Q. Why is sleep important? A. Sleep is a key part of a healthy lifestyle.
Like eating right and exercising, sleeping well is essential
to feeling your best during the day. It affects how you feel,
your relationships, your productivity and your quality of
life. While you sleep, your brain goes to work, consolidating
the day's learning into memory and reenergizing the body.
Q. Is it true that napping can be bad for you? A. There's nothing wrong with taking a short
nap to help refresh you during the day. But if you find you're
napping all the time, it could be a sign that you aren't getting
as much sleep as you should. Or that you're not getting the
deep, restful sleep you need at night.
Q. Does the mattress affect how a person sleeps? A. Yes. The mattress has the potential either
to encourage sleep or rob you of sleep. Whether your mattress
is a sleep friend or a sleep foe can determine how refreshed
you feel in the morning. If you're tossing and turning more
at night or if you're waking up feeling stiff or sore after
a night's sleep, it could be a sign that your current mattress
is no longer the best for you. Your body appreciates a comfortable,
supportive mattress and will let you know if it's not up to
the task.
Q. How much sleep does the average person need? A. The average person needs 7-8 hours a night,
but it differs for every person. Some people may need as much
as 10 hours a night and others need much less. If you sleep
longer on the weekends than during the week, you probably
aren't getting the sleep you need every night.
Q. What are some ways to get a better night's sleep? A. A few key things should help. Try going
to bed and getting up at the same time every day – even
on the weekends. This will help keep your biological clock
in sync. Develop a sleep ritual by doing the same things each
night just before bed. Parents often establish a routine for
their kids, but it can help adults, too. A routine cues the
body to settle down for the night. Another hint: Unwind early
in the evening so that worries and distractions don't keep
you from getting a good night's sleep. Finally, create a restful
sleep environment – sleep in a cool, quiet, dark room
on a comfortable, supportive mattress and foundation –
to get your best night's rest. If you're sleeping as much
as you need, but still find that you're sleepy during the
day, you should consult your doctor to see if you might have
a medical condition interfering with your sleep.
Q. What's the right amount of sleep? A. It differs for every person. Some people
may need as much as 10 hours a night and others need much
less. The average person needs 7-8 hours a night. If you find
yourself sleepy during the day, you probably need more sleep
at night. Or if you sleep longer on the weekends than during
the week, you probably need more sleep during the week.
Q. What can shiftworkers or people who work at night
do to sleep better? A. Anyone who sleeps during the day needs
to make sure their room is dark – use heavy window coverings
to block out the light. This is important for everyone, but
particularly for people who sleep when it's bright outside.
Also, make sure your room is cool, between 60 to 65 degrees
Fahrenheit (16 to 18 degrees Celsius). Sleep on a comfortable,
supportive mattress and foundation that offers you enough
space to move around comfortably. And sleep in a room that's
quiet. The sleep environment is a very controllable part of
good sleep – whether you're sleeping during the day
or at night. You can adjust the temperature, replace an uncomfortable
or worn-out mattress, block out noise with earplugs or a white
noise machine and keep light from your bedroom with dark blinds
or eye shades.
Q. Is there a problem with falling asleep on the
sofa watching television, not falling asleep in bed? A. If you regularly fall asleep on your sofa,
you may not be getting as much sleep as you need at night
in your bed. Or maybe your sofa is more comfortable than your
bed! In either case, you should make sure to practice good
sleep habits – from sleeping on a comfortable, supportive
mattress to not drinking alcohol too close to bedtime. And
try to get more sleep – it may change how you feel during
the day. Check out the Better
Sleep Guide for tips on how to get a better night's sleep.
Q. Where should I go for information if I think
I have a sleep-related health problem? A. If you've tried the common sense
tips from our Better
Sleep Guide, and you know you're sleeping in a restful
bedroom environment including a comfortable and supportive
mattress, you should see your doctor. You may have a medical
condition that interferes with getting a good night's sleep.
Check out our Sleep Disorders link for groups that might be able to help.
