The jury is still out on whether a firm or soft mattress is the best option for people whose back pain keeps them up at night. That said, most health experts in the know say the choice is yours—that the mattress that makes you feel most comfortable is likely your best option. And what does research say so far? That medium firmness seems to yield the most painless sleep.For example, The Lancet published the results of a randomized controlled trial that assessed 313 people who had a backache while in bed and when they got up. The researchers randomly placed participants onto either a firm mattress or a medium firm mattress, and after 90 days evaluated them for pain reduction and disability.The medium firm mattress won. Study participants in the medium firm mattress group had significantly less pain and disability throughout the study compared to participants in the firm mattress group. Here’s what the researchers had to say:Dr. Michael Perry, medical director of the Laser Spine Institute in Tampa, Fla., agrees that a medium firm mattress is generally the way to go.
But he firmly (no pun intended) adds that one size does not fit all in the choosing of a mattress by those with spine pain. A number of other factors play a role, as well, he says.Selecting the mattress that’s best suited to your spinal condition is about more than just how hard or soft the item is, Perry says. You (and your doctor) need to consider your medical history in some detail, so that you can tailor your purchase to your needs.Before purchasing a mattress, Perry recommends asking yourself the following questions: What medical conditions do you have? What is your current diagnosis or diagnoses? What, if anything, have you been treated for previously? It makes a difference. For example, symptoms of spinal stenosis tend to present themselves when you are standing and walking, but not when you are lying down. For this reason, the question of mattress firmness is not a big issue in people with spinal stenosis only. If this is you, choose a mattress that makes you feel comfortable.
But if you have degeneration along with your stenosis, that’s a different matter, Perry says. In this case, or if you have spinal arthritis without stenosis, disc problems or non-specific back pain, you do need to consider the relative firmness or softness of your mattress. “People with these conditions do better with more support, i.e. a firmer mattress,” Perry says.Perry also says that while everyone needs some support when they sleep, people who have undergone multiple back surgeries often need less, relatively speaking. After several surgeries, the tissues have been altered and may be stiffer, he says. In this case, a softer mattress may be more comfortable. Dr. Perry warns that mattress springs break down over time, which makes your bed softer. “This can aggravate a patient’s back,” he tells me.Based on this, does it makes sense for you to get a new mattress, or can you reduce pain and stiffness with your old one? While this is likely to vary among individuals, medical research may help shed some light on the question:A study done in Oklahoma and published in Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics measured the pain, spine stiffness, and quality of sleep in 22 adults to whom they gave a “prescribed” (and new) bedding system for 28 days.
When they compared the ratings with participants’ ratings of their personal bedding systems for the same amount of time, they found that the prescribed bedding systems helped to improve all three measures significantly.What position do you usually sleep in? This makes a difference in the type of support you need from your bed. Dr. Perry has some recommendations for back sleepers, side sleepers (whom he calls fetal position sleepers), and stomach sleepers:The same group of Oklahoma researchers mentioned above did another study that affirms Perry’s assertions. The study, which was published in Applied Ergonomics in 2010, involved 27 patients with low back pain and stiffness upon arising.Researchers divided the participants up according to their usual sleep position. Participants were assigned to a medium firm mattress with combination of foam and latex layering that was based on their preferred positioning choice - choices that correspond to Perry's descriptions as noted above. The participants were rated for sleep comfort and quality every day for three months.
The researchers found that the patients’ back pain and stiffness improved with the new mattresses. For this reason, they concluded that sleep surfaces do relate to sleep discomfort and that it is possible to reduce your pain by replacing your mattress with one uniquely suitable to your particular spinal condition.Different people need different things but in general, support is better, Dr. Perry concludes. If you have back pain, the best way to go about buying a mattress is to do your research and base your final selection on your particular need for both support and comfort.Jacobson BH, Wallace TJ, Smith DB, Kolb T. Grouped comparisons of sleep quality for new and personal bedding systems. Epub 2007 Jun 26. Jacobson BH, Gemmell HA, Hayes BM, Altena TS. Effectiveness of a selected bedding system on quality of sleep, low back pain, shoulder pain, and spine stiffness. 25(2):88-92.Kovacs FM, Abraira V, Peña A, et al. Effect of firmness of mattress on chronic non-specific low-back pain: randomised, double-blind, controlled, multicentre trial.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14630439Mattresses for Chronic Back or Neck Pain: A Review of the Clinical Effectiveness and Guidelines. Ottawa (ON): Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health; 7" ORGANIC DUNLOP LATEX MATTRESS - NO FILLERS OR POLY FOAM GOLS-CERTIFIED ORGANIC LATEX - 5 ZONE CORE Need a better mattress for your back that provides perfect support while delivering firmness that's not too hard and not too soft? This incredible latex mattress core was created specifically for the restoration and recovery of fatigued muscles with contoured alignment for perfect posture and lumbar support, as well as delivering energy back to your body while you sleep. The Pure Performance Core mattress has no added comfort layers so if you tend to like the feel of a medium FIRM, choose this. On the surface: We start with our signature Body-Zone Quilting which features 100% pure wool under soft organic cotton circular stretch knit matelasse fabric. Our zoned quilting is designed to provide subtle variances to allow a little more give in the shoulders with a tighter pattern in the lumbar for more support.
