We can quickly feel lost among all the sizes of beds available on the market. And for good reason, there are about ten different options.
If you've ever felt constrained or had your feet hanging, your bed is definitely too small. The solution? Changing for a longer bed. Yes, it does exist!
In this guide, Polysleep tells you all about the best bed size for you and your bedroom. Consult our table.
“Bad bed size = guarantee of a bad night!”
Simpler than the math you practiced in your cegep youth, as an equation, right? Don't worry, it's also simpler for us too at Polysleep.
However, the reasons that allowed this universal law to be established, in the same way as E=MC2, have multiple origins, for which it’s not necessary to have 4 post-doctorates to understand them, contrary to Einstein's Theory of Relativity.
The first reason, very logical, pertains to the number of occupants. It's unbelievable to think that it’s possible for 2 people to sleep in a Twin bed, even while piling up on top of each other to get enough shoulder width space if you sleep for two.
It’d be like trying to fit a soccer team in a sport coupe. Maybe possible (by pushing hard), but not recommended for the health and comfort of the team members, as well as for the vehicle.
Because of that, you won’t get the optimal support to give you maximum rest for your joints and muscles, and you risk, on top of feeling like your head is on the edge of an abyss, to get muscular fatigue and joint problems upon waking up, because of the lack of space to adequately rest your (young) carcass.
You’ll feel like you just went a cycle in the washing machine, and will be everything you want, except fresh and rested!
An ill-adapted bed size can also make it that, when your spouse moves, the transfer of energy linked to their movements is not absorbed by the mattress if the latter is too small, and you’ll feel like you’re on an olympic trampoline.
In addition, if the nearness of your significant other is too important, the heat will soar like a rocket, and not for the reasons you think of.
You’ll die of the heat! So, it’s essential to have a bed with the right dimensions that has just enough in length and width for you to sleep like a baby (yep, it’s still possible at your age!).
“Ok Google, tell me what is the perfect bed size!”
You might have already seen it in our article about foam mattresses, Siri and Google are not good with these kinds of questions, and this one is no exception.
You still won’t get an answer, since there isn’t just ONE good answer, but many that depend on your situation.
So as we just talked about, the number of occupants aboard your bed is to consider, failing which you’ll have a bad night.
But that's not all! You should also take into account that in one night, you’ll change your position, on average, up to 50 times.
So if you don’t want to be hit by your partner when they move their arms, or to hit the wood floors by falling off the bed as soon as you turn around, a substantial width should also be planned for.
You’ll also have to consider the length of the bed, so that your body can fully spread out on it. You’ll be able to enjoy optimal support for your spine, and a more even distribution of your weight.
This will prevent you from putting too much stress and the pressure points generally observed in sleepers, and to so avoid muscular fatigue and joint pains. It’s normally recommended to add between 15 to 20 centimetres to your size to identify that of your bed.
So, a person of 185 cm (6’1”) will be perfectly at ease in a bed that measures 200 cm (6’6”). If you usually measure in inches and feet, no stress! Convert your height from feet/inches to metres/centimetres here.
“That's all well and good, Siri, but what are the available sizes on the market?”
Here again, Siri won’t have an answer for you. You obviously need to take in consideration the size of the bedroom in which you plan to install your bed. And that becomes more and more difficult when we know that bedrooms are getting smaller to give more room to living spaces in our homes, while bed dimensions keep increasing.
Quite the paradox, will you say! But since you still need to dress every morning, leaving enough space to open your closets is essential.
So, in addition to thinking about the size of your own person and that of your other half, you now need to take into account the dimensions of the bedroom to choose the size of your bedding accordingly.
But stooooop! No need to pull all your hair out, we’ll help you with these few tips that will prevent your untimely balding.
If your pride and joy is already tall, or you live alone with a cat, it’ll be a Twin bed!
It's a very common bed format for kids’ rooms, leaving enough space for all their toys.
It’s also the perfect size for those among you who sleep alone, or with a small pet such as cats, the actual stars of the Internet! It won’t give you a lot of space to move around, but it works when it comes to sleeping or better, to binge watch your favorite Netflix shows on your iPad.
They’re still intended for rooms where space is limited. The standard dimensions of this type of bed is 38 x 75 po. Variants exist, such as the longer Twin XL mattress (38 x 80 in).
Full or double beds, not really for two people.
