Are you considering buying a new bed? If so, take a few minutes to go through this guide. There are a lot of options on the market, and it's very easy to get lost while hunting for a bed! Here, we'll go over the most popular options on the market, and offer some friendly advice that's handy to take with you when considering a new bed.
Another myth that is incredibly popular with many people is that it is better for the body to sleep on a firm surface. This is not true. The level of firmness that is good for the body is 100% dependent on the body type. A short and round person has a very different weight distribution than a slim and tall person. As a rule of thumb, if you weigh up to 80 kg, you should have Medium firmness, while if you weigh more than 80 kg, you should have Firm as the firmness. Another rule of thumb that is useful to keep in mind is that if you are up to 190 cm tall, a 200 cm long bed is sufficient, while if you are taller, you should have a 210 cm long bed.
What should you think about?
The first question you should ask yourself is why you need to change your bed? Are you sleeping poorly today? Do you have back problems or other problems that could be a result of the bed you are sleeping in now? Or do you just want to freshen up your bedroom?
If you sleep well today, but still want a new bed – use the firmness and size of your current bed. If you are sleeping too hard/soft – change the firmness. Please note that if you have back problems, the problem may be that you are sleeping in a bed that is too soft or too firm. What is important to reduce/prevent back pain is that your back is allowed to lie in a natural curve and that you have an optimized pressure distribution over the entire sleeping surface. In other words, the bed should preferably be firmer under the waist/lower back, head and legs.
How should one actually lie down?
Then we come to the next question you should ask yourself: how do you sleep? On your back, side or stomach?
If you sleep on your stomach, it is recommended to have a firmer bed to avoid your chest sinking too much, which can lead to back and/or neck pain. If you sleep on your side or back, it is recommended to have a softer bed (Medium) so that your back and buttocks can sink down well enough and you get sufficient pressure relief.
How about an adjustable bed?
If you like to read or watch TV in bed, an adjustable bed may be the thing for you. Then you can adjust the back and leg section, and some manufacturers offer adjustable height and neck. This gives you the opportunity to optimize your positioning based on what you will be doing in bed. And you can also reduce snoring by raising your back slightly when you sleep.
Window “The Flying Bed” . An adjustable luxury bed from Carpe Diem Beds.
What is available on the market?
There are many different types of beds on the market, here are the most popular types, as well as their advantages and disadvantages:
Frame mattress
Frame mattresses are the simplest type of bed on the market. These are often in the most affordable price range. Here, the mattress is welded to the frame (hence the name frame mattress), and consists of textile, a spring system (read more about the different spring systems further down) and filling (foam, wadding, or similar). The legs are mounted directly on the frame. Aesthetically, they are often slim with a minimalist look.
Advantages: Simple, sturdy and affordable. Suitable for, for example, a guest bed at home or at the cottage. Also suitable for those who like to sleep alone and want their own space in bed.
Disadvantages: Lower comfort and can be adapted to individual needs to a limited extent.
Hilding is known for having top quality and comfortable frame mattresses!
Continental bed
Continental beds are higher beds, with multiple layers of mattresses. Aesthetically, a continental bed gives a luxurious feel and majestic appearance, a real bed of beds. This is a bed type that provides increased comfort and you have more customization options. Continental beds are the most popular bed type in Norway today. They are often made up of a frame mattress or two at the bottom, a middle mattress/main mattress in the middle and a mattress topper on top. Here you can find spring systems in the frame mattress and in the main mattress. Price level and quality are often determined by the spring systems in the bed, and can vary.
Advantages: Several mattress types and more options for individual adjustment and comfort. Available in several price ranges. Aesthetically very nice, and you can get a number of different fabrics/colors and accessories such as different legs and headboards if you want a really nice bedroom.
Cons: The very best continental mattresses are often expensive, but you actually get what you pay for.
See our large selection of continental beds here
Adjustable bed
An adjustable bed is usually made in the same way as a continental bed, but with motor(s) under the bed and a hand control that makes it possible to adjust the back/leg/neck/height. Some models also have the option of being controlled via smartphone (app). There are also adjustable bed bases that can be placed in a frame bed and a mattress can be placed on top.
Advantages: Very adaptable, suitable if you like to watch TV/read in bed, and can also help with snoring, or sinus problems. An adjustable bed can also be good for back, knee and hip pain, as you can adjust the support.
Disadvantages: Motors in the bottom and the structure mean that comfort may be slightly lower than a regular continental bed.
If you have a partner who snores, you should seriously consider an adjustable bed!
Frame bed
The frame bed is the classic bed where you put a loose mattress in a bed frame and get a frame bed. Visually, you have many options and it gives you the opportunity to put your own touch on the bed/room. It is mainly wooden frames or textile-covered frames that are sold on the Norwegian market today.
Advantages: Here you have the opportunity to customize according to your needs: both aesthetically and in terms of comfort. Many options and price levels.
Disadvantages: Wide variation in quality and comfort.
Alnes Frame Bed is our best-selling frame bed
Waterbed
Yes, they actually still exist. The waterbed was very popular in the 70s and 80s, but there are still those who swear by this type of bed. The mattress is filled with water, either as a large pool, or in channels. Some models also have the option of heating the water.
Pros: This is so retro that maybe it will become cool again soon?
