Koala Mattress: An Osteopaths Review

"I'm having a hard time deciding whether or not to buy this mattress.  I think I'll sleep on it"

Buying a bed can be a daunting experience. Going into shops; lying on one bed, been shown another, and then forgetting what the first one actually felt like? It is not only a mental drain but can be quite a financial strain. Renovating last year made me more thrifty with my money, and lead me to explore this ‘mattress in a box phenomenon’. Another reason was simply laziness. We were just too busy to spend three weekends going around to mattress shops and be shown the exact same mattresses, with different names and under different brands (which made it impossible to price match).


The Koala mattress is light and breathable and not too soft. An issue I had with memory foam previously, as it was too soft and lacking support and latex was too heavy and hot. When you sit on the bed you sink in, but as soon as you lie down you feel reflex support which feels like the mattress is actually lifting you back up. If you love a soft mattress this is probably not for you, but it is a mattress that provides support for the curves of your spine and the pressure areas of your hips and shoulders.

The Koala pillow I purchased next after being so impressed with the mattress.  The pillow’s delivery is just as easy, and as you open the box a mini speaker sings you a lullaby. Now that is a money well-spent gimmick. I’d rate the pillow a good medium-firm with two different sides making the adjustment easy. I’d suggest the higher/firmer side for bigger bodied people, and those that have had similar density pillows before. If you are just starting on your pillow journey (e.g. coming straight from a fluffy down pillow) or a petite frame the lower/softer side would be a better fit. A real positive for me was this pillow didn’t have a ‘structural’ contour (the wave shape you see in other pillows). Often with these, I’d find my neck getting tilted up, and after a night’s sleep, soreness in the base of my skull which occasionally caused headaches. What the Koala does quite well is it has a natural contour, with an increased density around the edges flowing into a more relaxed centre. This allows your lordosis or curve in your neck to be supported.

Pros:
•  Ease of order (online), immediate delivery (free) and transport (easy to get upstairs or fit through a small doorway)
•  Reasonable price for the mattress ($900.00 for queen)
•  120 trial period! This is a sensational addition and shows that the Koala company have a huge confidence in all of their products
•  Pillow having a ‘firmer/higher’ and ‘softer/lower’ side, this suits different body types
•  Both the pillow and mattress have an incredible level of comfort and the underlayer of foam ensures adequate spinal support
•  Made in Australia
•  Washable cover


Con’s:
•  Expensive price for a pillow ($150.00)
•  For those coming from a ‘fluffy’ feather pillow, the koala might be too big of a change.
•  Due to the nature of the foam, your weight creates an indent in the material. This can be annoying when you change positions in the middle of the night





Regardless of the type of mattress you have, if your ‘sleep posture’ is wrong then the mattress won’t make an enough of a difference. The most common problem I have found is when people sleep on one side, with the top leg crossed over the front of their body. This creates a twist in your pelvis and loads up the lower joints of your pelvis, known as your sacroiliac joints.

Instead, when you sleep on your side bend your knee’s up to just below 90 degrees and keep them together. Putting a pillow in between your knee’s is effective (even if you do kick it out after a few hours). If you would like to know more about sleep posture and ergonomics read this blog article I have written previously. http://www.withoutlimitshealth.com.au/blog/entry/optimal-sleeping-postures