It still amazes me to see that in almost every walk of life, consumers are looking for the latest and greatest on the market. Except when shopping for a mattress, it still seems that people are drawn to the ’same old same old’ one mattress fits all coils and springs. Ouch! But that’s not the big kicker; the big deal comes when you actually price these mattresses. To get a top quality coils and springs mattress you have to pay between $1500US -$3000US to get the comfort levels you want and then you are still really buying an expensive foundation with a memory foam pillow top, which is what is providing the comfort you feel. So, let’s say you spend $2000US, you now own a 100lb wooden box filled with coils and springs and what sold you was the $200US pillow top.

So why not just take the time to really see what options are out there? You will find so many other choices that take advantage of our newest technology, are not only half the price but provide a much healthier environment for you to sleep. All the new types of mattresses and beds are specifically designed sleep systems that provide the right support to minimize pressure to acceptable levels for different body types and sleeping postures, maintaining back and spine alignment. The coils and springs mattresses can only say this when they come with the memory foam pillow top. The coils and springs can’t really “fill in the gaps” to support the parts of your body that do not sink into the coils, such as your lower back.

Coils and springs mattresses’ biggest claim to fame is that the coils work independently so when you move, your partner doesn’t. Great, but how much does that matter if you’re not comfortable and you wake up tired and stiff? And in all honesty, I don’t know anyone who actually “bowls” in bed.

So what are the options out there? There are four different types of new technology sleep systems that really are a great bang for the buck and are very affordable and provide many health and convenient benefits compared to coils and springs.

1) Air Mattress Beds - Air Mattress Beds cradle and cushion your body, providing more even weight distribution without the poking and prodding possible from a standard coil spring mattress. Easy to use handheld controls and a state of the art ultra-quiet air inflation system allow each sleeper to quickly adjust the firmness of their side of the air bed to the perfect comfort level, with just the touch of a button. Imagine, now couples can individually adjust each side of the air bed to the exact firmness and comfort level each partner prefers. (Tip: Look for horizontal baffling and contoured foam edges for quality construction.)

2) Adjustable Beds - Now any sincere mattress salesman won’t push the watching TV or reading in bed, it’s not something that we should recommend. But with today’s lifestyles this has become a normal way of life for some people. So if that’s the case then you really should think about doing it right! With the touch of a button, adjustable beds move into hundreds of relaxing positions. All without creating pressure, stress or strain on your body. Touch a button again and experience a new concept in comfort, while your own personal massage system helps to relieve tired, sore muscles, and reduce everyday tension and fatigue. Encourage restful sleep through relaxation. (Tip: Concentrate on the frame construction, don’t fall for the “mattress included” it’s rarely of any quality.)

3) Latex Beds - Latex mattresses provide the most comfortable sleep surface in the world. Already immensely popular in Europe, Latex Mattresses are beginning to boom here in the United States. More and more Americans are learning about the tremendous advantages of Latex Mattresses everyday. The Talalay Process produces the highest quality, most resilient and consistent latex foam in the industry. Its consistent cell structure and exact density result in the most even firmness and feel possible. You can also buy Natural latex products. (Tip: Look for US made foam with layered construction, as this gives you quality foam and creates a variety of comfort levels to choose from.)

4) Memory Foam Beds - Well I think the word is out on this one, I’m sure you’ve heard all the NASA explanations of why this is used in the Space Shuttle and seen the “handprint” pictures. But, in case you haven’t, Visco Elastic Memory Foam Mattresses utilize amazing, space age and NASA developed Visco Elastic Memory Foam. Visco Elastic Memory Foam is temperature sensitive. It actually reacts to the heat produced by your body, conforming to your body in a way no other material can. Where your body is making the most contact with the memory foam, the foam reacts and becomes softer. Where your body is making less contact, the foam stays cooler and remains more firm. The result is pressure being evenly distributed throughout the sleeper’s body, leading to fewer pressure points and a more restorative sleep. (Tip: Again, look out for problem European foam; US made Sensus with layered construction for the same quality and comfort level benefits.)

