For thousands of years, humans have tried to figure out how to make their nights more comfortable. In fact, people have been building mattresses for the past 77,000 years. And while the first mattress was made out of a bunch of plants bunched together, today we have all kinds of lab-built and scientific materials in our bedrooms.
Because we spend around one-third of our lives asleep, it’s important that we know what to look for when picking mattresses. Your mattress should be comfortable, affordable, and provide your body with plenty of support.
With so many mattress options out there, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. Luckily for you, we’re here to help. So continue reading and we’ll walk you through the top factors that you need to consider when buying a new mattress.
1. Type of Mattress
The kind of mattress that a person needs is going to depend on personal preference. Because there are so many different kinds of mattresses out there, it can be very hard to figure out which one is best for you.
There are some common types of mattresses that you’re likely to come across in your research. We’ll break those down below.
Memory Foam
Memory foam mattresses have a reputation for providing body contouring, pressure relief, and excellent support. While the original memory foam mattresses were known for “sleeping hot,” these days there are more advanced materials that come with cooling properties.
A memory foam mattress is best for people who want plenty of support, body shaping, and want to feel like they’re sleeping in a big hug.
Latex
These mattresses are built out of latex foam. They’re known for their comfort and cooling properties. Latex beds are bouncy and very responsive.
If you want a bed with a foam feel but you don’t like feeling like you’re sinking into a mattress, then latex may be the right material for you.
Pillow-Top
A pillow-top bed can be made out of pretty much any mattress material. What makes this kind of mattress unique is that it features a layer of soft material that’s either sewn or stuffed into the cover.
This is a great option for people who want a really soft bed.
2. Budget
Budgets for mattresses vary greatly. Just a few years ago, the only real option was to go to your local mattress store and overpay for whatever mattress was available.
Nowadays, it’s as easy as getting a mattress in a box delivered right to your door. With so many different mattress companies out there, prices have become much more competitive. It’s now possible to buy a high-quality mattress at a very reasonable price.
3. Firmness
Firmness refers to how soft or hard a bed feels. It’s a difficult quality to judge because everyone has a different personal definition of what’s considered hard and soft.
Also, many people tend to confuse firmness with support. When a mattress provides a lot of support, that just means that it’s able to keep your spine properly aligned without making pressure points. If a mattress doesn’t provide you with good enough support, then you’re going to wake up in pain or feeling sore all over.
Firmness has to do with how comfortable your mattress feels when you lie on it. The softer the mattress is, the more you’ll sink into it.
4. Sleep Position
Everyone has their own unique position that they like to sleep in. Unfortunately, very few people take their sleeping style into consideration when they’re looking to buy a new bed. Your sleep position will help determine what your specific needs are.
People who sleep on their sides tend to not stay in the same position for long. They tend to rotate from having straight legs to bending one to bending both and rotating through this cycle. Because you’re constantly changing position, you’ll do best with a soft mattress that has a lot of support.
You need a bed that’s soft enough that it’s going to contour to the shape of your body. A mattress that’s too firm will likely leave you feeling sore in your neck, shoulder, and back.
If you tend to sleep on your back, then you really want to think about support and firmness. A mattress that’s too soft is going to create pressure points and not give you enough resistance. A bed that doesn’t have enough support will end up messing with your spinal alignment, which can lead to back problems.
If you usually sleep flat on your stomach, then your number one priority has to be support. For stomach sleepers, the torso is going to apply the most pressure to the mattress. Because of this, you’ll need a mattress that provides an equal amount of support across your body.
If your mid-section sinks into the mattress, then you’ll end up curving your spine which can lead to back issues.
The Importance of Knowing What to Look for When Picking Mattresses
Hopefully, after reading the above article, you now have a better idea of what factors to consider when you’re picking mattresses. Now more than ever, consumers have an array of options that can be beneficial as well as overwhelming. As long as you know what it is that you want to get out of your mattress, you should have a much easier time finding the right bed for you.
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