A good night’s sleep is a nightmare for those suffering from joint pain. Joint pain prevents a good night’s rest for a large number of the elderly and even many young adults. The best mattress for joint pain should consider several factors, including users’ sleeping positions, preferences, and physical ailments.
What if we told you that getting a good night’s rest could be as simple as selecting a mattress? You would sleep more soundly and wake up feeling refreshed. You’d have more energy to enjoy the company of loved ones and pursue your daily activities with vigor. Your mood would be elevated, and it would be easier for you to meet your weight loss goals. You might even live longer!
If you lie on a firm mattress, your body sinks into it, and your muscles relax. Likewise, if you sleep on a soft mattress, your muscles can’t relax and stay tense all night.
Modern mattresses are often not optimized for people who have joint pain due to arthritis.
The pain of arthritis and joint-related injuries can make it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep. Side sleepers are challenged by their vulnerable joints; back sleepers can wake up with sore shoulders, limited range of motion, and joint stiffness.
This article will discuss how your mattress can worsen your joint pain and how choosing a good mattress can alleviate joint pain.
How Can Your Mattress Worsen Your Joint Pain?
A new study from Brigham Young University found that sleeping on a mattress not designed for your body position can cause pain.
The study, published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, found that when people sleep on a mattress that isn’t designed for their specific size and shape, it can lead to more pain.
“When we slept on these mattresses, we had much more pain,” said Dr. Steven M. Orr, assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Utah School of Medicine. “Sleeping in the wrong position may cause chronic low back pain.”
Orr said people should invest in a quality mattress that fits their body type and size. He added that buying a bed with adjustable settings can also help reduce pain.
A person’s mattress is a major part of their bedroom. It serves as the foundation for their sleep and can greatly affect how well they sleep. Mattresses are often overlooked regarding health, but that doesn’t mean they should be ignored.
A mattress can affect your health in many ways. The right bedding can improve your sleep quality and help you feel rested, while poor-quality mattresses can cause severe joint pain, skin problems, and even more serious issues.
Here are some reasons how can your mattress worsen your joint pain:
Prolonged mattress use can lead to aches and pains, especially if you have a poor sleeping surface. Many types of bedding may result in pain, including springs, slats, and coils. These materials can be uncomfortable if not adjusted correctly or worn out over time.
If your mattress is too soft or lacks support, it will not provide the necessary support your body needs to sleep well. This can cause pressure on joints and ligaments, leading to soreness and pain during the day.
A poor night’s sleep is a common complaint of joint pain, especially if you wake up at night with stiffness or aches. This can be caused by either too soft or too firm of a mattress or having an uncomfortable sleeping position (such as lying on your side).
Sagging mattresses are often blamed for causing back pain, but this can occur because the foundation does not well support the base of the mattress. Improper support can cause sagging mattresses to sag in both directions — towards you and away from you. This makes it more difficult for your body to maintain its natural curvature during sleep (known as “ortho-sleeping”), which can lead to back pain over time.
The mattress is the foundation for your sleep. It’s where you rest your body, and the pressure from your weight and movement can cause stress on your joints. If you have a mattress that doesn’t support your body properly, it can lead to many problems, including joint pain.
Another reason poor support may cause joint pain is that you’re sleeping in an area that’s too warm. Too much heat can cause blood vessels to dilate, which increases blood flow to your muscles and joints. The extra blood makes them tense and inflamed, so they tire more easily and become sore more quickly. This can lead to chronic joint pain, especially if you sleep hot all the time or are sensitive to heat in general.
The lifespan of an average quality mattress is about four years, but if you’ve got one that’s been around longer than that, it may need replacing soon! When it comes down to it, mattresses wear out due to wear and tear over time and improper care (such as sharing a bed with someone who smokes).
The Effect Of Sleeping Positions On Joint Pain
Having a good sleeping position is essential for good quality sleep. Poor sleeping positions that deform the spinal curvature increase the risk of developing pain in all major joints of our body, such as the shoulder, neck, knee, and hip.
We spend one-third of our lives lying on the mattress, sleeping or resting. This period is essential for the optimum functioning of joints and muscles as much as movement and exercise. A perfect sleeping position is also important for our central nervous system recovery. The best sleeping position reduces stress, promotes balance in the body, and relaxes the muscles.
