Eight hours of sleep might not sound like much, but the fact remains—most people spend at least a third of their lives sleeping. Sleep is an integral part of the body’s recovery process, so it’s vital that you get the best sleep possible and wake up well-rested and ready for your day.
While various biological factors and lifestyle habits influence your sleep, sleeping on the right kind of mattress is also essential to getting proper sleep. Sleeping on the wrong mattress can significantly impact your health; for example, it can cause joint and muscle pain and influence blood circulation. In turn, it’s important to recognize the signs related to sleeping on the wrong type of mattress.
If you identify with one or more of the four signs discussed below, it may be time to consider a new mattress.
You Wake Up With General Body Pain
The first tell-tale that you’re sleeping on the wrong kind of mattress is waking up with full-body pain, often concentrated in the back, neck, and joint areas though spread throughout the body. If you experience widespread stiffness and muscle soreness, chances are you don’t just have the wrong mattress for your body type—you have a worn out or poorly constructed mattress.
Unfortunately, even the best mattresses eventually wear out with age. A deformed or sagging mattress reduces the mattress’s support, leading to pain and soreness.
On the other hand, a low-quality mattress won’t provide ample support from the start. But what marks a low-quality mattress? Typically, you get what you pay for. Lower-end mattresses often use cheap materials, have a faint chemical smell, make noise with movement, and, if made from a moldable material like memory foam, won’t bounce back to their original form.
Lastly, low-quality mattresses tend to be visibly thin, whereas better mattresses have depth to them. A 10 to 12 inch thick mattress remains the most popular size on the market for those looking for a comfortable night’s sleep.
You Suffer From Joint Pain
Waking up with joint pain in the morning is an unpleasant experience and can be exacerbated in the cooler months of winter or if you have arthritis. During sleep, joint pain can result from incorrect mattress selection for your body type and personal sleep style. The wrong mattress won’t put pressure in the right places or distribute your weight properly.
To find the mattress for your biological needs and unique preferences, you have to take the following factors into consideration:
- Do you sleep on your back, side, or stomach?
- Do you prefer the feeling of a softer or firmer mattress?
- Do you sleep with a partner, and if so, need movement isolation?
- Have you had a bad experience with any specific mattress type or brand in the past?
- How long do you expect a mattress to last?
- Do you have allergies to any common mattress material?
You Often Experience Fatigue
Fatigue is an unfortunate factor in life, but your mattress shouldn’t be the source of your tiredness and lack of focus. You may think that you get enough sleep based on the actual hours you spend, but if the quality of that sleep isn’t optimal, your body won’t get adequate rest.
Your mattress is a major determining factor in your sleep quality. If mattress quality is poor, you will wake up feeling groggy and exhausted in the morning. Other factors that might contribute to fatigue include sleeping in unnatural positions, the mattress’s age, and mattress thickness, as previously discussed.
You're Always Too Hot or Too Cold at Night
One of the most important traits to consider when selecting a mattress is temperature regulation. Depending on the materials used in constructing the mattress, some beds will trap body heat while others won’t. However, this doesn’t mean one is inferior to the other; it just means they have their own unique customer-specific advantages and disadvantages.
If your body temperature increases while sleeping, air foam mattresses are your best option. These mattresses are temperature neutral and won’t trap heat. As a result, you can have a cool and comfortable night’s sleep throughout the summer months. On the other hand, if you like feeling toasty at night, you may prefer a memory foam mattress.
Sleep Right, Live Right
Your health can suffer short-term and long-term consequences by sleeping on the wrong mattress. With this in mind, consider changing your mattress if you suffer from any of the symptoms detailed above. Finding the right mattress for your body type and sleep style will help you sleep better and feel better in the morning, with the added benefit of improving your mental health.
