Could a high-tech bed help you get a better night’s kip? Laura Ivill tries out ‘sleep engineering’
People say you should change your mattress every seven years. This time, though, I decided to go a step further, and upgrade my whole bedroom environment to incorporate the latest in sleep technology.
I headed over to West London for a look around the Sleep Loft, the showroom at Rested. They are in the business of ‘sleep engineering,’ consulting with customers to come up with the perfect solution for their individual sleep profile.
With soft music playing and over coffee, I tried out the UK’s most advanced beds and mattresses, along with temperature-regulating sleepwear, bed linens, pillows and duvets. I even tried out soothing sounds and snooze-inducing aromas, as part of this 360-degree approach to getting the best quality sleep.
In case you missed it, one of the biggest health trends of 2019 was recognising the power of sleep. Good-quality sleep is the elixir of life, yet if you find it eluding you, then luckily much can be fixed in the furniture department, rather than at the doctor’s.
Rested was founded in 2015 by two brothers, Adam and Toby Walzer, who believe that investing in sleep is one type of shopping that can’t be done online. They recognise the need to try before we buy so we get the right set-up for our body shape, weight and sleeping position, as well as the value of being able to explore product options and discuss sleep issues in the hands of an expert.
You and your partner will have the showroom all to yourselves, with no pressure, so that you can relax, have fun, and discuss every detail of your sleeping habits while bouncing on the mattresses without embarrassment
All of this means Rested’s Sleep Loft is by appointment (slots range from 7am to midnight). You and your partner will have the showroom all to yourselves, with no pressure, so that you can relax, have fun, and discuss every detail of your sleeping habits while bouncing on the mattresses without embarrassment.
“There will be one mattress that is right for you as an individual, and we’re here to find that mattress,” Adam says.
He explains that we have evolved from sleeping on the floor, to sleeping on a box to sleeping on a fully adjustable bed that keeps our spines aligned throughout the night.
He shows me the king of bed frames, the Auping Royal (from £3,000, and guranteed for 35 years); standing on the mesh frame to demonstrate how robust it is. As well as five sets of motors that adjust for your preferred sleep position, including sliding you up to read, the Auping accommodates your body’s pressure points in the hips and shoulders. This is also true of Auping mattresses (from £800 for two singles or a double, lasting 12 to 18 years).
“We also advise on the best spending of budget,” Adam says. “For £4,000-£5,000 you can get two motor-adjustable beds, a bed frame and mattresses.”
The modern way of sleeping is for partners to each have their own adjustable frames and mattresses, but pushed together.
When it’s time for one person to get up, the Auping will gently lift you, so not to disturb your partner with an alarm. If one of you snores, the Auping, via an app, listens for the rhythmic noise and gently raises your airways.
“We want you to indulge in the newly evolved boundaries of advanced sleep,” Adam says. “It’s a journey to discover just how good your sleep can be.”
Rested Sleep Engineering, Unit 3, Westmoreland House, Scrubs Lane, London NW10 by appointment and online (rested.com) and Chelsea Design Centre. The Sleep Show/Mindful Living Show runs 6&7 March (mindfullivingshow.com)