Your preferred sleep position has an immense impact on the quality of rest that you experience, which is why finding a mattress that complements it is of vital importance.
Back sleepers require a firm mattress in order to avoid sinking, which misaligns their spine and leads to pain, while stomach sleepers require one that contours gently without too much support.
Side Sleepers
As a side sleeper, your needs in terms of mattress firmness and cushioning will differ considerably from those of back sleepers. Memory foam mattresses may be one of the best choices as it contours to your body shape to relieve pressure points such as shoulders and hips. Furthermore, choosing an appropriate pillow can even help correct sleeping posture which could prevent problems like snoring or sleep apnea from developing.
When it comes to side sleeping mattresses, medium firmness is usually the optimal option. Too soft may not provide adequate support for shoulder and hip joints while too firm could lead to painful pressure points on your spine and neck; so find something “goldilocks-ish”.
At our tests, the Helix Midnight Luxe mattress fit this criteria perfectly. As a medium-firm mattress with just the right amount of sinkage for side sleepers and zoned support to maintain neutral spinal alignment while alleviating pressure points on shoulders and hips.
Helix Midnight Luxe also excels when it comes to cushioning. The memory foam and latex layers offer plenty of softness for side sleepers, while its coil layer offers ample support and deep sinkage that prevents your spine from collapsing in this sleep position.
Are You A Heavy Side Sleeper? Check Out Our Recommendations For You Now
Back Sleepers
Back sleeping is considered the healthiest position, allowing the hips and spine to be elevated and remain aligned, relieving pressure from joints while encouraging healthy posture, which in turn prevents snoring and sleep apnea. Furthermore, back sleeping eliminates contact between face and pillow that could cause wrinkles or trap pore-clogging oils that lead to acne breakouts.
Back sleepers require a mattress that offers equal parts support and contour, in order to maintain neutral alignment in both spine and neck. Too soft a mattress won’t offer enough hip support while too firm will feel like sleeping on concrete, throwing off alignment. A medium-firm mattress (five to eight firmness rating) would be most suitable.
Hybrid mattresses can be an excellent option for back sleepers as they combine the soft comfort of foam with firm support from coils and other materials. But the amount and type of foam used can make a significant difference; look for hybrid mattresses that include at least a layer of latex memory foam or natural materials in order to conform more closely to your back’s natural curves without sinking too deeply into bed.
Consider whether or not your hybrid mattress for back sleepers offers motion isolation. This feature helps reduce transfer of movement from one side of the mattress to the other if sharing your mattress with a partner or children, making memory foam, latex and pocketed coils effective solutions; but for maximum motion isolation opt for one featuring individually wrapped copper-infused springs for even greater success.
Back sleepers will appreciate an adjustable bed base as it makes it easy to adjust their head position throughout the night and help alleviate snoring, while improving mattress comfort. A bed frame with lift and remote can also serve as an efficient means of raising and lowering mattresses quickly and easily.
Stomach Sleepers
Stomach sleepers produce more body heat than any other sleeping position, making a mattress with extra cooling technology ideal. Furthermore, firm support will prevent their heavier hips and midsection from sinking into the mattress and leading to spinal misalignment; additionally they require adequate contouring features in their mattress in order to alleviate pressure points that may form when sleeping in this position; otherwise they risk developing a U-shaped back due to a mattress too soft.
Ideal mattresses for stomach sleepers should provide sufficient support to keep the spine in a neutral position while still offering enough cushioning to make sleeping comfortable.
However, mattresses that are too hard for stomach sleepers could cause irritation to their spines and joint pains, and often leave them feeling like they’re freefalling when lying on too firm beds.
For stomach sleepers, hybrid or foam mattresses that offer equal support and cushioning are often ideal. An example of such is the Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid; its sturdy innerspring base ensures your spine won’t slump while its soft top layer reduces pressure on hips and shoulders while its breathable fabric prevents nighttime overheating.
An innerspring/memory foam hybrid mattress such as Helix Dawn may also be ideal for stomach sleepers. With over 1000 wrapped coils to support spine alignment and its memory foam top layer relieving pressure from hips and shoulders, Helix Dawn makes an excellent option. Plus, its versatility means it also makes an ideal option for back and side sleeping positions!
Firmness will depend on an individual’s weight; each person exerts different amounts of pressure onto a bed. Petite individuals may prefer a softer mattress due to placing less strain on it than heavier people do; the latter will usually prefer medium-firm or firm mattresses for optimal support.
Combination Sleepers
Combination sleepers require mattresses that promote optimal spinal alignment across all sleeping positions, providing relief from neck and back pain as well as snoring and acid reflux symptoms. People who tend to switch positions throughout the night require mattresses with plenty of bounce and responsiveness – ideal options include memory foam, hybrid, or latex mattresses, which offer enough spring for accommodating changing sleeping postures.
Bear Mattress is an excellent choice for people who switch between back and side sleeping positions, being firm enough for light- and average-weight back sleepers with its soft top layer promoting spine alignment while soft enough for stomach sleeping, providing relief to hips and shoulders without stress on hip flexors or shoulders. Furthermore, its cooling technology keeps the bed cool during use – perfect for people who wake up sweating!
People who switch between sleeping on their sides, back, and stomach often require a mattress with the optimal combination of contouring and support, typically a medium-firm mattress. For combination sleepers who weigh over 230 pounds it may be necessary to find something firmer that won’t sink too much as this helps alleviate unnecessary pressure on joints and muscles.
Memory foam mattresses with soft feels are ideal for side sleepers as they provide optimal spine alignment in this position, offering comfort and easing transition between positions. Unfortunately, memory foam is slower at responding to motion transfer than hybrid or latex options which have more bounce and responsiveness; should this become an issue, consider switching out for hybrid or latex models for something with more responsiveness such as rebound.
Back sleepers require a mattress that offers superior support while maintaining the natural curve of their spine, an essential step to avoiding back pain and one of the primary recommendations from medical practitioners and sleep experts. The Amerisleep AS5 mattress offers exactly this level of support with its combination of memory foam for pressure relief and high density base layer for excellent support.
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