How to Choose the Right Mattress for Your Body Type and Sleep Style

You will spend one-third of your lifetime sleeping on a mattress. Many people will only take ten minutes to pick a suitable mattress for themselves.

This is the reason why you may find yourself with a stiff back or being irritable when you wake up. Luckily, making the right choice is not difficult at all. You have to answer just two simple questions. How do you sleep? What does your body need?

Start With How You Actually Sleep

It’s not about how you fall asleep. It’s about how you wake up. That is your real sleep form. Watch how you feel for a few mornings before you go to a store like Walker Mattress. The way you wake up shows where your body stays most of the night. After that, use these tips to match it:

• Side sleepers need a soft surface. This helps your shoulder and hip sink in. If it is too firm, you might wake up with numb arms. It can also cause sore hips.
• Back sleepers feel better on a bed that is not too soft and not too hard. This helps support the lower back and does not let you sink in
• Stomach sleepers need a firmer bed. This helps the hips stay up so the spine does not bend.
• Combination sleepers often like a mattress that is not too hard or too soft. It should feel springy and help them move or turn over easily.

UCLA’s ergonomics team supports this in its guide to sleeping posture, which says that people who sleep on their stomach need firmer support than people who sleep on their back or side. The guide also shares that the coil count does not show quality. So, do not let a salesperson talk you into picking a mattress based only on how many coils it has.

Then Factor in Your Body

Mattress firmness depends on your body weight. If you weigh 250 lbs., a medium mattress will be soft. At the same time, if you weigh 120 lbs., the mattress will be firm. This is something to keep in mind first of all.

Heavier sleepers need to pick mattresses that are thicker. These should have sturdy coils and strong foam. They will keep their shape for a long time.

Pick the Right Material

Memory foam will conform to your body and prevent you from feeling your partner moving. This is great especially if your partner moves a lot when sleeping. It tends to be warm when sleeping on it.

Innerspring mattress feels very bouncy. It allows air to flow and hence prevents overheating but doesn’t provide much relief for pressure points.

Hybrid mixes coils with foam or latex layers. It can be a good choice for many body types.

Latex is quick to react and strong. It often feels cool to sleep on, more than memory foam.

Don’t Skip the Test

Lay on the mattress for 10 to 15 minutes in the position that you take when sleeping at home. Take your pillow along if possible. In case there is another person you sleep with, both of you must test the bed. The hips dipping too low or the shoulders feeling restricted happens almost immediately for most individuals.

For another angle, this article about selecting a bed by a posture specialist reveals why you should worry about having the spinal column well-supported rather than how comfortable the mattress will be.

Bottom Line

The perfect mattress does not always have to be expensive or boastful. This is a mattress that suits your sleeping position and is suitable for your body type. Consider your sleeping style first, your weight second, and test the mattress before purchasing. Should you seek an expert’s advice, head for Walker Mattress.