When it comes to bed bases, most people prioritize style over substance.
It's perfectly understandable why, the style of your bed base including the headboard is what brings your bedroom decor together, and stands as the central piece of any bedroom. However making sure your bed base is practical and optimized for you is just as crucial as how it looks - if not more.
Here is our definitive guide to bed bases, why they are so important, and how to choose the right one for you.
Ventilation
Starting with the most overlooked benefit of a good bed base is proper ventilation.
Ventilation is critical to keeping your mattress at a moderate temperature, which is essential for a healthy night's sleep. Mould and other bacteria can develop within the mattress from years of sweat and skin cells building up on the surface. Ventilation helps your mattress to breathe, and clear out toxic build-ups.
A bad base can suffocate your mattress, and shorten its life expectancy. The mattress is arguably the most expensive part of your bed, so having a good base that allows air to reach the mattress is good for your sleep hygiene as well as your wallet.
Counter Pressure
As we sleep our bodies move around trying to find the optimal position for sleep and to give certain pressure points a break. For an optimized sleep, choose a bed base that supports your sleeping position and your frame - back sleepers should be especially choosey when it comes to their bed bases.
Different bed bases offer different levels of support according to your needs. If you move around a lot at night you will need a base that is more flexible than people who move infrequently.
No matter how you sleep, if your bed base is sagging, cracking or bending - it is time for an upgrade.
Solid Base vs Slats
You may find yourself wondering what the difference between a solid base and slats offers the sleeper. Often, people choose according to what they are used to sleeping on, without questioning whether or not a slatted base or a solid base is actually right for them.
Slats
Slats over the sleeper a sense of airiness and a cloud-like experience when sleeping.
This is because the slats allow more benefit to come from the flexibility of the mattress itself, so if you do move around in your sleep or you have opted for an especially ergonomic yet solid mattress for medical reasons, you may want to opt for slats or you could risk losing many of the benefits of your newly acquired mattress.
Solid Base
Solid bases are ideal for people who require consistent support throughout the entire body. Solid bases are much firmer, better for heavier set people, and great for back sleepers, as your sleeping position will be better supported and your body kept in alignment.
Solid bases suit thicker, denser mattresses, whereas slatted bases are better for thinner more flexible designs.
Electronic Bases
An electronic base offers the sleeper the benefit of customizable sleep. Electronic bases allow the user to adjust their sleeping position without leaving the bed and remain fully supported throughout the night, and during the day if they are on bed rest.
Flexispot electric bed bases offer the sleeper a greater variety when it comes to sleep. Some people sleep better slightly upright, or with their legs slightly raised. Neither of these options are available with traditional bed bases but electronic bases give the sleeper greater control over how they sleep.
Electronic bed bases are ideal even if you are used to sleeping flat. They offer the sleeper the same benefits as a normal bed base but if the sleeper finds themselves having to sleep with an injury, or a chest or sinus issue, the flexible abilities of the electronic bed base mean that they can adapt to their bodily needs as and when it is necessary.
The type of bed base that is right for you varies from person to person and is an important aspect of sleep. Unfortunately, many people choose their bed bases for the wrong reasons - or are not updated on the clear benefits of each type of base. As a result, thousands of people are not getting the optimal quality of sleep, and sleep deprivation affects you during the day, not just at night.
When sleeping unsupported, sleepers report feeling more tired than when they went to sleep, experience greater joint, back, neck and muscle pain, and suffer from low energy and low mood. If any of these symptoms ring familiar to you, you may want to consider switching up your bed base!
