What to Do When Your Mattress Is Too Soft or Too Firm Why Mattress Firmness Matters Remember the story of Goldilocks and the beds? She tried three different beds, trying to find one that wasn’t too hard or too soft, but “just right.” Turns out, she was really on to something. Of course, “just right” bed firmness is a subjective thing about which opinions will vary wildly, and—as we saw with Goldilocks—most people would have to lie down on the bed before they could even say what “just right” means for them. So how do you find your “just right” when it comes to mattresses—and what can you do if you realize that the mattress you have doesn’t fit the bill? First, let’s take a moment to drive home why you should care about the firmness of your mattress. The short answer can be distilled down to one word: alignment. Diving little deeper on that, your spine needs to be aligned while you sleep. Lying in an unaligned position for eight hours a day, every day, can contribute to serious back pain as well as negatively affect your sleep quality.
Mattress firmness, in turn, plays a big role in determining how aligned you are. What’s Better, a Firm Mattress or a Soft Mattress? Firmer mattresses provide more resistance for your body, which can help support you but can also apply too much pressure to certain points of your body, leading to painful pressure points or unaligned positions caused by your body compensation for any local discomfort. A soft plush mattress, on the other hand, can cause your spine to collapse into the mattress, which leads to its own alignment issues. Ultimately, there’s no straightforward answer about how to choose a mattress or whether a firm mattress is better or worse than a soft one. Spend some time doing a little research and a thorough mattress comparison before making a decision. Each person’s preference will vary based on a multitude of factors, including height, weight, age, and whether or not you have back pain or other health considerations. Your sleeping position will also play a role:
Side sleepers tend to need softer mattresses that don’t put too much pressure on the shoulders or hips. Back sleepers are better off with a medium firm mattress that supports the low back without pushing too much on the spine. Stomach sleepers require a firmer surface that prevents the body from sinking into the mattress and collapsing the spine. To make it all even more complex, your firmness needs may very over time as injuries, pregnancy, or weight fluctuations change your sleep needs. How to Deal with a Too-Soft or Too-Firm Mattress If you come to the realization that your mattress is too firm or too soft, the best thing to do is to buy a new mattress. Of course, finances or other circumstances don’t always allow for that. In a pinch, here are some makeshift solutions for remedying your current mattress firmness: If your mattress is too soft, try slipping some plywood boards between the mattress and the box spring or the bed frame. This will add some extra support.
Try a mattress pad or mattress topper. Pillow-material mattress toppers can help soften a too-firm mattress, while thick pads or firm mattress toppers can add some more support.Some mattress materials, like ones made from 100% memory foam, can become softer in warmer rooms, so try adjusting your thermostat to see if it makes your mattress more to your liking. If your mattress is too soft and it’s two-sided, try flipping it. The unused side will often be firmer. A better solution for finding your best mattress is to choose an adjustable latex mattress. As we outlined above, everyone requires different levels of firmness—and what’s more, you need different levels of mattress firmness for different parts of your body, and all these needs are subject to change throughout your life. Because of these variables, choosing one level of firmness for your whole mattress just doesn’t make sense. That’s where adjustable mattresses come to the rescue. In the case of Reverie, each of our latex mattresses is composed of individual DreamCell™ foam springs that come in three levels of firmness: firm, medium, and soft.
Our Sleep Specialists help customers determine the precise configuration of these DreamCells to best support each area of their body—so their shoulders can rest on a soft surface while their low back presses against a firm one, for instance. In addition, these DreamCell™ foam springs can be easily reconfigured at any time (we’re talking under 20 minutes) to respond to any changing sleep needs. The individual natural latex cells also allow for different firmness levels on each side of the bed, meaning back sleepers and side sleepers can rest side-by-side, each with the support he or she needs. Now we can’t speak for Goldilocks, but that sounds “just right” to us. 3 Signs Your Mattress Is Too Soft Plus how to pick the perfect replacement, according to a spine surgeon.If your mattress is too firm or too soft there are some things you can do to fix it. Don’t suffer another night with poor sleep. We have nine DIY ways to save your bed from the landfill by extending its life or just making it more comfortable.
