Crucial factor of a sound sleep

Lifestyle Concern

A shopping spree to buy a mattress is many a times considered the easiest when compared to other neces­sities in a home. One ends up asking the shopkeeper or salesperson to give the most expensive of the lot.

However, the truth is that an expensive mattress might not be the best suited for your body and may even result in causing health problems. These, resulting in sleepless nights, can further aggravate the already stressed lifestyles of individuals today.

With a number of brands and companies offering a plethora of variations in mattresses these days, one wonders what is the criteria to select a mattress that suits the body type and provides comfort for a sound sleep after a hectic day as well. 

The mattresses available in the market are usually made of four materials - spring, foam, rubber (made of latex with holes in it) and coir. Apart from these, TU model and rebounded mattresses are also available. The latter is made of processed foam, which is foam crushed and moulded into a hard mattress.

“The choice of a wrong mattress is a common cause of problems such as pain in the back and neck,” informs Dr Mandeep Singh, consultant orthopaedic and spine at Nova Orthopaedic and Spine Hospital. He recommends that, “A good mattress is one that is firm and not spongy. Among the options available, a spring mattress with a width ranging between 5 to 8 inches is preferred generally.” However, with age and health history, the recommendations vary but he strictly advices to not to opt for cotton mattresses which appear firm during initial use but are not able to retain their firmness for long.

What is advocated by an experienced businessman of mattresses, though, is quite interesting and must be kept in mind whenever the need to buy a mattress arises. Mahendra Malik of MM Foam Sales says, “A right choice of mattress is the one that is in combination. For example, a coir and foam mattress or a spring and foam mattress should be preferred over only foam mattress. Also, ensure that the upper layer of the mattress is soft so that it allows blood circulation in the body.”

He nullifies the myth that a hard bed is the best to sleep on! “When a doctor asks people to sleep on a hard surface, they think it is good to spread a mat on the floor and sleep on it. The truth is that it is all the more risky to sleep on a hard surface because it stops blood circulation in the body, which leads to back problems. Instead, one should opt for a medium or hard mattress with a soft surface which supports the back.”

While mattresses with cushion effect in hotels give immense support, they are not good for the body in the long run. Thus, one should avoid buying these for one’s home. One must also be beware of the duplicate mattresses. Few mattresses fill thermacol sheets or stuff discarded rubber inside with a layering of foam on top. The originality of a branded mattress could be cross-checked by walking on one such mattress, bare-footed. If it is original, it will be even all over.