One of the most common questions I get in my Monroeville/Penn Hills Chiropractic office is, What kind of mattress should I buy? Although this is a very important question, the answer is somewhat simplistically complicated. Confused by that? Don’t be.
It’s a vitally important question because, if you think of it like this (and few do), if you sleep a minimum of 6 hours per night, then you spend 1/4 of your entire life in bed. That’s just getting a minimum required nights sleep. If you get closer to8 hours, then you spend 1/3 of your life in bed. In light of that, a mattress is the most important piece of furniture that you’ll buy, so it’s important to get a good one.
The answer though as to what you should have is complex. I mean, if there were a mattress that made everyone sleep well and wake up feeling good, refreshed, and pain-free, then everyone would have it and we wouldn’t see such a variety out there. Sothe perfect mattress, or more so one that’s right for everyone, doesn’t exist. That’s why I never actually endorse a particular brand. The crucial rule of thumb though is this: you should have one that’s firm and supportive. It should support your body well, not sink-in and be too soft, but then again not too hard where you feel uncomfortable. Never ever sleep on a water bed!
What I tell my Pittsburgh Chiropractor patients is this: Buy a mattress that’s firm/really firm. Make sure it is nice and supportive. It’s difficult though because lets face it, when you’re shopping and lying on mattresses for 5 minutes at a time at the store, nearly each one feels great. It’s really not until you get it home for a week or so do you truly know if its right. But here’s the trick, by buying one that’s firm/really firm (no pillow tops also), if you get it home and it ends up being too firm for your liking, then its very easy to soften it up a wee bit to your liking. You can buy thin egg-crate toppers etc. to put on top of your mattress. You cant however harden up a mattress if it’s too soft to begin with.
So get something firm and supportive. It should be like that regardless and that will give you the best support and the best nights sleep. If you need to soften it up a tad though (try to resist that, but I understand if it needs a bit of softening), then you can do it easily and tailor it to your comfort level.
Happy sleeping!
– Dr. Brent Shealer — Monroeville, Penn Hills, Pittsburgh Chiropractor