What Is The Best Mattress For Back Pain




You don't need to be a genius to work out that your mattress, especially if it is an old one, could be contributing to or aggravating your current back problems and maybe even causing them altogether. So assuming you are going to do something about it, what is the best mattress for back pain?

There is no simple, easy answer to this question. Everyone is different and you will have to do a bit of homework to find the best one for you. By better understanding the back and the types of mattress available, you'll be able to make the best choice for you.

How A Mattress Can Cause Problems

The reason that you may feel pain and stiffness in the morning upon waking is because a bad mattress does not allow your muscles to relax properly.

When muscles fail to relax properly, then your spine is distorted into an unnatural position. In the long term this can cause you serious back problems and pain.

Some Mattress Myths

Many people still believe that a hard mattress is the best for back problems. Some even advise sleeping on the floor!

As anyone who has ever tried the second method will testify, hard surfaces can hurt your joints. Also, a hard surface will itself put your back into an unnatural position due to there being no "give".

A recent, wide-ranging study showed that the best type of mattress is medium-firm, rather than firm.

How To Choose The Right Mattress For You

First of all you should ignore the vast majority of health claims out there that are used to sell mattresses. Such claims are a dime a dozen and most are unfortunately not substantiated. So ignore any back or orthopaedic claims.

Secondly, you need to just try out many different mattresses in your local bed shop. Some will be sprung and some will be made of memory foam. The latter adjusts automatically to the contours of your body but, although comfortable, traditional sprung mattresses are just as good – your comfort should dictate which of the two to go for.

Unfortunately, when it comes to solving your back pain, there is some trade off between short term comfort and your long term back health. Firmness is one factor but not the only one. The less intense your back pain symptoms then the more towards comfort you can aim and vice versa.

Mattress Care

Remember to turn and flip your mattress every six months to maximise its lifetime.

Waterbeds

Most waterbeds actually cause back pain rather than relieve it. I strongly advise you not to buy a waterbed if you currently have back pain, no matter what the manufacturer may be claiming in terms of health benefits.











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