Did you know that skipping a few hours of sleep each night makes you much more susceptible to catching a cold or the flu? Getting 8 hours of sleep is recommended for optimal health. Not only does your immune system function best with a good night's rest, lack of sleep has been linked to weight gain, clumsiness, and poor motor and speech functions. If you're one of millions of people that have problems getting a full night's sleep, it may be helpful to establish a bedtime routine to get your mind ready for bed. Daily activities, such as exercise, avoiding caffeine in the afternoon, and calming activities such as reading or taking a bath can help ensure a good night's rest.

If all of these changes still don't lead to restful sleep, it may be time to upgrade your mattress. Walking into a bed store can feel overwhelming. A giant warehouse full of mattresses makes it seem impossible to narrow down to just one great mattress. If you are at the point of investing in a new mattress, check out the memory foam options. A memory foam mattress is especially beneficial to couples sharing a mattress. Because body shape and size vary, it used to require a lot of compromise to choose a mattress that two people could feel comfortable on. However, a memory foam mattress provides maximum comfort for each person, making it the ideal mattress for couples.

A good mattress will last years and increase your health, so it is wise to invest some money and not buy the cheapest bed on the market. Thankfully there are so many great discount mattresses out there that it's not necessary to spend a lot of money on your mattress. It is possible to get a high quality mattress for an affordable price ensuring that anyone can have a restful, comfortable night's sleep. Check out companies with a section for bargain mattresses, and make sure to spend more than just a few minutes on the beds you are considering. Go for a company that offers a warranty to make sure you get the most value from your investment.

As long as you're investing in a new bed, check out new lines that provide bed bug and allergen resistant mattresses. In addition to extending the life of your mattress, you'll greatly improve the quality of your sleep if you aren't coughing and wheezing due to dust mites and allergens. Without sleep our brain and body functioning levels dip dramatically, so a mattress is arguably one of the most important investments you can make in your health.