If back pain is what is keeping you awake in the morning, your mattress could be at fault. But finding an affordable quality mattress doesn’t necessarily have to break the bank.
If you are experiencing back pain upon awakening, your mattress could be too old, sagging or not providing sufficient support to meet the demands of your sleeping position and bodyweight.
It’s too soft
If you are suffering from back pain when sleeping on your mattress, it may be due to it being too soft. Maintaining the ideal amount of firmness for your sleeping position and body weight is essential for spine health; unfortunately, many mattresses end up becoming too soft after being used for some time. Sleeping on an overly soft surface may result in poor posture during the night resulting in misalignments that cause lower and upper back discomfort, neck tension, shoulder strain and headaches.
Your mattress could be too soft if it causes persistent backache that persists even after several hours of rest. This indicates that it doesn’t provide adequate support for your spine’s natural curve and could eventually contribute to spinal degeneration.
Soft mattresses may cause arm and leg ache due to your body having to work harder in getting into and out of bed, leaving aches in your arms and legs for days afterward. One way of testing whether your mattress is too soft is by sitting on it for a bit and seeing how easily you can stand back up after sitting for awhile.
If your mattress is too soft, try placing it on a sprung bed base or slats to firm up its feel slightly. A mattress topper or memory foam pillow might also add additional cushioning for more cushioning comfort. A regular stretching routine may also help alleviate back pain caused by too-soft mattresses.
If you are shopping for a mattress, be sure to thoroughly research its return policy. Most online mattress retailers provide generous at-home trial periods of 100 nights or even one year; should your new mattress prove too soft and hurt your back, switching it out for something that better matches your sleeping style and body weight would likely be best. Alternatively, hybrid options like Saatva Classic offer lumbar support as well as features designed to promote better posture during restful slumber.
It’s too firm
Mattress type and firmness level play an integral part in whether it can help alleviate back pain. Memory foam mattresses have long been touted as being effective at relieving pain due to their balanced support/cushioning qualities that keep spine in proper alignment while sleeping. But if your new memory foam mattress is too plush it could worsen the situation by creating pressure points in unwanted locations on your body – potentially worsening symptoms further!
For optimal back pain relief, the optimal mattress will be a medium-firm model customized specifically to your sleep position and body weight. This will ensure that your spine remains in neutral alignment throughout the night and reduce stress on joints in your hips and shoulders. When selecting a mattress type to purchase, make sure it accommodates both body size and sleep position as well as any factors which might be exacerbating it, such as tossing and turning at night or being disturbed by restless partners.
Be mindful that any new mattress requires some breaking-in time before becoming completely comfortable for you. If the new mattress feels too firm initially, try using a pillow to ease any discomfort until it breaks in and starts feeling better for you.
An ideal innerspring mattress will typically fall between firm to medium-firm in terms of its coil gauge and count; higher numbers mean firmer mattresses while fewer coils provide a softer feel. Furthermore, look out for ones featuring LFK coils which feature unknotted steel wire strands hinged together with cross wire helixes to give extra support and conform to your body shape.
Some innerspring mattresses feature zoned pocketed coil designs for more targeted feel and support for various parts of your body. If you sleep on your side, choosing a firmer innerspring mattress with more evenly distributed coils may provide better spinal alignment and comfort.
It’s too old
Quality sleep is essential to overall back health; so if you’re finding it hard to unwind at night, it may be time for a new mattress. Trouble sleeping could be a telltale sign that your current mattress has outlived its intended lifecycle and no longer meets your body’s support needs. Consider purchasing one of the many affordable options offered during President’s Day mattress sales this year — one designed specifically to promote spinal health and healthy sleeping posture is key here!
At first, transitioning to a new mattress may feel uncomfortable; your body has likely grown accustomed to how your old mattress felt, and its muscles need time to learn how to relax on this unfamiliar sleep surface. But this discomfort should pass as part of the transition process, and should eventually fade.
If your new mattress continues to cause discomfort after several months, other factors could be at play, including your sleep routine or bed base or slats you have it on. Perhaps switching slat styles or using a spring mattress base would help.
While shopping for a mattress, keep an eye out for warranties that cover sagging and other signs of wear and tear. Many mattress brands and some mattress in a box companies provide warranties of up to 20 years – though keep in mind that a warranty differs from a trial period or return policy.
Remember to spend one third of your life sleeping, making it an important place for investing in your health. Though it might be tempting to stick with an old mattress you’ve grown used to, upgrading can improve the quality of sleep as well as speed up recovery from injuries and chronic conditions. Don’t delay; start shopping this year’s President’s Day Mattress Sale now to find your ideal sleep surface and rid yourself of backaches forever!
It’s too expensive
Shopping for a mattress can be daunting. With so many sizes, materials, and specs to consider it can be easy to become overwhelmed and end up focusing on price rather than quality.
Although mattresses may seem pricey at first glance, investing in high-quality material will save money in the long run. A well-built mattress will stand up better against daily wear and tear than its low-cost counterparts, giving you years of use before needing replacement.
Online mattress retailers frequently offer sales and discounts that can lower the cost by hundreds of dollars, particularly during consumer holidays such as President’s Day, Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday. Furthermore, some brands provide bundle deals of mattresses with other bedding accessories like foundations sheets and pillows.
An investment in a quality mattress will also help you sleep more soundly at night, relieving back pain during the day. If you wake up with back ache that cannot be remedied with stretching exercises or hot showering, that might be an indication that your mattress isn’t serving its intended purpose.
Poor-quality mattresses can have serious repercussions for posture and cause sagging, leading to back pain and other health problems. If your current one is more than seven to ten years old and starting to sag, now might be a good time to shop around for something better.
Individuals vary greatly when it comes to how much they’re willing to spend on mattresses, with no definitive right or wrong answer. But if you are tired of suffering with back pain and are determined to live a more fulfilling lifestyle, investing in the bed that best supports this is worth your while – for some this may mean an active lifestyle with lots of fatty fish consumption and morning walks; for others this might involve memory foam mattresses with zoned support for hips and optimized spinal alignment as a priority.
