We all know how important a good night’s sleep is, and this is especially important for children during their development stages. There is a growing body of research suggesting that sleep issues can be impacting on many areas of our children’s health and development, including academic performance and growth.

Sleep researcher and psychologist Dr Sarah Blunden, from the Centre for Sleep Research at the University of South Australia, told a recent psychology conference in Melbourne that sleep problems, which can be medical or behavioural, can affect many areas of a child's memory, attention, thinking ability and behaviour.

One area of helping your child get a good night’s sleep, is selecting the right mattress. Bedshed care about your children and have developed a range that is specifically designed for growing kids.

Dreamsense Kidz mattresses have been designed with the wellbeing and comfort of active kids in mind. Providing a healthy, supportive, sleep environment for a growing mind and body, these children's and teen mattresses come with a range of options that also make the incredibly practical.

The Dreamsense Kidz mattress range has some great features and benefits:

• Healthguard Treatment

For a healthy sleep environment, it protects against mould, bacteria and dust-mites, reducing major causes of allergies and asthma.

• Sensitive Choice Foam

Quality comfort layers for firm support and comfort – sensitive beds for sensitive heads.

• Superlastic Pro Support System

Provides excellent postural support for growing bodies. It’s durability response is engineered to increase the life and performance of the mattress.

• AdvancEdge Support

Edge to edge support, limits the 'roll-out' feeling and creates a firming seating edge.

The mattresses come in a boy’s option, Noah, or a girl’s option, Ruby, which are both available in either Single or King Single sizes. To help your child find the most comfortable mattress, they can choose from firm and plush feels. A Bedshed expert can help you at a store in selecting the best feel for your child. The Dreamsense Kidz range also has practical features, including:

Trundles – great for when your child has sleepovers.

Built-in drawers – practical storage for your child.

Double Bed Frame – A frame that can be added beside the bed to make it a double bed size.

With so many practical options the mattress is not only developed to give them the best night’s sleep, but can grow with them and their needs in a practical and functional way.

Check out some other hints and tips for getting a good night sleep at:

• How to keep your kids in bed all night!
• Creating a Peaceful Environment in Your Child's Bedroom
• Having trouble sleeping? Tips for getting to sleep! 

How do I know what size mattress is right for me?

We get the question all the time, what size mattress should I select? Should I purchase my child a single, king single or double size mattress? It is ultimately up to your personal choice, room size and budget, but below are some useful tips that can be helpful in guiding you towards a selection.

Single Mattress

Ideal for children and young students. There are fantastic mattresses developed specifically for children and their growing bodies. Bedshed has a great range of mattresses perfect for growing bodies.

We recommend checking out the exclusive Dreamsense Kidz range, which also has functional features including drawer and trundle options making this a comfortable yet functional mattress. The Siimply Siingles Junior Mattress is perfect for all growing bodies, shapes and sizes.    

King Single Mattress

The perfect mattress for growing children who may need more length than a single mattress can offer. This is also a great solution for mature single sleepers. Many Single and King Single mattresses offer the advance technology and comfort levels that Queen and King Mattresses provided.

We suggest reviewing the Sealy Posturepedic Singles range. This mattress range is designed to provide the perfect balance of orthopaedically correct support, pressure-relieving comfort, and long-lasting durability.

Double Mattress

This size has moderate room for two sleepers, and ample room for one. Perfect for a teenager who needs a bigger mattress than a king single and a good solution for smaller room sizes being shorter and narrower than a Queen. For some couples a double mattress can be a cosy fit, it could be worth considering a Queen size depending on room space.

Check out the Dreamsense range if you’re looking for a double mattress, this mattress range was exclusively designed for Bedshed. It has great support and technology to ensure a great night’s sleep, but at a price point you will really feel comfortable about.

Queen Mattress

The queen size mattress is a popular choice for couples and the most commonly sold size. The range of mattresses available is very comprehensive. The best way to find the mattress that is right for you is to do the try test! Simply lying on the mattress and going with what feels best, is the recommended way to find your perfect mattress.

Our most popular ranges include the new generation Sealy Posturepedic. This features the SRx coil, a revolutionary technology that senses your body’s weight and responds with initial conforming support, then provides the extra correct support your body needs and allowing your muscles to relax and recover while you sleep.

King Mattress

The King mattress is growing in popularity as it provides a generous sleep area for two people. But make sure there is enough bedroom space to support a king size mattress, the general rule is to allow around 1 metre around the 3 sides of the bed. It is generally said that a larger mattress will reduce partner disturbance as you feel less motion from their movement. 

