You spend about a third of your life in bed. Therefore, the quality of your mattress affects not just your sleep quality but your life in general. If you have back pain, choosing your mattress becomes even more critical.

A firm mattress seems like the better option to many, but is it? This blog explores the features, benefits, and disadvantages of firm mattresses to help you answer this question.

What is a firm mattress?

A firm mattress is a mattress designed to offer more support and less room to sink. It helps keep your torso aligned and is suitable for heavier individuals.

Mattresses have a range of firmness, from extra soft to medium to extra firm. Therefore, your choice of a firm mattress presents you with three options: medium-firm, firm, and extra firm.

Extra Firm Mattress

Product: Chester Extra Firm Mattress

What are the benefits of a firm mattress?

When your mattress prevents you from sinking deeply into it, you get to enjoy certain benefits:

1. It minimizes pressure on your circulatory system

The minimal give of a firm mattress keeps your body on the top section. Since the mattress hugs fewer parts of your body, you’ll experience a small amount of ‘hugging pressure.’ This situation imparts less pressure on your circulatory system, allowing for sufficient blood flow.

2. It properly aligns your body

A firm mattress ensures your horizontally oriented body doesn’t lose alignment. Your horizontal position doesn’t take away from your spine’s natural curvature while vertical.

In addition, it minimizes the risk of pain and discomfort from holding a bad position for long. For side sleepers, a firm mattress ensures that the pelvis doesn’t sag.

3. It helps minimize your stress levels

Sleep is a period when your body rests, repairs and rebuilds. The quality of sleep affects the efficiency of those processes. Mattresses that are too soft tend to introduce weird sleeping positions, a sagging pelvis, and a poorly aligned spine. These are all recipes for pain and discomfort, which leave you feeling unrested, frustrated, and highly stressed.

4. It’s more durable

A firm mattress uses stiffer and more springs or other materials in its construction. That solid structure helps it prevent sinking, which in turn, makes it last longer.

5. It’s more versatile

The firm base allows you to make it as soft as you wish by using mattress toppers or pillows. On the other hand, a soft mattress is less versatile because you can’t conveniently firm it up.

Ideal firm mattress users

Generally speaking, firm mattresses are the better choice over softer options. However, a firm mattress is especially beneficial to these individuals:

 

  • Large people: If you are above average in weight, you need more support during sleep. Soft mattresses lack the necessary support and will cause you pain and discomfort.
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  • Stomach sleepers: Sleeping on your stomach on a soft mattress means your hips will sag. Sagging your hips while on your stomach will move your spine out of alignment, causing pain and other complications.
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  • Most back sleepers: As long as your hips sink a little into the mattress, a firm one offers the best support. Soft mattresses allow for way more sinking than is suitable for your spine’s alignment.
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  • Those who prefer a pillow: Sleeping on a soft mattress and a pillow leaves your head in an unusually high position. Your body sinks in the mattress, but your head is left high. This condition is a recipe for neck and back pain and eventually an immobile upper body.
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  • Those who prefer a cool surface: Most soft mattresses tend to store body heat and throw it back to you. Firm mattresses don’t hug you as much, thus leaving most of your body exposed to cooler temperatures.
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  • Those with mobility complications: While a soft mattress hugs you, you’ll need more effort to move about. If you have an injury or other movement issue, you’ll find it harder to position yourself, thus affecting your sleep quality.
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  • Couples: Different people place different demands on mattresses.

    In addition, each person has a preferred mattress type. A medium firm mattress is ideal for couples for a number of reasons. Firstly, two people are heavy, and they, therefore, need proper support that will last. Secondly, a firm mattress presents huge spine and hip alignment benefits. Thirdly, since couples usually hold each other while sleeping, the limited mobility allowance of soft mattresses can make this option uncomfortable for them.

  •  Firm Memory Foam Mattress

    Product: Wickham Memory Deluxe Mattress

    What’s my best option?

    A firm mattress ticks the boxes in terms of comfort, longevity, spinal alignment, and body posture. However, an extra firm mattress can be uncomfortable, takes time to break in, and isn’t suitable for those with joint complications. A medium-firm to firm mattress ticks all of the boxes for most people.

    If you are looking for the perfect mattress, only bespoke mattresses can deliver on such expectations. They are made-to-measure mattresses that combine all the benefits of firm and medium-firm mattresses with special requests, such as comfort for a convalescing individual.

    Conclusion: Is a firm mattress best?

    Yes, a firm mattress is the best choice and an even better one if it is made to measure. The versatility of a firm mattress makes it ideal for different bed designs. If you have a custom bed, you’ll need a mattress that complements it. Since custom beds are high quality, a bespoke mattress will last as long, thus saving you from future expenses.

    At Endurance Beds, we understand how to make your dream bed. With over 13 years of experience supplying bespoke beds, we know a thing or two about combining the best bed and mattress for you. Our products are UK-made and carry a 12-year guarantee. We promise you peace of mind, and quality sleep, with every purchase. Give us a call today and let us help you sleep better.

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