We specifically use a small amount of wool in our quilting so you can experience the orthopedic comfort of our latex yet still receive the wonderful benefits of wool, without having to worry about deep body impressions. Temperature regulating and moisture resistant, our wool allows moisture to wick away keeping you cool and dry in the summer and perfectly warm in the winter. Combined with our superior stretch knit certified organic cotton, our materials naturally BREATHE - just like you do - to resonate with your body and provide the best temperature regulation so you don't sleep hot. We source our fleece from New Zealand, world-renowned for their superior wool and have it combed and carded to our specifications in North Carolina. 100% GOTS-Certified Organic Cotton Our luxurious organic cotton fabric is featured in a stretch knit that MOVES with your body AND the latex mattress. Tightly-woven fabrics, like twill or damask, constrict the dynamic contouring flexibility of the latex mattress.
Our quilting enhances the lovely latex mattress underneath, which is the winning component in our all latex mattresses. Our organic cotton matelasse is made with three layers of fibers (the top, the threads inside, and the bottom) which are knitted together in our exclusive pebble pique design. We mill our fabrics in South Carolina. Our 5-Zone Pure Performance latex mattress core is made from pure, creamy white natural latex rubber ergonomically designed to last decades and provide the support your body needs and craves. We also have GOLS-Certified ORGANIC LATEX. To provide the most supportive sleep surface, the Cozy CORE does not have any added layers. Under the organic cotton and wool quilting is the latex core, putting your body in direct contact with the 5-zones, which will offer you a firm mattress for decades. Our zoned latex cores and toppers are made to our specifications from 100% natural rubber with no synthetics or fillers using the time-tested natural Dunlop process which has proven to out-perform anything in terms of longevitiy and durability.
Although heavy and dense, it does not have any fillers often associated with Talalay, nor does it have any chemicals or petroleums used with synthetic latex. We work directly with our supplier located in the beautiful island of Sri Lanka, known for their high-quality rubber plantations. In fact, they were the first plantation and manufacturing plant to receive the global organic latex standard certificate. It costs a little more, but we decided to make our mattress with a two-sided quilt design. The bottom features certified organic cotton twill quilted to wool which can be flipped and used as a sleeping surface if you should ever desire firmer comfort. Our mattresses have a full zipper so you can easily remove the entire top quilting of your mattress. This is great if you ever have an accident that requires spot cleaning: Just unzip, spot clean and let air dry. It also allows you to get inside the mattress at any time and make adjustments to the components. Your CozyPure mattress will arrive fully assembled.
Many zippered latex mattresses from other companies actually just ship you the pieces making you put it together, so in theory you're the final manufacturer. Latex is very heavy and cumbersome so they can be quite a challenge to assemble. In addition, there is no quality control when the latex pieces are simply pulled off a shelf and shipped to you. Here at CozyPure, WE MAKE THE MATTRESS and WE SEE THE LATEX while we build your mattress, we're able to spot any defects and put them aside. When you receive our mattress, simply take it out of the box, put it on your bed frame and you're ready to enjoy quality sleep. At any time you can change the comfort (next month or next year), making this a great "grow-with-me" kids bed. If necessary, the Cozy CORE mattress can be modified the following ways: #1 - Add a layer of 1.5" soft scultped latex and turn it into our CUSH mattress. #2 - Still want it softer? You can add another 1.5" soft layer (for a total of two soft layers).
#3 - For folks that want some plush luxury, consider adding our Natural Latex LaNoodle Cuddle Top. #4 - You can also combine the above -- add one or two layers of 1.5" latex PLUS add the Cuddle Top (this will give you the softest configuation possible for this firmer mattress). #5 - If you should ever desire the Cozy CORE to actually be a little firmer, simply flip it over (the quilting is tighter and firmer on the bottom). When you purchase a CozyPure mattress you become a Cuddle-Up Club member and receive lifetime discounts of 20% off our bedding. That means you never have to wait for a sale. Want another set of sheets or some LaNoodle Pillow for gifts? Maybe try our wonderful comforter or matelasse blankets? You'll get 20% off the price. Even better, when we DO have a sale, usually our members get an additional 10% off the sale price -- sometimes up to 30 or 40 percent off the regular price. If you love organic bedding, that can add up to hundreds of dollars in savings!
You'll also get exceptional treatment as a preferred customer... because we're not happy unless you're happy. ***** We have a Five-Star approval rating from Shopper Approved, a third-party review site that monitors our customers overall satisfaction rate. With over 23 years experience exclusively in the organic comfort industry, we'll share our knowledge to assist you, whether it's the first time selecting your mattress or ten years from now if you need to change the comfort. We stand behind our products and we'll always be there for you. We've been in business since 1991 offering green and organic products for living. In the year 2000 we decided to focus on the bedroom, working with USA mills, designing our own fabrics and manufacturing exclusive products. We also installed a full solar system in 2010 which generates clean energy. Our Pure Performance Mattresses are designed to go directly on a platform slat bed frame or slat foundation. Our latex mattresses can also be used on adjustable bedframes.