Q. What if there's no time for sleep? What can people
do to sleep better? A. Sleep needs to be a health priority. It
affects every aspect of your day-to-day living. If you can't
say "yes" to sleep, make sure to make the most out
of the sleep you get. Exercise regularly – people who
exercise a few times a week sleep better than people who don't.
Also, avoid caffeine, alcohol and tobacco products late in
the day. All can interfere with sleep. You need to create
a restful
sleep environment so the sleep you get is restorative
and uninterrupted. Sleep in a dark room, on a comfortable,
supportive mattress. Keep the room cool and quiet. And if
you find yourself too stressed to sleep, make a list of all
the things you need to do. Once you've made your to-do list,
give yourself permission to relax and sleep. You'll need the
energy to tackle your tasks in the morning.
Q. Can people make up for lost sleep during the week
by sleeping in on weekends? A. No. If you sleep more on the weekends
than during the week – and many of us do – this
indicates that you have a "sleep debt." A sleep
debt accumulates when you don't get enough sleep. The only
way to reduce the debt is to sleep as much as your body needs
every night. Make sure you're getting the right quality of
sleep as well. Sleep in a cool, dark, quiet room on a comfortable,
supportive mattress to get your best night's sleep.
Q. How can someone tell if they have a sleep disorder? A. If you've looked at your sleep environment
and your everyday routine to make sure you're not sabotaging
your sleep and you still feel sleepy after getting a full
night's sleep, you should see your doctor. You may have a
medical condition that interferes with getting a good night's
sleep. Check out our Sleep Disorders
link for groups with more information.
Q. What's the best mattress? A. The answer is a matter of individual taste.
What's best for me may not be best for you. When it comes
to mattresses, there is no one-size-fits-all. After all, we're
all built differently and have different comfort and support
preferences, so why would the same mattress be "best"
for all of us?
To determine the mattress that's best for you, we recommend
using the process of elimination to weed out the ones you
don't like. Go to a retailer and use the "rest test"
to narrow down your choices. As you lie down on the mattresses,
pay attention to three of the mattress's most important features: comfort, support and space. The
mattress that best fulfills the combination of these needs
is the "best" mattress for you. If you sleep with
a partner, bring that person with you to test out the mattresses.
After all, you will need to reconcile what you like best with
what your partner likes best.
Q. How can you best shop for mattresses? A. You need to understand your needs before you start shopping. We recommend that you think about
your lifestyle. How has it changed since you last bought a
mattress and how might these changes affect your purchase?
And what about your body? Has it changed and how has this
affected your needs for support or your comfort preferences?
Finally, think about space needs and if you have a partner,
take your partner with you to shop for a new mattress. It's
important to find something to meet both your support needs
and comfort preferences.
Armed with this information, go to a mattress retailer you
trust, someone who will answer your questions with information.
Then, take a "rest test" to compare the feel of
different mattresses by lying down on them. You will quickly
find some mattresses you like and others that do not meet
your personal comfort preferences and support needs. Through
this process of elimination, you can determine which mattresses
you like best.
Q. How can you tell when a mattress is "used
up?" A. Your body should tell you when it's time
for a new one – but are you paying attention? If you
regularly wake up feeling stiff and sore or if you aren't
sleeping as well as you did a year ago, it may be time to
replace what you're sleeping on. At least twice a year, check
for visible signs of wear and tear and ask yourself if you're
sleeping better or worse than you did a year ago and if a
new mattress might improve your sleep. This regular sleep
check-up will help ensure your mattress is still doing its
job.
Q. What should people look for in a new mattress? A. Four keys to keep in mind are support,
comfort, space and matching sets. The mattress that's right
for you will keep your spine in proper alignment – how
your spine is when it's in good standing posture – supporting
your body and cradling it along its curves. The right mattress
will also be comfortable for your body. Keep in mind that
your comfort preferences are likely to change as you age.
Make sure the mattress provides enough space for easy, free
movement. Couples should sleep on a queen or king-size mattress.
And keep in mind that a mattress and foundation are designed
to work together. Buy them as a set and get the most out of
your investment in yourself.
Q. What should people do to prepare for buying a
new mattress? A. Assess your needs before you start shopping.
