How to Choose the Best Mattress Based on Your Sleep Position

Mattresses come in a large array of materials and include different technologies to offer support at different levels. Each person generally has many types to choose from in a new mattress to achieve restful sleep with less aches and pains and fewer symptoms of stress in the morning. Here are the different types of mattresses available today that can help you achieve the best night’s sleep possible based on your sleep position.

Stomach Sleepers

Sleeping on your stomach can strain your neck and push your spine upward so it is out of alignment and gives you back pain. Stomach sleepers also have extra pressure on their breasts and lungs. It also compresses all of your abdominal organs inward.

The best type of mattress to offer you the best comfort for stomach sleeping is a plush mattress or a memory foam mattress that conforms to your body. This allows your body to sink down into the mattress without it being hard and it forms a cushiony layer around the body parts that protrude downward.

Side Sleepers

A side sleeper needs a type of mattress that will keep their spinal alignment from the neck down in a level position. Choosing the incorrect type of mattress can cause great damages to your spine and increase your changes of having future back problems of all sorts.

One of the best types of mattress for side sleepers is a soft to a medium firm memory foam mattress. If a mattress is very firm, it will leave a space between you and the surface at your neck and waist and cause undue neck and lower back pain. If a side sleeper chooses a mattress that is too soft, the body contours will not be cushioned and it will not give you enough support.

Another mattress for side sleepers that performs well is a hybrid mattress. It consists of many layers of different densities of foam. The top layer may be a plush memory foam with an underlying layer of more supportive and dense latex.

Back Sleepers

This is the most common sleep position and the one that doctors recommend as best. If you sleep on your back, it is likely that you aren’t putting too much pressure on your neck or spine and your spine is in alignment. The lack of bending or stretching as in a stomach or side sleeper reduces joint pains and back pains. You do need support in certain areas for a good night’s rest. When lying on your back your back arches upward and then downward at the buttocks to make a concave shape in your lower back that doesn’t touch a mattress.

To attend to this position you will need a supportive and cushiony mattress that is not too soft. A latex mattress is very supportive but also springy at the same time for perfect back sleeper’s comfort. The one you choose should have orthopedic support for your back. You may also decide on a memory foam mattress for its contouring benefits.

Other Considerations

If you have allergies to dust mites, lint or cotton, a coil spring mattress can aggravate them much worse. You can choose a hypoallergenic mattress cover to go on any type of mattress you choose to avoid allergies.

Consider your weight when choosing a mattress. If a heavy person is a stomach sleeper, they need a mattress that is a bit softer so their stomach can sink into the mattress. A firm mattress of any type is not comfortable for an overweight stomach sleeper. If you are very lightweight stomach sleeper, you should opt for a firmer mattress for better stomach support.

Purchase your new mattress from a mattress store for the biggest selection available. They will allow you to “test drive” the mattresses by lying on them and have knowledgeable personal to help you in your quest for the best nights rest.