The Real Truth About Choosing A Mattress

Choosing a mattress for your bed can be a complicated process. Getting a good night sleep is one of the most important things you can do for yourself, and the new mattress you choose will play a vital role in the process.

Sponsored Links

How to Choose A Mattress

Before you do begin choosing a mattress, there are a few important areas you need to consider first. Do you have raised stress levels or an underlying medical condition that is affecting your sleeping and making you uncomfortable ? Is your bedroom either too hot or too cold. Buying a mattress when there are other problems might help, but is unlikely to ensure your slumber is optimized.

If you have covered all the issues above and got some medical advice if necessary, and your current mattress is worn out and not providing the support it needs, then it really is time to begin choosing a mattress to suit you and possible your partner if you have one. This can be daunting as a walk in the local bedding store will most likely have you reeling from the diverse range of bedding and mattresses on offer. Coil spring mattresses, latex, memory foam mattresses, foam mattress toppers, orthopedic mattresses, single, double, king-size, futons, adjustable beds, the list is endless.

One of, if not the most important functions a good new bed mattress has to do is to support your body in a neutral position. Your spine needs to maintain a natural curve, with your other body parts, such as your butt, shoulders, head, knees, and feet being held in a proper alignment. An overly firm mattress, which many back pain sufferers used to think was essential, can be as bad for you as a soft, unsupporting mattress.

An over firm mattress presses on the points in firm contact with it and forced your body out of alignment. A very soft one will not provide the level of support those pressure points need, and you end up as a floppy mess on your bed, with the discomfort to prove it in the morning.

So Which Mattress Should I Choose?

Luckily, regardless what the manufacturers may imply, there is no 'best' brand or type of mattress. According to Michael Breus PhD, the author of Beauty Sleep: Look Younger, Lose Weight, And Feel Great Through Better Sleep, a firmer mattress does seem to help people with back pain. You do need to consider though, how firm is too firm.

A Spanish study did find that sufferers of long term back discomfort did feel better with a slightly firmer mattress than those who used overly soft ones. This is a good indicator that mattress selection is important, and if you do wake in the morning with aches and pain, you need to take a look at the mattress and consider whether it has seen better days and provides little benefit.

Is A Firmer Mattress Better?

The answer to that is, not necessarily.......but as discussed, there is more to the story. What you when choosing a mattress is one that provides good overall support to your body weight, and doesn't exert too much, or too little pressure on those points of the body that are in contact with it. If you sleep on your back, then a mattress that with give to fill the contours and spaces that your body creates is likely to be comfortable. If you sleep on your stomach, then a very soft mattress with result in your spine curving too much in the wrong direction, a surefire way to wake up stiff in the morning.

The side sleeper, as many of us are, needs the right mattress to minimize pressure on the pressure areas, and a somewhat softer mattress will help you. A medium/firm mattress is generally a good compromise for many people, and one that seem to produce the greatest benefit to sufferers of back pain.

Sponsored Links

You do get what you pay for, and many of the cheap mattresses will do nothing to help you sleep soundly. Bargain mattresses are usually a waste of time and money, and you should make sure you try to get the best you can afford when choosing a mattress.