, and you may soon wonder whether the mattress set is worth it, if you must also buy all of the bedding associated with it. You can get similar bedding for your existing mattress, or you can stop in to Holder Mattress and we can start from the idea of comfort you have in your mind already and find the perfect mattress for you without requiring all of the extra fluffy bedding.

If after all of your trouble in finding better sleep at home, your sleeping situation does not improve, I’d suggest room service and maid service and a tropical view from your window… surely that will help you to recreate your vacation oasis at home!

Just as the Royal Family has accepted Kate and will build a foundation around her as she now represents them, Kate will show Will an incredible amount of support in his official duties. Those of us who are in supportive relationships know the power of having another person at your side, cheering you along and refusing to let you fall. Mattress sets are also good marriages.

I know, it seems like a stretch… what on earth do mattresses have to do with marriages- other than the obvious? But it is true! A mattress by itself has no support without a box spring. Platform beds are popular, people replace mattresses and keep their old, aged box springs, and many companies have turned away from box springs entirely to only offer foundations. I believe today is the perfect day to honor the box spring!

What is a box spring?
Box springs are the covered bottom piece to a mattress set. They come in several different variations, but mostly they have strong steel coils designed to provide lots of support for a mattress. The best box springs have give, meaning that when you apply pressure to the box spring, the coils compress. This function allows the mattress coils to release their pressure into the box coils that are much stronger, as they are not required for comfort. The act of reducing compression in the mattress innerspring coils simply allows those coils to do less work. Therefore they last longer. Your mattress will absolutely last longer and wear better with a box spring than without it. It’s physics!

What about those platform beds?
Well, they are certainly popular these days. This sleeker look is more modern, but what effect does it have on your mattress? I often tell clients in search of a platform bed, that many styles have a box spring-accomodating option, and that is something to consider, especially with the impact box springs have on mattresses. Mattresses will be firmer on platforms that don’t provide the same give as a box spring. They will also wear more quickly causing you to replace your mattress sooner. They will wear less evenly- meaning that not being able to distribute body weight through a box spring will cause body impressions to appear more quickly in the place you sleep. Not only does it wear faster, but it wears fastest where you use it most. If you are accepting of the fact that replacing your mattress occurs more frequently with mattress only purchases, and that most companies, including Holder Mattress, do not offer warranties with mattress only purchases, just try to pick a mattress that is softer than you think you might like and we’ll see you for a replacement when you need it.

What’s wrong with my old box spring?
I often hear customers saying, I need to replace my mattress, but my box springs look brand new. Can I just buy the mattress? Of course you can, but we will caution you against it. I liken this scenario to buying a new car and putting your old tires on it. It might work, might get you from A to B, but you won’t get the same mileage and there’s a chance the old tires weren’t made for the new car which can cause a lot of problems for the new car. Box springs don’t show their age the same way that mattresses do. Mattresses begin to sag, get lumpy, or imprint. Box springs won’t do any of that. However, rest assured that if your mattress has aged, so has your box spring. They lose support as materials break down. Therefore a new mattress which is not on a new box spring won’t receive the support it was designed to receive and will age prematurely. This is the exact reason we don’t warrant mattress only purchases. We cannot predict their life span on an improper support system. There are also several different types of box springs. We marry the mattress to the box that will best support it for its expected lifetime. An inappropriate box changes everything from feel to durability. The odds are not good that your old box is the right box for your new mattress.

My box spring is only a year old- it’s surely still in good condition!
That depends on where that “box spring” came from… Most companies, nearly all of the national brands, have stopped offering box springs in favor of the more economical foundation. When you go to a mattress store, a box spring and foundation look exactly the same. Most salesmen won’t introduce the subject either. You can buy a brand new mattress set, using the words “box springs” the entire time, and still have a foundation delivered to your home without ever being the wiser- or even knowing the difference. What is the difference? Foundations look like box springs, but they have no springs. They are just wood grid boxes that provide no more function than raising the mattress off of the bed frame. How can you tell what you have? Push on it. If you have a box spring, it has steel coils inside of it and will give under pressure. If you can push down on it (without a lot of effort, by the way) you have proper support. If you can’t push down on it, you have a foundation. If you have a foundation, it’s no better than a platform bed, and the same rules apply. It will age prematurely and feel firmer. Why do companies choose to sell foundations when they aren’t best for the mattress? Profit. By not adding steel coils to the box, they are saving a lot of money, and the mattress won’t last as long, which means their customers return more quickly to replace their products. Companies make more money, consumers spend more money. Not to mention the added bonus; weaker, cheaper innersprings feel firmer when the box has no give, meaning a foundation actually makes a weak mattress feel firmer. This causes customers to feel they are purchasing a good, firm mattress, when in reality, they aren’t. The mass manufacturer wins every time!

So as you can see, box springs are crucial when it comes to maintaining a quality mattress. The support of a spouse is just like the support of a box spring. The right choice in support determines the quality of life for wives, husbands, and mattresses!

WARNING: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! Mattresses are test burned in secure labs by professionals only- and it should stay that way!

I’m sure by complying with this standard, we are protecting people. I’ve heard though, that more people are killed by donkey or champagne cork accidents, than by mattress fires. Maybe it’s just a rumor, maybe it’s not. I’m much more concerned with the harm we are doing by meeting the standard.

