Among the most common chronic conditions that ail Australians, back problems rank second in 2017 to 2018 according to the National Health Survey. Around 4 million Australians or 16.4% of the Australian population suffer from lower back pain. This may stem from a variety of underlying conditions which manifest as chronic back pain. Oftentimes, the root cause may also be as simple as stress and a bed in your house that lacks enough support for your body.
You may not have realized it, yet your mattress plays a huge role in taking care of your health. A person spends a third of every day in bed. Maybe more for some. So, it’s crucial that a person lies on the best mattress for his or her body shape and body type, because the type of mattress matters!
Do you need extra support? Do you need a medium-firm sleeping surface? You’ll learn all of these and more as you go along and discover what mattress is best for you and your back pain.
Does The Type of Mattress Impact My Back Pain?
Yes, yes, and yes! The type of mattress you have will have effects on your back, which may be the causes of your back pain. Your body needs to be matched with the right mattress to relieve you from your chronic condition. Here, you’ll see the good and the bad of different mattress types.
1. Innerspring Mattress
An innerspring mattress is the oldest form of mattress, dating back to the early 1900s. It has layers of foam that sandwhich metal coils in an inner chamber. These coils compress from weight and gives the mattress bounce and widespread support to the point that you’ll even get edge support. Given it’s simple construction, a spring mattress is a more affordable option for sleepers and offers great breathability.
However, an innerspring mattress won’t be the best for a bad back. It lacks in contouring and ergonomic features unlike a memory foam mattress. Your spine will miss targeted support when it needs it.
2. Latex Mattress
The latex mattress is a more modern choice, coming in either natural latex or synthetic latex. Latex foam works to give pleasant support but still retains quite a bounce. It also boasts contouring features which may be great for bad backs. Because of this targeted support, you can expect pain relief for a sore back.
Nonetheless, given that latex mattresses come at such high costs, you’ll miss the better ergonomic offering of a memory foam mattress. Latex is great for bad backs, but memory foam is even better with appealing affordability.
3. Memory Foam Mattress
Memory foam is the rage all over Australia and with good reason. It gives pressure and pain relief just like latex, but it has higher contouring features. The high density foam hugs all the points of your sore back and gives them the specific support they need. It’s a luxe type of mattress that delivers in the bad back department.
Some memory foam choices do receive complaints in terms of firmness level and breathability. A mattress that’s too hard and too hot is also not good for bad back, but the Ecosa Mattress remedies these issues. It has adjustable memory foam layers that range from medium to firm. If you want a softer sleeping surface, you can simply switch up the layers whichever will be more comfortable for your back.
At the same time, the Ecosa Mattress has pincore holes and cut outs that allow air to freely in and out of the memory foam. Pair these features with beddings that also stay soft and cool during a hot night. You can then keep a perspiration-free back all throughout the night.
4. Hybrid Mattress
Unlike the previous three kinds, hybrid mattresses vary greatly in construction. They combine metal coils or springs with latex or memory foam. Real examples of hybrid mattresses you can look up are the Vital Mattress and the Pure Mattress.
The Vital Mattress uses memory foam and pocket springs in seven zones. It has medium firmness with great contouring for spinal alignment and targeted support for the back. It even boasts edge support from firm springs along its perimeter.
In contrast, the Pure Mattress uses a latex layer with micro coils and seven zoned pocket springs. It offers even higher targeted support for the back for a pain-free snooze. It also contours well regardless of your sleeping position, body type, or body shape, leading to undisturbed sleep.
Can a Mattress Topper Help with a Bad Back?
Mattress toppers also come in different types such as in latex and memory foam. A latex topper pretty much offers the same benefits as a latex mattress yet also suffers from the same downsides. On the other hand, a memory foam topper like the Ecosa Topper may be more useful.
A topper, never to be replaced with a mattress, helps bad backs in gaining better support, cushioning, and softness. The Ecosa Topper makes a mattress too firm for a sore back 20% softer, giving contouring features that aid in relieving pain. Conversely, it also provides stronger cushioning to a bad back when a mattress is too old for proper support.
In any case, a mattress topper may help with chronic back pain in the meantime if you’re stuck with an old mattress or one too firm for comfortable sleep.
Do Mattresses Really Have An Impact on Low Back Pain?
Consider what position you sleep in. Whether you lie on your back, your side, or your front, gravity works to pull your muscles downward, with only the mattress holding your body up through support. Now, imagine if your bed gives bad support, then your body is pulled downward, twisting your spine out of proper alignment, which leads to muscle soreness in your back. Repeat the same sensation for several nights over a long period of time, and you’ll definitely have yourself chronic back pain.
