Mattresses & Pain Relief - What you need to know

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Last Updated: August 2017

One important thing that every person keeps in mind when buying a mattress is its ability to relieve and guard against back pain.

The position in which you sleep and the amount of support is vital to keep a levelled back and prevent back and muscle pain from settling in. This is where the mattress comes in. Without a proper mattress, offering the proper support, you will slowly but surely start waking up with more and more pain as time goes on.

There are a few things that you can watch out for and be able to judge whether or not a particular mattress is good for you and your back.

Mattress firmness

This is where it all begins. You can’t have the ultimate level of comfort and support in a single mattress, mostly because of the fact that they cancel each other out.

The firmer a mattress is, the better support it offers, however, a firm mattress offers next to no comfort, and the sleeper will often feel pressure and toss and turn a bit until finding that position that compensates for the lack of comfort.

That being said, the soft mattresses are among the most comfortable however they offer almost no proper support. In time, the lack of support will make the sleeper experience pain when waking up, starting from the lower back and ending with the shoulders.

The medium level of firmness is your friend here. First off, it offers some support, meaning that the sleeper will be able to sleep in adequate positions, and it also offers some comfort thus allowing for a better and more relaxing sleep.

Mattress type

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Another thing that should be noted is the fact that the type of mattress that you are sleeping on plays a crucial role in how good your sleep is.

There are different types of mattresses out there, and it is up to you to choose the one that is better for you.

Innerspring mattresses

These are the classical mattresses, which use springs to support the body. While they do offer a bit of comfort, they tend to be the worst ones for pain relief and prevention

Futon

Futon offers good support for the body. However, they are not exactly comfortable to sleep on for an extended period.

Water beds

These use to be all the rage in the 80s and 90s, even in the early 2000s, and even though they offer a lot of comforts and a unique sleeping experience, they don’t offer a lot of support and can cause back pain.

Memory foam

Memory foam is known currently as the most popular choice for pain relief purely because they work. However, it comes with a catch. They are a bit complicated to purchase, and the client might end up doing an exhausting amount of research to make sure that he/she is picking the right one.

Mattress sagging

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There is one last thing that you should know. Every mattress sags at one point, and more it sags the less actual support it offers.

The more expensive mattresses take a lot more time to sag than the cheaper ones, however sagging is unavoidable.

The best way to judge when the mattress needs to be replaced is by the sagging depth, and if the depth is at or exceeds 1.5 inches, then the mattress needs to be replaced because it might end up causing pain rather than relieving it.

Take a look at our essential guides:

Mattress Guides

Pillow Guides

Topper Guides