All of these new age sleep systems can be purchased for a fraction of what a coils and springs mattress goes for and depending on the mattress, you can adjust the foam layers to personalize your comfort level as you please. And don’t forget about the many major sleep benefits from all the sleep system technology. You just can’t miss, if you have to purchase a mattress or sleep system, you owe it to yourself to check these out, not only for your health but for your pocketbook too, ouch again!

Tune in to my next articles where I’ll break down what to look for in each of the new age sleep systems.

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Many are still confused between the difference between an air mattress and an Air Mattress Bed. Air mattresses are great in a pinch but provide minimal comfort and support and are more for portable use rather than a permanent sleep system. Air Mattress Beds not only give you the feeling of sleeping on air, but with the right materials and construction, it can be a very comfortable and supportive, permanent sleep system. Air Mattress Beds also have the unique property of allowing different comfort levels for each partner’s side of the bed. Priceless!

The idea of sleeping on an air mattress bed was first used in hospitals. Patients who were bed-ridden for extended periods of time were able to rest more comfortably, with fewer pressure points and more even support, than on a regular coil spring hospital bed. It didn’t take long before the air mattress beds made their way into the consumer market, allowing the general public an opportunity to benefit from this exciting and revolutionary technology to achieve a better night’s sleep.

With air baffles or chambers in an air mattress bed being the primary method of support, each sleeper can adjust his or her side of the bed to whatever firmness level is most comfortable for them. Why toss and turn with an uncomfortable coils and springs mattress when, with the touch of a button, move into hundreds of relaxing positions. All without creating pressure, stress or strain on your body. Touch a button again and experience a new concept in comfort, while your own personal massage system helps to relieve tired, sore muscles, and reduce everyday tension and fatigue and encourage restful sleep through relaxation.

And with air mattress beds, flipping your mattress is a chore of the past. Over time, with coil and spring mattresses a body impression in the coils will appear if you do not flip your mattress regularly, leading to shorter mattress life. Although some of the comfort materials, like foam rails, ticking and any layered foam in an airbed can take an impression just like any soft material, the air chambers will not. All this leads to years of hassle-free operation and the comfort and convenience to boot.

What to Look For:

Most air mattress beds are constructed in a similar way, using the same basic components. The difference from one manufacturer’s product to another’s is in the design and sophistication of each of these components. The reliability, durability, and quality of these components, and how these components are designed to work together are what make the difference in a top quality product. In all cases, always be sure to check the warranty, good products are usually backed up with a 15-25 year warranty. If you see 3-10 year warranties, keep shopping!

- All air mattress beds use foam rails to surround the air chambers inside the mattress cover. These rails provide the exterior support of the air mattress, giving it its shape and providing the user with the ability to sit on the edge of the bed to put shoes on, etc. The foam rails are absolutely crucial in keeping the air mattress bed corners square and the sides straight and true. Most air mattress bed manufacturers use a straight piece of foam on the side rails, with the ends butting up against each other, this is less desirable as it relies heavily on the mattress cover to provide lateral support for the internal components. — Look for contoured foam rails with concave sides that form a connection and hold the air chambers in place, and actually work in conjunction with the air chambers to keep the mattress square and true. You won’t find any instability or bulging with this type of construction.

- Air mattress beds have air chambers or baffles filled with air to provide the main source of support. Most air mattress bed manufacturers use a one piece baffled air chamber system where the air is distributed throughout the air chamber. The problem with this system is that if you like your mattress soft, you can get a “hammock” effect where your hips are below your head and feet. If you like your mattress firm, you can get a “tenting” effect, where your hips are too high. Either scenario puts too much pressure on the back, doesn’t provide the spinal alignment you need for a restorative sleep and can cause those nagging aches and pains. — Look for dual air chambers, preferably horizontal. Vertical chambers running the length of the bed can still have a “hammock” affect. The preferred horizontally constructed chambers form more naturally to your body providing even and comfortable support while helping to keep your head, neck, and spine in alignment. High quality chambers use tough materials and have a lap seam construction and dialectically sealed for stress resistance.

