Tuesday, March 22, 2016

What's "Better"? A Hard or Soft Mattress?

There's an age-old question among sleepers – whether to buy a hard mattress or a soft one. Either side hosts strong allegiances, and will claim that their version is better for the back, more comfortable, and a clear choice all should make. They also claim that their version is better for the muscles, as well as for posture in general. But which type of mattress is actually better? And what type of surface should you be sleeping on? 

The answer might actually be somewhere in-between. In a recent report of mattress softness ratios, where 1 is extremely firm and 10 is as soft as it gets, results showed the least amount of back pain came with mattresses measuring at 5.6.

Additional research shows that when a mattress is too firm, it puts unnecessary pressure on joints and bones, especially those that are more likely to sit unevenly, like the hips and shoulders (when sleeping on the side). Additionally, when sleeping on the back, a surface that's too firm won't let the body "settle" and properly displace weight. 

Meanwhile, a mattress that is too soft won't offer up support at all. It will let the rear and lower back sink, rather than holding them upright. Though these mattresses might feel comfortable at first, as a long-term solution they can actually cause more harm than good. This is also true of mattresses that are too worn, even if they are firm (or were initially). 

When mattress shopping, consider a version that's in-between normal soft and firm standards. This in-between version can provide plenty of ongoing support, while offering back posture right where it's needed. Additional pain prevention can be found with toppers or support pillows that are specially designed for body posture. 


Start browsing available options on ContourLiving.com today.

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