Choosing The Best Bedding

Creating a safe and sound environment in the bedroom helps to create more restful sleep as well as a more comfortable experience when reading or relaxing in bed. When it comes to safety and preventing falls, a bed rail warrants consideration. Bed rails can serve two purposes: keeping you from falling out of bed while asleep and acting as a mobility device to assist you in getting in and out of bed safely and easily by offering support. A bed rail is among the easiest safety devices to install; some styles are made for travel so that you can take your bed rail with you on overnight trips.

A mattress pad, including designs like a memory foam topper and convoluted mattress pad, adds a layer of cushioning that helps you sleep more comfortably. A memory foam pad is designed to mold to your body. "Egg crate" textured foam mattress covers and air-filled mattress pads are designed to ease pressure on the skin and distribute body weight more evenly. This is especially important for people who must spend a lot of time in bed because this cushioning helps reduce friction on pressure points, encouraging better circulation and preventing skin ulcers from forming.

Better comfort is also the goal of foam bed wedges and other specialty pillows. Body positioners—longer and firmer than a regular bed pillow—enable you to better align your body, especially helpful for people who sleep on their side. Bed wedges are meant to support you when sitting up in bed to read, for instance, while other shapes are made to elevate your upper body while asleep for better breathing. Besides cervical rolls to cushion your neck, there are also wedges meant for under or between the knees to better position your back.

Some bedding products are designed to protect the mattress itself. A waterproof mattress cover that fully envelops the mattress and zips closed is a great barrier against dust mites and other allergens as well as fluids; a mattress cover is your first line of protection when managing incontinence to prevent the mattress from becoming soiled. Sizes are available to fit virtually every bed, from twin to hospital to bariatric. Waterproof sheets can be used on top of the mattress cover to double the protection.

One of the most popular bedroom specialty items is an overbed table, just like the ones used in a hospital setting, but designed to better fit in with home décor. More than just keeping essentials within reach, some overbed tables tilt to provide the right angle for reading a book or newspaper.

We spend a large part of our lives in bed, and there are products designed to maximize that time, giving us more of the restorative sleep we need.