Does the Quality of Your Mattress Matter for Sleep?

This has been a topic of much debate. It seems intuitive that mattress quality would impact comfort while one rests, and naturally it would follow that comfort level would impact sleep. There’s a common suggestion that “medium-firm” mattresses are the best for sleep, but the studies that have looked at this question often have very few subjects, so it’s hard to know if this would bear out in a larger scale study. Also, your favorite sleep position could have an impact. For example, many side sleepers prefer a softer mattress.

One thing we do know is that a hot mattress or bed environment is counter-productive to sleep. Deep sleep is tied to a lower body temperature, so if your mattress material generates heat, then this can cause poor quality sleep. The early memory foam mattresses were notorious for retaining heat. Luckily, the materials used in foam mattresses have come a long way from those times and are much less likely to generate excessive heat. There are new fabrics that are cooling or wick away moisture, so when buying a mattress, just ensure you pay attention to the material used.

This study from 2011 examined over 16,000 nights of sleep across 128 subjects and found that differences in mattress support (soft, medium, firm) were related to changes in sleep and pain. So perhaps the mattress does matter.

But another takeaway from this study is that we might not be able to identify which mattresses are best for us when we are awake due to the changes that occur in our posture and movement while we are in the deeper stages of sleep.

That would suggest that whatever mattress we purchase, we would want to make certain that we can return it after a trial period of actually sleeping on it. 

But with so many mattress manufacturers and retailers out there, it can be challenging to know where to begin when looking for a new mattress. Thankfully the good folks over at Consumers Advocate have put together a guide for the best “bed-in-a-box” mattresses that you can purchase online. Most of the companies allow you to have a trial run of the mattress, with generous return policies, so you can ensure the mattress is the right one for you. Check out their guide as you begin your search.