The Best Mattress for a Better Night's Sleep Buying a new mattress? Here are tips for finding the right mattress for you. You spend about a third of every day in bed. Whether that time is spent blissfully slumbering -- or tossing and turning -- depends a lot on your mattress. "A mattress can impact a person's sleep," says Michael Decker, PhD, RN, associate professor at Georgia State University and spokesman for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. One way that your mattress affects your sleep has to do with the network of fine blood vessels, called capillaries, that runs underneath your skin. "When you lie on any part of your body for an extended period of time, the weight of it reduces the flow of blood through those blood vessels, which deprives the skin of oxygen and nutrients," Decker says. This causes nerve cells and pain sensors in your skin to send a message to your brain for you to roll over. Rolling over restores blood flow to the area, but it also briefly interrupts your sleep.
Ideally, a mattress that reduces the pressure points on your body should give you a better night's sleep, Decker says. Yet the ideal mattress is different for each person. Which Mattress Is Right for You? Finding the right mattress isn't about searching out the highest-tech brand or spending the most money. "A much more expensive mattress doesn't necessarily mean it's better," Decker says. A high price tag is a product of both the materials that go into the mattress, and the marketing that helps sell it. Instead of focusing on price and brand name, think about what you want in a mattress. "Selecting a mattress is very personal," Decker says. Some people prefer a firmer mattress; others favor a softer style. Although there isn't a lot of scientific evidence to prove that one type of mattress will help you sleep better than another, people with certain medical conditions do seem to rest easier on a particular mattress style. Anyone with back or neck pain should take a Goldilocks approach to mattress buying: not too hard, and not too soft.
"If you're on too soft [of] a mattress, you'll start to sink down to the bottom. But on too hard of a mattress you have too much pressure on the sacrum, and on the shoulders, and on the back of the head," says Howard Levy, MD, an Emory University assistant professor of orthopaedics, physical medicine, and rehabilitation. A medium-firm mattress, or a firm mattress with a softer pillow top, will give your spine that "just-right" balance of support and cushioning. An adjustable bed can be a good buy if you need to sleep with your head raised. Doctors sometimes recommend elevating the head to help people with COPD breathe easier, or to prevent nighttime heartburn from GERD. These beds can also allow you to adjust your knees and hips to a 90-degree angle, relieving some of the pressure on sore joints, Levy says. If you have allergies or asthma, you might have considered buying a bed labeled "hypoallergenic." "There are a lot of claims made by mattress manufacturers that their mattresses are hypoallergenic or don't support the growth of dust mites, but I don't know of scientific evidence to support these claims," says Paul V. Williams, MD, a pediatrics professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine and an allergist at Northwest Allergy and Asthma Center in Washington state.
Williams says dust mites will live anywhere there's food -- and that food is your dead skin cells. Instead of investing in an allergy-free mattress, slip on a washable mattress encasing. It will form a barrier that prevents dust mites from getting to you. A mattress encasing cuts allergen growth by robbing dust mites of their food supply, Williams says. And what about those space-age memory foam mattresses, which can cost thousands of dollars? There is some evidence they can help with back problems and improve sleep, but their advantage over a regular coil mattress is only slight. Where memory foam mattresses can really help you sleep is if you have an active bed partner who is keeping you awake, Decker says. Foam mattresses reduce motion transfer, letting you lie still while your partner tosses and turns. Test Drive a Mattress Before You Buy "You wouldn't buy a car without test driving it," Decker says. So why would you invest hundreds -- or even thousands of dollars in a mattress without trying it out first?
Take any new mattress you're considering for a test nap. "People should not be embarrassed to go into a store and lay on a mattress for 20 minutes," Decker says. For a more realistic test, sleep in the beds at different hotel chains when you travel. If you get an especially good night's sleep on one of them, ask the desk clerk what brand it is. When you test out a mattress, make sure it feels comfortable in every position, especially the side you favor for sleeping. The mattress should be supportive where you need it, without putting too much pressure on your body, Levy says. Time for a New Mattress If you've been having trouble sleeping, the problem might not be your mattress type, but its age. "It's really important for people to realize that mattresses have a certain lifespan," Decker says. Keep your mattress too long, and the foam and other materials inside it will start to break down, compromising its ability to support your body. Decker recommends keeping your mattress for no more than 10 years.
After that, it's time to go mattress shopping again.Eight out of ten people will have back pain at some point in their lives1. Symptoms range from a dull, constant ache to acute, debilitating pain. And since people spend about one-third of their lives in bed, the mattress you use can impact whether or not you suffer from back pain more than almost anything else. That's why so many people are searching for the best mattress for back pain. Scientific studies have proven that getting the right mattress for back pain can improve your symptoms and sleep quality2. The best mattresses for back pain will evenly support your weight and allow your spine to remain aligned. When looking for the best mattress for back pain, the two main things to consider are its firmness and the materials it's made from. Scientific studies have proven that getting the right mattress for back pain can improve your symptoms and sleep quality.Hi, my name is Caroline and I would like to offer you a “dreamy” welcome to my website.