Several studies confirm that joint and back pain levels can be greatly reduced if a better sleeping position is adopted, with a proper sleep system, accurate pillows, and a supportive mattress.
Side Sleepers
Sleeping on your side has many benefits, such as reduced pain in joints and lower back if done correctly with proper body alignment. While sleeping on your side, the placement of the chin is particularly important. The head should be on the pillow, as tucking your chin towards your chest will cause neck pain.
Another demerit of sleeping on the side is the increased risk of shoulder pain. The corresponding shoulder can collapse in the mattress, causing pain from shoulder to neck leading to spine misalignment pain and headache the next morning. A firm and supportive mattress can greatly reduce this discomfort.
Back Sleepers
Sleeping on your back is often recommended for people with chronic pain in joints and back as it helps keep the spine aligned and reduces pressure and compression on joints. Similarly, it also helps alleviate a class of tension headaches that are rooted in the cervical spine and are often mistaken as migraine. The common symptoms of tension headaches are throbbing pain, stiff neck, and light and noise sensitivity.
Cervical pain can easily be reduced with better pillows and mattresses that support the neck and shoulders. Even while sleeping on your back, you might habitually turn your head frequently, leading to pinching nerves and pain. Back sleepers prefer a medium-firm mattress for maximum support and aligned spine because soft cushiony mattresses do not provide sufficient support for the back, aggravating back pain.
Stomach Sleepers
There is only one advantage to stomach sleeping over back sleeping. Stomach sleepers are at a reduced risk of snoring and sleep apnea, but the many disadvantages outweigh this one advantage. Sleeping on your stomach disrupts the neutral position of your spine. It causes pain in the back, neck, joints, and shoulders.
Stomach sleeping can aggravate pain in people with lower back problems and pregnant women; pregnant women should avoid sleeping on their stomachs after the first trimester. Stomach sleepers may benefit from a body pillow placed beneath their lower back and pelvis, but overall this position is not healthy for your body.
Many people who suffer from lower back pain experience stiffness. While lying on your stomach, turning your head to the side causes your neck to twist, resulting in shoulder and neck pain. A twisted neck also throws off the alignment of your head and spine, increasing your chances of developing a herniated disc. Turning your head to one side while you sleep on your stomach can cause spinal strain.
Combination Sleepers
A combination sleeper goes to bed on their back but wakes up on their side. This is not unusual. It’s normal for our bodies to rotate as we go through different stages of sleep.
Combination sleepers get benefits from all the positions and suffer less pain and stiffness as their joints move while shifting to different sides. This keeps the flow of lubricating fluid in all major joints such as knees, shoulders, elbows, and neck. This way of sleeping also avoids strain on the spine and neck.
Another benefit is reduced compression on the chest and shoulders. Combination sleepers usually wake up fresh with reduced stress and fatigue. A pillow with an adjustable fill is the best way to accommodate varying sleep positions of combination sleepers.
How a Good Mattress Alleviates Joint Pain
A good mattress is important for consistent good sleep. Still, a good mattress can help alleviate your joint and body pains by providing your body with the right support, contouring, and pressure relief. You usually spend 7-8 hours on your mattress, and thus it affects your pain.
Where a good mattress can improve the quality of your life, a bad mattress can increase pain and often cause problems like back pain and spine misalignment. The best mattresses for joint pain relieve the pressure points that cause the most damage.
Adds Pressure Relief
A good mattress adds pressure relief and relieves the pressure points that cause the most damage to your joints and muscles. The firmer your mattress, the more pressure relief you will get. The softer your mattress, the less pressure relief it provides.
This is why you need to choose between a firm or soft mattress, depending on what kind of sleeper you are. A soft mattress can be ideal if you like to sleep on your side or back. If you are a stomach sleeper, a firm mattress will be better suited.
A Contouring to the Whole Body
A good mattress contours to the whole body so that there are no sharp edges where your body touches the bed’s surface or rests against another object in your bedroom, such as a wall or dresser (or anything else).
