Bedbuyer recently surveyed over 1,000 regular Aussies (using surveymonkey.com) in Australia’s largest sleep and bedding survey. This survey was aimed at gaining a better understanding of the sleep and bedding practices of Australians, and to identify areas where Aussies may need help.
This sleep and bedding survey covered buying behaviours, shopping preferences, and sleep habits. It revealed some compelling information that should be useful for health professionals and bedding industry experts.
Let’s see exactly what this survey revealed!
Key findings
- More than 20% of Aussie adults sleep on a mattress that is over 10 years old.
- Most Australian adults (61%) sleep on a Queen size bed.
- 22% of Australian adults are dissatisfied with their current mattress.
- Most Aussies (58%) search the internet before buying a new mattress.
- Most Aussies (53%) are willing to spend $1000 – $3000 on a new mattress.
- 80% of Australians have a preference for an Australian made mattress.
- ‘Comfort’ was the aspect considered most important when buying a mattress.
- Most Australians (64%) get 6 – 8 hours of sleep each night.
- Over half of Aussies (55%) rated their sleep quality as ‘fair’ or ‘poor’.
- Almost 20% of Aussies experience back or neck pain regularly during sleep.
- The most common sleeping position/s in Australia is ‘back and side’.
- Over half of Australians (55%) would consider buying a mattress online.
We have discussed the detailed findings of our sleep and bedding survey below.
1. More than 20% of Aussie adults sleep on a mattress that is over 10 years old
Considering that most health professionals and sleep experts recommend changing your mattress every 10 years, this sleep and bedding survey revealed that many Australians are going beyond the ‘used by date’ of their mattress.
Even the best quality mattresses will deteriorate over time, and this will likely result in a loss of support and comfort. Old mattresses can also accumulate unwanted bacteria and dust mites, so hygiene is another good reason to upgrade your mattress.
2. Most Australian adults (61%) sleep on a Queen size bed
This finding from our sleep and bedding survey is not surprising. A queen size bed offers more than enough room for a single person, and is usually spacious enough for 2 adults.
Deciding on the size of your bed is one of the first decisions that you will need to make as a bed shopper. The bed size that suits you best will depend on your life situation (e.g. partner), budget, and bedroom space. Here is our discussion on Australia’s standard bed (mattress) sizes.
Australian standard bed (mattress) sizes
3. 22% of Australian adults are dissatisfied with their current mattress
To think that nearly a quarter of Australians are not happy with their current mattress is very relevant in terms of sleep quality and general health of the Australian population.
From the graph below, you can see that 15% of Aussies are ‘quite dissatisfied’, and 7% are ‘extremely dissatisfied’ with their current mattress.
A person’s dissatisfaction with their current mattress would generally be related to ‘usability’ (e.g. comfort, support, or partner disturbance), and this could certainly be causing sleep problems.
The difficulty and confusion around purchasing a new bed and mattress may also be a factor in the issue of mattress dissatisfaction. As much as someone may not be happy with their mattress, the process of deciding on a new one may be too overwhelming or not financially possible.
4. Most Aussies (58%) search the internet before buying a new mattress
When it comes to buying a new mattress, buying behaviour has changed dramatically in Australia over the past 10 years.
Before 2010, almost all mattress purchases would have been made the ‘traditional way’, that is walking into a bedding store, selecting the mattress that you like, and completing your purchase in-store.
The continuing rise of the internet has not only allowed customers to research products prior to buying (e.g. customer reviews), it has also resulted in the explosion of the online ‘mattress in a box‘ phenomenon, where customers can purchase a mattress online from the comfort of their home.
5. Most Aussies (53%) are willing to spend $1000 – $3000 on a new mattress
It is reassuring to see that many Australians have a good sense of what amount is required to get a good mattress. Bedbuyer generally recommends spending at least $1000 on a new mattress if you plan to use it on a long term basis.
The graph below from our sleep and bedding survey, demonstrates the ‘willingness to spend’ in different price categories:
The amount of money that each person is willing to spend will obviously depend on their individual situation, preferences, and budget. You can read more about on this topic here.
6. 80% of Australians have a preference for an Australian made mattress
This is not surprising as Aussies generally love to support Australian made products where possible. Buying Australian made helps to support local jobs, local manufacturing, and many may argue the case for better ‘quality control’.
There is a huge range of Australian made mattresses available today. Generally speaking, we haven’t found that Australian made mattresses are any more expensive than imported products.
Here is our list of the Best Australian Made Mattresses in 2020.
7. ‘Comfort’ was the aspect considered most important when buying a mattress
There are many factors that we consider when buying a new mattress. The obvious ones comfort, back support, and value for money.
Based on the data from our sleep and bedding survey, it was clear that Australians valued the concept of ‘comfort’ above all others.
Other elements that also should be considered when buying a new mattress are quality, durability, toxicity, partner disturbance, and heat retention.
8. Most Australians (64%) get 6 – 8 hours of sleep each night
The amount of sleep that each person requires to be healthy will vary, but according to sleepfoundation.org it is recommended that most adults get 7-9 hours of sleep per night.
The graph below shows how much sleep Australians are getting each night:
Our sleep and bedding survey demonstrates that many Australians are getting less sleep than is recommended by sleep experts. One concerning statistic is that almost a quarter of those surveyed (23.36%) are only getting 4-6 hours of sleep each night, well below the recommend amount.
9. Over half of Aussies (55%) rated their sleep quality as ‘fair’ or ‘poor’
In this survey we aimed to distinguishing between ‘sleep duration’ and ‘sleep quality’. Even though most Aussies seem to be getting a reasonable amount of sleep, it seems that many of us are simply not sleeping ‘well’.
Poor sleep can be related to stress, sleep disorders, shift work, caffeine, and other drugs. There are ways to help improve your sleep quality, and it is evident that many Australians could improve the overall quality of their sleep.
10. Almost 20% of Aussies experience back or neck pain regularly during sleep
This is one of the most alarming statistics in this sleep and bedding survey, and could very well relate to our discussion on poor sleep quality in the previous section (above).
Back pain (particularly low back pain) is one of the most common health problems in Australia, so it is not surprising that some Australians will suffer back (and neck pain) during sleep.
It is worth noting that 57.5% of Australians selected either ‘regularly’ or ‘sometimes’.
Here is Australia’s Top 5 Mattresses for Back Pain in 2020, compiled by our expert team of health professionals.
11. The most common sleeping position/s in Australia is ‘back and side’
In terms of sleeping positions, it is clear that most Aussie sleep on a combination of both back and side, or just on their side.
Health professionals generally recommend back or side as the best sleeping positions, but ultimately the best sleeping posture will vary between individuals.
Sleeping positions will depend on preference, comfort, or back/spinal condition. Some health conditions or post surgical situations may even require an individual to be seated upright during sleep.
12. Over half of Australians (55%) would consider buying a mattress online
This ties into our discussion earlier about how consumer behaviour has changed when purchasing a mattress. With the internet such a huge part of day to day life, buying online has become more popular. According to this sleep and bedding survey, more and more Aussie are now looking online to buy a new mattress.
When it comes to buying a mattress online, there are dozens of options and many excellent products. Based on our assessment of over 130 mattress in a box, our expert team compiled Australia’s Top 10 Mattress in a Box in 2020.
A big thank you to surveymonkey.com for providing the platform to allow us to conduct this sleep and bedding survey. We hope that this information is useful and please let us know in the comments what your #1 takeaway was from this summary.
Bedbuyer is Australia’s largest bedding website and leading independent mattress review group. To read our disclosure and disclaimer statement, click here.