Making a bedroom your place for quality sleep: Bed choices

MOSES LAKE ­— Sleeping takes up about a third of a person’s life and finding the right mattress to sleep on can play a huge part in the quality of that rest.

Jason Espinosa, manager of Walker’s Furniture & Mattress at 117 W. Broadway Ave. in Moses Lake, said most people don’t get a new mattress until they need one. Similar to buying new tires for one’s car, he said it’s something people don’t tend to think about until that need arises.

There are about 30 different types of mattresses spread across the showroom at Walker’s, but Espinosa said there could easily be as many as 60, with so many different options to meet people’s needs.

“Beds are made to last and no one’s really making a bad bed these days, but there’s so many different styles,” Espinosa said.

He said he typically starts with asking customers some questions about what they’d been sleeping on, what their needs are in regards to comfort and support. From there, he said he typically likes to show a few different options to make sure to find the right fit.

The two main options are the foam mattress and the more conventional spring mattresses. Espinosa said he has been sleeping on a foam mattress for the past eight years.

The foam mattresses contour their shape around the person sleeping, with the trick being finding the bed with the right mix of comfort and support.

“If it was just a matter of support, we’d sleep on the floor, if it was a matter of comfort, we’d have hammocks in our rooms,” Espinosa said.

For someone who sleeps on their side, the foam mattress is a great option. While foam mattresses have benefits, Espinosa said they aren’t for everyone. Some people don’t like the “sinking” feeling that comes sometimes with the foam mattresses, making them feel claustrophobic.

While some people have issues with foam mattresses “sleeping too warm,” at least one company offers a gel-infused foam that helps overcome some of the issues people have with foam mattresses.

“If you took an aquarium and filled it half with racquetballs and half with wiffle balls, that’s kind of the concept, and got away from some of the issues people had with foam,” Espinosa said.

Not only does the gel foam not retain heat as heavily, but the foam bounces back up after sinking.

Conventional spring mattresses are still very relevant too, Espinosa said, and are pretty elaborate.

The majority of conventional mattresses offer individually pocketed springs now that help transfer heat and can help two people on a bed to not disturb one person if the other moves around.

Both foam and conventional spring mattresses come at a variety of price points, from promotional price options to higher-end models. Finding an affordable mattress complete with an upholstered bed frame can cost as little as $399.

“We hope to educate people on what’s what, why something that’s $799 is $799 and why a $3,000 mattress is $3,000,” Espinosa said. “If you haven’t shopped for a mattress in 10 or 15 years, a ton has changed, not just the prices, which have gone up, but the technology, too.”

One of the options that has become increasingly popular are the adjustable bases. The adjustable beds, which can be raised or lowered at the head or the foot of the bed, offer a number of health benefits.

From things as minimal as snoring to issues like acid reflux and sleep apnea, adjustable beds can help people get a good night’s rest by removing some of the stresses on one’s body.

“By raising their feet, you can take certain stress off your hips, your knees, your ankles,” Espinosa said. “By raising your head, you can take tension off your neck, your back, your head.”

For couples who may want even more adjustability, split king beds are an option, allowing both people to adjust their own side of the bed accordingly. If someone reads before bed but their partner likes to go right to sleep, this might be the best option.

As people get older, Espinosa said having that extra level of adjustability can do wonders for quality of sleep.

Espinosa said his goal is to make customers as comfortable as possible short of going to their home and putting on pajamas.