But then, if you have a good mattress with ample support, your body will feel like its floating. This is because the bones, and not the muscles, absorb the downward pressure from gravity. And when the bones absorb pressure, your blood circulation improves, you’ll feel calmer and more relaxed, and your spine stays aligned all night, even if you switch sleeping positions.
How Do I Know My Mattress Is Causing My Back Pain?
The first symptom—recurring back soreness—is obvious enough, but what other signs should you look out for?
Take a look at yourself to start. Do you wake up in the middle of the night because of a hurting back? Or do you stay awake, tossing and turning on the bed, because you can’t get comfortable? Do you always feel like your back muscles are pressured or battered instead of relaxed and refreshed when you wake up in the morning?
Once you have the previous questions answered, you can now look at your bed. Is your mattress old? Is it sagging in parts? Is it too soft or too firm for your comfort? Does it accommodate your weight, body shape, and body type?
If the answer is yes to all these questions, then your mattress is the most likely culprit of your back woes.
Memory Foam is the Best Mattress for Bad Backs
When you experience bad back pain because of your mattress, it’s about time to choose a new one. As mentioned earlier, memory foam is one of the best materials to respond to pressure and temperature with ample cushioning and cooling tech. It moulds itself to the shape and curves of your body, regardless of sleeping position or body type.
Because memory foam hugs you, the support it provides pinpoints areas where you need pressure-relief the most, pressure points such as along the spine which bear the brunt of downward force during sleep. It allows these sore areas to sink a little while keeping lighter parts of the body afloat. This results in even body weight distribution.
That’s how a memory foam mattress provides pain-free sleep to back sufferers. You gain spinal alignment and excellent lumbar support as you sleep. In fact, your shoulders and your neck also receive ample cushioning, leading to pain relief in those areas too. What a plus!
If you get the memory foam Ecosa Mattress, you’ll enjoy switchable comfort layers of differing firmness options. You can lie on a medium level layer, a medium-firm, or a firm layer. Pair that with the best pillows for your head and neck. That sore back will soon feel better when your spine gets in alignment during sleep.
Backed by Research: Medium-Firm Memory Foam Mattresses Are the Way to Go
Research proves that a medium-firm mattress like memory foam provides comfort, sleep quality, and spinal alignment. A study published in the Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology reviewed other research conducted until 2019 regarding different mattresses and their impact on back pain. It concludes that firmer mattresses, not soft mattresses, may provide more advantages to back pain sufferers.
Medium-firm mattresses in particular, such as memory foam mattresses, can relieve pain in the lower back. The review discovered how these mattresses improve sleep quality and even prevent future back soreness. These perks all stem from the promotion of spinal alignment due to even body weight distribution.
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Tips for Buying a Mattress for Bad Backs
1. Match the firmness level with your sleeping position
By now, you know that a firm feel helps low back pain, yet it’s not the only feature you should look at. Your favourite sleeping position is just as important because a mattress can hit different pressure points on your body.
Back-sleepers will enjoy a firmer mattress because their bodies will be more evenly distributed. Their backs and hips will not sag, preventing spinal misalignment.
On the other hand, side sleepers need their hips and shoulders at the right level to maintain a straight back. So, a soft mattress or a medium firmness level will be best. The hips and shoulders shouldn’t feel any unnecessary pressure when side sleeping, yet they should be able to sink a little on the bed.
Firmer mattresses are also recommended for stomach sleepers. They will keep the stomach area level with the rest of the body, allowing you to maintain spinal alignment.
Considering these factors, you may consider the Ecosa Mattress for your new bed. It is a memory foam mattress in a box, offering three comfortable foam layers with different firmness level options. It’s an adjustable bed mattress that you can modify to your liking. Due to the memory foam’s motion isolation, you’ll also enjoy virtually no motion transfer if two people lie on a queen size. With eco-friendly and high-quality materials, the Ecosa Mattress gives pressure-relieving and orthopaedic level of support for your lower and upper back support.
You can try it for 100 nights and return it for a full refund. The Ecosa Mattress also has a 15-year warranty.
2. Check if it combats sleeping hot
Hot sleepers have another issue on their hands because of perspiration. Fortunately, memory foam mattresses offer cooling technology which will keep you cool throughout the night on your new mattress. For example, the Ecosa Mattress is a breathable supportive mattress which encourages optimal airflow and temperature regulation. It has pincore holes and cut outs through which air could freely pass through.
3. Read honest customer reviews
Other sleepers have had experience with a memory foam mattress themselves. You can look at honest customer reviews to check actual firmness levels and cooling capabilities. Other customers will definitely point you to the right mattress for back pain.
Smart Shoppers, Better Backs
A smart shopper considers the type of mattress for a bad back. This means looking for the best memory foam mattress on the block that can suit your needs.
Or you can stop searching because we’ve created it for you. The best memory foam mattress is right here — with a medium-firm setting and a cooling mechanism. What’s not to love?