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Mattress firmness isn’t the same for everyone. We break down the options to help you make the best decision for your bed, back, and bank balance
The word mattress derives from the Arabic مَطْرَحٌ which means “something thrown down” or “place where something is thrown down” and hence “mat, cushion”. During the Crusades, Europeans adopted the Middle Eastern method of sleeping on cushions on the floor, and the word materas eventually descended into Middle English through the Romance languages. The oldest known mattress dates to around 77,000 years ago and is from South Africa.
Early mattresses contained a variety of natural materials including straw, feathers or horsehair. In the first half of the 20th century, a typical mattress sold in North America had an innerspring core and cotton batting or fiberfill. Modern mattresses usually contain either an inner spring core or materials such as latex, viscoelastic or other flexible polyurethane foams. Other fill components include insulator pads over the coils that prevent the bed’s upholstery layers from cupping down into the innerspring, as well as polyester fiberfill in the bed’s top upholstery layers. In 1899 James Marshall introduced the first individually wrapped pocketed spring coil mattress now commonly known as Marshall coils.
In North America, the typical mattress sold today is an innerspring; however, there is increasing interest in all-foam beds and hybrid beds, which include both an innerspring and high-end foams such as viscoelastic or latex in the comfort layers. In Europe, polyurethane foam cores and latex cores have long been popular. These make up a much larger proportion of the mattresses sold in the continent.
A mattress is a large, usually rectangular pad for supporting a lying person. It is designed to be used as a bed, or on a bed frame as part of a bed. Mattresses may consist of a quilted or similarly fastened case, usually of heavy cloth, containing materials such as hair, straw, cotton, foam rubber, or a framework of metal springs. Mattresses may also be filled with air or water.
Mattresses are usually placed on top of a bed base which may be solid, as in the case of a platform bed, or elastic, such as an upholstered wood and wire box spring or a slatted foundation. Popular in Europe, a divan incorporates both mattress and foundation in a single upholstered, footed unit. Divans have at least one innerspring layer as well as cushioning materials. They may be supplied with a secondary mattress or a removable “topper”. Mattresses may also be filled with air or water, or a variety of natural fibers, such as in futons. Kapok is a common mattress material in Southeast Asia, and coir in South Asia.
Mattress firmness is one of the most important factors when it comes to choosing a new mattress. Firmness basically refers to how soft or hard a mattress feels and it plays a huge part in how a mattress will feel for different sleepers. The right firmness level helps to support us while we’re sleeping, offering spinal alignment whilst still cushioning pressure points on the body.
The best mattress firmness most definitely isn’t the same for everyone. Different sleeping styles and body weights suit different firmness ratings. And, on top of that, some people just particularly like a particular firmness, whatever their body shape and sleeping preference.
However, a bed that’s too soft or too firm is going to cause discomfort over time, so it’s important to get things right off the bat. This is everything you need to know about finding the best mattress firmness, so you can find the best mattress for you.
As we’ve already mentioned, firmness is how soft or hard a mattress feels. The materials and construction determine how firm a mattress feels, with most mattresses consisting of a comfort system layered over a support core (you’ll also sometimes find transition layers between the two). Firmness is not the same as support, with firmness being largely linked to the comfort layers and support to the support and mattress core.
Different manufacturers may rate their mattresses using their own methods, but the vast majority of them use a standard 10-point scale, with 1 being the softest and 10 being the firmest. Let’s look at the different firmness ratings in a little more detail.
Soft mattresses rate around 2-3 on the firmness scale – an extra soft mattress would rate at 1, but these aren’t very popular or even made by most manufacturers. Soft mattresses are made of plush materials that generally contour closely to the body and provide a ‘hugging’ sensation. They are particularly suited to lightweight side sleepers, but other sleeping positions and heavier weights are likely to sink in to deeply, placing their spines out of alignment.
Medium Soft (4) mattresses are slightly firmer than soft mattresses, but still allow for deep contouring and a ‘hugging’ feeling. They tend to have slightly firmer support under the plush comfort layers and are particularly suited for side sleepers.
Medium Firm (5-7) is the most popular firmness rating in the modern mattress world. Nearly all mattresses in a box have this rating, with manufacturers seeing it as the happy medium for many body types. Medium Firm mattresses are particularly suited to back sleepers – they offer a good support structure combined with a little sinkage in the comfort layers to cradle the body.
Firm and Extra Firm mattresses (8-10) have a firmer support structure and thinner comfort layers to prevent sleepers from sinking into the mattress. A firm mattress can be better for back pain too. Extra firm models are not particularly popular, but firm mattresses are particularly well suited to stomach sleepers, as well as those of a heavier weight.
Which firmness rating is best for you depends on a number of factors, with your sleep position determining much of this. ‘Different foam densities will offer different firmness and this can have a knock-on impact on comfort and therefore sleep experience,’ explains Theresa Schnorbach, sleep scientist for Emma. ‘This can be influenced by your sleeping position. Choosing the wrong mattress firmness or type for your sleeping position can have detrimental effects on your sleep quality, as well as physical effects such as neck or back pain.’
As we discussed above, the position in which you sleep plays a huge part when it comes to picking the firmness of your mattress. Do also bear in mind that, while we’ve made recommendations above, everybody is different and you might find that you prefer a softer or firmer mattress than your sleeping style might suggest. One of the benefits of the best mattresses on the market today is that they come with a trial period (usually at least 100 nights), meaning you can always try out a recommended firmness for your sleeping style and make sure that it fits.
No matter what your weight, most people prefer a mattress that provides a good balance of support and contouring to ease pressure points. Lighter and average weight sleepers will usually prefer a slightly softer mattress, although stomach sleepers will always need a firmer mattress to keep their spine aligned.
‘Heavier body types may benefit from a firmer mattress to provide extra support and prevent sinking, helping to maintain proper spinal alignment and alleviate pressure points,’ says Theresa. If you weigh over 230 lbs., a firmer mattress will help to prevent any aches and pains. There are also specially-designed mattresses for plus-sized people, like the Big Fig, Saatva HD, or the Helix Plus.
‘Warmer bodies, or people that suffer from hot flushes can benefit from a firmer mattress that prevents your body from sinking in and accumulating body heat,’ explains Theresa. Comfort layers containing traditional memory foam tend to ‘hug’ sleepers, which can lead to overheating. But if a firmer mattress really isn’t suitable for you, look for a memory foam mattress that’s infused with cooling elements such as gel, copper or carbon.
If you share your bed with someone else, you need to consider them when choosing a mattress. Many couples end up with a medium firm mattress as it sits in the middle of the firmness scale and can provide a happy medium. However, if your partner’s body type and sleeping position is markedly different from yours, you may want to consider a split mattress.
‘If you’re a light sleeper or suffer from regularly waking in the night, I would recommend a hybrid mattress which combines springs with a layer of foam that can help to reduce noise and movement in the night and thus prevent disturbances,’ says Theresa. Of course, if you share your bed with a restless sleeper, you might find that this still creates too much ‘bounce’. In this case, consider a softer mattress with more sinkage and ‘hug’ to absorb motion.
source : homesandgardens _ sleepadvisor _ sleepopolis _ wikipedia
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