Firm Or Soft Mattress For Bad Back

When seeking the best bed for lower back pain a commonality among the millions of people plagued by chronic back pain is their preference for a mattress with a medium to firm feel.

Firm or soft mattress for bad back.

Back sleepers need a solid medium firm mattress and should aim for around a 6 to 7 on. With a too soft mattress your lumbar region may not get necessary support leaving you with morning time achiness after sleeping with your spine unaligned. Soft mattresses on the other hand can also be problematic. A danish study finds more people with back pain prefer soft beds to hard ones.

In the past doctors often recommended very firm mattresses. Traditionally a firm mattress was believed to be the best choice for those with a bad back. The problem arises when some manufacturers put a plush pillow top over a firm or medium mattress. While it is important not to have an overly firm mattress for a bad back it is equally important that it is not too soft to support your body weight.

There was no difference in sleep quality between those who used medium firm and firm mattresses. What s firm enough but not too firm is different for everyone. The best mattress for a bad back is of medium firm density. The study a randomized controlled trial was published in the april 2008 issue of spine.

In most cases a plush mattress will be on the softer end of the spectrum. But experts tell webmd no bed type is best for all backs. Firm vs soft in an effort to confirm that hard mattresses exert a positive effect on the sleep of people with chronic low back pain as is commonly believed participants in a study tested bedding with varying degrees of firmness. But one survey of 268 people with low back pain found that those who slept on very hard mattresses had the poorest sleep quality.

The mattress is flippable with both a soft and firm side but back pain sufferers will likely feel the most comfortable on the firm side. If a mattress is too firm or too squishy it won t support your spine at your neck or lower back the way it needs to.