Performance Improves When America Gets Sound Sleep

By: Verlo Mattress Factory Stores | 0 Shares 161 Reads

New survey shows better sleep helps improve physical activity and workout intensity

April 14, 2008 // Franchising.com // BOULDER, Colo. – From health club memberships to personal trainers to life coaches, Americans are obsessed with improving their physical performance. But in this crowded environment, people often overlook the fact that sleep deprivation impacts us physically and can negatively affect coordination, agility, mood and energy. In turn, physical activity can improve the quality of our sleep.

That's why this May, during national Better Sleep Month, Verlo Mattress Factory Stores and the Better Sleep Council (BSC) are joining forces to help educate Americans on the impact sleep has on physical performance, as well as the critical role a quality mattress plays in ensuring better sleep.

Results from the BSC's new Better Sleep Month survey reveals that respondents say prioritizing sleep and investing in a proper mattress would help them reach their fitness goals. One-third of Americans say the best thing about getting a good night's sleep is improved physical performance. In addition, a majority (52 percent) attribute their ability to participate in a higher-powered workout, such as weightlifting or swimming, directly to getting adequate sleep.

"Just as you would replace your running shoes after they are no longer providing sufficient support for a workout or run, it's important to evaluate and replace your mattress when it's no longer providing proper comfort and support," says Dick Sumerfield, Verlo Mattress Factory Stores of Boulder franchise owner.

Scientific research from Oklahoma State University reveals that a new mattress can impact physical agility. In fact, the study showed that when people with mattresses five years old or older slept on a new mattress, they reported significant improvements (on average, regardless of age or weight) in back pain (55.3 percent), spine stiffness (50.7 percent), sleep quality (62 percent) and sleep comfort (70.8 percent).

Like your favorite worn pair of athletic shoes, your mattress can still feel comfortable long after it has lost its ability to provide your body with the comfort and support it needs. The BSC and Verlo Mattress Factory Stores recommend consumers evaluate their current mattress by asking themselves four basic questions to determine if it's time for a mattress upgrade:

Is your mattress 5 – 7 years old or older?
Do you wake up with stiffness, numbness, aches and pains?
Do you get a better night's sleep somewhere other than your own bed (such as a hotel)?
Does your mattress show visible signs of overuse (sags, stains, etc.)?

The Better Sleep Council's E.A.S.E. method, a complete online consumer guide, walks consumers through the steps to finding the mattress of their dreams. For more information, visit www.bettersleep.org/ease.

For more tips on how to Start Every Day with a Good Night's Sleep™ during Better Sleep Month and beyond, visit www.bettersleep.org and www.verlo.com.

Verlo's 50!

Headquartered in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, Verlo Mattress Factory Stores is the nation's largest Craftsman-Direct® mattress retailer. Founded in 1958Verlo Mattress Factory Stores offers the only franchise opportunity in the $8 billion-a-year sleep specialty industry. Verlo Mattress Factory Stores earned a spot in Entrepreneur Magazine's 27th Annual Franchise 500 in 2006. Verlo's business model sustains the retail framework for custom-built mattresses, ornamental design beds, futon mattresses, assorted futon covers, futon frames, bolsters and pillows.

Currently, Verlo has a highly concentrated retail presence in the Midwest with stores expanding as far west as Colorado and as far south as Florida and now Texas.

Visit www.verlo.com or www.verlofranchise.com.

About BSC:

Established in 1979, the Better Sleep Council (BSC) is a non-profit organization supported by the mattress industry. BSC is devoted to educating the public about the importance of sleep to good health and quality of life and about the value of the sleep system and sleep environment in pursuit of a good night's sleep. Visit www.bettersleep.org.

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