According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the leading cause of limited mobility and activity is low back pain, which affects people of all age groups. It’s a frequent reason why people seek medical consultation. Thus, back pain is one of the top ten injuries and diseases worldwide.
In industrialized countries, the lifetime prevalence of low back pain is 60 to70 percent. As people get older, there’s an increased risk of low back pain because of the deterioration of the intervertebral discs. One of the best ways to address low back pain is choosing the best mattress that has enough back and spine support.
In this post, you’ll learn the best questions to ask before shopping for a new mattress for back pain. In that way, you’ll have a better rest and good night’s sleep, reduced back pains, and improved quality of life.
What’s the Best Mattress Type for Back Pain?
There are many types of mattresses available on the market today. However, the most in-demand types are latex and memory foam mattresses. Even if these two types of mattresses gain the highest customer rating, it still pays off understanding all the different types of mattresses, including innerspring and hybrid mattresses.
By doing so, you’ll have a better understanding of the different mattress options that are available for you and your loved ones. Because pain is a subjective symptom, different people have different preferences when it comes to mattress firmness levels, layer thickness, and materials, which determines how well a mattress prevents and reduces back pain.
Whatever type of mattress you prefer, make sure to always take into account important features. Prevent discomfort by choosing a softer mattress with enough cushioning, zone support technology, and adequate contouring, such as Australia’s Best Mattress for Back Pain.
Here are the different types of mattresses and their roles in back pain management:
- Memory Foam: Because this mattress type offers the most cushioning and contouring, it is one of the best mattresses for pain relief. It means that whatever your body type is, this mattress adapts and molds to your body – the wider body parts tend to sink, such as your shoulders and hips. On the other hand, the narrow-body parts lay on top of a memory foam mattress, like your waist, hands, and feet.
Make sure to choose a mattress that’s made of plant-based material. It’ll help avoid overheating and contact with harmful chemicals.
- Latex Foam: There isn’t a lot of contouring like memory foam, but it’s adaptable and still molds to the body to some degree. It’s also more responsive as compared to memory foam. It keeps you lifted, which means that you feel “on top of the bed” in terms of mattress firmness.
Take note that some sleepers report latex foam as firmer than what they initially expected.
- Hybrid: Choosing a high-quality mattress, a hybrid mattress is ideal for pain relief. It’s because the pressure-relieving foam layers have zoned pocketed coils, creating a responsive and cushioning bed.
Hybrid beds are perfect for those who want to experience the bounciness of innerspring mattresses with the comfort that foam layers bring for pain relief.
- Innerspring: This type of mattress doesn’t conform to the body and aren’t cushioning at all. The flat surface forces the spine to arch for back sleepers, leaving the knee unsupported and preventing decompression of the lower back, leading to pains and strains.
What’s the Ideal Mattress Firmness Level for Back Pain?
Sleeping on a bad or wrong mattress usually worsen back pain. On the other hand, an ergonomic or right mattress relaxes muscles, promotes good sleeping posture, and provides healthy and better sleep. While there’s no perfect mattress, it’s essential to choose one that fits a natural sleeping posture.
According to a study, a medium-firm mattress level improves pain among patients who are suffering from chronic low-back pain. In the said study, patients who slept in medium-firm mattresses showed better outcomes for disability and pain as compared to those who slept on firm mattresses. Low back pain at daytime among patients who slept on medium-firm mattresses was reduced than those with firm mattresses.
Here are good-to-know facts about medium-firm mattresses:
- Composition: Medium-firm mattresses either consist of a comfort layer that comes with medium firmness mattress support, a firm comfort layer having soft support, or a soft comfort layer that comes with firm support.
- Medium-firm Feel: When averaging the different layers, a medium-firm mattress feels medium-firm. This mattress firmness level provides abundant support. It doesn’t compromise comfort.
It also offers more firmness as compared to a medium mattress, which is too firm to provide comfort.
- Sleep Positions: Stomach and back sleepers tend to find medium-firm mattresses better for their sleeping needs. For side sleepers, they feel more comfortable with medium or medium mattresses because they need enough contouring and support to keep the spine properly aligned.
- Sleeper Location: If you live in a country with a warm climate, it’s best to sleep on a firm or medium-firm mattress because of less heat, less sinking, and a night of more comfortable sleep.
What Are the Features to Look for in a Mattress for Back Pain?
Different brands of mattresses have varying features that claim to provide the utmost comfort for people who are suffering from acute or chronic back pain. While the type of mattress alone is not enough to treat back pain, it plays a critical role in preventing the worsening, duration, or severity of pain. That’s why it’s important to choose the best features if you’re planning to buy a new mattress to help manage your back pain, like Australia’s best mattresses for back pain.
Here are the important features you need to look for in a mattress for back pain:
- High Motion Isolation: Most sleepers sleep with different positions, which leads to a lot of bed movement. That’s why you need to buy a memory foam mattresses that come with a high motion isolation feature. This feature is ideal for multi-position sleepers to enjoy the support of a soft but still comfortably firm mattress.
- Enough Support: A mattress that’s too stiff pushes against the spine. On the other hand, a mattress that’s too soft doesn’t offer enough support. That’s why a medium-firm mattress is highly recommended.
- Slight Softness: For side sleepers, the shoulders and hips need cushioning, so you need a mattress type with slight softness. Many people who have lower back pain sleep on their stomachs because this position relieves the pain.
For stomach sleepers, they’ll need a firmer mattress. In that way, they won’t sink but remain afloat.
- Copper Infused Foam: Copper is considered a natural element with excellent antimicrobial properties. Choosing a mattress with this feature will help you sleep in a clean, bacteria-free, virus-free, and odor-free bed. It has wicking ability and absorbs moisture for optimum cooling performance.
Most often than not, people who have back pains tend to sleep hot and sweating at night, so a copper-infused foam is a great feature to reduce these discomforts.
- Gel Infused Foam: Like copper-infused foam, the gel-infused foam provides cooling to avoid night sweats and discomfort. This feature promises enhanced air circulation, balanced support, pressure relief, and suitable spinal positioning to help ease back pain.
What’s the Best Bed Frame for Back Pain?
Living with back pain is not easy. Aside from choosing the best mattress, you also need to buy the best bed frame that complements the mattress to be effective in relieving back pain.
Adjustable bed frames are highly recognized as one of the ways to experience a more comfortable and pain-free night’s sleep. An adjustable bed frame can help alleviate back pain and other health problems, such as sleep apnea, asthma flare-ups and other respiratory problems, and poor blood circulation.
Here are some tips when choosing the best bed frame for back pain:
- Supportive Box Spring: It provides a solid foundation and good support for your mattress. With modern-day bed frames, they don’t usually come with box spring anymore. But that’s still okay without it.
- Consider Your Room’s Size: Make sure that you measure the space intended for the bed. There should be enough walking space between the bed and your side table, wardrobe, and other things inside the room.
- Slats: Always check the slats under your mattress. Always check the width, which should always be greater to prevent easy wear and tear of your mattress.
Sprung flats make the bed base quite firm, thus strengthening the support. Choose sprung slats because they’re thicker than wooden ones.
- Strength of Material: Buy a solid bed frame with premium quality. Don’t choose a cheap board, but rather solid wood so you can use it for many years to come.
Conclusion
When buying a new mattress for your back pain, it’s important to ask the questions mentioned above. You need to know the best type of mattress for your body size, weight, mattress firmness preference, sleeping position, and any medical condition, such as spine or muscle, joint, and bone problems. In that way, you can choose the best features to promote the utmost comfort and convenience for better rest and sleep and back pain relief.
