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Finding the right bed is important.
We want to start this section with something we're passionate about, and here it is: the bed where you sleep is the single most important possession you will ever buy, period. More important than a coat, more important than a car. After all, you spend a third of your life in direct contact with it. And the more unhindered your rest, the more dynamic your life during the day can be. It truly is in your best interest to take the time to research, learn, test, and ultimately purchase the bed that is right for you. You might even decide to buy it elsewhere, and that's perfectly okay with us. We're happy to be a part of your search in whatever way we can.
How should I shop for a bed?
Step one? You're doing it now: research, research, research. Knowledge really is power. Filling yourself with as much knowledge as to what's out there is the best way to narrow down your choices with regard to your preferences, your requirements, your lifestyle, your beliefs, and your budget. Plus, the more familiar you make yourself with available products and the materials that go into them, the more effectively you'll be able to communicate with the salespeople at bed stores about what you're looking for and what you're looking to avoid.
Next, lie down - a LOT. Visit mattress, furniture, and futon stores in your area and take time to stretch out on all the items that fall within your search parameters. Be sure to take off your shoes and lie down completely, just like you do when you get into your bed at home (sitting on the edge of the bed isn't enough, and neither is leaving your feet on the ground - don't cheat yourself of the full experience). Get as comfy as you can. Bring your own pillow, even. And be sure to try out anything else they've got that interests you, too. You might be surprised at which setup your body tells you it likes best.
And that last part is key - take enough time to listen to what your body is telling you. Spend at least 5-10 minutes on each bed. Longer, even. Quiet your mind, let the facts and figures go for a while, and really tune in to how your body feels. When your back, hips, shoulders, neck, and limbs all come to a consensus, you'll feel a deep, relaxed, "Aaaaaaaaaaah" coming from all over. That's when you know you're onto something, and sometimes it's not what your brain was leading you to.
When your body has spoken and you've narrowed your choices down, that's the time to ask all the burning questions you've got in the back of your mind. Hopefully, the answers to those questions, like cost, performance, lifespan, and materials will narrow down the field even further.
And now, with your brain and your body leaning in one direction or the other, try your final few choices out again - it's not a bad idea to leave for a little while and return to the store at a later time before trying beds out again, just to cleanse the palate, so to speak. When you revisit your final choices, it should be fairly clear to both your body and mind which bed is right for you.
So how do I find a bed with all of the right qualities for me?
Be wary of mattress companies who tell you they have "The Most Comfortable Bed You'll Ever Sleep On!!!" For a certain percentage of their customers, of course, this may be true. But in the more than 25 years that we've been helping people find the perfect bed, we've learned that no one style of bed is right for everybody.
We all have some basic needs in common, though. Everybody needs some firmness to keep the back straight. Everybody needs some softness to cushion and relieve pressure on those body parts furthest from the spine, like shoulders and hips. Everybody needs something resilient to fill in and support body curves, like the waist and the small of the back.
Of course, we all require differing quantities and configurations of these needs. Some people require more firmness to keep the hips higher and the back straighter. Some people require more softness to free hips and shoulders from the pressure of supporting the body's weight. Some people require more contour support, to support the waist and small of the back.
Thickness, support, and softness
As you explore the Soaring Heart website, you'll discover that we make beds in different thicknesses ranging from our 3" Shikibutons to customizable multilayered systems that add up to about 10". You might ask yourself, "How can I tell which thickness is perfect for me?" In reality, the thickness of a mattress isn't so much as important as its firmness and its ratio of support to softness.
We're also of the opinion that one great way to achieve your ideal level of comfort and support is by layering two or more different layers on top of each other, rather than lumping them all together in one thick mattress. That way, you can mix and match to reap the benefits of the materials you're most interested in, and each of the layers can be more easily maintained when necessary.
That said, there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to body shape/size/weight, futon style, or layering method, but here are some general guidelines we find to be true most of the time:
For adults, when sleeping on a futon that is laid on the floor or on tatami mats, any thickness of futon that is comfortable will work. When sleeping on a futon that is on a platform bed with slats, futons of 8" or more are generally necessary in order to avoid feeling the slats underneath.
People who are tall and thin and people who tend to sleep on their backs generally feel more comfortable on a firmer surface that doesn't bend or bulge under the long, straight bones of their bodies.
People who are of average size and shape can feel comfortable on a range of firmnesses and tend to like an even mix of firmness and softness.
Very small, slight adults tend to feel best on softer beds, because their light bodies can't sink comfortably into firmer surfaces.
People who are curvy and have wide shoulders or hips, and people who sleep on their sides tend to feel good on beds with a firm base but with a thicker, softer top that allows for more give where they're curviest.
Because of their natural ability to adapt, children can feel good on thinner futons than adults. And even though they're light, their growing spines benefit from firmer support.
As a final thought, if you and your sleeping partner have extremely different opinions on what is and isn't comfortable, it isn't unheard of to have different styles of futon on different sides of the same bed frame. It costs a little more, but it may be worth considering in the name of good sleep.
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