These edges can be uncomfortable and painful over time because they can cause friction on your skin and irritation of sensitive areas.
The texture of your mattress is another thing to think about. Even though your mattress will likely be covered with sheets before you sleep on it, you might still be able to feel the mattress’s basic texture when you are lying on it. Most mattresses feature seams or patterns that give them prominent textures. This may irritate some people.
Some mattresses, such as innerspring, experience greater wear and tear over time and require replacement more frequently. Some mattresses are created with greater care for quality, so they will naturally last longer; this is why choosing a high-quality mattress provider is critical.
It’s advised that you change your mattress every ten years, if not more frequently, but it’s also a good idea to opt for a mattress that will stay sturdy and support you for the entire stretch.
Gentle support
The right mattress can relieve joint pain and support your body, especially if sleeping on your side or stomach. It can also help maintain a good temperature, especially if you have a partner who tosses and turns all night. A memory foam mattress can even allow for shifting under you as you wake up in the morning.
Mattresses come in many shapes and sizes, from traditional box springs to air mattresses. Some are made of natural materials like cotton or wool, while others are made of synthetic materials like memory foam or latex. For example, an organic cotton mattress will be softer than one made from polyester because it has more give than polyester does when compressed.
If you’re looking for the best overall sleep experience possible, consider buying a hybrid mattress that combines both natural elements with synthetic ones. This way, you get the best of both worlds!
Maintains Good Temperature
The best mattresses maintain a comfortable temperature for you during the night. They will not heat up or cold down too much for you. This helps keep your body as close as possible to its ideal temperature.
When you’re sleeping, your body is in a state of rest. This is the only time your muscles relax. A good mattress ensures that your body is comfortable and responds to the pressure points by maintaining a nice temperature.
If you sleep hot or cold, you need different mattresses to keep you warm or cool. If you tend to be one-sided or like to change positions during the night, a firm mattress might work better than an overly soft one for your needs.
How much do you weigh? If your weight is over 300 pounds, then a firm mattress will likely be too hard for comfort. On the other hand, if you’re only 150 pounds, a soft mattress might not be comfortable enough to get a good night’s rest.
Allows For Shifting
Research reveals that adjustable medium-firm mattresses support greater overall comfort, spinal alignment, and sleep quality, all proven to help with pain relief.
Some mattresses can be adjusted in terms of both position and firmness, while others may offer varying adjustments for both the left and right sides of the bed. These flexibilities help relieve strain on your body, such as your neck, shoulders, hips, and legs.
The mattress should be soft enough to absorb your weight comfortably but firm enough to support your spine and joints and allows you to shift your position.
A good mattress will give you a good night’s sleep and keep you from tossing and turning all night long. A good mattress will also provide gentle support so that you don’t wake up with stiff muscles or aches in your joints.
How Much Of an Investment Should You Make on a Mattress?
Today’s average mattress costs between $200 and $1500. However, there are cheap mattresses that can cost as little as $150 and high-end mattresses that can cost up to $5000 or more. The majority of folks can purchase a good mattress for under $1,000.
Cheap mattresses are inexpensive; they aren’t very comfortable and eventually start to collapse in the middle.
Mattress size, materials, certain features, and the kind of warranty you want are just a few of the many considerations when purchasing and setting a budget for a mattress.
You will essentially spend about a third of your life in bed. Healthy living also depends on getting enough sleep, so be careful not to overlook yourself and your well-being.
As a general guideline, your mattress should be at least as expensive as your current smartphone. Before investing in your mattress:
- Know what type of mattress you want (foam, spring, coir, blended, etc.).
- Search for a mattress made of natural materials because these have a tendency to last longer and typically contain no VOCs.
- Many companies provide trial periods on their mattresses, so always test a mattress for at least two weeks before deciding.
- Before purchasing, be sure to read and comprehend the warranty policies.
What Is the Worst Mattress For Joint Pain?
Joint pain is a common but treatable symptom of arthritis, autoimmune diseases, and traumas. A good mattress can assist reduce strain on sore joints and enhance a person’s ability to sleep.
Sleeping well at night can be challenging if you have joint pain. Around 70% of people with osteoarthritis report having problems falling asleep, which may be because pain tends to get worse at night.
