Whether you need a ‘firm’ or ‘soft’ mattress depends on your personal preferences, budget, and body. The correct level of firmness for you will vary by sleep position, weight, and height.
In addition, the firmness of a mattress is usually connected to pricing and performance factors such as pressure relief and durability.
Because of the wide array of mattresses available in the market today, you can get multiple firmness choices for hybrids, and latex beds, memory foam, innerspring and other popular models.
Soft Vs hard mattress – which is better to sleep on?
You might have come across mixed reviews on whether it’s better to sleep on a soft or hard mattress. The truth is, there’s no one best mattress feel for everybody, and the most essential thing is a personal preference.
There are some essential factors you need to take into consideration when choosing what will suit your needs.
When to get a new mattress
If you have been sleeping on an old mattress for years, or you awaken with pains and aches some days, it might be time for you to get a new mattress.
In addition to losing their firmness and becoming shapeless, mattresses will also harbor mold and bacteria that can be dangerous to health.
What often makes a mattress the perfect option?
As well as individual preferences, the major factor in choosing the proper mattress is your spine’s condition.
The right mattress can help in keeping the body in a neutral position. This means your spine gets maintained in its natural light curve.
Also, the feet, shoulders, head, and buttocks are properly aligned. On the best mattress, you shouldn’t feel any pressure.
Over time, the right mattress will help in improving your posture, promoting better sleep, and relaxing your muscles. A bad mattress might cause you to awaken with backache, particularly around your spine’s base, and might affect your sleep altogether.
What makes a mattress soft or hard?
The clear variation between soft and hard mattress is the feeling. The hard mattress sinks less and is steadier to touch. The soft mattress compresses easily when you apply pressure. A perfect example is the mattress by Tulo.
You should note that a mattress’s feeling is not only divided into 2 categories but it is simply one of the factors to consider. This means there are lots of options, which can be both negative and positive. All mattress types can be created with any materials.
The softness and firmness of a mattress will either depend on the overall tension of the structure of the mattress, or the spring’s tension. But the mattress might include some upholstery or top layer, which can affect the firmness.
For instance, a memory foam top layer will provide a superficial firmness feeling; however, it doesn’t feature the properties of a firm mattress. Both mattress types exist in different classes of prices. But to have your preferred choice, it may be worth investing more.
Benefits of soft mattresses
Soft mattresses are great for people who have already found back issues or for people experiencing pain on an average mattress.
A softer mattress is also great if you are lightweight since the firmer mattress might eventually not take up your weight at all.
This mattress is often great if you sleep on one side as it better supports the thighs and shoulders. Additionally, this type of mattress will better align your spine.
Drawbacks of soft mattresses
While a soft mattress might seem more luxurious and comfortable, it can actually cause issues if you sleep on your stomach and back, as well as if you are heavyweight. Couples will also experience issues with a softer mattress.
The heavier partner might sink further, which makes the sleep surface unbalanced. It can be a difficult task to find hardness, which is right for both sides.
This is what affects the hardness of a mattress
Apart from individual preferences, two major factors affect the hardness of a mattress: your preferred sleeping position and body weight.
- Preferred sleeping position
Three main sleeping positions exist, i.e stomach, back, and side sleepers. Each position will affect how you press against your mattress. The two major pressure points when lying down are around the hip and the shoulder area.
The best mattress permits a bit of sinking in these parts for the right spine alignment and even body weight distribution.
- Body weight
When lying down on the mattress, how soft or hard it feels will depend on how much pressure the body will exert onto the top surface.
Provided with the same mattress, someone bulky will naturally press more against the surface of the mattress than a lighter individual.
Because of that, lighter people choose medium to soft types while heavier people prefer harder mattresses. Stomach and back sleepers usually love a harder mattress.
This will help provide the right resistance in their pressure points and proper alignment of the spine. The best spine alignment is often got from medium to soft mattresses.
If you are a side sleeper, a very hard surface can leave the legs and lower back dangling in the air. It will exert needless pressure in the hips and shoulder and results in you waking up with aches in these parts.
Benefits of a hard mattress
If you don’t have uncomfortable back pain, it’s more comfortable to have a firm mattress. When you sleep on a harder surface, your bones absorb most of the pressure, meaning there’s less tension on the arteries, veins, and muscles.
Your muscles will be less tense and the improvement of circulation. The firm mattress will protect your lower back from collapsing. When there’s less sagging in might mean that there’s even distribution of body weight.
A hard mattress is usually better if you sleep on your back as it offers a more level and stable surface. People who sleep on their stomach feel great on this type of mattress as well.
Drawbacks of harder mattresses
The change from a softer to a firmer mattress might at first feel quite uncomfortable. This typically gets less conspicuous over time.
For people suffering from specific back issues like scoliosis and arthritis, a firmer mattress might make the pain worse. For this reason, it is important to try various mattresses before you buy them.
Choosing the perfect mattress for you
The two major factors you need to take into consideration are what kind of sleeper are you and whether you often experience back pain or not.
People who don’t suffer from back pain and who sleep on their stomach or back will most likely benefit from a hard mattress.
Those having problems with their backs or sleep on their side might need something softer, though it eventually depends on personal preferences. Weight is also a factor to consider.
If you are heavy you may find a hard mattress misleadingly soft, while the lighter individual might not feel comfortable even from a softer model.
Generally, a body construction that’s medium to heavy can be more appropriate for a harder model. Personal preference is another essential element that you should not overlook. No matter what is best for your spine, if uncomfortable, you’ll most likely not sleep properly.
You should keep in mind that the decision isn’t precisely white or black. Mattresses come in a wide array of hardness. Additionally, you change the feeling by adding a top mattress. Normally, you should test different mattresses to make the best decision.
Important things to note:
- The two main factors in getting a new mattress have to be sleeping position and back pain.
- You’ll find many kinds of mattresses and the best way of making a personal choice is by testing different choices.
- You should also consider details such as weight, your preferences, and whether you share your bed or not.
- There are lots of factors you should remember when purchasing the perfect mattress for you.
Making the right decision for you
One of the advantages of the mattress business today is that there are endless choices. This means that you can get both soft and hard mattresses at a range of price points, so you will usually get the precise hardness you want within budget. You can get all levels of hardness no matter the type of mattress.
This means you will get hard, medium, and soft models of all-latex, hybrid, foam, and innerspring mattresses. When choosing a hard or soft mattress, you will want to consider several factors, which include the sections of back pain and position of sleeping.
A tummy and back sleeper will benefit from a harder mattress, while a side sleeper will often enjoy a soft mattress. If you sleep in different positions or have a style of sleep that is different from your partner, the perfect choice is a medium mattress.
When looking for a mattress you should take into consideration your size, as well. A soft mattress might be great for lightweight back sleepers. On the other hand, a medium to hard mattress might work best for heavy side sleepers.
Beyond these factors, choosing a soft or hard mattress will depend on your preferences. When looking for a mattress, lay on different mattresses with various levels of hardness.
Also, before you decide, make sure the manufacturer provides a trial period, which is long enough for you to get the best feel for whether the mattress will suit your needs.
