Tips For Buying the Perfect Mattress 
Nowadays people sleep shorter, but increasingly complain of pain in their lower back. However, 99.9% of people don’t know exactly what mattress would fit their needs. This does not sound good, especially if we recall that one-third of life is spent in bed. Should you choose orthopedic mattress or ‘memory foam’ mattress? Hard or soft one? How to find a mattress that will alleviate your back pain? Mattress models are many, and it could be confusing to remember all the names and characteristics of each model. Dr. Chris Idzikowski from Edinburgh Sleep Center believes that buying a new comfortable bed could bring us an additional 42 minutes of sleep on average each night. Keep in mind that after 10 years of use a mattress loose 70 percent of its initial firmness, and the first signs of deterioration appear already after 7 years. Nearly every mattress in the market wants to lure us in horizontal position with an addition of quasi-medical promise and the hardest ones are classified as ‘orthopedic’. But these medical terms, or mattress foam, developed by NASA scientists, which reduce an influence of gravitational forces on astronauts during a takeoff, only brings additional confusion. Besides, you have not earned problems with your spine lying on a mattress – but probably from the rapid rotation or lifting. Do you therefore need necessarily to lie on a hard mattress? No. Everything depends on your weight, height and age. During the research published in the Spine journal, patients with back pain should have compare comfort experienced when lying on a hard mattress, a foam mattress that adjusts to the body and a water bed. Interested in results? “Unlike a hard mattress, a waterbed and foam mattress impacted positively on the symptoms of back pain and on a quality of sleep, but the difference still remained low.” wrote the researchers. Today there are different types of mattresses with foam: latex (which is returned to its original position when you stand up) and elastic or memory foam mattress, which does not return to its original position but it remains to imprint your body. It is important to be careful here, because lying in one position can cause numbness. The mattress should support your body weight, but also be strong enough to enable you to turn on it with ease. Never buy a mattress by yourself, let someone take a look on you when you lie on it. In case you are buying a double bed this rule is especially important because your other half needs to try his or her part of the mattress by itself. If the weight difference between the two is significant, it is advisable to get two separate mattresses adapted to each of you. Don’t worry about labels on the hardness or other ‘medical’ terms. In the end most important is how you feel lying on it. Jessica Alexander from The British Sleep Council warns: “Eighty percent of people who is trying out a mattress in the store is lying on it in less than 2 minutes. Discomfort for other customers should not urge you to leave your position quickly – at the end you will spend at least 3000 hours per year on the mattress you choose. We recommend that you try the mattress in a store at least for 10 minutes, ideally 30”. Buying a bed can become a big investment and it is therefore best to stay away from fast decision. Sleep over a night or two, take all pros and cons in consideration, and then choose a mattress that you think it would be perfect for you.
