Sleep matters -- so much so that six in 10 Americans crave sleep over sex. And the key to rest that's good enough to forgo sex just might be the mattress: Nine in 10 respondents in a sleep survey cited their mattress as an important factor in getting that coveted good night's rest. In 2010, Americans spent more than $5.8 billion on mattresses and box springs alone. But is this expense justified? How important are mattresses, really? Read on for the low-down on how mattresses affect health and sleep quality. 13 Legit Ways to Stop a Hangover The Most Common Yoga Injuries and How to Avoid Them 13 Social Good Mobile Apps for a Healthier You Mattress Matters -- The Need-To-Know The first "mattresses" (read: piles of leaves, grass or straw covered in animal skins) were invented by cave men and women. Thousands of years later, the Egyptian pharaohs discovered the luxury of raising the bedding off the ground (though common folk continued to sleep on piles of palm fronds).
Today, many Americans enjoy the luxury of mattress-induced sleep. Even those who aren't up on their mattress history know the value of a good night's sleep. The average person spends about one third of her or his life sleeping. For those who sleep less than that, sleep deprivation can have serious health consequences, including a sour mood (what college student doesn't know this to be truth), slower metabolism and impaired immune function There are lots of great tips for coping with sleep deprivation, but what if the cause is right under our backs? Low-quality, uncomfortable mattresses have been linked to sleep discomfort and pain, and chronic pain can prevent quality sleep. Fortunately, it's not all bad news. While mattresses can hinder sleep quality, they can also improve it. Improved “bedding systems” (a fancy way of saying “things you sleep on”) have been linked to decreased pain and discomfort, especially in women. Quality sleep on a good mattress may also help decrease stress.
The experts we spoke to said it basically comes down to personal preference. If we're comfortable, we have a better chance of sleeping well, and if we sleep well, we're more likely to stay healthy. Better Bedding -- Your Action Plan When it comes to purchasing the perfect mattress, it turns out there are a lot of mixed messages out there. Some research suggests that foam mattresses create backaches; others say foam helps pain. Some studies advocate for regular cotton mattresses while others say coils create backaches and that airbeds are the way to go. There's even controversy over the conventional thinking that a firm mattress is better for lower back pain. The reason for all this controversy is that sleep quality and comfort are so darn subjective. When buying a mattress, the most important consideration is probably personal comfort. In fact, some people argue that if something else besides a mattress proves more comfortable to sleep on, we should go for it. If you do find yourself in the market for a new mattress, there are still some useful tips to keep in mind.
Follow these guidelines for a better shot at getting that elusive good night's sleep. Have you reaped the benefits of a good night's sleep on a comfortable mattress? Do you sleep better without a mattress? Any mattress horror stories? Share 'em in the comments below! Thanks to Joyce Walsleben, David M. Rapoport and Nicole Lehman for their help with this article. For more on sleep, click here. Sign up or log in to customize your list. Here's how it works: Anybody can ask a question The best answers are voted up and rise to the top According to a competitor, [...] the visco memory foam mattress cuts off circulation and increases inflammation. This is in keeping with my personal experience of inflammation. Is that just an anecdote and one more dubious claim from a competitor with many of them? Or is there scientific evidence to support the claim that memory foam mattresses cause more inflammation than other styles? medical-science physiology sleep memory-foam
Memory foam cushions and mattresses are useful as their shape moves around the user and their body and musculature, The material is used in some wheelchair cushions for long term users such as those with rheumatoid arthritis, or a combination cushion for full time wheelchair users such as those with spinal injury. As a mattress, they disperse a person's weight and pressure equally without putting pressure on joints and bony prominences, i.e. arthritis. Also useful for people with difficulty moving around in bed, e.g. stroke, high tone etc. Seating and pressure ulcers: Clinical practice guideline, Stockton, Lesley ; Gebhardt, Kryzstof S. ; Journal of Tissue Viability, 2009, Vol.18(4), pp.98-108 [Peer Reviewed Journal] Sign up or log in Sign up using Google Sign up using Email and Password Post as a guest By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service. Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged medical-science physiology sleep memory-foam or ask your own question.
