What Type Of Mattress Is Best For Back Pain
Back pain often occurs when your mattress doesnt provide adequate support to your body throughout the night, causing misalignment in your spine. The key to alleviating an aching back is finding a mattress that provides appropriate support.
Memory foam and latex mattresses are often considered the best options for back pain, as they conform to your body, cradling pressure points while supporting your spine and keeping it aligned. However, hybrid and coil mattresses can provide similar benefits, as long as you choose one thats specifically designed for that purpose.
Why Does It Matter
When the body experiences trauma, like a car accident, a fall from a ladder, or slipping on the ice, the body has to find a way to accommodate the damage, heal it, and keep us walking upright. These changes can create misalignments that sometimes last for years and cause pain.
If youre wondering what this has to do with sleep, the answer is two-fold. One, sleeping wrong can be enough trauma to cause these issues, and two, sleeping right is a big part of healing these issues. So while those with chronic back pain might think they have a rocky relationship with sleep, the real issue might be the habits or the mattress.
Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid Mattress
Brooklyn Bedding has amazing products that are sold at very affordable prices. This mattress is extremely high-quality and a great option for combination sleepers and seniors.
Seniors who experience back pain are going to need a balance of comfort and support. Their bed should have a bit of plushness, but they wont want to sink too far into it. They may find what theyre looking for in the hybrid construction of the Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid. The mattress provides some softness in the top comfort layers while also giving elderly sleepers a slight lift from a 6 support layer of individually wrapped ascension coils.
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The Ghostbed Flex Mattress
The GhostBed Flex is a luxury hybrid mattress that features a thick layer of supportive coils. However, its the three layers of cooling, cushioning foam above the coils that provide the support you need. The GhostBed Flex offers that coveted memory foam hug, contouring to your body and relieving pressure as you sleep.
However, the GhostBed Flex doesnt let you sink too deeply. The first layer of foam forms to your body and offers a cooling sensation, eliminating the buildup of body heat. The second layer, the Ghost Bounce layer, uses a material that cradles like memory foam but bounces and responds like Latex. This means that you arent going to sink in quite the same way as you would in a traditional memory foam mattress.
This layer also adds additional support. Paired with the thicker layer of memory foam beneath, these layers work to align your spine, relieve pressure points, and keep you comfortable all night long. Those who suffer from back pain can benefit from these supportive layers. The coil layer underneath includes additional edge support, motion isolation, and provides air circulation to the center of the mattress.
An additional double layer of coils around the perimeter provides edge support, which is great if you happen to sleep near the edge of the bed. Most foam and hybrid mattresses sink at the edges, making sleep uncomfortable for those already in pain. However, this edge support prevents a sinking or falling feeling if you sit or rest near the edge.
What Makes The Winkbed Stand Out
- The WinkBed is one of the more durable mattresses on this list. People who struggle with back pain dont want a mattress that will sag too quickly.
- The mattress has great cooling qualities, since its equipped with a breathable Tencel cover, gel-infused foam, and coils to promote airflow.
- Weve named the WinkBed one of the best innerspring mattresses.
Read our full WinkBed mattress review.
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Faqs About Mattresses For Back Pain
As weve already mentioned, mattresses are a big investment and they will affect your life and health in a significant way. Considering that everyone has different needs, asking the right questions before buying a mattress can make all the difference between choosing the perfect mattress for back pain or ending up with a mediocre one.
In general, sleeping on your back offers the best support and pain relief as it distributes the weight of your body evenly.
Hybrid mattresses are best for alleviating back pain as they offer the perfect combo of support and pain relief.
A bad mattress can most certainly cause back pain and other health issues.
A quality mattress should last you anywhere between 10 and 15 years, perhaps even more.
A Poorly Made Mattress May Cause Back Pain
The same is true of newer mattresses that are unsuitable for you, or ones that are poorly constructed. A mattress should provide the right support to maintain spinal alignment, allowing the surrounding muscles to relax. This is a key factor in preventing backache. There should also be targeted pressure relief that prevents tossing and turning during the night in an effort to get comfortable.
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Hospital Bed Mattresses: Ensuring Comfort And Support
In order to ensure the comfort of patients and help with healing, hospital beds must have mattresses that meet certain standards. These include being firm enough to provide support, but also soft enough to be comfortable. The mattresses must also be able to withstand a great deal of wear and tear, as they will be used by many different patients. Hospital beds usually have special mattresses that are specifically designed for them.
A hospital bed must be comfortable, long-lasting, and easy to clean. The mattresses have been designed to allow them to distribute pressure to avoid pressure ulcers. Each option has a different length, width, and weight capacity, and it is available on the market. More information on the types of mattresses used in hospitals can be found on this page. People who are overweight or obese can use a cervical mattress. They can be used in conjunction with hospital beds that can adjust the head and feet. Because they are designed to carry heavier loads than regular hospital beds, they are usually more expensive. There are now a lot of hospitals that provide very expensive mattresses, which is understandable.
