Mattresses: How and why they can cause sleep problems.
The modern mattress has evolved from the rattan mat to high tech foam and all combinations of. The purpose of a mattress is to give the body comfort during sleep. There are so many types: Water filled, Air filled, Springs with felt pads over, solid foam, memory foam.
Any type of mattress is designed to give your body comfort by giving you the body support you want. Some like a soft mattress while others demand a firm one. All now require a pillow to complete the support. It is very important to choose a comfortable and firm mattress
With a firm mattress, you require a firmer pillow because the body structure does not sink far into the mattress. A soft mattress will require a softer pillow because as the body sinks it needs smaller support for the head.
With the design of the Emperor’s pillow proving the head support was the answer to perfect sleep; using a hard object on hard surfaces. The harder the surface the harder (firmer) the head support. We found this to be true when we took our sized sleeping pillow camping. We both had trouble sleeping and woke with neck pain. Slowly we analyzed why and realized our shoulders did not sink into the ground as they did our mattress. Next trip we took a camping pillow; a harder sized medium pillow.
As we changed mattresses we found we had to add or remove the extra support to our sized sleeping pillows. This lead to our pillows becoming adjustable.
After trying several types of mattresses, we found foam mattresses came in many grades of foam support. Finding the right firmness was harder because as you slept your body gets heavier and never stopped sinking. Your head support could not sink and woke you. You found a new spot and went to sleep again, and again.
The memory foam mattress let you sink the furthest. You almost had to get out of bed and allow the foam to return to normal. If you cuddled your partner you both sank and had trouble separating always waking.
My finding indicated that any mattress you chose will work for body comfort but all require a sized sleeping pillow to give a perfect sleep.
Next: Sized Sleeping pillows