How the Right Mattress Can Benefit Your Back Health

Our bodies go through so much during the day. Whether it is hunching over a laptop, or sitting in an office chair for 8 hours or more, or picking up the kids, all this can lead to poor posture, which is the main cause of back pain.

When you sleep, you give your spine and the muscles that support it an opportunity to have a much-needed rest. However, to be able to rest and recover, it’s important that your spine is properly aligned and supported when settled down into a horizontal sleeping position. This will help to reduce any soreness in your back.

To get your spine properly aligned, it’s essential that you have a comfortable and supportive mattress. To find that ideal fit, the main areas to access are your sleep position and the firmness, type and material of the mattress.

Sleeping Position

Whether you are a back sleeper, a side sleeper or a stomach sleeper, you’ll find a mattress designed to accommodate your sleeping position. Based on your regular sleeping position here is the level of firmness you should look for.

• If you’re a side sleeper, you need a slightly softer mattress. Look something in the 5.5 to 6.5 firmness range.
• If you’re a back sleeper, you need a solid medium-firm mattress. Look something in the 6 to 7 firmness range.
• If you’re a stomach sleeper, you need a firmer mattress. Look something in the 6.5 to 7.5 firmness range.

Mattress Type and Materials

Mattresses are now available in a range of natural and synthetic materials. The most common types are made with memory foam. latex, air chambers, innerspring, or a combination. All these can be great mattresses but for back pain, the more support, the best.

Memory Foam and Latex

Memory foam and latex mattresses are the most commonly recommended for back pain due to their amazing support and contouring. Both help keep the spine aligned while sleeping and also hug the body and cradle all the body’s natural curve, supporting pressure points like shoulders and hips, and relieving pressure for reduced pain.

Innerspring

This type of mattress is a bed of coils with a foam layer of top. Innerspring mattresses were the standard for many years, and although they have improved with pocket coils and better motion isolation, a regular innerspring with a foam top generally don’t provide proper support for substantial back pain relief.

Hybrid

Hybrid mattresses often have a coil or airbase with plush memory foam or latex top. The combination of the two materials tends to work well to lessen back pain, reduce soreness and help with a good night’s sleep. Just make sure the mattress have a good size layer of memory foam and preferably multiple layers of foam, not just a topper.

Size

When it comes to the quality of your sleep, the size of your mattress can really make all the difference. This is especially true if you share a bed with your partner – the last thing you want is to be disturbed by your partner during the night due to lack of sleep space. That is why you should buy king size mattress as it provides enough room for you to safely roll from your side to your back and stomach, without affecting your partner’s rest. Being able to find the right sleep position is essential to prevent back pain.

We all tend to adopt a default sleeping position when we get into bed. When you sleep in a small bed, there is always the risk that you might end up having to compromise on that due to lack of room. So, buy king size mattress and really get comfortable. More space will give you more chances to find a sleeping position that helps alleviate any pressure points and focus on getting into a sound sleep pattern almost as soon as your head hits the pillow.

If you are wondering to know what is the size of a king-size mattress it is 1835mm x2030mm. While it’s the same length as a queen, the king size mattress delivers an extra 30 cm in width, which means it’s large enough to provide a night of disturbance-free sleep. As long as your bedroom has enough space for the sheer size of this mattress, it will be the focal point of your room design.

Other Things You Can Do to Prevent Back Pain

Aside from buying a new mattress, there are a few other things you can do to help alleviate back pain such as investing in a good, comfortable pillow, trying natural sleep aids and doing some stretching before you go to bed and when you get up.

Back pain is a common complaint among office workers, which is often related to poor posture, which is often related to a poor office chair. So, if you work long hours seating in a poorly designed office chair, even the best mattress won’t be able to fix your back problems. Getting an office ergonomic chair will also help you manage your pain and relieve tension.

The right office ergonomic chair will offer lots of support and promote good posture. It will work with your body shape to relieve strain and provide back support. You need a chair that is designed to fit the natural curve of your spine in a seated position, especially at the base. This is known as lumbar support and is the most important feature when it comes to relieving back pain.

The best ergonomic chairs are the ones that allow a great range of adjustments, both in the support they offer and the position relative to your workstation. The secret to comfort is the ability to adjust nearly every component of the chair to accommodate your body type and size. This enables you to achieve a more custom fit than standard chairs.

An ergonomic chair can help with a wider range of musculoskeletal conditions including pain in the neck, mid-back and low back. Although you may have to spend a little more on an ergonomic chair, it can have a huge impact on your productivity and wellbeing.