A 2012 research on rheumatoid arthritis patients found that sleep loss worsened symptoms by causing exhaustion, despair, or more pain.
The truth is that firm mattresses are more likely to cause joint pain than softer, more supporting ones, even though they are occasionally advertised as excellent for your posture.
No harm can come from a firm mattress as long as it is supportive. Long-term joint soreness may result from sleeping on an extremely hard and rigid mattress because of the additional strain it puts on your tailbone, shoulders, and arms.
Some mattresses do not provide mid- and lower-back support. This design might not work for someone with hip, lumbar, or back joint problems.
What Is the Best Mattress For Joint Pain?
If your joints require anything, it’s enough to support to ease the pressure. Although it’s natural to assume that a firmer mattress equates to more support, this may not be the case.
A medium-firm mattress may allow your shoulder and hips to sink in when you sleep on your side, adding to your comfort. For people with chronic pain, medium-firm mattresses are the most comfortable. That’s because they frequently provide a balance of pressure alleviation and spinal support.
People with arthritis frequently experience movement problems, which could make getting in and out of bed more difficult. Therefore, a strong edge is necessary to prevent the mattress from collapsing when you are sitting or leaning on its edge.
Innerspring, hybrid, or foam mattresses are the categories into which mattresses often fall. Foam mattresses are more comforting, whereas innerspring and hybrid mattresses offer some bounce.
You might be curious about the material of a mattress once you’ve put your sights on one. Look for certifications to determine whether a mattress is as chemical-free as feasible.
You should keep an eye out for specific mattress characteristics, such as adjustability, spinal alignment zones, and temperature regulation, depending on your joint pain and what keeps you comfortable at night.
Sometimes, you won’t know unless you give it a shot. Look for policies that aid your decision, such as warranties and in-home sleep trials.
Price Concerns When Looking For A Mattress
When looking for a mattress, the materials (and methods) used to make your mattress significantly impact price. Prices for natural materials are often greater than those for manufactured materials.
- Hybrid: These mattresses are typically the most expensive type of mattress available. It’s challenging to determine an average cost for a hybrid because it can be made of various materials and configurations. But you should prepare to spend anything between $1000 and $3000.
- Latex: The sap from the rubber tree is used to make natural latex. Quality latex is more expensive than the other main mattress foam since it requires more money and time to grow, harvest, and process latex. A queen-size latex mattress typically costs $2100.
- Memory foam: They typically cost less, with a queen mattress costing, on average, $1150. This makes it a more economical option if you want a foam mattress.
Joint Pain Shouldn't Get In the Way Of a Good Night's Sleep.
Sleep should leave you feeling refreshed, but if you’re in discomfort, likely, you’re not sleeping soundly. According to the National Sleep Foundation’s 2015 Sleep in America Poll, those with pain are up to four times more likely than those without pain to report having a terrible night’s sleep.
Poor sleep strongly predicts how much pain you’ll be in the morning. This emphasizes how crucial a mattress is to getting the finest night’s sleep possible by ensuring that you minimize pain, discomfort, and pressure on your back and joints while you’re sleeping.
If you have arthritis, you need a mattress that strikes a good mix between joint support and pressure reduction.
Chronic inflammation worsens in the knees, ankles, wrists, shoulders, back, and hips as the condition advances. Several symptoms can result from this:
Some symptoms are reduced mobility, stiffness, pain, redness, and swelling.
The symptoms of arthritis might often worsen in the morning, depending on the type and severity of your condition. You can hardly move when you wake up, feeling stiff and sore. Finding the ideal mattress is crucial to lessen arthritis discomfort for this reason.
We hope this advice has helped you get one step closer to selecting the ideal mattress to reduce the pain associated with your arthritis. Don’t forget to take advantage of internet mattress buying guides and customer reviews during your search since they may frequently provide you with much more information on a product than the company’s website. Additionally, you can browse with assurance knowing that most mattresses provide a long commitment-free sleep trial.
The right mattress can alleviate joint pain through materials, support, and comfort. You can get a good night’s sleep, even with joint pain. Browse through our catalogue of mattresses to see how we can match you with the mattress of your dreams.
