CHOOSING THE RIGHT MATTRESS TO REST YOUR BACK

Wrong mattresses can cause or worsen back pain and impact a person’s sleep. You spend about a third of every day in bed. If the mattress is not comfortable, then it will affect one’s sleeping posture, cause muscle strain, and also will fail to keep the spine in alignment. These will result in back pain.

When choosing a mattress, one must remember that it is not necessary that a very expensive one or a high-tech brand is going to be the one suitable for you. Mattress selection is very personal. Some people prefer a firm one while some would prefer a softer one.

Determining A Good Mattress:

Although personal choice is a very important factor in determining the best mattress for each person, there are few general rules that help in determining a good mattress.

1. Firmer mattress: A lot of people prefer a firmer mattress that gives good spine support, as providing support for the spine at all points (spine’s natural curves) and keeping the spine in the same body position helps in preventing or alleviating the back pain.
2. No hard mattress: A firmer mattress is good, but a hard mattress is not. It can cause aches and pains in pressure points, such as the hips. If you have inflammation in the hips, then you can be susceptible to aches from the hard mattress. Also it is not good for people who sleep on their sides, as their hips and shoulders pressed against the hard mattress will make the areas sensitive.
3. Softer mattress is fine as well: It is not mandatory to have a firmer mattress. If you are comfortable on a softer mattress, it is perfectly fine to use that. Even a waterbed is fine as long as you are comfortable.
4. Helps in sleeping well: Any mattress, whether it is soft or hard, is fine as long as you are able to sleep well and when you wake up you are feeling well rested and refreshed and without any pain and stiffness.

Tips For Buying A Quality Mattress:

Before buying a mattress, it is best to try sleeping on it. One should try different beds in hotels, at other people’s house, etc. and when you find the best mattress, you should buy the same make/model. If it is not possible to sleep on a mattress, you should at least lie on the mattress in the store until you feel comfortable on it.

The two main factors that comprise a mattress are:

• Support for the spine is provided by the coils in the mattress. Hence, a mattress should have adequate coils to provide support to the spine’s natural curves.
• Comfort is provided by the padding on top of the mattress. Some prefer a thick padding and some thin.

In general, the quality of the mattress is determined by the number of coils and the padding thickness, higher the number of coils and thicker the padding, higher the quality and cost. However, it is not necessary to buy a mattress with the highest number of coils and thickest padding. A number of factors determine the mattress choice.

In conclusion, although it is important for the mattress to provide adequate support to the spine, individual preference and comfort level are the most important aspects that should determine the purchase of mattress.