Well, I say dreamy but if you’re in the same situation I was some months ago, the chances are you’re feeling anything but! Just to give you a bit of background information on why you see this creation before you today, I was in a pretty bad place some time ago and if this is the same with you, I am happy to let you know that a good mattress can really turn your world around. It could be that you’re the same as I was and you’re fed-up with those aches and pains that bug you every morning when you wake-up. It could also be that you’re just looking for a new mattress and have already done a whole load of research on the internet, or have been to your local store and still can’t find a mattress that will suit your needs. Either way, I happen to be an avid lover of memory foam and I also believe that you don’t have to take out a second mortgage so you can pay for it. So, in the following pages you won’t just find reviews on what I think are some of the best brands of foam mattresses on the market right now, but also a good smattering of other pages that are there for information alone.
In fact, I like to think of my website as a place where you can find all the information you need in one place. If you already know what type of mattress you would like, or you don’t have the time to navigate through my website until you find the right one, I have added a comparison table for you. In this table you will be met with straight to the point facts about model, type, size and a whole host of other easy to see facts on the foam mattresses I have here. At the end, if you do have time for that cup of coffee I have also added a link so you can read the full review on the product you’re interested in.I have plenty of informational pages that will help you understand how to choose a memory foam mattress, what type might suit you best and much more. Below is a list of what I have included and you’re more than welcome to click on the link if you would like more information. If you’ve managed to wade through all of the information above without falling asleep, I now move onto my best picks for memory foam mattresses.
Best Memory Foam Mattress Overall For my best overall I choose the Sleep Innovations SureTemp because it’s a high quality mattress for a very fair price. In the review you will find three different depths: the 12 inch, 10 inch and 8 inch model, but the reason I chose this model isn’t just because the sizes will suit a wide range of people, it also comes with a 20 year warranty – something that’s not very common in this price range. Best High-End Quality Foam Mattress OK, so this isn’t the cheapest model I have in my selection of reviews, but the Ultimate Dreams 13” Gel Foam mattress has got pretty much everything. It includes a cooling layer, is available in no less than six sizes and really will help to keep those night-time aches and pains away. In fact, it has been compared to some of the large and expensive brand names out there but comes at a fraction of the price. Best Mattress for the Money I know many people who have spent well in excess of $1500 on a memory foam mattress, and even more than that in some cases.
The models I have reviewed here will not cost you anywhere near that much, yet you still have the benefit of memory foam technology. Even 12 Inch of that if you want, but you can also choose for 6 or 8 Inch and save even more! Best Therapeutic Foam Mattress You may recall that I have mentioned my aches and pains which hardly ever bother me anymore, and I’m a firm believer that it’s because I switched to the DynastyMattress Therapeutic Deluxe. This is why it earns a place as my best therapeutic mattress, although I will say this is for those of you who prefer a firm mattress. That aside, in my opinion this mattress has been my savior this past few months! Best 10-Inch Budget Memory Foam If you get time to go through my website, you will notice that I constantly mention the fact that people complain about becoming overheated when sleeping on a memory foam mattress (especially those in the lower price range). The LUCID by LinenSpa gets my vote for the best 10″ budget mattress because I think the manufacturer has done an excellent job at using technology that will keep you cool all night long.
Best Kids Memory Foam Mattress I couldn’t forget the children could I? After all, we have to remember that growing bones and joints need to be protected and that’s why I have chosen the Sleep Master 6 inch as my best kids mattress. Apart from offering the best overnight support for a little body, this model also comes with an easy zip-off Jacquard cover (for those little accidents), and it won’t break the bank! You thought I had forgotten didn’t you! Well, my website wouldn’t be complete without reviews on mattress toppers as well, and you can find the whole selection here. However, my favorite is the Density Visco 4lb which is 3 inches thick. If you can’t afford a completely new mattress right now, this is the answer! I also happen to think this topper is a great idea if you’re considering moving to memory foam for the first time and just want to give it a try. Unlike a traditional mattress, a memory foam mattress will need to be cared for slightly differently, and surprisingly maintenance in general can differ from brand to brand.
However, there are some basic rules to follow, and you will find out what they are on this page. You can also take a look at this video page I’ve added which shows you how to steam clean a mattress. For those of you who are considering a memory foam mattress for the first time, and would like to know what the differences are between certain types, I have also added these pages for you: And if you’re someone who likes to know how the finished product eventually arrives at your door, you can also take a look at this great video I found that details how latex and memory foam mattresses are made. It doesn’t stop there on the information front! You can also find out more about the different types of foam (and there are quite a few to consider) or the considerations for side-, back- and stomach sleepers. This last one is probably the most important to at least have a quick look through. The reason for this is the position you sleep in has a lot to do with the type of foam mattress you should consider looking into, and the last thing I want is for you to come away from my website with the wrong product!
Gaining the perfect level of comfort does have an awful lot to do with the type of mattress you have, but here are other things to remember that will help you finally get that uninterrupted night’s sleep you’ve been “day-dreaming” about. For one thing, your pillow could be the source of some of the discomfort you experience, and I have added another video with tips on finding the right pillow. Once you have some idea of what type is likely to suit you, I have added a really good cross section of reviews on the best bed pillows I’ve found which you can find here. Just to add the finishing touches for both comfort and aesthetics feel free to take a look at the mini reviews I have for you on the following: I know many of you won’t read all of the information above, and that’s just fine. I have tried to cover all angles so there is information on my homepage that will interest some and not others. What I do hope is that if you were confused before you arrived here, you now have a clearer idea of what mattress will suit you best.