If you are troubled by back pain, undoubtedly you have considered your mattress. You may have wondered if it could be contributing to the problem, or perhaps even causing the back pain in the first place. Indeed, your mattress might well be the culprit, especially if it has seen better days.
Choosing the Best Mattress for Back Pain
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In this case, you will be asking yourself, "What is the best mattress for back pain"? It is far from being a simple decision. A visit to your local furniture or specialty bed store store will introduce you to an almost dizzying array of mattresses from various manufacturers, each one professing to be the best and the healthiest.
Expect to do some research before you decide which mattress is the right one to eliminate your back pain. It is always a good idea to start with a basic understanding of the back and the types of mattresses that you can choose among.
How A Mattress Can Cause Back Problems
Do you awake in the morning feeling pain and stiffness in your spine? In this case, you may be sleeping on a mattress that doesn't permit your muscles to relax as they should.
When your muscles are tensed throughout the night, you will sleep with your spine twisted into an undesirable position. While this may not cause any immediate damage, over a period of time you could begin to experience serious back problems and discomfort.
Some Mattress Myths
One popular belief concerns the hardness of the mattress. Many people believe that a hard mattress is preferable to prevent or treat back problems. Some even go so far as to sleep on the floor.
This is a mistake. Hard surfaces are not ideal. They can hurt your joints, and since there is no "give", a hard mattress or other surface can force your spinal column into an injurious position.
According to findings from a scientific study, the best mattresses are not firm ones; instead they range between medium and firm.
How to Choose the Right Mattress For You
Begin by ignoring the many healthy claims that manufacturers use when marketing their mattresses. These claims are plentiful. Very few are substantiated in any way other than reflecting the seller's desire to increase the bottom line. Disregard contentions that a mattress provides any specific health or orthopedic benefit.
Next, spend an hour or so trying out many different types of mattresses. Personnel in bed stores should have no problem with you doing this; they will probably even encourage it.
You will find that some mattresses contain springs and other are made from memory foam. Memory foam adjusts readily to your body's shape and usually feels quite comfortable. However, traditional mattresses containing springs are equally good. Only by trying both can you decide which feels better for you.
The bad news is that the best mattress to address your back pain may not be the mattress that feels the most comfortable. You will have to decide which is more important: comfort in the immediate future or relief from back pain in the more distant future. If your back pain is minor, you can lean more towards comfort. It if it more severe, it is perhaps more important for you to sacrifice a degree of comfort in terms of long term back health.
Caring for your Mattress
Mattresses can be a costly investment. It makes sense to do what you can to extend the item's life span. Turning and flipping your mattress twice a year will lengthen the amount of time you can use it.
Avoid Waterbeds
Regardless of what you may have heard, or of what the manufacturer may claim, waterbeds are not conducive to back health. Many of them will create back pain, not reduce it. If you suffer from back pain, you are wise to avoid one of these beds.