Did you know that around 70 million people in the United States alone suffer from some kind of sleep disorder? While sleep problems can have many different origins, sleeping on the wrong mattress is often a common issue. If you’ve ever found yourself having a hard time trying to get comfortable on your mattress, you know the truth of it all too well.
But what should you look for when choosing the ideal mattress? Luckily, this guide will teach you everything you need to know, from the different types of mattresses to the level of firmness and beyond. By picking out a mattress that’s right for you, you can be sure that your sleep routine will drastically increase in quality.
First, let’s take a look at the different mattress materials and how they can affect your sleep.
The Different Types of Mattresses
Innerspring mattresses are one of the oldest and most popular types of mattresses that you can buy. As the name suggests, this mattress involves layers of springy coils and some cushioning. The coils are the main method of support for this kind of bed, but that doesn’t mean that they’re the best.
As it happens, innerspring mattresses don’t tend to provide great support. Don’t choose these mattresses if you have back problems or have a hard time getting comfortable when going to sleep. Instead of holding your body, an innerspring mattress might bounce you around every time you try to move around.
Over time, these springs tend to wear down and provide even less support. However, they tend to be quite cheap, so if you’re on a budget, there’s nothing stopping you from getting an innerspring mattress.
A foam mattress is the exact opposite of an innerspring mattress. A foam mattress has no springs at all inside. Foam mattresses easily encompass your body and provide more support than innerspring mattresses.
You also won’t bounce if you find yourself tossing and turning during the night. This is ideal if you sleep with a partner, since, when you move, the entire bed won’t shake along with you and you won’t wake up your partner. There are also hybrid mattresses that combine the coils of innerspring mattresses with the foam of foam mattresses.
However, the coils in hybrid mattresses tend to be smaller than those in innerspring mattresses. Because of this, hybrid mattresses won’t have all the downsides of innerspring mattresses. They are also very versatile compared to other mattresses and are great for those who sleep in many different positions.
Choosing the Ideal Mattress for Your Body
Everyone’s body is different, and everyone sleeps in different positions and experiences different aches and pains. Because of this, you can’t expect to sleep on any old mattress and wake up refreshed and pain-free.
More often than not, when you sleep on a mattress that’s too hard or too soft for your body, you’ll wake up with a neck ache and you won’t feel very well rested.
Many people suffer from neck and back pain, and one of the common reasons for those pains is bad mattresses. When you sleep, your mattress needs to support your spine and neck in the right way, otherwise, your spine will be misaligned for a long period of time. This misalignment can lead to some very unpleasant back pain.
Back pain can also stem from the position you sleep in, which is why you need to keep your usual sleeping position in mind before you buy a mattress. For example, if you sleep on your stomach, you’ll want to avoid soft mattresses. This is because soft mattresses will allow you to sink too deeply into the bed, ultimately accentuating the curve in your lower back, which can cause pain if you sleep like this all the time.
Instead, stomach sleepers should opt for firmer mattresses. Firmer mattresses will keep your entire body supported, especially the lower portion of your spine.
Keeping the weight of your body in mind is also important. This is because those who weigh over 200 pounds will sink deeper into mattresses than others.
This is a recipe for disaster when it comes to back pain, which is why it’s important for heavier people to invest in a firm mattress that will comfortably support their weight.
The Details of Choosing a Mattress
If you sleep on your back, as most people do, you will need different support compared to those who sleep on their stomachs. However, back sleepers tend to have the same problem as stomach sleepers when sleeping on the wrong mattress: lower back pain. If your bed is too soft, the lower part of your spine will sink too low into the mattress in comparison with the rest of your body.
Because of this, your body will slowly curve into a U-shape, which is not great for your lower back. However, back sleepers shouldn’t get firm mattresses either. This is because firm mattresses won’t be able to support the natural curve in your lower back.
Instead, a mattress of medium firmness should be ideal. If you’re a side sleeper, your pressure points will be at your shoulders and hips. Soft mattresses tend to not provide the necessary support for this position.
In contrast, firm mattresses will make this position especially uncomfortable, because firm mattresses will not be able to accommodate the extra curves and angles in your body. Instead, a medium-firm mattress should be the right choice.
Everything You Need to Know About Choosing a Mattress
By the end of this article, you should no longer be wondering how to choose a mattress. Instead, you should know everything you need to consider in order to choose the ideal mattress for you. With this information, you can be sure you’ll have a good night’s sleep ahead of you.