See our for our list of comped products and affiliate programs. If you sleep on your side and have the wrong mattress, it can lead to shoulder pain or hip pain. A good mattress for side sleeping should conform to your body, taking the pressure off your hips and shoulders and aligning your spine so that your muscles can relax. Thus for side sleepers specifically we recommend buying a mattress online. Don’t get roped in by a two-minute test in a store — that will tell you nothing about ultimate feel and durability in the long run. Online companies typically have a trial period (up to 100 nights in some cases) where you can return the mattress for a full refund if it doesn’t suit your preferences. You should definitely do your research before buying, but at least this trial process takes away the risk of you being stuck with a mattress for years that actually isn’t a great fit. I have reviewed a number of mattresses that claim to be good for side sleepers, however I’ve narrowed down my top 4 for the purpose of this review.
My top 3 are: These mattresses are not necessarily #1 in my overall mattress reviews, but they do rate the highest when considering side sleepers. Note these are all high-quality mattresses that I consider very durable, with GhostBed as an option for those with a little less of a budget. Amerisleep is very high quality memory foam and ranks at the top of my memory foam mattress list as well. They have a few models, for side sleepers I would go with a softer option (their Liberty, Colonial, or Independence are good choices). Amerisleep in general is very comfortable (in my opinion) and very good value (get an extra $50 off here). They also have some unique cooling features in their foam and some very cool features in general, learn more in my full Amerisleep review. Layla is a relatively small and unknown memory foam mattress mattress company, but we need to mention them due to their great specs and price. Layla easily compares to models that are 3x expensive in stores (see more details on their website).
The mattress is flippable, with two relatively soft options for sleepers. Read my Layla mattress review for a full analysis of the specs. Layla also delivers only online, passing on some of the savings of not having retail stores to buyers. Layla stands out from the competition in my mind because the memory foam is copper infused, so it sleeps cooler than most memory foam mattresses. Loom and Leaf is designed to be a luxury memory foam mattress at an affordable price (see more HERE). The mattresses is sold only online, so it can compete with some of the top memory foam brands in terms of specs (think Tempur-pedic) at a fraction of the price. They’re not marking up the product by a huge margin just to fund retail locations. The company uses very high quality memory foam that offers side sleepers great support. Learn more about this mattress in my full Loom & Leaf review. Loom & Leaf is made by an online innerspring mattress company (Saatva) that has been in the game a long time.
They wanted to take on the high-end of the memory foam market, and Loom & Leaf is doing just that. The mattress comes in three firmness settings: soft, medium, and firm. For side sleepers, we definitely recommend either the soft or the medium. The great thing about memory foam (especially quality memory foam like you get with Loom & Leaf) is that it has the best tradeoff between comfort and support while providing great orthopedic benefits. People often tell us their backs feel better after sleeping on these mattresses. GhostBed is similar to a lot of medium tier mattresses on the market (think Casper competitors), however they have made a few key changes that makes them one of my preferred mattresses in the price range, and a good fit for side sleepers. They added an extra inch of comfort layer foam (the mattress is 11 inches total), which as discussed is good for pressure relief and spinal alignment. They also invested in higher quality foams throughout, which gives me more confidence in the durability.
Finally, GhostBed comes out of Nature’s Sleep, a company that’s been doing large volume in the mattress game for a long time. Nature’s Sleep appears to have leveraged their volume to edge out even the biggest online players in terms of price. Get the full read on this mattress in my GhostBed review. If you sleep on your side, you are going to be naturally putting a lot of pressure on your hips, shoulders, and neck, which can cause tension throughout the spine. To sleep comfortably, you want a mattress that is soft enough to relieve those pressure points. Foam mattresses tend to be great at relieving pressure points and can be ideal for this aspect of sleeping on your side. If a mattress is too firm, it will cut off a lot of the blood circulation in your body, and it will potentially cause major aches and pains because it doesn’t contour to the widest points in the hips and shoulders. It could lead to waking up in the middle of the night a lot, as well as a significant amount of tossing and turning as your body struggles to find a supportive position.
A mattress that is too firm is something you want to avoid if you spend most of your time sleeping on your side. As I mention in my Tempur-Contour Supreme review, not all mattresses are suited for side sleepers. It is critical for your health that you find a mattress that contours well to your body and supports the natural alignment of your spine. If you sleep on your side and the mattress is too firm, your neck won’t be properly supported and your spine will be thrown off its natural alignment. This could lead to back and neck pain fairly easily, which may compound over time. That’s yet another reason why purchasing online from a company with a 100 night free trial can be so beneficial. You truly get to test to see what works for you! If the mattress is too soft, you could sink in too much and your spine will be too curved. This could similarly lead to pain across your body. A mattress that is too soft is not ideal either. There is no one best mattress brand or type for sleeping on your side.