7 Surprising Ways Your Mattress Affects Your Sleep and Health

Most people do not consider the importance of mattresses in their daily lives and well-being. Give it a little thought - we spend one-third of our lives sleeping, so why not think of the impact of mattresses on our sleep? Mattresses hugely affect our sleep, so it’s wise when you think of getting one that helps you sleep comfortably. 

Ever had a bad night’s sleep? Well if you did you should remember the drowsy feeling you had followed by a headache. There are known to be short-term effects of low quality or bad sleep. 

Long terms effects vary from having a poor immune system to respiratory and weight issues.

So, having a good mattress will not only give you a good sleep but also help you avoid the above-mentioned health issues. 

Here are 7 ways in which your mattress may affect your health:

Increased Stress

You may not realize this but your mattress has a direct impact on your stress levels. Experts have often stated that stress and sleep are complementary factors. If you’re experiencing extreme stress, that’s because you are not having a comfortable sleep due to your current mattress. 

Although there are numerous reasons as to why you’re experiencing extreme stress, troubled sleep is a major cause.

Drowsiness

This is something we all experience after a bad night’s sleep. Not only we feel tired but also grumpy and drowsy. Inadequate and low quality sleep are the results of using an uncomfortable mattress. A poor quality mattress will not help you fall asleep and directly affect your state of alertness all day long.  

While it’s okay to feel a little drowsy during afternoons and late evenings, intense drowsiness is not at all normal. The reason for your feeling tired all day long is your mattress that is not letting you sleep comfortably.

Allergies

Allergies arising from dust mites are a common issue. These little creatures live by feeding on dead skin cells. This makes your mattress where you spend one-third of your life, a suitable location for them to live in. 

Dust mites allergies are common in American households and can be quite a nuisance for people suffering from Asthma. Is your current mattress old and dirty and you’re experiencing allergies? Then you should think of getting a new one or cleaning up the current one up. 

The Better Sleep Council states if you’re facing a dust mites problem, you should clean your mattress with a vacuum.

Overweight Or Obesity

People often face obesity and overweight issues when they do not get proper sleep. If frequently tend to wake up at nights or not having a good night’s sleep, you feel drowsy all day. 

Sleep deprivation causes drowsiness which makes you lack in energy. This lack of energy makes you overeat as your body signals your mind that it needs strength. So, in order to increase energy levels, you tend to eat more than normal which leads to obesity. 

If you’re feeling hungrier than usual with your activity levels remaining the same, chances are you’re not getting proper sleep. A good reason to blame your mattress for. If you are not able to fall asleep within 30 minutes, you should consider getting your mattress changed.

Back Pain

Are you experiencing back pain? Although there are many reasons like arthritis and sports injuries, a poor quality mattress can also be a cause. A poor quality mattress will make you sleep in unnatural positions and leading you to experience back pain. 

Give it a thought -  are you twisting in awkward positions on your bed to feel comfortable? If yes, the mattress you’re sleeping on is not a good and can make you injure your back.  

So, what type of mattress is best for back pain then? A mattress that is soft, supportive, and keeps your back straight is the right one.

Heart And Cardiological Conditions

Your cardiac health can greatly be affected if you're not getting complete 8 hours uninterrupted sleep. Sleeping for 5-6 hours that is cutting sleeping hours will not help you relish a complete 8-hour long sleep. The increases the risk of having heart diseases. 

Short periods of sleep or cutting on sleeping hours also increases the risk of stroke and high blood pressure. Having a mattress that allows you to have a complete uninterrupted sleep will help you avoid several cardiac conditions.  

Conclusion

As human beings, we are born unique and are different from one another. So, a one-size-fits-all solution is not available. There are several factors that help you determine the right mattress for you. The most important one being comfort. The only way you can find that out is by actually lying on a mattress and testing it out. 

While you can test mattresses in a bedding store, popular bedding stores allow you to test mattresses by in-home trials which, for example, is included in an Ashley furniture protection plan. As per in-home trial systems, you can actually test a mattress at you own home for 100 days. At the end of 100 days, if you’re not satisfied with the mattress, the bedding store will change it for you. The idea behind this to help you choose the right mattress for yourself. Check out the below infographic for more information.

Author bio: Cindy has been fascinated with the art of sleep since she was a child. Her focus is now on mattresses and the health benefits from OrthoMattresses