The Firmness of Mattresses for Health – More important than the silkiness of Satin Bedding for Sleeping

For years, we’ve been told that the firmness of a mattress is important to relieve the pain of chronic lower back sufferers. It is also essential as a preventative to ensure you don’t end up with this naggingly uncomfortable and sleep disrupting ailment. Checking your older family members and relatives will give an insight into whether you have a greater chance or susceptibility of ending up with this problem.

How Firm Should the Mattress Be?
Most “experts” used their common sense to declare that a firmer mattress gives better support. In a recent publication in The Lancet, a research study came up with a different perspective. The clinical study group included over 300 chronic lower back pain adults. Half the group slept on a “medium firm” rated mattress whilst the other half had mattresses rated as “firm”. (The European Committee for Standardization has created a scale to measure the firmness of mattresses.)

After three months of using and sleeping on their newly issued test mattresses, the participants were asked to indicate the differences they experienced. It was interesting but perhaps not surprising that most people in both groups reported high levels of improvement. What was a revelation though, was that a higher percentage of the participants in the group assigned with the “medium” firm mattresses indicated a greater level of relief than those who used the firmer mattress.

It is important to realize that most people will probably benefit from using the medium firm mattress, but it does also depend on the individual’s personal physical conditions. Older people and people with small and lighter frames may find that a slightly softer mattress may provide a better level of comfort. Older people may also find that the bedding they use can also exacerbate their problems. For example, smoother textured satin sheets or silk bedding also allows for more mobility in adjusting ones position and even getting in and out of bed.

To summarize, it is good to be aware that the firmness of your mattress can directly affect the experience and level of relief of chronic lower back pain sufferers as indicated by the report in The Lancet. We are only commenting that the softness or smoothness of satin bedding for sleeping in may also add to the relief; though no clinical evidence of this is presently forth-coming to our knowledge.