SLEEP AT HOME
Bed systems
Many people lie incorrectly in bed and as a result, they don't sleep well. Today we know more about the consequences of a lack of sleep and sleeplessness, thanks to progress in sleep research. How well you sleep is of crucial importance for your whole body. Insufficient sleep makes us "fat, stupid and ill". Healthy sleep is the only way for body and mind to regenerate. Even so, many people still sleep on incorrect or worn-out mattresses, which is often the cause of all the problems. Most people lie on a conventional slatted frame which is obsolete in every respect - an outdated invention from the 1950s.
To give the sleeping person the best possible support during the nightly regeneration phases, a good i.e. healthy bed must be suitable for the individual body and offer scope for supportive, load-bearing adjustment in every position. Modern bed systems can do this.
They consist of a precisely coordinated flexible spring base and a correspondingly matching mattress. They act as a system and are ideally adapted to the anatomic and subjective needs of the user. If the mattress and frame do not match each other, the fine coordination of supporting and protective effects is diminished or blocked.
We currently distinguish between two types of AGR-tested bed systems:
Bed system with adjustable spring base
The main advantage of this bed system is that the spring base can be adapted individually to the user at any time and therefore also adjusted to changing requirements.
Bed system with system spring base
In this case, the mattress is the crucial component for anatomically correct positioning of the body. The system spring base interacts with the mattress to optimise the necessary support for the spinal column.
Intervertebral discs regenerate at night
Both solutions support the unconscious, natural and necessary movement sequences and changes in position during the night. Among others, this is particularly important for the intervertebral disks to regenerate and "be nourished".
Muscle relaxation
Hugely important, both for fostering the hygiene and quality of sleep and for avoiding tension in the muscles.
Tense muscles hurt and scarcely permit adequate circulation and cell purification. The right bed system therefore also fosters muscle relaxation for a better oxygen uptake.
Bed systems are not yet in universal use
Although all this is well known and important particularly for people with backache, bed systems are still not to be found in widespread use. They are only present in one third of all German households. But 80% of the population suffer from backache at least once in their lives. The right bed makes an essential contribution to avoiding backache.
Progress in the bedroom
Current highly recommended bed technology works with a so-called wing spring base (under the mattress). This offers optimum adaptation and flexibility, providing relief and support for the individual zones of the body (even over and beyond the horizontal zero line). In ergonomic terms, this progressive wing technology is no longer comparable with conventional slatted frames.
A healthy bed climate is offered among others by concepts that work with a flexible vertical tubular system to provide a high degree of ventilation. As a result, moisture is dissipated more easily than in many other conventional mattresses.
Conclusion
The quality of sleep depends on the right combination of many different factors, such as a bed system that adapts to every spinal column, the ideal room climate and a healthy bed climate, as well as subjective well-being!
Checklist
- A bed system gives the spinal column the best support while we're asleep.
- The bed should have the right dimensions. Single beds should be at least 100 cm wide. The length of the bed should be about 20 cm longer than the person's height.
- The bed system must adapt individually to weight and body shape. In particula retrospective adjustment should also be possible, and in individual zones if necessary. The system is usually used for many years and personal requirements can change.
- It must be easy to change position during the night without any great effort.
- The bed climate plays an important role. It can be influenced by the combination of bed system, pillow, duvets, room temperature (18°C if possible) and relative humidity (50%).
- Every sleeper has different preferences, so mattresses must be offered in different strengths. One firmness for all does not fit the individual lying sensation.
- For hygienic reasons it is important to have a clean mattress cover; it should therefore be (easily) removable and suitable for washing or cleaning (this also applies to the duvet and pillow).
- It makes sense to have mattress covers in different designs so that each person can find the cover that suits them best.
Minimum requirements
- Right bed size
- Individual adaptation of the bed system - over the entire useful life - to the bodyweight and (possibly pathological) body shape
- Automatic pressure-relieving suspension principle and individually adjustable zones (particularly at the shoulders, lower back and heels)
- Support for natural movement sequences during the night and body metabolism
- Suspension with dissolved surface
- Ideal climate (mattress construction and cover, interaction of base and mattress or system/pillows/covers/bed frame, room temperature, humidity etc.)
- Adaptation to subjective lying and comfort preferences (mattress)
- Mattress covers that can be washed or cleaned
- Studies have shown significantly improved sleep quality and reduction of back pain
Also appropriate
- Comfortable height of the bed frame
- Adjustable head
- Possibility of positioning the body at a slant
- Comfort settings (motor driven)
- Different mattress covers (special solutions for people suffering from allergies or rheumatism and those sensitive to temperature)
Products in this sector with the AGR seal of approval
- Lattoflex bed systems 200*
- Lattoflex bed systems 300*
- Lattoflex bed systems 300 Plus*
- Lattoflex bed systems 900*
- Sleeping system Airline Delight**
- Sleeping system Airline Glamour**
- Sleeping system Airline Sense**
- Sleeping system Airline Style**
Manufacturer
Lattoflex*
Walkmühlenstr. 93
27432 Bremervörde
GERMANY
Phone +49 4761/97 90
Fax +49 4761/97 91 61
www.lattoflex.com
Metzeler Schaum GmbH**
Donaustr. 51
87700 Memmingen
GERMANY
Phone +49 8331/83 00
Fax +49 8331/83 02 59
www.metzeler-matratzen.de
Further information
- When testing a mattress, wear light clothing, i.e. not bulky and/or tight clothing.
- Test the mattress by lying on it in different positions (on your side, on your back).
- Always use a pillow or bolster when testing the mattress.
- Beds and shoes must be tried before buying! Preferably arrange to see a professional expert in a specialist retail store.
- A healthy person spends almost as long in bed each day as they do in the workplace. We should therefore set great store by good sleep: the best bed should only just be good enough.