Sleep Posture
Silvia Watson looks at the importance of sleep posture and whether you should buy a hard mattress or a soft mattress.
The most crucial factor in getting a superior quality of sleep that is both refreshing and restorative is the proper alignment of your body on the mattress. Even though it is tempting to believe that the best posture is the one that lets you sleep comfortably, this position may result in improper alignment of the spine and cause various health problems in the long run.
How is Comfort Possible When the Sleeping Posture is Improper?
Even though your sleeping position may not entirely be the proper one from the point of body alignment, you can sleep comfortably. This is possible because of the tendency of the body to position itself to counter the misalignment automatically. The adaptation of posture, while automatic, may not be good for health.
Why Is Body Alignment Important?
A bad sleeping posture may create pressure in the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions. The lungs cannot hold the required quantity of air, creating an oxygen shortage. There is also an excess production of cortisol and adrenaline that makes adequate relaxation difficult. The improper posture may also hinder proper blood circulation and prevent the muscles, ligaments, and joints from relaxing. You can experience shallow breathing, headaches, daytime sleepiness, inability to focus, fatigue, etc.
The Role of the Mattress
Suppose the mattress does not provide adequate support and comfort. In that case, it can hide, create or even worsen existing body misalignments that can affect sleep quality and result in various physical and psychological conditions. While there has been a raging debate, regarding the suitability of a hard mattress and a soft mattress, some even say that the best is one that delivers the maximum comfort. However, most people agree that apart from the degree of firmness, the ability to provide adequate support to the body is also vital. Read these reviews to know more.
Hard Mattress or Soft
Conventional opinions regarding sleep ergonomics suggest that a firm mattress gives better support and helps the body to attain a neutral position while sleeping. The firm surface allows the bones to take most of the pressure and allows the muscles and the circulatory system to relax. Also, the lungs can breathe normally as the airways are not constricted due to the sinking of the lower back into the mattress surface. People suffering from back or joint pain and problems of blood circulation should opt for a firm mattress.
However, newer studies suggest that a degree of softness in the mattress may be more beneficial for back problems. The current opinion is swinging around to the optimal mattress being medium-firm.
Conclusion
The mattress needs to deliver the right degree of support to enable the body to be correctly aligned. The optimum degree of firmness is a personal choice, and the mattress should feel comfortable. As the performance of mattresses degrades over time, it is also essential for them to be replaced every 8-10 years.
Page Reference
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- WATSON, S. (2017) Sleep Posture [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article272.htm [Accessed
About the Author
Silvia Watson is a freelance content writer. She has written many good and informative articles on different categories such as technology, health, fashion, education, career, travel, etc. She is a featured author at various authoritative blogs in the health and fitness industry and is currently associated as a blogger with https://sleepsherpa.com