There’s been debate about how firm or soft a mattress should be for the ideal sleep during the night. Others claim that a terrible bed causes sore muscles in the morning. However, that’s not the case.
Each person is different and can have contradicting needs when it comes to the firmness of a bed. Here are five aspects you have to consider before splurging your money on a mattress.
-
Comfort
This aspect can fall into your personal preferences. Perhaps you like the idea of lying on a more solid futon bed when resting, or you may decide that sinking into a warm plush memory foam cushion is the way to go instead.
Your body weight can also help determine what mattress would best suit your needs in terms of comfort. Your hips and shoulders should be even to make sure your spine is relaxed and won’t feel too stiff in the morning. Treat the firmness of your mattress in a spectrum, where it can vary from how much a person would sink into the bed.
-
Sleeping Position
Moving and positioning during sleep is unique in each person. The most common type of sleeping positions is side sleeping, back sleeping, and stomach sleeping.
When side sleeping, the hips, and shoulders take up the rest of your body weight when sleeping. Mattresses on the firmer side can provide conflicting pressure and cause discomfort during the night, while a soft bed will alleviate any rigidness in that sleeping position.
Meanwhile, firm mattresses are perfect for back sleeping and stomach sleeping. Soft mattresses can cause the body to set in an awkward posture during sleep. Sinking into the bed can cause a back sleeper or a stomach sleeper to wake up with a tense spine.
-
Sleep Type
Some people can close their eyes and go into a deep sleep in a minute, making it hard to wake them up. Others can feel drowsy and fall asleep, only to wake up with a slight jolt and tap in the middle of the night. Additionally, bodyweight can also differ from when you’re awake to when you’re dead asleep.
Keeping it simple, heavy sleepers are better suited for firm mattresses, while light sleepers get more rest on soft mattresses. This is because heavy sleepers are more prone to sinking into the bed; they may feel pain if they reach the foundation and springs of the mattress.
-
Health Condition
People who have arthritis and joint pain can find relief with softer mattresses rather than firmer mattresses. A soft bed can help relieve any sensitive areas and reduce built-up tension in the body’s pressure points, while something denser can aggravate further stiffness in certain parts.
-
Body Temperature
If you feel like your body temperature rises during sleep, you may want to avoid a soft mattress as it’s designed to encase and provide more heat. Firm beds allow air to circulate and can be more ideal if you don’t want to be disturbed by an overwhelming amount of warmth and wake up in damp sheets.
Conclusion
So is one better than the other? The answer may be no, as it depends on who will be sleeping in that mattress and whether it suits the way they sleep and other conditions. Try to keep these factors in mind when going bed shopping to get that perfect night’s rest.
Want to check out some online mattress reviews? Find the best content and opinion blogs on mattresses on Mattress Review Guru. You can also find some sweet mattress deals on our site.