Finding the appropriate mattress firmness depends on your body type, preferred sleeping position and personal tastes. Firmness refers to how soft or hard a bed feels when lying on it.
Firmer mattresses feature less shrinkage and don’t conform tightly around your body, making them an excellent choice for both back and stomach sleeping positions. Firm mattresses help align your spine and eliminate painful pressure points for an uninterrupted restful slumber experience.
Body Type
Longo advises most individuals to opt for a medium to medium-firm mattress as this firmness range provides ample contouring to reduce pressure points that often cause backache. Firmer mattresses may fail to offer enough contouring relief, leading to sore joints or muscles and possibly leading to discomfort.
Selecting a mattress firmness suited to your body type can also help prevent common mattress-related problems like sagging, loss of support after several years, weak edges and poor motion transfer. When shopping for mattresses, take note of ratings and reviews from past customers to gauge how they have performed over time; while reviews should always be taken with a grain of salt, specific patterns can give an idea of what to expect.
Firmness rating is a subjective evaluation that measures how soft or hard a mattress feels when lying on it, so results may differ between sleepers. A lightweight person may find a bed with a firmness rating of 7/10 too soft; on the other hand, someone weighing more than 230 pounds might think this same mattress provides enough support.
Firmness should only be your starting point when searching for a mattress; other important considerations include your sleep position, construction details and warranty information. When shopping for an innerspring mattress, keep the coil gauge and count in mind; typically a higher coil count means thicker and firmer coils while lower numbers indicate thinner, softer coils.
Keep an eye out for warranties and return policies, too. Although it might seem tempting to save money by opting for a mattress with limited trial period or no return policy, this could turn out to be costly should it turn out not being suitable. Look for warranties covering regular wear-and-tear, such as sagging or indenting. You should also ensure the company accepts returns or provides in-home set up should it prove unsuitable for your needs.
Sleeping Position
One of the toughest questions when purchasing a mattress is “what firmness do I need?” Firmness refers to how much resistance a sleep surface offers against movement and sinkage from your body; for example, sleeping on an extremely firm mattress feels similar to resting your back on wooden planks, while soft sleep surfaces resemble large down comforters more closely. Your personal firmness needs may change depending on factors like sleeping position, body type and personal comfort preferences.
A great mattress firmness should allow for the most relaxing night’s rest. To achieve this, it is important to think about your sleeping patterns, desired mattress qualities and levels of support required from bed.
Back sleepers typically favor a medium to firm mattress that provides an optimal combination of firmness and support, helping ensure their spine remains in its natural position while offering enough cushioning against pressure points. A soft to medium firm mattress may help alleviate hip discomfort by offering cushioning against your lower back as well as hip curves.
Stomach sleepers require a slightly firmer mattress in order to receive adequate support for their neck and spine, as soft mattresses tend to sink too deeply, leading the spine to bend unnaturally and disrupting normal sleeping posture. A medium to firm mattress may provide the optimal sleeping surface for stomach sleepers.
People tend to conflate “firmness” and “support”, however these two concepts should not be confused: firmness refers to how an immediate feel of a mattress impacts your sleeping experience while support refers to how well it keeps the spine aligned during restful slumber.
To simplify things for you, we have provided guidance on how to select the appropriate mattress firmness for you. By considering factors like sleep position, body type and comfort preferences you can find your ideal mattress firmness for life – plus don’t forget that most online mattress stores provide generous sleep trials before making a decision!
Personal Preferences
Firmness of mattresses is subjective, and how hard they feel depends on factors like body type, sleep position and personal preferences. When shopping for new mattresses it’s also important to take other considerations into account such as off-gassing levels, sleeping temperature regulation and warranty coverage as these could all impact how hard the bed feels to you.
Many online mattress brands provide generous trial periods, enabling you to test a bed at home for multiple nights before making a final decision. When selecting a mattress, carefully read its product description and reviews – such as any mentions of off-gassing and sleeping temperature issues – before considering which company offers it and which materials they use; typically higher quality mattresses use natural and renewable materials while providing clear information on their manufacturing process and flammability standards via FAQ sections or directly on their product pages.
Apart from firmness, another factor worth taking into account when searching for the ideal mattress is support level – this refers to whether it helps keep your spine in its natural alignment. Research shows that medium-firm mattresses tend to provide greater support in alleviating back pain while improving quality sleep.
Your preferred sleeping position will ultimately dictate which firmness mattress best meets your body needs, so if possible, experiment with various mattresses until finding one that feels ideal. Side sleepers require soft to medium-firm mattresses with enough cushion to cushion hips and shoulders without putting pressure on spine.
If you prefer stomach sleeping, firmer beds may cause too much pressure on the abdomen and cause sore backs. While some mattress manufacturers advertise that their beds accommodate all positions, the truth is that firmer mattresses tend to work best with back and stomach sleepers than soft ones.
Mattresses rated 10 out of 10, or ultra-firm, tend to be ideal for individuals weighing over 230 pounds as they provide adequate support and do not allow too much sinkage. When shopping for 2 out of 10, however, be wary as such mattresses typically do not feature enough push back support and could potentially cause long-term spinal issues.
Budget
Firmness is one of the key characteristics you should keep in mind when shopping for a mattress, yet its assessment can be subjective. What may feel firm to one person may only register as medium firmness for another, with materials having an effect too.
The industry standard for mattresses is 6 out of 10, or medium firmness. This makes it suitable for many different sleep positions and body types, offering excellent pressure relief without becoming too soft.
If you prefer firmer beds, an 8 out of 10 mattress rating could be ideal. At this level, there will be more noticeable support from its inner structure, making this suitable for heavier individuals or back sleepers who prefer more push-back in their beds.
At the other extreme of this scale is ultra-soft. A mattress with sinkage levels this extreme would likely cause discomfort for most sleepers and cannot provide sufficient pressure relief for most users. At Sleepopolis we have never reviewed such soft mattresses; they typically aren’t recommended for most consumers.
Note: While firmness and support may seem interlinked, they’re two distinct features. Firmness measures how well the mattress conforms to your body, while support refers to how successful a mattress is at relieving pressure points.
If budget is a concern, there are still options available to you to find the ideal mattress. If a full-sized new mattress is out of reach, consider an inexpensive mattress topper that can be added onto your current one – not as effective or long-term, but effective enough to help provide better nights’ rest by adjusting firmness according to personal preference. It’s also an excellent way of testing different firmness levels before making a commitment; return policies and warranties terms should also be taken into consideration as these can have an effectful long term.