If you are looking for the ultimate in comfort and technology, check out the Beautyrest Black range. Carefully crafted to ensure an unsurpassed night's sleep, this mattress features an elegant design, cutting-edge technology and luxurious fabrics that you won't find on any other bed.

Related:

• What Size Mattress Should I Choose?
• How to Choose a Mattress That Is Right for You
• Matching Mattresses to Individual Sleep Positions

There can be so much jargon and technology to do with mattresses, it is often hard to know what it all means! Here is quick guide to Memory Foam:

It is true that memory foam was developed by NASA to help combat gravity pressures.  It is memory foam’s ability to conform and mould to the body’s form that NASA took advantage of. Memory foam has a different cell structure from other foams, which makes it less ‘springy’ and slower to recover.  This means that memory foam is excellent in terms of minimising partner disturbance.  

Memory foam can take up to 15 minutes to warm up and soften, so it is important to trial a memory foam product for at least 15 minutes to ensure you are experiencing it as you would at home. If your memory foam product is in a cold room, then it will feel firmer; if it is in a hot room, it will feel softer. Memory foam reacts and accepts your body’s pressure, and softens and moulds. There are claims that memory foam can adjust in more detail to the contours of your body than latex can. Memory foam is used in pillows, mattresses and mattress toppers.  There are many densities available and many different firmness options.  Memory Foam is free of mildew, mould, dust mites and bacteria.

Bedshed has a comprehensive range of memory foam mattresses for you to try. Check out our Tempur and Technogel products, which feel great and have amazing technology behind them to provide you the best night’s sleep.

Related:

• The Best Mattress for a Bad Back
• Tempur Mattresses
• Tempur Pillows
• Technogel Mattresses
• Technogel Pillows
  

Over the last 20 years there has been some debate about the best mattress for a bad back. While firm beds have traditionally been recommended for those with back problems, the current school of thought is tending toward recommending medium mattresses as more appropriate for those with back issues.

The natural shape of a healthy spine is that of an elongated double "S" shape where the spine turns in and out twice. Maintaining this profile is important to the health of the back and, for that matter, our overall health.  In sleep, the spine rests and recovers from the exertions of the day.  This highlights the importance of a mattress supporting the natural double “S” shape of the spine during sleep.

Current thinking suggests that firm mattresses may not provide enough contours for the body while an ultra plush mattress may allow excessive curvature of the spine.  A good mattress for the back should have the ability to contour and mould rather than be hard or very firm. The reason for this is simple; a mattress that contours around its sleeper can mould to fill the gap under the lower back. This enables the mattress to support the double “S” shape of the spine at the point where it needs it the most.

There are a range of constructions that can potentially provide this style of support. Some are directly marketed as orthopaedic or chiropractic mattresses, while others may provide this style of support without a unique marketing proposition around back support.  Prices too come in a wide range of options.

Bedshed has a comprehensive range of mattresses to help you find the right mattress for you.

Sealy Posturepedic have a great range of mattresses. Designed with the help of the Orthopaedic Advisory Board, Sealy Posturepedic® mattresses set the standard for rejuvenating sleep and long-lasting comfort with orthopaedically correct design. The next generation Sealy Posturepedic is now available at Bedshed with the following ranges: Prestige, Advance, Grand Luxe, plus Posturepedic Singles.

Have you heard of Tempur? Tempur is a visco-elastic, temperature sensitive material that moulds to the exact contours of your body. With Tempur billions of open cells gently move around the curves of your body giving you total support where you need it, with no counter pressure, to give you a feeling of weightlessness and ensure your night-time renewal for body and mind.

Dreamsense Renewal is endorsed by the Australian Spinal Research Foundation, so you know you body is getting the right support with this mattress that is designed with premium support and comfort in mind.

The options available to you are endless! Trial and error is still the best means of personal selection so head into your local Bedshed to check out your options.

Related:

• Sealy PosturePedic Mattresses
• Tempur Mattresses
• Dreamsense Mattresses
  

Sometimes called an Ensemble, a mattress set is often made up of a box base with a mattress placed on top.  While the quality of mattress is the most critical element of an ensemble, you shouldn’t ignore the state of your base.

A mattress base is often a wooden box with a board or slats covered with material that matches the mattress.  Some have internal springs which helps increase the life of your mattress.  If your base is in poor condition, it won’t support a mattress properly and will potentially cause you discomfort.

So if you are in the market for a new mattress, make sure you consider the state of your mattress base as well as your mattress!