Patients should not be given regular mattresses when they are in a hospital bed. There isnt the same support in home mattresses, with many of them putting pressure on uncomfortable parts of the body. Some people develop additional health issues as a result of this. It is critical for your health and well-being to feel as if you enjoy your bed.
Dreamcloud Luxury Hybrid Mattress
Type: Luxury hybridMaterials: Cashmere blend, foam, springsHeight: 14 inchesTrial/Warranty: 365 nights/lifetimeFor our DreamCloud Mattress review, those on our testing panel with back and hip pain sang the praises of this hybrid memory foam mattress. Our side sleepers found ample pressure relief along their shoulders, hips and legs, while our back sleeper experienced contouring along their lower lumbar. A layer of gel-infused comfort foam coupled with a breathable cashmere-blend top cover lulled even our hottest sleeper to slumberland.
Sleepers with a petite-to-average build may need time to adjust to the DreamCloud as it is quite firm for those body types at first. Fortunately, the brand offers a full year to try it risk-free, with a lifetime warranty to back you up if you opt to keep it. The current DreamCloud mattress sale knocks the starting price of its entry-level bed to $600, with up to $499 of bedding included for free.
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Find Your Perfect Supportive Mattress With Texas Mattress Makers
So, is a firm mattress better for your back? Not necessarily. Like weve said before, it all depends on you. Every sleeper has a unique set of needs and personal preferences that can be catered to with the right mattress. You can easily find a supportive mattress but still have it feel the way you want it if you have the right components in the support layer. We recommend that you visit our showroom so that we can test out different mattress types and comfort levels so that you leave with the most supportive mattress possible. If you cannot come to one of our five showrooms, then you can also chat with our experts on our website.
Texas Mattress Makers offers quality mattresses handmade right here in the state of Texas. Unlike other manufacturers, our passion lies in helping you find the perfect mattress that will last you a lifetime, not just a few years.
You can shop by either comfort level, mattress type, mattress size, or budget, or come and visit any of our convenient Houston locations today!
More Beducation by Texas Mattress Makers:
Pulled Back Muscle And Lower Back Strain
Lower back or lumbar pain could result from a range of different causes. However, these are causes that are associated with the lumbar disc directly or with muscle strains. This could actually result from sudden movements, lifting heavy objects, or any other twists.
In any case, the thing that you need to do here is to get a proper and professional consultation with your doctor.
This is based on the prediction that you might have fallen into a specific situation with particular medical requirements. These might determine the firmness as well as the material type of your bed. The only person who could provide you with thorough and actionable advice on the mattress that you should get is your doctor.
And, keep in mind that this should happen only after careful and thorough examination. The source of the pain needs to be isolated and targeted properly.
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Medical News Todays Methodology
MNT chooses mattresses, sheets, pillows, and other bedding that meet the following criteria:
- Certifications:MNT will choose products that have CertiPUR-US or other certifications. This means that the products are low in pollutants and free from heavy metals and volatile organic compounds.
- Size: MNT chooses products that are available in various sizes.
- Materials and fill:MNT selects products made from different materials and fills, such as memory foam and latex, to suit a range of sleep and lifestyles.
- Budget: MNT features products to suit a wide range of budgets.
- Firmness: MNT selects mattresses available in a range of firmness options to suit most peoples sleeping styles.
- Sleep trials:MNT chooses companies that offer a sleep trial.
- Shipping: Where possible, MNT will include shipping information, such as where the company delivers to and whether shipping is free.
- Warranties and return policies: MNT will include products with warranties and clear returns policies.
Please note that the writer of this article has not tried these products. All information presented is purely research-based and correct at the time of publication.
Medical News Today follows a strict product selection and vetting process. Learn more here.
Three Zones Of Foam Provide Ultimate Comfort
Casper
Type: Hybrid | Firmness: Medium-firm | Delivery: Bed in a box | Trial: 100 nights | Warranty: 10 years
The Casper Original Hybrid mattress has three zones of targeted support to help align your spineand hopefully ease your back pain in the process. Softer foam around your shoulders cushions your upper body, while firmer foam under your hips, waist and lower back keep your spine in the right position. The durable foam base underneath allows for added firmness and support, so the mattress doesnt sink or sag under your weight. Its available in all-foam or hybrid options, with the former being the firmer pick, the latter having a medium-firm feel. When asked, a Casper Snooze Specialist recommended the hybrid for back pain due to its combination of support and give. That said, it also comes in an all-foam version for those who prefer it.
