Good night: a comfortable and supportive mattress should help one rest and relax

We spend about one-third of our lives sleeping, so it makes sense to invest in a comfortable mattress. Just what exactly constitutes a comfortable mattress is of course subjective. One person’s ergonomic support is another’s slate of marble, and with all the technology that now underlies a good night’s sleep, finding the ideal mattress is a lesson in pocket spring coils and memory foam.

A good night’s sleep comes down to the body’s ability to relax so blood can flow effectively through the body and perform its restorative functions. A comfortable, supportive mattress should aid relaxation whatever your sleep position and be soft enough to sink into while maintaining contact with all of the body, to ease pressure on points such as the shoulders or hips.

The level of support an individual needs is largely dictated by body weight; softer variations are generally better for smaller frames and firmer mattresses preferable for heavier body types.

Surprisingly though, many people base their criteria for a mattress on the experiences of others, says Maggie Sham, associate director sales and marketing for Serra and Airland Mattresses. “It is not ideal since the requirements and acceptance of softness is personalised and individual. Customers should trial different models before they make a decision.”

Mattresses today are constructed from highly technical support systems. Mattresses constructed of inner spring systems offer varying degrees of tension dictated by the number of springs, while memory foam mattresses mould to the shape of the body and hybrid versions combine both methods of construction.

Airland’s new Intense series contains its five-zone spring system with antistatic ticking, which it says “reduces the impact of static tension on sleep”, while the In-cotton mattress is constructed using Airland’s 7-zone spring system.