Disadvantages: Limited comfort and little practicality. Risk of leakage and seasickness 😉
Air-based bed system
Adjustable air mattresses are widely used in medical applications to prevent or treat pressure ulcers (bedsores), which are a common problem for bedridden patients. Here you can find a variety of types of air mattresses (static, dynamic, reversible mattresses that turn you from side to side), which have a variety of uses within the healthcare segment. Recently, adjustable air mattresses have made their way into the private market. Here, you can regulate the firmness with enormous precision while lying in bed, using a hand panel and a pump. In double mattresses, you have 2 separate air chambers that are individually adjusted. The hose that goes from the mattress to the pump can also be disconnected without the air escaping, using a check valve in the hose. Air is movable and is the substrate that provides the best pressure distribution for the body. That is why air is used so much within the healthcare sector.
Benefits: Comfort can be adjusted with enormous precision, good for back/shoulder problems. Air provides the best pressure relief on all types of surfaces.
Disadvantages: Risk of leakage, especially for those with cats or other pets that may scratch/chew on the air hoses.
You won't find better pressure relief than in an air mattress, like in this Nordic Sleep mattress .
Futon
Futon mattresses originally come from Japan, but have a following in the West as well. Futon mattresses had their heyday in the 80s and 90s, especially on sofa beds, but are still available. A futon mattress consists of different materials layered on top of each other. Cotton and foam are commonly used materials in a futon mattress.
Innovation Living started with futon sofas, and we still see traces of this in today's sofa beds - shown here at Aslak Sofa Bed.
Wardrobe beds
Smart beds, or wall beds, are practical bed solutions that are becoming more and more popular. They are also known as closet beds. The principle is simple – you fold down and up the bed from a closet, which frees up a lot of space where the bed usually stands. These solutions are well suited for those who live compactly, or in a cabin. You can also get smart beds with a desk or sofa solution in front of the closet in an upright position. Due to limited space for a mattress, the comfort of these beds is often worse than, for example, a continental bed.
Advantages: Practical and space-saving
Disadvantages: Lower comfort and very variable prices. Varying difficulty in terms of assembly, if the dealer offers assembly, we recommend it.
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We see an ever-increasing need for smart bed solutions like this. The apartments they are building in the city center are not exactly getting bigger…
Spring systems
Bonell spring mattress
Bonell springs are a standard coil spring system where the springs stand upright and are spun together with steel wire. They are shaped like an hourglass and are designed to provide a graduated spring, i.e. first soft, and then they become firmer over time. When a spring is loaded, the springs around it will also be pulled down. This gives less individual flexibility than, for example, pocket springs. This makes bonell and LFK springs firmer than pocket and multipocket.
A typical Bonnell spring mattress seen from the inside
LFK spring mattress
LFK coils are a further development of Bonnell springs. They are usually smaller and placed closer together, which gives the mattress a better fit. LFK springs are very robust springs, with limited flexibility.
Good old LFK springs. You may not sleep so well, but they last almost forever 😉
Pocket spring mattress
Pocket springs, or pocket springs, are coils that are individually wrapped in cloth bags and glued together. The design means that each pocket spring springs individually, which gives the body good support and pressure distribution. They then adapt to your positioning in bed. Pocket and multi-pocket systems are considered the best spring systems on the market, and those that provide the best comfort.
Pocket springs - here you see them in a continental bed
Multi-pocket
Multi-pocket springs are like regular pocket springs, only smaller in diameter. This gives an increased number of springs on the same sleeping surface.
Mattress with zone division
Many bed models are also divided into zones. The best mattresses have between 5 and 7 zones. In short, there is a different tension in the springs in different zones (shoulders/waist/hips, etc.). This helps to give you optimal pressure distribution and good sleeping comfort.
Mattress toppers
Mattress toppers are often the icing on the cake for a bed. It is often the mattress topper that optimizes the comfort level of the bed. But remember that a mattress topper will always be affected by the surface it is lying on, and unfortunately it cannot make up for a poor mattress underneath. Mattress toppers usually consist of different types of foam with different properties, or a mixture of foam and feathers.
Foam/cold foam
Cold foam is the most affordable type of mattress topper on the market. This type provides a firmer base and a smooth surface.
Latex/Natural latex
Latex is a rubber product. Latex foam is made from synthetic rubber, while natural latex consists of natural rubber. Both of these foam types ventilate very well, are softer than memory foam and cold foam, while providing better support and pressure distribution. Products that consist of 100% natural latex consist only of natural rubber. In practice, this is not possible, as some chemicals have to be added during production. A rule of thumb here is that if there is more than 50% natural rubber, it is called natural latex. If there is less than 50% natural rubber, it is called synthetic latex. Bedtime recommends natural latex in the mattress topper, as this provides a completely unique sleeping experience and comfort. Our Sofie mattress topper consists of 100% Vita Talalay Natural Latex.
Memory foam/viscoelastic foam
Memory foam was invented by NASA in the 1960s for use in space travel. Memory foam is still popular in the bedroom, especially in mattress toppers and pillows. Unfortunately, space travel and the bedroom are two very different arenas that do not necessarily match. At Bedtime, we rarely recommend memory foam if your goal is a good night's sleep. This type of foam is temperature-dependent, which means that it is very hard when the room is cool (the recommended bedroom temperature is 16-18 degrees). When you lie down, your body heat will cause the foam to "soften" and it will mold to the contour of your body until you reach an optimal pressure distribution contour (This is where manufacturers conduct pressure tests and use them in their marketing). After this, you will continue to sink into the mattress, which causes you to lose mobility and lie in a kind of "bowl". Problems with dampness and sweating can also arise when lying on memory foam. Here it is important to think about whether you like to have the bedroom window open, and what temperature you usually have in the bedroom. That said, everyone is different, and many people benefit greatly from sleeping on memory foam. If you are already sleeping on this and are happy, there is no point in switching to a different type of mattress topper.
“Rocket Man” doesn't belong in bed, does he?
