Firm or soft mattress better for back

When it comes to buying a mattress, you want to make sure that you get the best type of mattress for your needs. After all, having a good night's sleep starts with having the right mattress! With many choices in mattresses today, it can be hard to choose. One of the best places to start is deciding whether you should get a hard or soft mattress. There are several benefits to both types; yet, how do you know which one is best for you? Let's take a look at the pros and cons of these two types to help you figure out which is right for you!

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The Pros:

Hard Mattresses

Hard or firm mattresses are those in which the coils or firm setting is set to keep a person from sinking into a mattress. The following is a list of a few of the many benefits of having a hard mattress:

1. Helps keep your body in proper alignment. Laying on a hard mattress can allow the body to lay in the proper alignment. This, in turn, can decrease many types of pains in the body and can ultimately help with posture!
2. Reduces pressure on your circulatory system, allowing for more oxygen intake while sleeping. By laying on a hard mattress, you can reduce pressure on your circulatory system. This ultimately helps improve blood flow within your body!
3. May reduce stress levels. Studies have shown that sleeping on a hard mattress may actually lower stress levels. Because many types of pains can be decreased with the right mattress, the stress levels will decrease as the pain decreases.
4. Are more durable and last longer. Firm mattresses are made to be strong and to prevent people from sinking into the mattress. This, in turn, ensures that your mattress will be long-lasting for years to come!
5. Is able to be more versatile. If a mattress is too hard to get used to at the beginning, you can add a mattress topper or support pillows to help you get used to the mattress. It allows you to make the bed as soft or firm as you need it to be!

Soft Mattresses

Soft mattresses are those that have lighter coils or settings to allow a person to gently drop into the mattress. Here is a list of several benefits of having a soft mattress:

1. Helps relieve joint and muscle pains. Soft mattresses aren't very firm, making them ideal for those with joint and muscle aches. It provides easier support for the joints and muscles.
2. Can help align hips.  Because soft mattresses provide light support, it makes them a great choice for those with hip pain! 
3. Is usually easier to move. Some soft mattresses, such as memory foam mattresses, are easier to move around homes and rooms, rather than traditional mattresses. This makes setting it up easier in the long run!
4. May relieve back pain. Back pain that feels worse with surface pressure may benefit from using a softer mattress. Having light support can help relieve a person's lower back pain!
5. Is a great option for light sleepers. Light sleepers may find it harder to fall asleep on a firm mattress. This makes softer mattresses a great option and may help improve their quality of sleep overall!

The Cons:

As with any purchase, choosing the wrong type of mattress can have a few drawbacks. The following is a list of the disadvantages of both types of mattresses:

Hard Mattresses

1. Not ideal for those with joint and muscle pain. Those with joint and muscle pain may need soft support to help relieve chronic pain, as mentioned earlier. A soft mattress can provide that support!
2. May increase lower back pain. Depending on a person's pain, a firm bed may increase lower back pain, as it doesn't provide gentle support.
3. Can be hard to adjust to for the first few days. If a person is not used to the firmness of a hard bed, it may take a week or more to adjust to a hard mattress.
4. Can cause problems for people with lighter body weight. Because a person with a lighter body weight can't sink into a hard mattress, they may not be able to adjust to a firm bed. This, in turn, could disrupt their quality of sleep and/or cause other problems.
5. You may need to adjust to meet your body's needs. Because a hard mattress may take time to get used to, you may need to add a mattress topper or pillows to allow your body to get used to the mattress itself. This, in turn, may add more cost to the overall purchase.

Soft Mattresses

1. Doesn't support spinal alignment. Since a softer mattress doesn't have as much firmness as a hard mattress, it wouldn't help or improve spinal alignment.
2. Can be more expensive. As softer mattresses are newer than traditional mattresses, they can be more expensive than traditional ones.
3. Isn't always ideal for couples. Couples tend to have different comfort levels and needs. A softer mattress might not be able to accommodate each person individually.
4. Can become uncomfortable for those with heavier body weight. Since softer mattresses can cause a person to gently sink into the mattress itself, a person with a heavier body weight may find that a softer mattress would wear out sooner overall. A firmer mattress would provide a better quality of sleep for a heavier individual.
5. May need replacing after a few years. Because softer mattresses don't have a lot of firmness, these mattresses tend to wear out within several years from the purchase date.

It can be a little confusing when trying to figure out what type of mattress you should choose. At Land Of Sleep, we understand that you want the best mattress at the right price! Since 1974, we strive to provide our customers with excellent products and service in the Venice and Sarasota areas. To learn more about what we do and our products, contact us! A good night's sleep starts with a great mattress!