Choosing the Right Mattress May be Key to Dealing with Your Back Pain

It’s probably no surprise that chronic lower back pain can significantly affect the quality of your sleep.  That makes choosing the right mattress that much more important for back pain patients.  Most research shows that selecting a medium-firm mattress is best for those suffering from back pain.  But the term “medium-firm” is vague. Furthermore, a medium-firm surface can come from a coil, air or foam mattress.  So which to choose if you are in pain? Separate studies from Massachusetts General Hospital, Yale University and Oklahoma State University each point to different types of mattresses being best.  The one common theme among all these studies, however, is the medium-firm nature of the mattress.  In addition, the vast majority of the patients who reported relief changed the type mattress they were using, switching to either an air, foam or pocket coil mattress.  So the key is not necessarily in choosing a specific material, but finding a new one that feels comfotable.  Thankfully, most mattress retailers have a very generous return policy, allowing a customer to return their product after up to 30 days.  That is plenty of time to be able to evaluate whether the mattress is right for you.  If you’ve been using a certain type of mattress with persisiting back pain, you should try another material and try it for at least 3 weeks.  This will ensure you get a better night’s sleep!