Singapore is one of the most sleep-deprived nations in the world, and there has been an increasing decline in sleep quality among Singaporeans, with only 27% of people in Singapore getting at least seven hours more of sleep per night.
Over the years, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) mattresses have dominated the industry due to their strong marketing gimmicks. Such brands can sell affordable mattresses with bundles, freebies and packages as the cost of production is low. However, with the low cost of production, consumers should not expect durable mattresses with a long lifespan. That being said, we often fall into the trap of purchasing a low-quality mattress for the rewards.
In addition, the mass mattress market is suffering from false advertising, such as selling hotel mattress series, misleading consumers to believe that hotel mattresses are better than domestic mattresses for home use.
With nearly 3 in 10 Singaporeans getting less rest during the pandemic, they are likely to be still using their old mattresses from pre-pandemic, or opted for a quicker and faster way of replacing their old mattresses. As such, due to the lack of understanding and knowledge of how mattresses may affect both our body and sleep, they tend to wake up with body aches, or even still feel lethargic after a night’s rest.
Whether it is due to anxiety, stress, work responsibilities, financial challenges, time spent scrolling through social media or the sleeping environment that stops us from enjoying quality sleep, having proper bedding equipment will certainly help to elevate our sleeping experience.
Luxury Mattress Gallery (LMG) believes in elevating your sleep experience by educating you on sleep wellness. Our mission is to help you find the right mattress for your needs. Remember that there is no such thing as one mattress that fits all. Instead of deciding on a mattress due to the instant availability or being misled by merchants with their attractive promotions or deals, LMG strongly advises consumers to research and find out more about mattresses before proceeding to replace or purchase their new mattress, as the mattress that you lay on can both have a positive and negative effect on your body and overall health and wellbeing.
Mattresses containing foam as a component may have the chemical, methylene chloride, which helps to harden the foam quicker, increasing the productivity of the production.
However, did you know that methylene chloride is harmful and banned from all retail distribution in the United States? Over time, daily intake of methylene chloride, despite in small doses, may cause health effects such as irritation and respiratory problems. Carbon monoxide, a metabolite of methylene chloride, may contribute to delayed toxic effects harming fetuses in pregnant women or ourselves in the future.
Methylene chloride is likely used in production if you purchase a mass-produced mattress. As LMG aims to elevate your sleep experience, we only distribute international brand mattresses from the United States and Australia that do not contain methylene chloride.
Secondly, keep in mind that you get is what you pay for. The components used in building a cheap mattress would likely be of low quality, hence the affordable selling price.
A bad mattress will also cause discomfort due to body pain, hygiene issues, allergies and joint soreness. It will lead to a lower quality of life as a result of a lack of sleep. Some symptoms of lack of sleep would be poor memory, reduced concentration, loss of motivation and an increased likelihood of moodiness.
How do we then qualify a good mattress?
Look for mattresses that contain foam, springs and latex. The foam helps with body contouring, pressure relief and motion isolation. The innerspring offers support and has limited motion isolation. Lastly, latex offers top-notch bounce and durability.
Hence, a good mattress would be a hybrid one that contains all three key components – foam, springs and latex.
Apart from a good mattress, the environment in which you sleep in is important in determining whether you get a good night’s rest. According to a study in 2012 by the National Library of Medicine, the temperature of the room where you sleep plays an essential role in achieving quality sleep.
Cooling mattresses are starting to make an appearance in the mattress industry. When looking for cooling mattresses, ensure that the fabric used is of high quality, as a lower quality fabric will make the cooling mattresses wear out faster.
Good mattresses provide optimum support for the sleeper’s body. They usually come with additional features like foam encasements at the side to increase the lifespan of the springs and mattresses.
As there is no regulatory body in the mattress industry in Singapore to control the safety and quality of mattresses sold to consumers, LMG was therefore founded with the aim to educate everyone on sleep wellness and equipping them with the genuine technical knowledge in understanding what makes a good mattress.
Lastly, there are also baseless sleep myths that do more harm than good yet people still believe in, with one of the most common ones being that naps make it harder to fall asleep at night. Conversely, napping is beneficial as it helps lift your mood, improve your memory and more. Surprisingly, studies show that a 30-minute nap between 1PM and 3PM combined with moderate exercises, such as taking a walk and stretching in the evening, helps improve night time sleep.
Remember that no mattress fits all. Hence, always go down to try the mattresses yourself for at least 10 to 20 minutes before making a purchasing decision.
It is simple to inculcate good sleeping habits with the right mattress to achieve sleep wellness. Make sure that you are using comfortable and inviting bedding for your mattress. Next, reserve your mattress for sleep and avoid using it for general recreational activities. Block out all distracting noise and eliminate as much light as possible. Find a comfortable sleep temperature setting and keep the room well ventilated.
If everyone starts to use a mattress of optimal quality that caters to their own needs, we will all live in a world where everyone can have an improved quality of life and wellbeing. Without a good mattress, we cannot truly have a restful night of sleep. It is important to start inculcating good sleep habits into our lifestyles, and make the right choices in buying mattresses.
We want you to see LMG as the go-to consultant to help you find the right mattress. Therefore, do not hesitate to look for us. We will help you find the ideal mattress for yourself.
Written by Elvin Chong, Founder, LMG
Images: Envato