The best back pain mattress is often a topic for debate. But if you're suffering at night because of pain, do you want to enter a debate or get relief instead?
There are a few common sense things that you should consider before making a choice to buy a new mattress especially since some of the commonly-held beliefs about the best mattress could just be old wives' tales.
First of all, I'd like to address the notion held by many that the best thing you can do for your back is to buy the firmest mattress you can find.
Have you ever heard that? I think some doctors might even suggest that to their patients.
I'm not a doctor, so don't confuse this for medical advice which should always come from a licensed doctor. But what your back needs most while you're sleeping is support.
Without proper support, you're putting a lot of strain on your back, especially on the lower back.
Take a look in the mirror and you'll see that your back is curved inward at the lower part and outward at the upper part.
Next, let's think about the floor. It's the firmest surface you could sleep on, isn't it? Lie on the floor on your back and slide your hand between your lower back and the floor.
There's a tunnel, isn't there? This big hole means you're not getting any support for your back from the floor.
Now, still lying on your back on the floor, bend your legs at the knee or put a pillow under them.
Notice how your back is now flat on the floor? That's why many back pain sufferers use a pillow under their knees to help with nightly back pain—and it works.
If you're like me who can't sleep on your back or at least can't sleep on it all night, hat do you do for the rest of the night?
I think this is where memory foam mattresses have it over any other kind of mattress material that's known to man.
Memory foam doesn't have to be firm to be supportive.
If you choose the proper density of memory foam, your back will get the support it needs no matter which way you sleep.
When you lie on your back on the proper foam density, you can barely slide your hand between the mattress and your lower back because the foam is allowing your back to sink in to the point of perfect support.
