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How to understand Mattress Firmness - a Quick Guide
Aug
Mattress Firmness
Your mattress quality depends on several factors that generally determine its quality. One of the main factors must be mattress durability, determined by a mattress's lifespan.
Knowing how long your mattress will last is essential to working out your product budget. You will notice that the current mattress will begin to lose firmness, making it challenging to buy a new one.
The reason is that your body may have adapted to the older mattress if you leave it too long before replacing it.
However, this will not be great for your body and spinal alignment as it is not just the firmness that starts to drop off as a mattress becomes older. It also does not offer the same levels of support as it should.
Does mattress firmness affect your sleep?
Getting comfortable enough to doze off can be difficult, especially if your mattress is not firm.
To understand the importance of having a mattress with the perfect firmness. You will need to learn about the different firmness levels and which level suits each type of sleeper.
Factors that will affect your personal preferences are
• Any aches or pains you may have
• Your body weight
• Sleeping position
• Body temperature
| Soft Mattresses | Medium Mattresses | Firm Mattresses | |
| Best sleeping position | Side sleepers | Stomach, Side, and back sleepers | Stomach sleepers |
| Beneficial for back pains | no | yes | yes |
| Suitable for larger sleepers | no | yes | yes |
| Good for people who are too warm at night | no | yes | yes |
Soft mattresses
A soft mattress offers a level of comfort and support which is perfectly balanced. Due to how soft the mattress is, it is not the best option for plus-sized people due to sagging which causes the body to be misaligned when sleeping.
Also, increased pressure placed upon the mattress will lead to sinking, which will decrease the mattress's durability.
Another reason you should purchase a soft mattress if you become chilly during the night is because of the soft materials and would increase warmth.
Medium Mattresses
Generally, people with a medium mattress have very little to complain about as it's seen as almost the standard level of firmness and is usually what people default to if they do not have any specific needs for their mattress.
Allowing you to be comfortable and supported while at the same time preventing the chances of there being high levels of discomfort.
It does not offer the same support for back pain levels as a soft mattress. However, it does provide more support to help spinal alignment.
Final thoughts
You can now confidently use your knowledge of the varying levels of firmness as when a mattress costs between £200 and £1000, which is a significant amount of money to spend, you need to be clued up about which mattresses are best for you.
KEY ADVICE
- The medium is generally the safest bet if you doubt which firmness is best.
- Understanding your body and how you sleep is essential for choosing a firmness level.
- Back and side sleepers are more suited to softer mattresses.
- Ensure you purchase from a trusted manufacturer to avoid any added stress after purchase.
- Sinking into a mattress will mean that it needs to be replaced sooner. Therefore a firm mattress may last longer.