What the reviews say: Over the past year woke up daily with hip and back pain, recounts a reviewer. Our son and his wife have a Casper. We slept on it for two nights and I woke up with no pain! immediately went home and ordered online, figuring we had 100 days to try it out. It’s been 30 days and no amount of money could make us part with this mattress!
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Which Mattress Firmness Is Best For Back Pain
A scientific study concluded that a medium-firm mattress outperformed a firm mattress in terms of reducing back pain whilst in bed, upon rising, and throughout the day for 313 adults tested over a 90-day period .
However, this study doesnt mean that everyone with back pain should buy a medium-firm mattress because back pain is a highly individualized condition, and the most suitable mattress firmness is dependant on a range of subjective factors.
The best mattress firmness for back pain could be soft, medium, firm, or another firmness variant depending on your body weight, body type, and dominant sleeping position.
This can make choosing the right mattress firmness for your back pain challenging.
And even if you consult your doctor first , you may still be unclear on the most suitable mattress firmness to help with your back pain.
Thats why Ive put together a list of the different mattress firmnesses and provided some guidelines as to which setting is typically best suited to the different combinations of body weights, body types, and sleeping positions to provide some clarity.
Bear Original Best Mattress For Athletes With Back Pain
Bear has managed to carve out a niche in the mattress industry by catering specifically to athletes and active folks, so its no wonder the Bear Original is a great pick for athletes who may also suffer from back pain. The Original came in at a 7 out of 10 on our firmness scale, meaning itll do a good job of keeping your spine in alignment. As a bonus, it also comes with a 2-inch layer of graphite gel-infused foam, which will cool you down and fill in the space in your lumbar region while youre lying down, providing support to alleviate pain.
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What Makes The Saatva Stand Out
- At a 7/10 on the firmness scale, the Saatva mattress is very close to medium firmness, which is ideal for back sleepers.
- The coils promote airflow through the mattress so that it doesnt trap too much heat.
- Sagging shouldnt be an issue on the Saatva. Its an exceptionally durable option that should remain comfortable and supportive for years to come.
Read our full Saatva mattress review.
Pain In The Long Run After Choosing The Right Mattress
If you are waking up with a stiff back in the morning, you are not sleeping in the correct position. It means that you need to adopt a good sleeping posture.
Sleeping on your side with a pillow between your knees will help in keeping your hips, pelvis and knees in a better alignment. Also, if you sleep on your stomach sometimes it can help relax your back a little. You can sleep on your side in a fetal position if you have a herniated disc.
If you are experiencing increased pain while getting in and out of bed, you should move your body in a way that requires less twisting of the muscles and spine. Here are a few tips to avoid back pain in the long run:
- First, sit down on the bed while leaving enough space between your hips and pillow.
- Support your body with body hands as you lean your head on the pillow.
- While sleeping, always keep your nose, toes and knees pointed in the same direction.
- Never get out of bed as soon as you wake up.
- Take deep breaths and do some stretching.
- Bend your knees, pull your abdomen and roll onto your side.
- Move your nose, hips and shoulders at the same time.
- Once you are sitting on the bed, take a moment or two to rest.
- Then bend forward from the hip joints while keeping your back straight.
- Straighten your legs as you stand on the floor.
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When Should I Get A New Mattress
Most mattresses will require replacing after around 7 years.
A worn mattress may not provide adequate support and may be sunken or worn. This may contribute to back pain. If a person has an old mattress, they may wish to try a new one. Sleep trials allow consumers to test a mattress for a period before committing to a purchase.
one-third of their lives either sleeping or trying to fall asleep. People with back pain may experience difficulty falling asleep because they cannot get comfortable.
Choosing a mattress to suit an individuals needs and preferences may help alleviate back pain and improve sleep quality.
An individual should consider the type of back pain they are experiencing and their preferred sleep position before choosing the mattress that will work best for them.
2 sourcescollapsed
- Caggiari, G., et al. . What type of mattress should be chosen to avoid back pain and improve sleep quality? Review of the literature.
Why Brooklyn Bedding Signature Wins As Best Affordable Mattress For Back Pain
In terms of construction, Brooklyn Bedding Signature is a spring mattress with 6 pocketed coils for back support. The comfort layers are composed of Energex and TitanFlex foam, which offer a soft foam feel. They are truly really comfy. Anyone with back issues should likely start with the firm mattress model, which they call Firm. That said, we could see side sleepers with back pain preferring the Medium model.
Of course, theres no guarantee that even the best mattresses on this will cure your back issues, but at least Brooklyn Bedding Signature allows you to save money while sleeping on a very quality bed. The king mattress is under $1,400, and the queen mattress is around $1,100.
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