What position do you sleep in?
Side, back, stomach, or a little bit of each, everyone sleeps in his or her own unique way. One of the biggest problems when choosing a mattress is that most people aren’t searching for a mattress that supports their sleeping style. Each sleeping position has its own specific needs and ideal firmness level.
SIDE SLEEPERS
Sleepers who lie on their sides don’t always remain in the same position. A lot of times they rotate from both legs straight, to one straight and one bent, to both bent. With this constant change, side sleepers need a mattress with soft to medium level firmness, usually something in the 3-6 range out of 10 (where 10 is the most firm). A soft mattress with a lot of support will relieve pressure points on your neck and back.
Firmness and feel is incredibly important for side sleepers as they need a mattress that’s soft enough to contour to the curves of their body. A mattress that is too firm won’t contour to the shape of the side sleeper, resulting in a lack of support that usually creates pressure points leading to lower back pain, neck pain, and/or shoulder pain.
BACK SLEEPERS
Firmness and support are both critical for back sleepers. A mattress that is too soft will create pressure points on the sleeper, not providing the right amount of push back they need. In addition to that, if the bed does not support the sleeper, their spinal alignment will be off, which could lead to prolonged back problems. The ideal mattress firmness is one that provides enough softness to eliminate pressure points, but still has great support. Usually a firmness level in the 4-7 range (where 10 is the most firm) is appropriate.
STOMACH SLEEPERS
Stomach sleepers number one priority when searching for a new mattress needs to be support. The torso will apply the most pressure to the mattress for stomach sleepers. For this reason, they need a mattress that provides equal support across their body. If the mid section sinks at the middle of the mattress (mattress is too soft) the sleeper will see a curving of the spine, causing lower back pain and other problems.
Stomach sleepers need to be as flat as possible with respect to the surface of the mattress. Even something as simple as a tall pillow could put the spine out of alignment, causing pain and discomfort. Typically stomach sleepers need a mattress in the 5-7 range (where 10 is the most firm) with some outliers requiring a slightly hard or softer feel (a 4 or 8, respectively).
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Resources:
Sleepopolis. (2018). How to Choose a Mattress – 6 Step Guide | Sleepopolis. [online] Available at: https://sleepopolis.com/guides/how-to-choose-a-mattress/ [Accessed 5 Apr. 2018]