Choosing the right size bed

The right size bed is also dependent on the right size mattress. Choose a mattress that is at least 4 inches longer than the height of the tallest person sleeping on it. Then choose a bed design that will fit the mattress; and finally choose a design, size, and scale that fit the room. The standard sizes for mattresses are as follows:

LOOK AFTER YOUR BACK, CHOOSE THE RIGHT BED

"I never realised how important a good bed was until I got a bad back”.

Over 1,400 members of BackCare, the national organisation for healthy backs, responded to our Back Your Bed survey - the first of its kind to explore the views on beds of those who suffer from bad backs and the experts who treat them.

SUMMARY OF THE BACK YOUR BED SURVEY RESULTS

Buying a good bed is one of the most important purchases you can make when it comes to back pain relief. Nine out of 10 say their bed is more important to them since they developed back pain; 98% agreed that a good, supportive bed could help a bad back. 82% of experts felt that the right bed could help prevent back pain.
"If you cannot rest properly and sleep well, this hinders recovery from back problems."
A firm, supportive bed, not a hard one, can do wonders to ease and even prevent bad backs. Only 22% of sufferers had bought a bed classed as ‘orthopaedic’; while 28% describe their bed support as “medium”. Only 6% of experts would recommend an orthopaedic bed to patients.

Three quarters would be prepared to spend more than £500 on a new bed: compared with just 36% of the ‘normal’ population. Nearly one in 10 would pay more than £2,000 for a new bed to get the comfort and relief they need.
Back pain sufferers are twice as likely as the rest of the population to own a new bed - 50% have beds that are less than five years old compared to the national average of 24%.
88% are satisfied with their choice – but 16% said they would get a better quality one next time; while 9% would opt for something firmer; 5% said they would choose a softer bed and 4% wanted a bigger one.

Sufferers are three times more likely to replace their beds when they no longer feel comfortable (65% compared with just 20%).
31% own a king size bed compared with 11% generally. Separate mattresses zipped together are also popular with couples whose support needs differ or who are easily disturbed by their partner's movements. top

TIPS ON BUYING A NEW BED
“It can be intimidating to try out a bed in a store – but your pain could be far more intimidating if you don’t,”

Solutions vary widely. Water beds, adjustable beds, pocket spring beds, foam, latex or visco-elastic beds, divans with sprung bases, bedsteads with slats, separate beds, king size beds - they all have their advocates
Different back problems require different solutions and the best approach is to research the options carefully, take time to try them out and choose what you find supportive and comfortable, regardless of labels or even price tags.
Lie on each bed you are considering in your normal sleeping position for a minimum of 5-10 minutes.

Check out bed height - ensure you can get in and out of bed without pain or discomfort.
Don’t just buy a bed because it says it’s good for your back.
Bear in mind that the term ‘orthopaedic’ generally just means an extra firm bed; it is not based on any medical or other common standard
Firmness is not determined by price, although comfort, luxury and durability do improve with better quality, more expensive beds, while additional features such as adjustability obviously cost more.

Buy as big a bed as possible, especially if two of you are going to share it. You need to be able to sleep without being disturbed (and vice versa).
• Pay careful attention to pillows, ensuring your neck and head are also supported correctly, as well as your back.
More detailed advice on choosing beds, on pillows and on sleeping positions is provided in a new booklet from BackCare, called Back in Bed, which costs 50p.
Send cheques/postal orders to BackCare, 16 Elmtree Road, Teddington, Middlesex TW11 8ST.
For more information about BackCare and other publications, visit the website at www.backpain.org or send £4.00 for an information pack.


divan beds explained
The most commonly bought bed type is the divan bed and, while most of the above bed types are pretty much self-explanatory, the divan bed is available in a number of different permutations which require some explanation:


bed types
There are many different bed types and the ones bedsdirect.com has chosen to supply are listed below – we’ve opted not to supply some specialised bed types, eg. waterbeds. If you would like to get more details of the beds available under each of the bed types listed below, please click on the appropriate link to be taken straight to the page of your choice:

• divans and storage beds – a big range of divan beds, with or without drawers.
• metal beds – an exquisite range of metal beds to die for, and 20% off your mattress.
• pine beds - including a magnificent four poster – and your mattress at 20% off.
• bunk beds – great space-savers for the children’s bedroom, and at such low prices.
• electric beds – our affordable electric beds are adjustable at the touch of a button.
• guest beds – our 3 in 1 guest beds are more versatile than a futon or a sofabed.
• contract beds – discounted contract beds that meet the strict safety standards.
• mattresses only – quality mattresses in standard and non-standard sizes.

