Problems of sleep deprivation
It is a well-known fact that sleep deprivation correlates with lower productivity levels. This is due to “the fatigue, short temper and lack of focus” (NHS, 2018) experienced by the individual. More importantly, a prolonged period of a lack of sleep can “affect your overall health and make you prone to serious medical conditions, such as obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes” (NHS, 2018).
It is clear that a good night’s sleep is very important but what are the obstacles to achieving this?
Causes of sleep deprivation
Sleep deprivation can occur due to various reasons, some of which are outside a person’s control such as certain medical/psychiatric conditions (sleepfoundation, 2019) but some of which are within a person’s control. Specifically, lifestyle and a person’s sleeping habits have been shown to impact the quality of your sleep. I am sure that you must have heard that looking at your phone/laptop until late at night or even drinking caffeinated drinks after a certain hour can prevent you from falling asleep swiftly. Whilst this is true, people often overlook the importance of the bed itself.
Have you ever been camping? If yes, have you ever felt tired and sore when waking up? And why is that? Well, the odds are that you probably rested on some poor-quality mattress/sleeping bag and could feel the hard ground all night long thus disturbing your sleep. This example might be a bit extreme but it helps highlight the point that the quality of the surface you are sleeping on deeply impacts the quality of your sleep. Since a person spends on average 1/3 of their life in bed, it is clear that a good quality sleeping surface is crucial for your wellbeing.
Bad mattresses: why you should avoid them
You can find mattresses anywhere and at any price point. So why should you invest in slightly more expensive but higher quality mattresses? Let me list you a number of problems related to a “bad” mattress and how King Koil helps you overcome these issues.
Firstly, bad mattresses can become a potential source for hygiene issues. In fact, research has shown that a person sweats on average “about a quarter of a litre of liquid each night, which goes straight to our mattress […] which leads to mould which leads to spores”. These can then attract dust mites “which can cause real problems for those who suffer from symptoms of asthma and can even exacerbate skin conditions such as eczema” (thesleepjudge, 2019). King Koil uses bamboo fabric to cover its mattresses which is a powerfully insulating material thus giving it a cool feeling when you touch it. In turn, this helps minimise sweat loss. Furthermore, bamboo has antibacterial properties which keeps you odour free (fibre2fashion, 2008). These features help ensure that you can sleep in the most hygienic conditions possible.
Secondly, ill-designed mattresses can often be detrimental to your posture. King Koil’s mattresses are manufactured using a system of pocket springs which provide each of the seven zones of the body (head, shoulders, back, hips, lower back, thighs and lower legs) optimum support to help the spine stay in the proper position and be fully-supported all night long. Moreover, if you are sleeping with a partner of a different weight, pocket springs ensures that this weight is spread evenly thus helping significantly to reduce motion transfer across the bed which, as a result, guarantees undisturbed sleep.
Last but not least, the perfect mattress for a person is very subjective. For example, one person might prefer a rigid mattress whilst another person might prefer a softer one. Most mattresses will be designed to find a middle-ground (i.e. not too rigid but not too soft) however this is not the optimal approach. At King Koil, we believe that a person should not have to make a compromise when choosing a mattress but should be able to choose the one that fits his/her needs the best. As such, we produce a variety of different mattresses (from soft to rigid), all of which are the top-quality for each category.
In conclusion, purchasing a mattress can seem like a trivial thing for most people. However, this is far from the reality as sleep is one of the most important aspects of our lives. Choosing a mattress that fits your needs is crucial for your wellbeing and should not be seen as a simple purchase but rather as an investment for future years.
by William Weick
