ORTHOPAEDIC MATTRESS

Mattress Selection

Making sure that you choose the right orthopaedic mattress for you, your body shape, your sleeping habits and your budget is very important. So here is some general guidance that you can apply to any mattress buying decision.

Firstly, any orthopedic mattress should offer a good degree of support and allow the body to relax and feel comfortable. It is important that the back and spine are held in a natural and comfortable position and that no part of the body feels stressed or under pressure from the mattress.

Consider the different features of the mattresses that you can select from. These will include memory foam, sprung systems, latex foam and combination mattresses to name but a few. Try and see if you can easily eliminate any mattress type to make the decision easier.

Think about how you sleep and the kind of mattress that you have favoured in the past.

• Do you like a firm mattress (generally preferred by those who rest on their stomachs along with some back sleepers).
• Do you like a softer mattress (generally preferred by those who rest on their sides).
• Or are you between the soft and hard options, preferring a medium (generally preferred by those who the majority of back sleepers).

Buy the biggest mattress and bed that you can afford and accommodate. If you can fit a queen size or a king sized bed in to your room, then select that option. Larger beds provide more room to move and less disturbance of one partners movements to the other.

Consider the characteristic of memory foam mattresses, or at least the cheaper memory foam mattresses, to "sleep warm". If you like to feel warm and snug in bed, then memory foam is a good option. However, if you are one of those people who prefer a cool bed and one which does not retain heat, memory foam beds require careful consideration.

Certain mattress types, namely those manufactured from foam (Latex and memory) are hypoallergenic in nature. If this is an important consideration in the buying process, these mattress types will be at the top of your list.

Mattress thickness is never a guarantee of quality, however, no good quality mattress is ever wafer thin. If you want a memory foam mattress, look for a thickness of eight inches as a minimum and ideally at least two (and probably more) layers of memory foam. If your budget is open ended, the buy the biggest bed and the thickest multi-material-composite mattress that you can afford. By doing this you will get the best of all worlds.

If you can test some mattresses at a show room, do so. Unfortunately memory and Latex foam are in short showroom supply and best sourced over the internet. However some suppliers will let you test the mattress and return it if you are unhappy.

If your new mattress purchase is recommended by a doctor, then follow their advice in all respects

Before you buy

Think about how good or bad your existing mattress has been over its lifespan. Think about any faults or problems that you may have had with it. Did it offer the right level of comfort, was it too soft, or maybe too hard and was it too small.

Have you slept on any mattress, other than your own, that you preferred to the beds that you are accustomed. If so, what was it about that (or those) mattresses that you liked. Ultimately, try to build up a picture of your ideal bed and match it against all of the available options.

Decide on your budget. You can get a good mattress for a small amount of money, but it may not have the lifespan of a more expensive mattress. Then again, this may make the decision to buy a new mattress easier if further new mattress technologies are introduced over the next few years.

A final thought

The Sleep Council say that “A good quality mattress is as important as diet and exercise, when it comes to feeling good". It is therefore wise to think carefully about your new mattress before you make a decision, so read the pages of this website and check out what advertisers and manufacturers say about their product and place yourself in a position of knowledge.