Is your back pain keeping you awake? Then your current mattress is certainly not suited for you. And even worse, it could be making your situation worse.
Choosing the right mattress for your back pain, such as a hybrid foam mattress, can ease your pain and greatly improve your sleep.
In this guide, Polysleep does the work to help you choose the ideal mattress to ease your back pain.
You: “My back aches!”; we at Polysleep: “Ok, but what kind of back pains?”
You have backaches. It’s a fact, the pain is there. Each morning, you’re feeling like a Picasso painting, from the front but also from the side. To resolve your ailments, it’s necessary to figure out the origins of the problem, and so identify exactly what is causing the pain. That may seem like a simplistic answer, but it’s a first solution to determine what mind of backache is affecting you.
Is it simply muscle soreness?
If your pain is located at the lumbar level or any other muscular area of your “athletic” back, you won't be surprised to hear that the pain is, in fact, muscular. It’s the most common type of pain, and the kind that can most quickly be remedied to. Other symptoms that you should look out for are feeling sore in the morning, but also feeling like your muscular energy is depleted. Waking up in the middle of the night with these same pains and/or having to often change your position to relieve them are other conclusive signs that your mattress is inadequate to relieve your pressure points.
The specific but common case of the herniated disc.
Unfortunately, it’s the best-case scenario. More serious causes, often chronic, can also cause your backache. And identifying the origins of the pain is once more the key to see what type of problem is afflicting you. If the pain seems to stem from your nerves, if you back feels stuck and stretching your muscles doesn’t seem to do anything, you might have a herniated disc. Other accompanying symptoms will help you figure out if that’s really what is affecting you. For example, if the same pain continues into your leg, a hernia is lurking. Consult your doctor, who will provide you with an accurate diagnosis on your issue.
“But then, how do I figure out what type of mattress I need?”
The answer is more complex and will vary according of the cause of the pain.
“Which mattress is best to prevent sore muscles?”
The first thing to focus on is the alignment of your spine. Your future mattress needs to simultaneously support your back so that your vertebrae are fully aligned, while still being comfortable. The goal is for your spine and the muscles around it, particularly at the lumbar level, to be relaxed, and so to be properly replenished upon waking up, so that you feel refreshed and well.
But there isn’t ONE best mattress. Because on top of the alignment of your spine, which is THE #1 criteria, a certain amount of subjectivity is also advised. To be sure, you have to take into account your bed preferences and your morphology. Some like softer mattresses while other prefer a firmer feel. So, it’s important to find YOUR mattress.
First, think about looking for a balance of comfort/support that suits you, while keeping in mind that areas such as the shoulders and the hips exert more pressure on the mattress. Your mattress also needs to keep your spine straight while relieving your pressure points. In this, thanks to their foam design, Polysleep mattresses offer efficient relief of these points, especially the Zephyr mattress, with its foam transitional layer that provides specific support to your hips.
“What is the best mattress for a herniated disc?”
A herniated disc is a serious matter, and it must be handled just as seriously. While you’re sleeping, your vertebrae could be putting pressure on one of your nerves and pinch it. This might be caused by bad posture, but also by insufficient nutrition, excess weight, or aging. So, if on top of that you’re sleeping in the wrong position with the wrong mattress, say hello to bad back issues!
The right sleeping position for you is then essential. If preferences in terms of posture and comfort are still valid here, the most important thing is first to find the mattress that will allow you to relieve the pressure of your vertebrae on your nerves. For a hernia, a firm but not hard mattress is usually recommended. More precisely, the mattress must be made of softer layers on top, and firmer in the lower layers. This type of support is already available with our entry-range mattress, the Origin mattress, with its top layer structure made of open cell foam, firm without being hard.
To conclude: identify what type of pain you have, and you’ll be able to choose the right mattress!
In that respect, you should first figure out what type of back problem is the cause of your dorsal pains. They could be caused by your muscles but might also originate from more “mechanical” issues related to your bone structure. Some of these problems can become chronic, like a herniated disc.
In the case of muscular pains linked to your lumbar area, the first thing to focus on is the alignment of your spine, which is the primary criteria to keep in mind AT ALL TIMES. But your bed preferences also have their say. Some of you will prefer a softer bed, while others will like a firmer feel. That’s your choice! The most important is that your vertebrae are kept straight, and that your mattress effectively relieve your pressure points during the whole time you are sleeping, something that all Polysleep mattresses do.
And for a chronic herniated disc, above all, you should relieve the pressure exerted by your vertebrae on the pinched nerve. Your bed preferences still have a part to play, but clearer guidelines are needed all the same. Choose a mattress that is quite firm, with softer top layers and more support in the lower layers. Before all of this though, consult your doctor to know if you really have a hernia, or if it’s something else.
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