Interview with Jennifer DeVautour, Marketing Director for Dormeo® North America
Interviewer:
Hello. Today we're here with Jennifer DeVautour, Marketing Director for Dormeo® North America. She's going to talk to us about mattresses as she has been in the mattress industry for a long time. One might say you're an expert. Is that right?
Jennifer:
I don't know about being an expert, but I've been in the mattress industry and selling mattresses pretty much my entire adult life. So, I've learned a thing or two.
Interviewer:
Perfect—we’re going to take all those learnings and condense them down into some advice for those who are considering purchasing a new mattress. So, let's just jump right in. What factors do people need to consider when they're thinking about purchasing a mattress?
Jennifer:
There are three things that are really important to keep in mind when you're purchasing a mattress.
First is, what's your current sleep quality? Are you struggling with tossing and turning? Do you wake up in pain? Are you uncomfortable? Does it take you a long time to fall asleep at night? Do you and your sleep partner disagree on what you're sleeping on now going into the shopping process? Having an idea on what you do and don't like about your current sleep is really important so you know what to focus on.
The second thing to consider when you're purchasing a new mattress is on your specifics--do you experience hips, shoulder, or lower back pain? Are you a hot sleeper? Do you wake up in the middle of the night sweaty, do you take the covers off, then you're cold, and you have to put them back on and you go through that rhythm all night long?
Or, maybe you're a person who is sleeping really well--you just need a new size or you're moving and it's easier to buy a new one. Knowing those things might have you questioning do you need the convenient factor of something being delivered to your door? Do you need someone to help you set it up, take an old one away? It really helps to understand your specific needs.
The third factor to consider is the importance of sleep. Take the time to really factor that into your decision. You spend a third of your life in bed. It has everything to do with your emotional state throughout the day, how you interact in relationships, your alertness, how you feel and your health. So, it's really important and you want to go into the decision process with that in mind, so you know what kind of investment you're ready to make.
Interviewer:
On that last point about your sleep quality, that's something Dormeo talks about often. What all has gone into the development of the mattresses, specifically thinking about shortening the amount of time it takes to get into things like deep sleep, which is restorative, to helping people sleep longer comfortably?
Jennifer:
There's a real science to building a mattress that many are not aware of. It is not just stacks of foam on top of springs and you throw some layers on. Dormeo actually has a sleep lab. We go through hundreds, if not thousands, of prototypes and to develop our mattresses. This is because your body needs to be kept in certain alignment while you're sleeping so that all of your systems work properly--your circulation, your heart rate, your breathing, and your body temperature.
At Dormeo, our unique Octaspring® technology is really at the heart of everything we do. It starts by taking metal out of the bed, which removes pressure points. It's also better for the environment which is a nice bonus. And, our technology really allows a person--no matter their shape or body composition--to get into proper alignment, no matter their sleeping position.
You can rest comfortably when your body is comfortable. Your heart rate slows down, your breathing relaxes, your temperature becomes optimal, and you can fall asleep faster. And, as long as that continues throughout the night, you should cycle in and out of REM in a healthy way and wake up feeling refreshed.
Interviewer:
Excellent. The next question relates to a sense of “plushness”. Many shoppers historically worry or concern themselves with how firm or soft a mattress might be, then on to cost. What are the features you see people tend to overlook that they should actually consider as part of the mattress purchase decision?
Jennifer:
There are two big factors that people automatically think of: comfort and cost. It's an investment and it's an important one at that.
Luckily, Dormeo has something to offer everybody.
The first thing I want to address is the idea of “firm versus soft”. This is often a common misconception. People hear “firm” and they think “I need a firm bed”--as in supportive--and you do need a mattress that has good core support. Now, whether it's soft or hard on top, that's really a personal preference. Some people consider “is there a mattress best for a side-sleeper, a back-sleeper, a stomach-sleeper? And to a certain extent, yes. If you're a side-sleeper, you need something that's going to cradle your shoulders and hips a little bit, that's a little bit plusher on top. For a back- and stomach-sleeper though, it really comes down to what feels good to you and what feels good to me.
We could lay on the same mattress and I think it's too soft while you could find it too firm. I think what's important when buying a mattress is that you have a trial where you can sleep on it in your home, because laying on it in a store for five or 10 minutes does not tell you how it's going to feel overnight.
Find a mattress where you have the ability to get comfortable sleep on it—to really experience it. And if you hate it, you can give it back and you're not stuck, you haven't lost anything. This is something we offer—a 100-night guarantee-- which I think is amazing.
Here at Dormeo we also have a great customer care team. So, if you get something from us and you're not happy, they're educated in sleep and our products. They can come up with some creative ways to try and help make you happy.
One of the features I think people tend to overlook is temperature regulation and a mattress. Sleeping hot is one of the sleep foundation’s number one causes of poor sleep. And it's something that a lot of people don't realize you can actually do something about.
If you pay attention to the bedding industry, you hear just about every brand out there talk about their “cooling” mattress and their “cooling” technology. What a lot of that is includes different chemicals like phase change material. It’s also referred to as PCM, and it feels cold when you initially touch it. And that might be great for some people. My concern with that is once you lay on it, if there's no system of airflow throughout your mattress and there's no breathability, eventually that cold feeling goes away and there's no way to react it your body heat is still trapped in that mattress.
It is important to find a sleep product that is breathable, allowing your body heat to dissipate away throughout the night. Having cool healthy air circulate throughout that mattress really keeps you at a natural temperate climate. It's not right for everybody to be cool or warm while they sleep. You need that perfect body temperature and breathability is what allows that to happen.
At Dormeo, our Octaspring® technology allows for that breathability. It’s at the heart of all of our products—mattresses, topper and pillows. Our products allow for increased airflow, which helps ensure you remain at the correct body temperature, whatever that temperature is for you.
Interviewer:
Thanks for the knowledge, Jennifer. That's helpful information and we’re sure people will appreciate your answers to our questions when they are thinking about their next mattress purchase.
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