sprung edge divan base - The sprung edge divan base provides extreme luxury. As thesame implies the springs come right to the edge giving real edge to edge support
platform top divan base - The top of this divan base is solid and padded, to enhance mattress support and provide a firmer bed.

storage options/drawers - One of the distinct advantages of a divan bed is that its enclosed base allows the use of drawers to hold bed linen or other goods. The basic options are as follows:

storage options/drawers
Where extra storage space is required, a bed with drawers in the base unit offers a great solution. A choice of smooth running, side or end drawers are available on all our divan bases. The drawer fronts are upholstered with the same cloth used for the mattress and base and are flush fitted - a simple and easy way to turn wasted space into storage.
Please consider your room layout carefully when ordering divans with drawers. Where space is limited at the side of the bed an end drawer may be a better option.
option A option B option C option D


bed and mattress sizes
Most of us are aware that beds and mattresses come in four standard sizes: single bed, double bed, king size bed and super king size. But you’d be surprised at how many people need non standard sized beds or mattresses, either for those odd shaped rooms or simply because they want to enjoy a bigger bed!
Fortunately, we specialise in supplying special size beds and mattresses, so please feel free to email us at sales@bedsdirect.com with your non-standard sized bed requirements and we’ll happily sort it out for you.
If you want a standard size bed or mattress, you’ll need to measure up the room to see how well the desired size will fit. Bear in mind that, if you intend buying a bed with storage drawers, you’ll need to allow extra room for the drawers to be fully opened.

There are four types of mattress: pocket sprung, open sprung, orthopaedic and foam. Each mattress type has its own merits and some types of mattress cannot be successfully used with some types of bed, so please ask for our advice if you’re not sure.
pocket sprung mattress

The most luxurious in feel, offering ideal body support and comfort. Individual pocketed springs are linked together in a honeycomb pattern. They move individually as they compress and expand enabling them to adjust separately to your body shape and weight
open sprung mattress 

A less expensive alternative to the pocket spring. The open springs are all hinged together preventing spring noise and spreading the bodyweight evenly over the complete surface of the mattress. The Koziflex spring system is different to traditional Bonnell open coil springs as there are more than twice the number of springs providing a denser sleeping surface.
orthopaedic mattress
An orthopaedic mattress is a bit of a misnomer really. Essentially, it's an extra firm mattress - and that could be too firm for your needs!

foam mattress
The old style cheap foam mattresses with which many of us are familiar are about as far removed from the modern hi-tech foam mattresses as the old horse hair mattresses are from our modern sprung mattresses.
The Reflex Multizone foam mattress system, with its innovative comfort cell design, provides comfort, performance, shape retention and long term durability. The comfort cells respond independently and exactly to sleepers’ weight and body movement. It is ideally suited to adjustable beds as the mattress freely follows the shape of the bed when adjusted. The sculptured construction of the Reflex Multizone mattress system aids ventilation too.

mattress firmness
The firmness of the support provided by a bed base can be further adjusted by the firmness of the mattress used in combination with that base. Mattresses come in four grades of firmness: medium, medium firm, firm and extra firm (sometimes call ‘orthopaedic’). Each mattress listed in our mattresses only section states its firmness rating.
A word of warning, though: Convinced by alleged back-care benefits, many people opt for a mattress that is too firm for them, so try to balance firmness and comfort.
Foam mattress firmness - For maximum comfort, Reflex Multizone foam mattresses are available in various degrees of firmness:
Sleepers weight Reflex Multizone

bed buying tips
The following five tips are the ones that we think are most useful when buying beds and mattresses, but there are several other web sites which give more detailed information – our favourite is the Sleep Council’s site. See also our tips on getting a good night’s sleep in our how to get a good night’s sleep section.
• Buy the biggest bed you can afford and comfortably fit in your bedroom – the bigger the bed, the better night’s sleep you’ll get.
• Balance firmness and comfort, bearing in mind your weight and build – too firm and it’ll be like sleeping on a board; too soft and you’ll have too little support.
• Buy the best quality mattress you can afford – it will repay you many times over in the quality of sleep you get.
• Buy the right type of mattress for your bed type – some mattresses are designed to work best with a particular type of base.
• Ask for help – at bedsdirect.com we are always happy to give you all the expert help and advice you need on how to choose a bed or mattress.