If you’re currently having trouble sleeping, and wondering if your mattress could be the culprit, then you may be asking yourself a few questions: Does upgrading to a new mattress make a difference? If so, how? And, what kind of mattress should you look for to improve your comfort, get a better night’s sleep, and reduce overall pain and discomfort?
Before we answer these burning questions, let’s first take a look at some statistics, which highlight the importance of a good night’s sleep.
The Health And Economic Cost Of Poor Sleep
Studies have shown that inadequate sleep can pose several negative health effects.
According to a 2016 report to the Sleep Health Foundation, conducted by the Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health, inadequate sleep affects around 33 to 45 percent of adults (across all age groups) during the daytime.
Furthermore, the same report revealed that 12 percent of adults (across all age groups) sleep less than 5 ½ hours per day, while three-quarters of those same respondents report frequent daytime impairment and other sleep-related symptoms.
The economic cost of poor sleep cannot be understated, either.
In a report released by Deloitte Access Economics, it revealed a lack of sleep resulted in greater absenteeism, reduced productivity, and an increased risk of work-related injuries. To top it off, the combined economic cost of poor sleep impacts is estimated to be as high as $66 billion annually, as incredible as that sounds.
With all of this being said, it begs the question: can upgrading to a new mattress provide better sleep outcomes?
Benefits Of Upgrading To A New Mattress
Some people struggle to sleep due to health reasons. These include conditions like sleep apnea, stress, lack of exercise, poor diet, and bad sleeping habits. These issues, of course, should be diagnosed and treated by a qualified health professional.
Outside of such medical issues, upgrading your bedding system can provide numerous health benefits, and even help reduce the symptoms of some pre-existing medical conditions.
Here are just some of the many ways a new mattress can improve your general wellbeing:
Reduced Allergy Symptoms
Due to the inner cavity design found in older coil/spring mattresses, they are more prone to house allergens and dust mites. Once inside, the dust mites leave behind feces and dead skin cells, both of which trigger allergic reactions.
Upgrading to a new mattress, ideally, one that is either memory foam or natural latex mattress – with zero coils and springs –, will prevent dust mites from being able to enter and thrive.
If your budget only allows for a coil/spring mattress, then at least fit it with a hypoallergenic mattress protector.
Improved Comfort And Reduced Pain
It should come as no surprise that upgrading to a new mattress will help you feel more comfortable at night. But exactly to what extent? It comes down to choosing the right mattress.
Several factors determine which kind of mattress is right for you. One of the most important is the level of firmness. Ideally, you should sleep on the following mattress types based on your sleeping position:
- Firm: Great for stomach sleepers, as a firm mattress will help keep your spine aligned.
- Medium: Ideal for back sleepers, as it’ll help provide support for your spine, back, and neck.
- Soft: Most suitable for sleeping on your side, as the soft cushioning will comfortably support and contour your body’s natural curves.
Therefore, choosing the right mattress – one that conforms to your most common sleeping position, offers the right balance of comfort and support, and helps keep your spine aligned – will help reduce the symptoms of back, joint, and shoulder pain.
A quality Queen mattress is a good example of one that can help improve the quality of your sleep. Be sure to read reviews on a particular mattress that you are interested in.
Easier To Sleep With A Partner
Motion transfer is one of the most common complaints among sleeping partners. When one person tosses and turns at night – or climbs in and out of bed – this disrupts the person on the other side.
Fortunately, these days, there are lots of motion-isolating mattresses on the market.
By far, the best type of motion isolation mattress is one with individually-encased coil springs. The springs work just like they would with any other mattress, as they provide adequate support to the whole body. But, since the springs are separate from each other, it means that any motion the springs pick up on one side won’t transfer to the other side.
The result? A consistently good night’s sleep for both you and your partner.