Restful sleep is important! Along with nutrition and exercise, it is one of the fundamental components of a healthy lifestyle. Your body goes through a raft of changes during sleep, many geared towards healing and replenishing the body. The inability to go to sleep, frequent waking, and non-restorative sleep are all aspects of insomnia and can lead to ill health, fatigue and depression.
The leading cause of insomnia is pain, but one of the effects of sleep deprivation is increased pain. Therefore, insomnia and pain can reinforce each other. To help tackle insomnia and promote a good night’s sleep, buying a quality mattress that suits your sleep preferences is a good place to start.
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Do you need a new mattress?
If you suffer from back pain, take a good look at your sleeping arrangements and ask yourself if they can be improved. An old mattress will start to sag, making it difficult for you to align your spine propely. Poor posture leads to strained muscles and pain, disrupting your sleep.
Choosing the right mattress
With so much at stake, choosing a new mattress can seem daunting. You might be tempted to head straight for a ‘medically approved’ bed, but such labels are often misleading and based on weak evidence. Orthopaedic beds are very firm and will support your back, but that doesn’t mean they will be comfortable for you. A very firm bed can itself put pressure on hips and shoulders, so you should consider extra padding if this is likely to affect you.The depth of a mattress can also have an impact on overall comfort, as will your own personal preferences.
In general, mattresses with a greater concentration of low gauge (thick) coils and deep padding will be more supportive, and this will be reflected in the price. Rather than compromise your quality of sleep by buying a cheaper mattress, it would be wiser to shop around for reductions on top quality mattresses. By running a search in Google for terms such as “beds online” you will find a host of reputable suppliers for beds and mattresses across the UK.
Caring for your mattress
Buying a bed is one half of the health equation; looking after it is the other. Once you have purchased your mattress you should keep it in tip-top condition by rotating it regularly (at least every six months) to prevent compression. You should also vacuum the surface of the mattress on a monthly basis to reduce the likelihood of allergy-causing bed bugs. Mattress protectors increase the life of your bed and need to be washed regularly to keep them hygienic.
The above is supplied as general information and should not be taken as medical advice.
