The average person spends over 200,000 hours in their lifetime sleeping, during which our bodies and minds are going through a vital process of restoration, recovery and detoxification. So it’s essential that we give ourselves the best possible environment to receive a quality night of rest with the goal to wake up refreshed and rested.
Getting a great night of sleep is not guaranteed though, and there are many influential factors to consider. Everything from your mental health to the temperature of the room to the material you are sleeping on can greatly affect your rest. To learn more about the most common problems people have when it comes to falling asleep—and staying asleep—and how to find results-based solutions, we spoke with Alexa Williams, chief strategy officer of Urban Mattress, here in Boulder.
When you are in a deep sleep, you are actually moving through multiple Rapid Eye Movement (REM) cycles each night, which is when you get the best quality of rest. One major factor that can interrupt these cycles is not having the proper mattress and causing you to wake up throughout the night.
“Sleep quality significantly impacts how we operate, perform and feel the following day,” says Alexa. “It's extremely important that those potential distractions have been eliminated as much as possible. The five main deterrents of quality sleep are pressure points, temperature irregularity, motion transfer from a partner, general lack of support and stress.”
She says that our mattresses can also give us problems when they have just been around too long, losing their ability to support or provide pressure relief. It could also be that the mattress was purchased without being tested, so it simply doesn’t offer the appropriate firmness, causing pain and restlessness.
“With the different stressors of the last few years, it’s become increasingly important to customers that their mattress isn’t another point of stress in their lives,” she says.
Now that storefronts are opening back up, Alexa is seeing a huge increase in customers seeking hands-on guidance in finding the right mattress for them. By using a European design and materials to target shoulder and hip pain, Urban Mattress utilizes a layering technique to lessen the efforts of the body, offering a supportive place for the entire form to rest. Side sleepers will perhaps notice this support the most, as this position can cause a lot of physical issues, but with the right mattress, their urge to toss and turn is minimized. For those sharing a bed with a restless partner, they offer motion isolating products so you don’t wake up with every turn your partner takes.
Looking at the material of your mattress is also a key component. Urban Mattress opts for natural materials that cool the body down, like foam, latex and USDA-certified memory foam, while using significantly denser foams and coils that help maintain its longevity.
“We use clean, non-toxic materials, so our customers can feel confident knowing they are sleeping on a mattress with natural fibers,” says Alexa.
She recommends replacing an Urban Mattress every 12-15 years, which is actually very rare for contemporary mattress designs, with most traditional styles needing to be replaced every 5-8 years.
Designed and manufactured in Colorado, Urban Mattress has 30 years of development and 100-night sleep trials so they can bring the best quality of sleep to the public. At the Boulder and Denver showrooms, customers can expect face-to-face consultations where an Urban Mattress team member can observe their spinal alignment on the different mattresses and pillows to discover their perfect match.
“Having a mattress that is expertly designed with zero pressure, heat or motion transfer is an incredible gift to our body,” says Alexa.
Boulder.UrbanMattress.com
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Tips and Tricks for a Better Night's Sleep
If you are waking up with pain in the body or finding your arms are falling asleep frequently, you may be experiencing spinal discomfort at night. A well-trained sleep consultant can match a customer to a mattress that may help alleviate discomfort and take pressure off the body. Here’s what to look for:
Side sleepers—a forgiving mattress that is a medium plush to a medium firmness level.
Back sleepers—a mattress that fills in the curve of the lumbar yet is still supportive; medium to medium-firm.
Stomach sleepers—a mattress that doesn’t arch the back; medium to medium-firm.
Allergies and sensitivities—Look for natural fibers like wool or bamboo.
Find the Perfect Pillow
The proper height of a pillow is important and will be based on each individual’s spine and past injuries. Take an adjustable pillow to the chiropractor to have it fitted for your needs.