A poor mattress can negatively impact your sleeping pattern, as well as your mental and physical health.
Cognitive Performance
A 2017 survey on the The importance of a good mattress by Aviva found 16 million UK adults suffer from sleepless nights: 67% struggle with disrupted sleep, while 23% manage no more than five hours per night. These figures are very concerning, especially when we consider their affect on cognitive performance.
Sleeping has a direct impact on our cognitive functions: it helps us to think clearly, remember information, and make important decisions. Lack of sleep can make it harder to focus, affecting both performance and productivity; it also reduces creativity, critical thinking and problem solving.
As we sleep, information is transferred from short to long-term as memories are reactivated and connections between brain cells are strengthened. Therefore, lack of sleep can make us forgetful, as well as affecting our ability to focus and retain information.
A good mattress can greatly help those struggling with sleepless nights. While it won’t magically cure sleeping disorders, it will help to create a supportive and comfortable sleeping environment. This will prevent any restless nights full of tossing and turning, helping you get the recommended nine hours.
Back Pain
A mattress should provide a flawless posture support to your body. When searching for a mattress, check it supports your entire body when lying in a neutral position; this will ensure proper spinal alignment. It should not be too firm, as this will push on the main pressure points of your spine, yet not too soft, as this will leave you unsupported and cause spinal curvature.
Experts at the UCLA Medical Centre coined the phrase “Goldilocks Zone” to describe the recommended range of softness to firmness for mattresses. Those falling outside the zone can cause serious back pain in the morning, something that can ultimately lead to a chronic problem.
If any of the following statements are familiar, then your mattress may be the cause of your back pain. First, you frequently wake up during the night for no apparent reason. Second, you often toss and turn or feel increased pressure on your body when sleeping in certain positions. Third, you feel “swallowed up” by your bed. Finally, your morning back pain eases after 20-30 minutes.
Dovetail have a wide range of Sherborne mattresses available from our showroom.
If you want more information, give us a call on 01603 488082 and we will do our best to answer your questions.