The federal government regulates the level of flammability, not how we achieve that level. You burn the mattresses you make, you pass the test, you’re good to go! Many companies found that the most inexpensive way to achieve the new standard is to add more chemicals. In most cases, these chemicals are actually toxins. Boric acid is a great example. In layman’s terms, boric acid is roach poison. Wouldn’t you like to sleep on a bed filled with roach poison? At least it’s not flammable… Antimony trioxide is a known carcinogen- but again, it’s not flammable. The problem here is simple; we don’t know the effects of spending 6-8 hours per night, every night, for years, breathing in these toxins. I have to assume the outcome is not good. Paint can no longer contain lead. We’ve been told not to reuse plastic bottles because they can contain trace amounts of BPA. So why are we adding more toxins to our lives with this new legislation?

Manufacturers are not required to tell you how they achieve the new flammability standards. However, there is a way around this. The companies, like Holder Mattress, that are willing to give you all of the details are usually on the up and up and are concerned about these issues as well. We don’t want our employees exposed to these toxins every day, much less our customers! But if a company is unsure or not forthcoming with the information, you can have your primary care physician write a prescription for a non-flame retardant mattress. This prescription is a “get-out-of-jail-free card” for the manufacturer. It means they won’t add the flame retardant materials, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission won’t hunt them down for doing so.

At Holder Mattress, we were determined to find a better way. We meet all the same standards, but we do it as naturally as possible. In our more basic lines we use a low-melt polyester fiber. It is no different than the polyester fiber we were using before the new standards. It’s a non-toxic, synthetic fiber that happens to be inherently flame retardant. In our higher lines, we use wool. That’s it. 100% natural wool can resist flammability just as well as any toxic chemical, without the harmful side effects. Wool has other great features, too. It stays temperature neutral so you won’t get too hot, it won’t hold moisture so it doesn’t attract dust mites or allergens, and there is even research to suggest that wool is helpful for those who suffer from arthritis.

I urge you to do the research. The next time you are in the market for a new mattress. Find out what materials make up that mattress. Maybe you’ve recently purchased a mattress and are experiencing headaches, respiratory issues or rashes. You could be reacting to a chemical in your bed. I hope that years from now we discover that there are no ill-effects from these materials. However, until we are certain of that, we will continue to use the best, most natural materials.

Don’t be deceived into thinking that because of these flame retardancy regulations that your mattress is safer than ever before. It may be just the opposite…

It really is that simple. Only a few short years ago, the economy began to sink, Hurricane Katrina had wiped out several foam manufacturers, the price of steel soared, and so did the price of gasoline. Not only were we paying huge fuel surcharges, but most mattress foam is made from petroleum as well, so mattress makers were getting hit hard just as consumers stopped spending. Couple that with brand new federal flammability regulations, requiring mattress makers to add material costs and pay to burn the products they build. This last part caused lots of smaller builders to close their doors, not able to afford the investment to meet these new requirements (this is a whole ‘nother blog!) But it also made for a great excuse. Many builders will tell you that they make a one-sided product because a two-sided product won’t meet these new standards. That is simply not true, but I’ll admit, it sounds logical and I’m sure many consumers accept it as fact. How would you know?

So they may tell you otherwise, but mattress manufacturers needed to cut costs. Most companies assumed that their customers weren’t flipping their mattresses anyway, and if they were, they weren’t replacing them very often. This created the problem for the mass-manufacturers. Why not remove 40% of the raw materials by building a one-sided product that cannot be flipped? We’ll sell it as a convenience, call it “new technology” and assure customers that they don’t have to flip their mattresses anymore- it’s a win-win! There is significantly less cost in the product and consumers will have to replace it much sooner. So really, it’s a win for them, but a lose for you.

There is no new technology for mattresses that cures gravity. When you put pressure on a mattress from sleeping, the mattress will wear in that spot. Traditional mattresses are flipped so you vary where you place this pressure, and when pressed from the opposite side, it helps the mattress to correct itself. You may have noticed that mattresses used to last a very long time, but not anymore… well, if you have a two-sided mattress, it will last just as long as you remember.

At Holder Mattress we pride ourselves in building the best mattress from the best materials available. This is why we still build two-sided, flippable mattresses. We’d rather you come back to replace your guest room set or recommend us to your neighbors, than come back every 2-3 years to replace your set because they just don’t last very long anymore. Manufacturers make choices. It is with high moral and ethical standards that we make ours. Don’t let the mass manufacturers fool you, you can make a choice, too.

(If you are struggling to flip and rotate your Holder Mattress, contact Stacy LeGoff at (317) 848-2939 or slegoff@holdermattress.com for information on our Mattress Maintenance Program)

Technology hasn’t changed much when it comes to mattresses, but it has changed a lot when it comes to communication. Thus, the MattressGrl Blog is born! I talk to people everyday about their bedding needs and there is so much misinformation out there. Creating this blog allows me to communicate with all of you about the happenings with mattresses, from an industry perspective. Ever wonder why most mattresses cannot be flipped? What’s the purpose of a box spring, and does it need to be replaced? What are dust mites, and what do I need to know? Should I freak out about Bedbugs??? Relax, I’ll address it all, and many other issues in my blog. Check in regularly and feel free to submit questions to me. Let’s begin a different kind of bedroom conversation…