How to choose the right mattress for you
Before we get into the specifics and figure out how to choose a mattress based on your needs, let's start with an assumption: whatever mattress is best for you, it should take care of your spine, maintaining its physiological curvature.
In fact, a good mattress should support the weight of the body and allow the spinal muscles to relax, so as to avoid compression and crushing of the spinal discs. Therefore, the mattress should be neither too firm nor too soft.
In the former case it would put a strain on your joints and could even cause a misalignment of the spine, resulting in sore back and neck muscles. Sleeping on a mattress that is too soft, on the other hand, would tend to sink your shoulders and pelvis into the mattress, forcing your spine into an incorrect position. In either case, you will wake up tired and sore.
If that is what is happening to you, then it is time to change mattresses: so which one to choose?
How to choose a mattress by material
Compared to the past, choosing a mattress today is a task made even more difficult by the market's offerings of mattresses made of different materials. Let us see, therefore, pros and cons of the various types of mattresses:
- Spring mattresses - particularly suitable for those who are overweight, spring mattresses can meet the needs of most people, and their price can vary significantly, depending on the number of springs. When this is insufficient, the mattress will tend to sag in a very short time.
- Memory foam mattresses - These are excellent mattresses for back pain and to combat joint pain. Made of polyurethane foam of different intensities, they provide excellent adaptability to the physiological curve of the spine and cushion body movements. Among the disadvantages, we point out the temperature: the material used, in fact, reduces air circulation, so sleeping on them you may feel too hot, especially during the summer season.
- Natural latex mattresses - similar to memory foam mattresses, latex mattresses also provide excellent support for the spine. In contrast, as a result of using a natural material, they are particularly sensitive to moisture, so they are not recommended for those living near the sea or in very humid environments.
How to choose a mattress by weight
When you ask yourself the question "how to choose the ideal mattress for me," you really have to start with you, your body and, more precisely, your weight. Softer mattresses, for example, are suitable only for those who weigh very little, indicatively under 55 kg, otherwise the body would risk sinking, resulting in serious damage to the spine.
Conversely, if you weigh more than 85 kg, you will have to choose a hard mattress, which I can support your weight and keep your back in the correct position. If you sleep as a couple with your partner and have two different weights, the best solution is to buy two different mattresses, specific to your very personal needs, or resort to so-called bi-zone mattresses, made from two different mattresses, joined together.
How to choose the mattress according to the sleeping position
How to choose a mattress, however, is mainly about becoming aware of how you sleep, what position you assume for most of the night.
If you love sleeping on your side, then you should lean toward a memory foam mattress. This position, in fact, greatly increases pressure on the shoulders and pelvis, so choosing a mattress that can mold to your body shape is essential to avoid soreness and contractures.
Instead, by sleeping supine, that is, on your stomach, you will need to support your lower back, allowing your back muscles to be able to relax. Medium-rigid memory foam mattresses and latex mattresses will help you maintain the correct physiological curve of the spine.
Latex and spring mattresses, on the other hand, are recommended for those who sleep on their stomachs. In fact, these garrisons provide adequate support to the hips so as to avoid abnormal compression of the discs in the lumbar area.
How to choose a mattress for back pain
We have seen that how to choose a mattress involves a careful analysis of several factors, which, because of their complexity, can put anyone in difficulty. How, in fact, to solve the problem of someone who is overweight, and who in view of his build would gain considerable advantages by sleeping on a spring mattress, but sleeps on his side, a position for which the memory foam mattress is recommended?
The experts' suggestions are clear, but they do not give due consideration to the multiplicity of factors. Moreover, while it is true that all of these suggestions can avert the onset of spinal discomfort, what to do when back pain is already in progress? What mattress to choose, then, if you wake up in the morning already sore and tired?
The best solution is to choose the Pharmaflex orthopedic topper, which, thanks to an innovative patent, allows for even weight distribution, proper spacing of the back and lumbar vertebrae, and, ultimately, good rest.
An evolution of the albeit excellent latex and memory foam mattresses, the Pharmaflex topper boasts as much as 8 cm in height, and placed on your old mattress, it will allow you to get the right support for your back, at a much lower price than you would face buying a new mattress.
Don't ask yourself how to choose the best mattress, choose the Pharmaflex orthopedic topper: your back pain will disappear and you, as if by magic, will wake up in the morning as fresh, rested and dynamic as you used to be.
