If you suffer from joint or back pain it might be time to switch your current mattress.
In this guide we’ll give you everything you need to know about finding the best mattress to help ease-away aches and pains, so you wake up with a spring in your step (rather than a pain in your back).
How does a wrong mattress cause back pain?
While it's always best to consult a doctor on chronic back pain, the cause of your discomfort might be closer to home: in your mattress.
If your mattress is too soft to support your weight it can sag in the middle, which will distort your spine in a way that prevents it from naturally aligning through the night - the repercussions of which will be felt the next day.
As a mattress ages it also starts to lose its ability to effectively support you. This is one of the reasons it's recommended you replace your mattress every 7 - 8 years.
It's important to find a mattress that supports you effectively throughout the night. Inadequate support means more pressure is placed on your muscles to support your body, which is why people wake up in the morning with those oh-so familiar aches and pains.
How to find the right mattress
Two of the key things to consider when choosing a mattress are the support system and comfort layer.
The support system makes up the core of the mattress and is key to comfort and support, whilst the comfort layer sits above the support system and helps to tailor the mattress to your individual sleeping habits.
Here are the key things to look out for with finding the best mattress for your back:
Support system
Choosing the right firmness
While it has been suggested that people with a bad back should get an 'extra-firm' mattress, this is not always the case.
The firmness rating that is right for you can depend on a few things, including: the side you sleep on, comfort preferences and stature.
We’ve created a short quiz to help you find your ideal firmness rating:
You might also be interested in our firmness rating guide.
Why zoned mattresses are important for perfect posture
A zoned mattress is designed to target support in the areas you need it most, such as the shoulders and hips, and is vital to healthy spinal alignment and reducing back pain.
We teamed up with the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) to put our zoned mattresses to the test. The results showed that - as well as scoring highest on comfort, firmness and overall preference - zoned mattresses also outperformed non-zoned mattresses on healthy spinal alignment.
You can find out more about the research here and read the full report here. More information about our zoned Mirapocket and Miracoil support systems can also be found in our mattress buying guide.
Comfort layer
The comfort layer is like the icing on the cake and when it comes to back support and some are better than others. This particularly applies to our Geltex comfort layer, which helps to provide undisturbed sleep free from aches and pains.
To prove this, we conducted research with the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) to put Geltex to the test against Memory Foam and Latex.
The result? Geltex out-performed Memory Foam and Latex in all areas, including comfort, firmness, pressure relief and spinal alignment. You can view the full report here or view more information about our full range of comfort layers in our mattress buying guide.
Try it out with our reassuring 60 night comfort exchange
There's only one true test for a new mattress: to sleep on it. It can take a little time to settle-in with a new mattress so when you buy a mattress directly from our website, we offer a comfort exchange that gives you 60 nights to get really comfortable before making a decision.
If you're still not loving your new mattress within 60 nights from delivery, you can exchange it for another mattress. You can find out more about the 60 night comfort exchange here.
