When it comes to getting a good night’s sleep, your mattress matters a lot. If you need a little more convincing of how important it is, here are just some of the health impacts that a mattress can have on unaware snoozers.
Better mattresses can lower stress levels
There is no question that being stressed leads to sleep issues in most people, but interestingly enough it is also the case that a good mattress can actually help you wake up feeling less worried about life.
Specific studies have shown that mattress softness impacts sleep quality and that if you switch to a new model you could have a more satisfying slumber, albeit with a little experimentation to get the right firmness for you. When it comes to choosing a better mattress, this list of top mattress picks is a good place to start your search.
Bad habits can be disruptive
In the age of smartphones and laptop computers, the temptation to snuggle up under the covers on your comfy mattress to tackle some after-hours work tasks is pretty powerful. However, this is not a good idea for anyone who wants to sleep soundly each night, because by associating being in bed with doing work or even consuming content and browsing social media will leave your brain fizzing with thoughts at a time of the day when it should really be winding down.
Even the blue light emitted by modern devices can be damaging to normal sleep patterns, so it is better to keep computer and mobile use to the office or the couch and ensure your mattress is preserved solely for hitting the hay.
Allergies can be exacerbated
You might think that if your mattress is covered by a standard sheet, it can only absorb a limited amount of dust over time. In reality, the close contact it gets with your body means that it is likely teeming with dead skin cells and so acts as something of an irritant for anyone with common allergies to dust, as well as asthma sufferers.
It is not just the dust itself that is the problem, but the mites which migrate to ripe mattresses to feed on the stuff that can be a big issue. Frequent washing of sheets at high temperatures can combat this, as can investing in a cover which is hypoallergenic. Going a step further and actively applying a vacuum to the mattress itself can suck up dust to deal with this.
Discomfort is a warning sign
If you wake up with some kind of soreness after a night’s sleep, or you feel like you are not slumbering as thoroughly as you did in the past, then your mattress might be to blame.
Even if there are no obvious signs of wear and tear, all mattresses degrade over time and if there are no other obvious causes for these physical complications, getting a replacement could save you from a lot of restless nights.