It’s a familiar headline that tends to say something along these lines—Americans loathe mattress shopping.
Or, mattress shopping frustrates consumers. But the notion that mattress shopping stresses out Americans is a fallacy, based on a recent anxiety survey from the Better Sleep Council, the consumer-education arm of the International Sleep Products Association.
In the survey, respondents were asked to rank, on a scale from one to five, how stressful they considered 16 activities. The results revealed some surprising findings—especially when it came to mattress shopping.
As expected, getting a root canal and going on a job interview were ranked as the two most stressful activities of those listed. More intriguing, however, was that out of all 16 activities, shopping for a new mattress was No. 15 on the list —yes, nearly last. The only activity that was ranked as less stressful was shopping for a new lawn mower. Shopping for the holidays, shopping for appliances and even planning a party with friends were ranked more stressful than mattress shopping.
Other noteworthy findings include:
- 30% of all respondents ranked shopping for a new mattress “not stressful at all.”
- One-third of lower-income respondents found shopping for a mattress non-stressful. Specifically, 34% of all respondents with a household income less than $75,000 ranked shopping for a mattress “not stressful at all,” which is significantly higher than those with a household income of more than $75,000 (24%).
- The reverse is true, as well—those with a household income of more than $75,000 are significantly more likely to find shopping for a mattress stressful (26%), compared with those with a household income of less than $75,000 (15%).
According to the BSC, this survey offers a hopeful sign that consumers are beginning to tap into its message about the sleep-health connection, and that mattress shopping is beginning to lose some of its stigma as a stressful activity.
