People spend a significant portion of their lives in bed, and as a result, choosing the right mattress is an essential part of getting a great sleep and protecting your spine from aches and pains. But where do you start? Bed and mattress retailers use very different measurements for mattress firmness, and each seems to have their own way of describing the merits of their mattresses.
Our Chiropractor in West Vancouver gets asked lots of questions about which mattress is best. The truth is, each individual might require something different from their mattress. For a comprehensive look into what mattress you need, it’s a good idea to come and talk to our Chiropractor in West Vancouver directly, though for now, here are a few of our tips on how to pick the right mattress for you.
What Causes Back Pain While You Sleep?
Sleeping on a bad mattress, or a mattress that is unsuitable for you will invariably lead to you having back pain first thing in the morning. Poor alignment of your spine while you sleep can result in dysfunctional joint pressure, pain in the hips, and pain in the lower back.
Despite the importance of your mattress, it’s not necessarily the firmness of the mattress, which causes problems but a lack of support for your spine, hips, and back.
A mattress that is too firm, or too soft, can cause either an unforgiving support or overly mushy dips in the mattress, leaving your spine resting in an unnatural position while you sleep.
There is such a wide range of mattresses available, such as firm, hard, soft, and even hybrids, which can make it challenging to choose the correct mattress for you.
The Best Mattress For Your Back
As Chiropractors, we advise on a good-quality combination of foam and a spring mattress, or either type so long the mattress can offer you excellent back and hip support. Generally, this should be a medium-firm mattress, especially if you have the symptoms of back or hip pain. A memory foam mattress does an excellent job of shaping itself around your body and allows your spine to rest naturally on the mattress while you sleep. However, a memory foam mattress does have its downsides – a mattress that is too soft can be detrimental and cause chronic pain.
How Do You Know Which Mattress Is Right For You?
Usually, two people won’t agree on the best mattress, and some might view a mattress as too soft, others as too hard. This difference of opinion stems from the differences in body weight and body shape. These two factors are related to “spring tension,” which is a term used by retailers. The best way to get a comfortable mattress that fits you is to base your purchase on your body weight, ranging from soft to hard.
A heavier person may find an orthopedic mattress absolutely perfect, whereas a lighter person might discover that particular mattress as too stiff. A good mattress retailer will allow you to test the mattress before you buy it, offering “trial” periods where you can get to know the mattress and whether it suits you. Some more expensive mattresses also allow you to adjust the firmness of your mattress and even goes as far as allowing individual settings on either side of the mattress.
Spring Tension Is Important, But There Is More To Finding The Perfect Mattress
As well as the firmness of the mattress and determining whether hard, soft, firm, or a combination of either one is the best for you, you should also take time to make sure you’re choosing the right fabric and cover materials.
Different mattresses have different fabrics, such as knitted fabric to cover foam or latex, or woven fabric for a top polyester layer.
You should always keep this in mind to make sure you’re not purchasing a mattress with cheaper polyester fabric, which could compromise the mattress, even if the spring tension is precisely right.
More Than A Mattress: Sleeping Posture, Stretches, And More Chiropractic Advice
Finding the best mattress is just the start of revolutionizing your mornings. There are lots of other ways to improve your spine health that go beyond buying a brand new mattress.
If you do feel pain in the morning, it may be your sleeping posture that is causing it, general stress, really tight muscles, or underlying medical conditions. For the purposes of our Chiropractic advice, we’ll focus on poor posture and musculoskeletal conditions.
One piece of advice which is often well-received is to change your sleeping position. We regularly advise that you should sleep on your side or back with a pillow underneath your knees – this takes some pressure off your spine, and you may notice a significant difference.
Likewise, there are many evening and morning stretches, including knee crunches, back, hips, and leg stretches, which can be done before you get into bed and get out of bed. If you take everything into account – a new mattress, regular stretching, and a revised sleeping position, you should start to notice your back pain begin to resolve. If you are still unsure of which mattress is best for you, our Chiropractor in West Vancouver always advises you to take advantage of the trial period by sleeping on the mattress first before committing to buying it.