- All air mattress beds come equipped with a pump to get air in and out of the air chambers. This pump and the handheld control allows you to adjust the firmness level on either side of the bed and “should” have the ability to act as a control system to make adjustments. And a few nice features always help. Many air bed pumps are not that well made and have a tendency to fail at the worst times. — Look for well constructed pumps that can do the job and don’t sound like a leaf blower. Commercial grade pumps designed to last for 15,000 hours of “continuous use”, will do the job but watch for the noise factor. A linear pump means firmness levels can be achieved with a touch of a button with virtually no noise. Allowing comfort levels to be adjusted without waking your partner. Also take a good look at the hand controls, make sure there’s two, one for each of you and look to see if there’s a preset memory function. This is a convenient way to always end up where you are most comfortable.

That’s the basics of the air mattress bed, but there are a few other items that the highest quality air mattress beds have. — Look for an extra layer of “quality” base foam to provide better support and shock absorbing capabilities. Also look for a layer of memory foam on top of the air chambers in the casing or as a pillow top. Finally, you want your air mattress bed to look and feel extremely luxurious and comfortable, most high quality air mattress beds are sewn with a premium Belgian Damask ticking and use a pressure relieving jump and tack stitching quilted to one ounce of Angel Hair.

Now that you’re armed with the knowledge to shop for an air mattress bed, don’t forget to put it in the lineup when it’s time to shop for that new mattress. It’s a must try!!

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If you’re thinking about getting a Simons mattress, I think you should check out some of the customer reviews of mattresses that I came across, like the ones at http://epinions . Pretty much every single Simmons mattress style had a rating of only about three stars.

Let’s take a look at the Simmons Beautyrest World Class Mattresses with memory foam pillowtop. There are a few glowing reviews stating that this model of Simmons Mattress was a pleasure to sleep on. And then there is a slough of bad reviews that all seem to agree on one main point: the mattress is not of the quality that one would expect for the price of $2,000.

The people that didn’t like their Simmons Beautyrest all say that though the beds start off feeling great, they all too quickly have depressions and feel like falling into a big hole. Another of the negative reviews states what poor quality the foam material pillow top portion of the mattress is.

If the pillowto portion of a pillowtop mattress goes bad and becomes overly flat of depressed, it can make the mattress feel ruined even though the actual springs are still in fine condition. How does this kind of info compute in future mattress buying decisions? Honestly, I’d be reluctant to purchase a mattress with any sort of pillow top.

There are a number of wonderfully thick and comfortable mattress pads, protectors and such with which you can easily create the same effect and feel as that of a pillowtop mattress set. I think the safest route would be to choose a quality non-pillowtop mattress and then outfit it with the type of extra padding that you would like to have between you and the springs.

If you opt for a pillowtop Simmons mattress, you must be prepared to replace the entire mattress when the pillowtop portion becomes unevenly depressed. Unfortunately, there isn’t much that can be done for a mattress once its top pillow or foam layer has become ruined. It is usually just as cost effective to replace the entire mattress as it would be to have the pillowtop portion mended. Since mattresses are expensive, this is an important area not to be overlooked.

And if you’re thinking about getting a Simmons mattress with memory foam, be sure that you at least try some type of memory foam mattress before committing to a bed made entirely out of this strange material. As it turns out, people either love memory foam beds or they hate them with a passion. Better to find out which type you are before spending any money.

Overall, from the various mattress reviews that I’ve read, I get the impression that Simmons mattresses are overpriced; they’re not terrible, yet not very good either. When you add in the raised price, it appears that most Simmons mattresses are a risky proposition and probably won’t be around for very many years to come.

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