If you have any kind of regular back pain then you’ll know how much your bed can help or hinder you. But do you know how to choose a mattress that will actually ease your aching bones, rather than exacerbate them?

Common problem for many people

Around 49% of people in the UK suffer from some kind of lower back pain at least once every year. And yet, many people don’t know how to go about choosing a bed and mattress that will help them sleep better and ease the pain in their back.

Perfect beds for a bad back may seem like a dream item but actually, it is possible to systematically work out the kind of mattress that will suit you best. It’s worth noting that if you sleep with a partner and there is a weight difference between you it could be a good idea to get separate single mattresses on a double bed. This could make a huge difference to both of you as you need different tensile strengths to support different body weights.

Quality of sleep is important

Everyone knows it’s important to a certain level, but actually the quality and quantity of sleep you get can have huge detrimental effects on your health and well being. If you regularly wake up with an aching back then you need to work out a way to manage it better.

A visit to the doctor is, of course, top of that list. Once a serious medical condition is ruled out you can help yourself enormously by increasing exercise, particularly including disciplines like yoga or pilates.

When you are exercising, eating healthily and have established a sleep routine that you can stick with, the only thing left to tackle is your bed and mattress. You need to take this holistic approach to sorting your back problem as it’s unlikely that just one solution will work.

New mattress will change your sleep

According to the Edinburgh Sleep Center, treating yourself to a new bed and mattress could give you an extra 42 minutes quality sleep a night. This could be huge in helping you feel at your best and improving your back pain. Over a ten year period, a mattress can lose up to 70% of its strength and a bed will have substantially deteriorated by the time you’ve had it for five to seven years. So it’s vital to do your research and properly figure out which mattress will suit you best before replacing your old one.

It’s a subjective choice

Although older advice would always veer towards a hard mattress being better for a bad back, the truth is you need to take into account many more factors, including weight, age and sleeping patterns. It’s likely that a memory foam mattress could help as this allows you to sleep with your spine in a more natural position. It effectively allows you to lie for hours without your back being forced into a curve that doesn’t suit it. However, this won’t be the remedy for everyone, with many older people preferring a softer mattress or an older fashioned sprung mattress. The best way to find out for yourself is to go to a sleep superstore and try them out – when you have decided on the type of mattress you need you can write down the details and then buy online if it suits better. It’s often easier to find better prices online, so don’t let yourself be talked into anything by a salesperson unless you’re 100% convinced. A new bed and mattress is a pretty big investment and the key advice is to take your time, do your research and try as many out as possible before you splurge your cash.

Featured image from here.