Getting Your Mattress Right

One of the main questions I often get asked in the clinic is what kind of bed should I buy. Should I buy a firm bed a medium bed or a soft bed? Before I answer that question, I’m going to discuss with you some of the things you may feel when your bed is actually contributing to your aches and pains.

  1. The first one is if you’re waking up in the morning, with aches, pains and stiffness, and you’re otherwise generally healthy, you have a generally healthy spine, that may be an indication that your bed is contributing to those aches and pains.
  2. The second one, is if you can’t find a comfortable position to sleep in if you’re constantly tossing and turning. And there’s physical discomfort – doesn’t have to be a huge amount of pain – just discomfort, that may also be an indication that your bed is contributing to your aches and pains.
  3. The third, one and the dead giveaway, is if you go to bed and you start to feel yourself sinking into the bed within about 20 minutes. It’s probably time to get your bed replaced.

Disclaimer: This is for Educational Purposes Only

Let me take a quick intercession to inform you as to the nature of our advice. We are experienced, healthcare clinicians. We wish to share our experience with you on topics to do with your health. We may be a little colourful in doing so, but at the heart of what we do is in-the-trenches experience. Whilst we have achieved academic success and understand the evidence, we are not solely evidence-based. We are, however, EVIDENCE INFORMED. 

We find that the evidence is usually 10-15years (at minimum) behind what we are seeing in the clinic. We see real people, with real problems, and we’ve made a great living out of offering real solutions. 

If all you’re after is the researched evidence, you can find some on Google Scholar, or you can very easily look for more on Google. We want to give you real-life advice, most of which you may not find in the research.

There is no way that this document can replicate or replace expert assessment and guidance given by a qualified registered healthcare practitioner who has seen you personally. I am sure you’re aware that I have no knowledge of your personal medical history or how you take care of your body. If you require care from a qualified practitioner, you would be best served by seeing someone who can empathise with your situation and treat you accordingly.

I’m sure you understand that I disclaim any and all responsibility for anything you do as a result of reading this document. And by reading this article, you accept 100% responsibility for the actions of you or anyone under your care.

Now when you combine this information with the age of the bed and we generally recommend 5-7 years, it will give you an indication if you need to replace your bed or not. Most mattresses come with 10-year warranties, but that just means they’re not going to fall apart in 10 years. It does not mean that it will do its job of contributing to good spinal health.

Sleep matteress

Okay, now you’ve decided to buy a new mattress, what kind of mattress should you buy? Well let’s get one point clear first. Don’t fall for all that memory foam tempura, bamboo foam, gimmicky nonsense that they’ve got out there. They don’t help and they don’t offer anything that is worth the extra money you spend on them. One more thing they don’t do is they don’t offer any kind of recovery for your spine at night. They just conform to all the compression that you’ve built up through the day.

Traditional spring-loaded mattresses will actually offer some kind of relief because they will help change your spine at night as you’re sleeping, in a good way.

And this is why a traditional spring-loaded FIRM mattress is generally better for you. This can be applied to roughly 80% of the population based on the feedback and results we see in the clinic. The reason why a firm spring-loaded mattress is better for you, is because it offers traction at night when you’re laying down.

When you’re laying down at night, your spine is like a flattened out S curve. with gravity acting down on that S curve, it’ll pull the ends apart and cause traction on all those little ligaments, discs and muscles throughout your spine. We want that because that’s good for recovery when you’re sleeping at night. Most of you through the day, when you’re sitting or standing, gravity is acting on your spine in a compressive way, there’s compression squeezing all those spinal structures together. When you’re sleeping at night, you want traction. Traction tends to somewhat reverse or help recover some of that compressive load that’s happened throughout the day. So again, the main point to take away, look for a traditional spring-loaded mattress that’s firm. That’ the recommendation that we have given to our clients when they ask us, and it has served them well over the years.

And what about your pillow? Here’s how to get your pillow right.

If you feel that any of the information we’ve given you here resonates with you and you feel we are in a position to help, please BOOK ONLINE as we would welcome the opportunity. If you feel that we can help you in any other way, please reach out to us via our CONTACT PAGE.

Dr. Sami Karam, Osteopath

Dr. Sami Karam, Osteopath

I’ve been a qualified Osteopath since 2004. I’ve been playing football ever since I could remember and I have a passion for it. I’ve played at the highest level in the NSW State League at both Youth and Senior levels, and have also been Head Physician at numerous State League Clubs. I’ve travelled internationally and consulted with Sports academies in Barcelona and Italy. I have a special interest in Strength and Conditioning for footballers, as I believe it gives them an edge in their physical competition. My passion involves bringing all of this knowledge into every single treatment that I provide for all athletes. If you feel that I can help you and want to reach out to me, contact me.

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