The Sealy Sleep Census 2018 has revealed that Australians believe that getting enough sleep would make the biggest improvement to their life. This is above other desires including earning more money, working fewer hours and having an extra hour in the day.

Daniel Green, Research and Development Manager at Sealy, and his team of engineers at the only Australian NATA (National Association of Testing Authorities) approved Mattress testing facility, have spent years determining what can help people get to sleep quicker and keep them asleep longer.

Some key components that Daniel and his team have uncovered, and that have been supported by the 2018 Sealy Sleep Census, are temperature, mattress suitability as well as overall comfort.

Tossing and turning

Of those involved in the Sealy Sleep Census, more than 4 in 5 have trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep during the night. Almost a third (32 per cent) have trouble getting to sleep, and of the 70 per cent who wake up during the night, 35 per cent report difficulty getting back to sleep.

Many external elements can cause sleeplessness and sleep disturbances, including stress and lifestyle factors. While a mattress can’t allay external concerns, we do what is within our control to help Australians reduce tossing and turning and, in turn, get a better, more restorative night’s sleep.

While Daniel says no bed is able to suit every human body and its unique needs, Sealy mattresses undergo rigorous testing and are offered across a range of comfort levels.

"The interface and contact between the human body and the mattress is a key aspect of comfort and is one that is tested extensively. To do this, Sealy utilises pressure mapping technologies to really understand how the mattress is interacting with the human body. High pressure on parts of the body is a key factor to tossing and turning throughout the night. The team of Sealy engineers work endlessly so that the right pressure relieving components can be introduced to their range of mattresses.

Based on learnings from these tests, a range of comforts are available so people can effectively tailor the product to suit their specific comfort needs. What people need to understand, and we find this happens often, is that sometimes people choose the wrong comfort type for their needs so they aren’t getting into a deep restorative sleep," he says.

Sweating the small stuff

Temperature plays another crucial role in our sleep quality. In fact, women are far more susceptible to the impact of climate – 41 per cent report that being too hot or too cold wakes them up during the night, compared to 35 per cent of men.

“Sleep Climate is a key parameter for a comfortable night’s sleep. Sealy has spent many years testing to determine what components can be added to a mattress to help with temperature management,” says Daniel.

“To assist with this, all our Posturepedic products use the Sealy smart fabric treatment. It is the only scientifically validated technology which we have found that provides long-term heat management. The technology becomes active once the product reaches a certain temperature – which means it provides cooling to the area that is warm. This enables one side of the product to have the technology activated while the other side remains at the temperature needed for that person.

“There are other technologies in the industry which provide a cool-to-touch function, however over many hours of sleep the efficacy of this technology becomes limited as it can become saturated with heat from your body because it is not able to dissipate the energy,” he says.

Your mattress should grow with you

The Sealy Sleep Census also uncovered that younger people are three times more likely to be sleeping in an uncomfortable bed.

“Often younger people are sleeping on the same bed that they grow up in so it no longer performs as it once did,” Daniel says.

“Sealy has the only Australian accredited mattress testing facility to conduct extensive material, component and extensive accelerated fatigue testing. The key accelerated fatigue testing method utilises the ASTM F1566 standard which has a 110kg hexagonal roller which rolls across the mattress 200 000 times (100 000 cycles).

This has been developed to simulate 10 years of wear and tear in the home and when combined with Sealy’s proprietary pass/fail criteria, it creates an incredibly durable product. It is recommended that people to monitor the age and quality of their mattress and how they feel it is performing for their needs,” he says.

Support system

In the 1950s Sealy partnered with orthopaedic surgeon Doctor Addison and discovered a vital component to a good night’s sleep was providing proper support to the skeletal system. The body needs to be kept in its natural position to relieve tension in the muscles – when the muscles can relax, you are more likely to experience a deep, restful night’s sleep. It is our mission to ensure that we continue to help Australia achieve the most restorative sleep possible to ensure a better quality of life overall.