Yes, we know, it’s not obvious as a concept. But it's the reality of it: if you’re planning to occupy this bed with your significant other, there won’t be a lot of space for either of you in this type of bed.
As well, if you’re built like Arnold Schwarzenegger, with a more imposing bulk, this bed is also not for you.
However, it's the perfect choice if you want a bed for your guest room, or for your teenager that loves to sleep diagonally on the bed without falling! The dimensions of a full bed are 54 inches width by 75 inches length.
The Queen bed, space in all circumstances.
This bed, also called large 2-person bed is ideal for tall sleepers, or those restless sleepers who toss a lot. It's also the bed format perfectly suited for those who want to sleep with their spouse. And if you’re single, this size is optimal for comfort that ensures a most peaceful sleep.
The dimensions of a Queen bed are 60 inches wide for 80 inches long. There is a variant to this size, the Olympic Queen, which has 6 more inches in width than the standard Queen (66 x 80 in), and is intended for those that can’t or don't want to opt for a King.
King beds, to sleep royally!
This bed format is very popular among those of you who want to sleep with another person, but still want a sizable personal space.
It occupies a space equivalent to two Twin beds side by side, for its two occupants. Nothing less! It’s also THE bed if you have the built and weight of a weightlifter.
The standard King measures 76 inches wide by 80 inches long. There is also a variant named California King that for its part, measures 72 in x 84 in, and is intended for individuals that are taller than the norm.
“Siri, what should I do if I want a King bed but live in 53 square feet?”
Our answer: move. No, more seriously, this question is about the size of the bed in relation to the size of the bedroom in which you want to install it. So, in this sense, some rules apply in terms of room dimensions, in order for the latter to be suited to the dimensions of the bed.
That’s how for a Twin bed, you’ll need a room of 7 feet wide for a length of 10 feet. It's also the recommended size for a Twin XL bed. If you install two Twin beds, the room should then measure 10 feet by 10 feet. If you’re instead looking for a full bed, you’ll need a room with 10’ x 12’ dimensions.
For a standard Queen bed, you’ll have more leeway (from 10’ x 10’ to 10’ x 14’), depending on the space you need to move around. Those are also the recommended dimensions for an Olympic Queen bed.
Finally, regarding the required dimensions for a standard King bed, we recommend a bedroom that ranges from 10 feet in width and 12 feet in length, to 13 feet wide and long. Also, for a California King, the suggested dimensions for the room that will welcome it go from 12’ x 12’ (no less!) to 14’ x 12’, once again depending on the amount of available space you want to freely move around in the room.
Conclusion: the size of your bed depends on you, your partner, your cat and your room!
We’ve just gone over it, there is a lot more than your size and that of your eventual other half that goes into choosing the size of your bed.
Your family pet also has a say in this (unless not allowed in your room!), as well as the dimensions of the bedroom, once the sandman will have passed!
In short, your body shape, the number of people that’ll sleep in said bed and the dimensions of the room where you’ll sleep are all factors to consider when choosing the proper bed size.
And because you’ve come to this point after reading our looonnnng guide about bed sizes (it had to be complete, hence its length), and we’re nice at Polysleep, here is an overview table of all the key information we shared for you in this guide.
Bed size guide
| Bed type | Dimensions | For who? | In what room? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twin Bed | 38 x 75 inches | Kids, single people. | A room of minimum 7 x 10 feet |
| Twin XL Bed | 38 x 80 inches | Single people with, eventually, a cat. | A room of minimum 7 x 10 feet |
| Full Bed | 54 x 75 inches | For guest bedrooms, teenagers sleeping diagonally. | A room of minimum 10 x 12 feet |
| Queen Bed | 60 x 80 inches | Tall people, or those who move a lot. Couples. | A room of minimum 10 x 10 feet to 10 x 14 feet |
| Olympic Queen Bed | 66 x 80 inches | Tall people or those who move a lot. Couples that want more personal space. | A room of minimum 10 x 10 feet to 10 x 14 feet |
| King Bed | 76 x 80 inches | Couples that want a significant personal space. Those who have a non-standard physique. | A room of minimum 10 x12 feet to 13 x 13 feet |
| California King Bed | 72 x 84 inches | For anyone who is taller than average. | A room of minimum 12 x 12 feet to 14 x 12 feet. |