Think about your lifestyle. How has it changed since you last
bought a mattress and how might these changes affect your
purchase? And what about your body? Has it changed and how
has this affected your need for support or your comfort preferences?
Finally, think about space needs and take your partner with
you (if you have one) when you shop for your mattress. You
need to find something to meet both your support needs and
comfort preferences.
Q. What is the best way to try a mattress? A. The best way to try a mattress is to take
the "SLEEP Test": Select a mattress Lie down in your sleep position Evaluate the level of comfort and support Educate yourself about each selection Partners should try each mattress together
Don't be embarrassed. You don't think twice about test driving
a car, and you shouldn't think twice about "SLEEP Testing"
a mattress. Lie down on the mattress for several minutes and
assess how well it provides support and how comfortable it
is for you. The only way to tell if a mattress is right for
you is to lie down on it.
Q. How often should mattresses be replaced? How long
do they last? A. Mattresses wear out on different timetables.
This is due to numerous factors such as how the mattress was
used (guest room, master bedroom, doubled as a trampoline
for the kids), whether it was cared for properly and/or the
quality of the mattress itself. Other important considerations
are how personal comfort levels or a person's lifestyle and
body may have changed over the years. We encourage you to
think about these things and ask yourself the following questions:
Are you sleeping better or worse than you did a year
ago?
Are you waking up feeling stiff and sore?
Does your mattress have visible signs of wear and
tear?
Would a new mattress improve your sleep?
If the answer is "yes" to any of these questions,
then it's time to consider purchasing a new mattress. And
because people tend to overlook their mattresses and don't
think about them, we recommend that you "check"
your mattress using these four questions on a regular basis
– at least twice a year – to make sure mattress
wear and tear isn't sneaking up on you and disrupting your
sleep.
Q. How much money should be spent
on a mattress? A. Your rest – the amount and quality
of your sleep – is a critical factor in your overall
well-being. It can affect how you feel physically and mentally
as well as your productivity. Accordingly, we urge you to
invest in your rest, and spend enough on a mattress to ensure
that your individual comfort and support needs are being met.
Be sure not to shortchange yourself out of a good, quality
night's sleep and buy the best mattress you can afford. The
average person spends one-third of his or her life in bed.
This equals 220,000 hours over the course of a lifetime! And
the mattress is the most used piece of furniture in the home.
Q. What size mattress does a couple need? A. Couples should sleep in a queen or king-size
mattress for free, easy movement. Couples who sleep on a full
mattress are only allowing themselves the same room to move
around as a baby has in a crib. And make sure to take your
partner with you when you shop for a mattress. It's important
that you find one that meets both your support need and comfort
preferences. Click
here for more details.
Q. What can new parents do to sleep better? A. There's nothing more challenging than
taking care of a new baby. The good news is, as babies grow
older, they sleep for far longer periods at a time and soon
will sleep through the night. In the meantime, know that erratic
sleep schedules and getting up in the middle of the night
will be part of your lives for the next few months. So make
the most of the sleep you can get – provide yourself
and your husband with a restful sleep environment. Sleep in
a cool, dark room on a comfortable, supportive mattress. That
way, you'll get the best sleep you can, even if it's for shorter
periods of time. And learn to sleep when your baby does. It
may be tempting to tackle chores while your baby sleeps, but
a quick nap will help boost your energy. Sleep is as important
to you as it is to your child.
Q. How much sleep do children need? A. Kids need at least nine hours of sleep
each night to be star students. To help make sure your kids
get the sleep they need, make sure your child's bedroom is
conducive to a good night's sleep – your child's room
should be cool, quiet and dark and he or she should be sleeping
on a comfortable, supportive mattress. For more information
on kids and sleep, check out the Garfield
Star Sleeper Campaign.
Q. Should a parent pass down an
old mattress to a child? A. If a mattress is no longer comfortable
for you, it's not good enough for someone else – especially
your child. As kids grow, they need supportive and comfortable
bedding as well. Be sure your children have enough space to
move around comfortably as they grow. In addition, your child's
first "big girl" or "big boy" bed may
not provide enough space or comfort for your adolescent.