Are you looking for a chiropractor-recommended mattress? A great mattress could help you treat and prevent body pains at the same time.
RELATED: Which Mattress To Choose When You Have Chronic Back Pain?
Chiropractor Recommended Mattress Must-Haves
1. Must Support Spinal Alignment
Posture is just as important when you’re laying down as when you’re standing upright. Your spine has a slight S-shaped curve.
The C-shape around your lower back or lumbar region should maintain its curve no matter your sleep position.
Imagine pushing your hip to the side for seven to eight hours. In your waking hours, you would immediately feel the stress and how your muscles tense a few minutes in. But when you’re sleeping on your side on a bed that doesn’t support your sleeping position, you may not feel the stiffness until the morning after.
Enter hip or joint pain.
A chiropractor, like a high-quality mattress, cares for your spinal alignment. You can say that your spine is aligned when you maintain the correct posture, keeping your spine straight regardless of your sleeping position.
Look for a mattress that contours to your body’s curves and pressure points.
If you sleep on your back, it should cradle and hold up your neck, shoulders, and lower back. Side sleepers should feel optimal support along their sides, beginning from their shoulders down to their hips. Stomach sleepers usually sink around their midsection, so look for a mattress that can prop up your lumbar area.
Another factor that contributes to how well your bed cradles your body is its firmness.
2. Must Provide Pressure Relief
There are pressure points when you sleep:
- head
- shoulders
- ribs
- hips
- knees
- heels
- toes
Other sources may even include your ears or more specific sections of your torso. The main takeaway on pressure points is that these are the highest points or the points that come into the most contact with your bed. Your sleeping position dictates your pressure points.
For example, if you sleep on your back, your pressure points may include your head, shoulders, hips, and heels. Side sleepers may feel the most compression along their shoulders, ribs, hips, and knees.
A mattress that provides pressure relief absorbs your unique pressure points, finely and precisely contouring your body shape, and distributes your weight across the surface.
Memory foam, latex layers, and Talalay Latex surfaces are ideal for pressure relief. These toppers and layers have enough give to provide cradling and comfortable support. Pocket-on-pocket coil mattresses feature coils that act independently of each other, responding individually to the curves of your body. Each coil will compress or extend according to your shape and regardless of your sleeping position.
3. Must Be Firm/Soft Enough
Heavier sleepers (over 130lbs) typically find firmer mattresses more comfortable. Firmer mattresses may be better at providing robust support for heavier sleepers. Lighter sleepers (below 130lbs) may find more comfort in softer mattresses that allow them to sink deeper into the mattresses, providing them with better spinal support.
In addition to body weight, also take into consideration your body type. Mattresses that are too soft may allow your body to fold, misaligning your spine. On the other hand, mattresses that are too firm may apply more stress or compression on your pressure points.
If you weigh over 130lbs and like the sturdy support of firm mattresses but find that they don’t cradle and contour your body, consider purchasing a firm mattress with a latex layer or dense memory foam topper.
Ultimately, there is no one right answer when it comes to shopping for the best mattresses. Choose whichever feels most comfortable and supportive for you.
4. Must Use High-Quality Materials
Most of the time, expensive mattresses pay off. Brands that use cheap or low-quality materials may not last you many winks.
When mattress shopping, be sure to research the brand and get to know what kind of materials they use.
If your new mattress is giving you a sinking feeling, it may be because it has already started sagging and sinking where you lay the most.
Memory foam mattresses are great for pressure relief. However, poor-quality memory foam often sags and dips without providing the pressure relief it’s known for.
Mattresses that use high-quality materials are more durable and perform as intended, giving you lasting support and more comfortable sleep for longer.
A lengthy warranty period may also clue you in as to whether your mattress is of good quality. A brand confident in its quality and craftsmanship is more likely to offer a long warranty period.
The Celestial Collection Freya mattress features steel thermal-treated German coils, withstanding corrosion, and metal fatigue common in innerspring mattresses.
5. Must Have a Temperature-Regulating System
A warm bed could lead to a lot of tossing and turning in search of the cool side of the bed.
Sleep is crucial to healing and forms part of a healthy lifestyle, staving off several diseases and mental health problems. Getting a full night’s rest also allows your body time to recover.
One of the drawbacks of memory foam mattresses is their ability to retain body heat. Opt for a hybrid mattress with a temperature-regulating system and a memory foam topper. Talalay Latex carries the same pressure-relieving feature of memory foam but stays cooler throughout the night.
Research shows that a lack of sleep or poor sleep quality might make your joint pain worse the next day.
Other possible causes of sleep disturbances may include a bright room and a warm temperature. Dedicate your bedroom to sleep alone and create the perfect environment for undisturbed sleep.
6. Must Provide Ease of Movement
Especially if you have joint pain, choose a mattress that provides edge support. These are mattresses that have sturdy layers along the edges of the mattress so that it doesn’t sag or dip when you get on and off your bed.
Firmer mattresses with denser layers may provide you with adequate support. Soft mattresses tend to respond more sensitively to pressure changes—maybe too sensitively. While this is great for pressure relief and optimal spinal alignment, those with joint pain may find that they sink too deeply into the mattress. Joint pain may limit your mobility, so choose a mattress that supports your movement.
RELATED: Learn How To Sleep Peacefully Even With Shoulder Pain
Chiropractor Recommended Mattress for Back Sleepers
Back sleepers may feel more pressure around their head, shoulders, and hips. When you test your new mattress, make sure that you get optimal support around your neck, shoulders, and lower back. Those with thinner midsections or larger hips may find that their waist doesn’t touch the bed. This could lead to your muscles tensing throughout the night, leading to back pain in the morning.
You may also add a thin bolster pillow around your neck to maintain the S-curve of your spine.
Chiropractor Recommended Mattress for Side Sleepers
Pay special attention to your shoulders, hips, and knees.
The shoulders may be a more prominent pressure point for some side sleepers. Test softer mattresses with enough give to cradle your shoulders and hips. Otherwise, explore firmer mattresses with pillow top layers or latex layers to provide firm but comfortable pressure relief.
You may also use pillows around your waist and between your knees to support your hips and spine.
Chiropractor Recommended Mattress for Stomach Sleepers
Stomach sleepers may benefit from firm but cradling mattresses. A responsive mattress will allow your neck and head to bend naturally as well as prop up your hips and stomach.
A sagging mattress with no support could result in a bad back. Conversely, a body-contouring and pressure-relieving bed could help release tension from your muscles, preventing joint pain or helping manage current ones.
Some sleepers can sleep without pillows, but if you like to lay your head on something plush, choose a thin pillow. It should be able to support your neck and head without elevating them too much.
It takes a combination of multiple factors to get the right mattress. Consider your body shape, body weight, sleeping preference, and sleeping position.
Also, look into bed accessories such as additional pillows and bolsters that could help support the natural alignment of your spine. For example, placing a pillow between your knees may help stabilize your pelvis. A body pillow could help relieve pressure along your arms and knees.
Do you have a chiropractor-recommended mattress in mind? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below! We’d love to hear from you.
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