Related:

• Matching Mattresses to Individual Sleep Positions
• What Size Mattress Should I Choose?
• When Should You Replace Your Mattress

We spend a third of our lives in bed, yet we don’t think about our mattress and the wear and tear it can receive over this time. A commonly asked question is “does a mattress have a use by date”, and the answer is YES!

Manufacturers and medical professionals recommend you replace your mattress around every 8 years or sooner, depending on how it’s treated.

If your mattress is of poor quality or you don’t look after it properly (see Caring for Your Mattress), you may need to replace it earlier. Or, if you regularly wake up with a stuffy or running nose, with itchy eyes or skin, your mattress may have accumulated dust mite faeces or dead skin skills that are creating allergens. For health and hygiene reasons alone, it is recommended that your replace your mattress every 8 years or even sooner.

In addition, any annoying hollows or lumps indicate that your mattress has reached its use by date.  Or, if you wake up with a sore back or sore joints it’s certainly time to consider a new mattress purchase.

It is also suggested that as your body ages, you will appreciate softer padding to support your joints and pressure points.  Of course, this doesn’t mean a soft or saggy bed!  The padding refers to the top layer of your mattress, it is important that the inherent structure support your skeletal system.

There are so many different types of mattresses to choose from. Check out the Bedshed guide to help you find the mattress right for you.

Related:

• Caring for Your Mattress
• When Should You Replace Your Mattress
• How to Choose the Mattress that Is Right for You

Have you ever stayed in a luxury hotel and wondered how they have created a sleeping experience that is like floating in a soft, fluffy white cloud? Well, the secret is out. You can create your own luxury hotel experience at home.  There are 4 essential ingredients.

The first is a good quality mattress that contours and moulds to your body.  The mattress must be neither too soft, allowing excessive curvature of the spine, or too hard so that there is not enough contours for the body. Bedshed have a range of technologies from pocket springs to memory foam to gel. The mattresses are finished in a variety of luxurious comfort layers so you can find your perfect match.

The second ingredient is a feather or down doona. This provides the weightless, temperate cocoon surround frequently experienced in luxury hotels.

The third ingredient is good quality natural linen. Cotton is a good choice and we suggest selecting a high thread count to truly create a sense of indulgence.

Finally, the fourth and secret ingredient is a luxury mattress topper. The mattress topper creates a sense of suspended weightlessness that completes the cocoon experience.  While there is a strong feeling of softness, your body is supported by the composition and construction of your quality mattress.

Come in and talk to any Bedshed staff member about creating your own 5 star cloud.

Enjoy!

Related:

• Change Your Mood! Turn your bedroom into a peaceful retreat
• How to Choose a Mattress that is Right for You
• Matching Your Mattress to Individual Sleep Positions

In terms of maintaining a healthy skeletal system and spine, current thinking suggests that a medium mattress will provide the ability to contour and mould to the body without allowing excessive curvature of the spine.  However, we all have our own preferred sleep position and this also has an impact on the mattress that feels right for us.

Side Sleepers- people who sleep on their side generally err to needing a mattress that supports an even distribution of weight along the body.  If the mattress feel is too firm, pressure points in the hip or shoulder may be aggravated.  This may result in broken or fretful sleep patterns.  It may also result in circulatory issues like pins and needles and even subsequent lower back pain.

Back Sleepers – those who sleep on their back can certainly accommodate a firmer feel.  They may however enjoy a softer padding to create a sense of luxury.

Stomach sleepers – it is generally thought that stomach sleepers need a firm mattress.  A stomach sleeper must avoid allowing their back to sway down by sleeping on a mattress that is too soft.  This sway could create lower back pain and subsequent neck pain.

There are a range of constructions from pockets springs and coils to memory foam to gel, so you can select from a range of support systems to find the best sleep solution for your body and how you sleep. Head into your local Bedshed where you can try our different mattresses and determine the right support system for you.

Related:

• How to Choose the Mattress that Is Right for You
• What Size Mattress Should I Choose?
• What if My Partner and I Want Different Mattress Feel in the Same Bed?

At Bedshed, we believe you should choose the largest bed that your bedroom can comfortably accommodate. The general rule is you should allow at least a 1 metre passage around 3 sides of the bed. We also recommend that the length of the mattress should be 15 cm longer than the tallest person using it to ensure a comfortable night’s sleep.

The table below shows Australian mattress sizes; however measurements can vary slightly between manufacturers.

Mattress Sizes (width x length)

Bedshed has a great range of mattresses in all sizes from single bed to king bed. Head into your local Bedshed store to find the right mattress for you.

Related:

• When Should You Replace Your Mattress?
• How to Choose the Right Mattress for You
• Matching Mattresses to Sleep Positions