Think twice before you toss your bed out. One of the most sustainable things you can do is extend the life of a product. The stuff that makes up new products has to come from somewhere. Raw materials must be mined, extracted, grown or otherwise harvested and these processes have ecological footprints that last for hundreds or thousands of years. If you extend the life of your bed or other products you will help limit the environmental harm associated with the harvesting of raw materials. Not to mention, you’ll help reduce from waste breaking down in the landfill. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is 25 times worse than CO2!What do you do if you mattress is too firm or soft? It isn’t the end of the world. The Green Sleeper is here to help you with your troubles by offering some ways to fix a too firm mattress or whatever may be ailing your bed.If you mattress is too far gone, it may need replaced. Green Sleepers are probably looking for an eco-friendly bed. Some of the most sustainable mattresses are made from materials derived from plants.
anic natural latex is one of the most eco-friendly sleep surfaces currently available, made using sustainable resources and ingredients that won’t impair your indoor air quality. The Astrabeds Harmony Bed is made entirely from certified organic materials. It has three layers of customizable latex made from sustainably-harvested latex. The trees live for 30 years or more, providing sap for latex their whole lives. The Harmony Bed has also an organic wool fire barrier and is covered in organic cotton.Another option for those who aren’t fans of latex or who are seeking a more affordable green alternative are plant-based foams which use botanical extracts and oils in place a portion of the synthetics. The Amerisleep Revere is one bed that is made from plant-derived components, but this one is memory foam. Soybean oil is the main ingredient for the plant-based foams in all Amerisleep beds. The Revere is their most popular mattress and is covered in a Celliant-infused fabric. Celliant has been clinically proven to improved circulation along with other health benefits.
If you want to hold on to your mattress a bit longer and try to fix it, there are a few tricks you can try. To help you do your part and keep the world a cleaner, cooler place, here are 9 things you can do if your mattress is too firm or soft.If your mattress is too firm, there are some simple things you can do to get back in the comfort zone. Fixing a bed that is too hard is easier than fixing an overly soft one. Here is how to fix a too firm mattress. If you have typed “memory foam mattress too hard” into a search engine box recently, this solution may be for you. Most memory foam is temperature sensitive, meaning it changes firmness with heat. Use and electric blanket or turn your room temperature up to see if your mattress softens up. If you have a new bed, your problem may be that it is too new. Some mattresses need to be broken in a little before they reach the desired firmness level. Try walking on the bed a couple times a day until it softens.If you haven’t tried rotating or flipping your mattress, you may want to do that before resorting to more costly measures.
Not all are intended to be flipped, however. Make sure your mattress is flippable before you turn it over.You will have no problem finding a mattress topper if you decide you need one. They are made from a variety of materials. If you want to make your mattress softer, make sure you get a soft topper. Fixing an overly soft bed is a bit more difficult, but there are some things you can do to improve you chances of sleeping tonight. Take a look a at how to fix a too soft mattress. A good mattress will provide good support for your body while you sleep, but they also need some support. Without it, your bed may sag. Make sure your boxspring and steel frame are in good working condition. King and queen beds should have center bars with feet to ensure adequate support. Check your slats if you use them and replace broken or warped slats. You may also place plywood or particle board sheets on top of the boxspring for the mattress to rest on or consider a platform bed with a solid base. If only one partner desires more firmness, you can place a smaller board under solely their part of the bed.
You can wear a mattress in the spots you normally sleep, making those areas softer. Try rotating or flipping your it so you are resting on a new spot and wearing the bed more evenly.If your bed has a removable cover or replaceable layers, you may be able to change your worn layers for newer ones. You may have to request the services of a professional upholstery company to fix a too soft mattress. Toppers are usually used to soften up a sleep surface, but you can find some designed to be firm, such as those made from a firm latex foam or higher density polyurethane. These are very effective at making a mattress firmer. Are you still covered by your warranty? If so, you may be able to make a claim if your mattress is overly soft due to significant sagging or premature wear. Most warranties will only cover sagging if it is significant or over a certain depth, so check your policy. There is no sense trying to make your mattress firmer if you can get a new one..The six most commonly cited disadvantages according to customers.