For many people, purchasing a new mattress is not as exciting as buying a new car or phone. This is because you purchase it once, use it for years, and get a new one when it’s past its prime. The truth is that a quality mattress can positively affect your mental and physical health by promoting a quality sleep that you need to be productive.
There are good chances that your old mattress is contributing to bad rest and body aches, leading you to feel stuffed up or drowsy in the morning. This can be because of pain-promoting sags that form on your mattress over time. This is the reason why you need to get a new mattress to address these problems. This article discusses what you need to consider before buying a mattress for your home.
Know your budget
Purchasing a mattress can sometimes be an expensive exercise, especially if you decide to buy a high-quality one. Therefore, it’s important to avoid making impulsive buying decisions. Instead, it’s a good idea to research the price range of the available mattresses and decide on the amount of cash you desire to spend on it.
You should always do this so that you can avoid overspending only to regret it later. Also, it’s crucial to look out for some superficial features on the potential mattress because these features do nothing when it comes to functionality apart from just spiking up the prices. Simply put, you should avoid these promotional tricks.
Thickness
With thickness, there is no easy way to determine if the thickness is right for you or not. However, the suitable thickness can depend on multiple factors like whether you have neck or back problems, or how fit and tall you are. For instance, if the potential mattress is very thick, it can add too much height to your bed. Worse still, it may not be easy for an aging individual who has problems walking to get in and out of their bed.
Another possible disadvantage of having a thick mattress is that if it’s not designed properly, it is more likely going to stretch and even lose its firmness. Therefore, it is good to purchase the best quality available, especially if you still decide to purchase a super thick mattress. Remember that both firmness and thickness may have a huge impact on your back health over time.
One of the most common mattress types on the market is called memory foam mattress. This is known for moulding itself depending on the shape of your body. Hence, it can offer better support to the spine and back when pressure is applied evenly at the points. But these types of mattresses also tend to retain your body temperature and can feel too warm for many hot areas. People who prefer to have a cool surface when they are sleeping should always choose a mattress that is suitable for the climate they live in. You need to check mattress sizes in inches to know the right size.
Firm or plush
Labels like plush, ultra plush, firm, and extra firm on mattresses show how hard or soft the mattress is. In most cases, the ultra plush mattresses have pillow-tops or cushions that are added by a manufacturer so that they can be softer. You can also find some mattresses that come with labels that read pillow top or even cushion firm. All these mattresses have extra pudding to give them a softer feel. However, these mattresses are still firm enough to offer good support. If you have back problems, then you need to choose the firm mattresses because they give better spine support.
Identify your main sleeping position
It’s also important to consider your sleeping position before purchasing a mattress. This is because a sleeping position can help you to figure out how firm or soft your new mattress should be.
Side sleepers can usually feel more comfortable when they sleep on soft to medium firm mattresses. This is because they can conform to the curvature of the side and hips without pressing into the joints. In most cases, the less your weight, the softer you will need the mattress to be when you are a side sleeper.
If you sleep on your stomach or back, then you will likely do well with a medium to firm mattress because it provides accommodating support. Remember that a firm bed makes sure that your back and spine are properly supported during the night. This is unlike a soft mattress that may let you back droop into your bed and even promotes back pain.
Alternatively, if you know that you sleep in various positions, then you have a few options available for you. You can pick the mattress that you believe you think you will spend most of your time in or choose a middle-of-the-road option. It’s worth noting that medium firmness levels provide adequate support for your back. Therefore, stomach sleepers can use these mattresses while side sleepers can have an ideal pressure relief. There are several brands on the market that construct their mattresses with medium firmness levels so that they can accommodate a wide range of sleepers.
It’s also important to consider your body type. When you identify your sleeping position, you should take into account your body type. Weight distribution can play a huge role in how firm or soft you think a mattress can feel.
For instance, a medium mattress can feel more soft to someone with more weight, but the same mattress can feel a little firmer for someone with less weight. This is because heavier people put more pressure into the mattress, so they tend to have a more plush experience. Therefore, if your weight is about 250 pounds and decide to sleep on your stomach, it’s a good idea to choose a medium-firm mattress.
People with larger body types must also consider hybrid mattresses. These are mattresses that come with both innersprings and foam. Hybrid mattresses are considered to be more supportive than all-foam mattresses because they have a steel base layer. As a result, it means that they can be long lasting. But if your weight is less than 200 pounds, then most foam mattresses can work fine for you in the long run.