Choosing the perfect mattress isn’t easy, but it’s essential for a good night’s sleep .
Older adults sometimes need more sleep each night to ensure that they feel rested and alert each day. However, it’s difficult to get the right quality of sleep for proper recuperation if you’re dealing with an uncomfortable mattress.
A lumpy or sagging mattress can worsen chronic pain and discomfort, which makes it harder to find the right position for sleeping and aggravates some health conditions. If you’re sick and tired of your mattress harming your quality of life, then now could be the time to make a new investment. Here’s how you can choose a mattress, especially suited to seniors.
Crucial Points to Consider When Picking a Mattress
For most people, there are many considerations to think about when choosing a good mattress. You’ll need to find a mattress that’s big enough for you and your partner, and firm enough to support your comfort preferences. It’s worth looking for a bed that’s going to last the test of time too. The last thing you want is for an expensive mattress to turn out to be a waste of money in a couple of years. However, there are some factors that are more important to seniors than others. For instance:
- Support: The term “mattress support” is often used to describe how stable and firm your sleep surface is. The right mattress needs to be soft enough to cradle muscles and joints while supportive enough to keep your body flat and level through the night. Finding the right amount of support in your mattress can even help to alleviate common pains in the back, hips, and neck. If you’re not sure which support level is right for you, try testing a few different options to see how they make you feel.
- Conforming relief: Mattresses that can conform closely to the body create a mold around you. This helps to align your spine and reduce some of the pressure on various areas throughout your body. Some mattresses, particularly those made out of memory foam, are excellent at offering conforming relief. However, a full memory foam one can also have issues to contend with, like excessive heat.
- Temperature management: It can be difficult to manage your body temperature while you sleep at any age. However, it’s particularly tough to avoid sleeping hot when you’re a senior or elderly individual. Many medications can come with side effects that affect your sleeping temperature. A mattress that’s too warm – like many all-foam mattresses can make it difficult to sleep soundly during the night. Look for something that has a cooling layer or other innovations to keep you comfortable.
- Budget: A mattress is a significant investment for most people. If you’re trying to manage living on a fixed income during your retirement, then you won’t want to spend a fortune on your new bed. Consider looking at mattresses from a wide range of brands to find the one that suits your budget and your needs.
- Noise: Squeaking and creaking mattresses are a serious source of disruption, particularly among people who share their bed with someone else. Having a latex or foam mattress might help to reduce the chance of you waking up during the night if you’re a light sleeper.
Finding the Right Mattress
Choosing the best mattress is never a one-size-fits-all process, even for seniors. Instead, you’ll need to think carefully about the features that matter most to your comfort. If you can do that, then you’ll be more likely to find one that helps you to sleep soundly during your senior years.
