Sleep is essential for body rest hence the need to make a good choice of your sleep requirements. Part of the key essentials is your mattress. Comfort and support are vital for desirable sleep outcomes. However, these two aspects are different despite being used interchangeably when shopping. Comfort is not the same as support and therefore, it is important to differentiate between them.
Comfort refers to the regulation of the surface pressure whereas support has everything to do with the right spinal alignment. Therefore, your body pressure should be effectively disbursed while lying on a mattress. That way, you can say the mattress gives you comfort.
Shopping for Comfort versus Shopping for Support
A comfortable mattress gives you an initial sigh of relief. The top layer feature is responsible for providing surface pressure relief. More than that, a comfortable mattress has quality temperature control features. The top layers tend to retain body heat, which is vital for sleep.
A mattress with good support gives you enough rest. A proper spinal alignment provided by the mattress core is vital for this restful experience. Good support mitigates shoulder and hip pain, allowing you to wake up refreshed. However, it may not be a suitable option for sharing with someone who keeps rolling on the bed. They will keep waking you up due to the good support provided by the mattress.
Comfort layers in a mattress are not meant to offer body support while sleeping. All they do is provide relief from the surface pressure being applied. Comfort layers come in different forms:
· Gel-infused foam layers. Typically with some kind of cooling gel inside its comfort layers to enhance heat retention and comfort.
· Lower density foam to provide body relief.
· Higher density foam. This is usually found on top of the mattress’s support core for comfort.
Mattress Support Basics to Know
The support you get from your mattress is very vital for your spine. You need to wake up feeling refreshed with no pain in your body. Mattress quality is, therefore, not determined by the core only, the outer encasement is also a significant feature to look at among other things. Here are important features to look at:
· Outer foam encasement. This is a high-density encasement designed to prevent mattress sagging by providing rigid edge support. It reinforces the springing core position.
· Interconnected vs Independent Coils. This is a unit of interconnected coils commonly known as an innerspring. This design disburses the bodyweight evenly by drawing support from the surrounding coils.
Independent pocketed coil springs provide good body support and localized conformity to body contours. However, it may cause motion transfer issues especially for people sharing the bed.
· High-Density Foam Core. If you prefer mattresses without springs, a high-density foam core is a good replacement feature. These provide minimal motion transfer as well.
How can a mattress affect pressure point pain?
Pressure points on the body are common and often associated with the type of mattress we use. They are the points that feel the greatest pressure while lying on your mattress. Too hard or too soft mattresses can cause worse pressure points.
The style of sleeping also determines the choice of a mattress for managing pressure point pain. Some sleep on the side, the back or the belly. All these may require different mattress types since pressure goes to different parts of the body. The idea is to pick a mattress that minimizes pressure points and provide a larger support area so that certain small areas are not overstressed.
The best mattress provides enough body support to prevent pressure points and in maintaining good body posture while resting on it. One ideal choice is a mattress with thesupport of coils and the pressure relief features. It should conform to the body regardless of the sleeping position to offer support to the pressure points and leave the spine in a neutral position.
Choose – Mattress Comfort or Support?
Mattress comfort and support are all vital for effective sleep. Therefore, it is important to know what each of these terms refers to in order to make the best choice for your sleeping needs. Comfort means getting relief from the pressure of your body whereas support is all about spinal alignment for a refreshing and restful feel after waking up!
