One of the most significant decisions which requires careful consideration is purchasing a mattress. You spend at least a third of your day asleep. A good night’s sleep increases your energy levels resulting in a revitalized body.

Buying a comfortable mattress is a necessity and crucial to good sleep. Choosing the appropriate one can drastically affect your sleep quantity and quality in several ways.

Effects of a mattress to your sleep

1. A source of allergies

If you have persistent allergies with no specific cause, your mattress may be a potential cause. Mattresses are homes for invisible microscopic organisms known as dust mites. They thrive in areas that are high in dead skin cells and can cause allergies or aggravate existing ones.

You are continuously shedding off dead skin cells creating the perfect environment for mites. If you struggle with sinusitis, asthma, or other allergies, your mattress could be making it worse, hence disrupting your sleep.

Regularly changing and cleaning your beddings doesn’t get rid of the mites unless you use hot water.  Vacuum cleaning your mattress or hiring professional-cleaning services can eliminate them. Buying a naturally hypo-allergenic mattress can reduce allergies and prevent mites.

2. Spine and back problems

The best mattress is the one that supports your entire body especially your back and spine. A mattress that is either too firm or too soft, does not support your body fully. Such a mattress leads to persistent back pain and spine discomfort resulting in loss of sleep and low energy levels.

Do not buy a mattress based on other people’s experiences. Everyone has their own perception of a firm or soft mattress. Choose a mattress with springs that are consistently located throughout, for easy adjustment to your body weight.

Experts argues that for you to obtain an appropriate spine and back support, select a mattress and neck support pillow that molds to your body at the same time supporting it. It should be compact enough to support your body structure and soft enough to provide comfort. A very firm mattress can cause you to feel the body’s pressure points triggering discomfort and disrupting sleep.

3. Increased levels of stress

Your mattress can be the cause of the stress, fatigue and restless you are feeling of late. An old, worn out mattress can cause you to keep turning and tossing in bed resulting in loss of sleep. When you lack sleep or have insufficient, it can manifest as tension headaches and leave you feeling like a nervous wreck, further stressing you.

Purchasing and sleeping on a new mattress can take away your stress almost instantly. You experience enhanced sleep quality and decreased pain.

4. A disrupted sleep pattern

Ideally, your mattress should only be used for sleep and sex. Do not use your mattress as an office extension for any work. Keep away all types of electronic gadgets from laptops to smartphones from your mattress.  The blue light emitted by electronics can disturb your sleep patterns by interfering with your brain’s natural bedtime system.

Using your mattress for work sends the wrong signals to your brain. When you are ready to sleep, the brain is still wired to a work, which makes it hard to sleep. Your brain and body in general takes longer to shut down in preparation for sleep when your mattress is used as an office.

5. Correct mattress material

The temperature you sleep at is determined by the material your mattress is made from. Lamb’s wool and latex are natural materials that regulate your sleeping temperature, checking it from getting too hot. A memory foam mattress is a great option since it possesses insulating properties and molds to your body shape.

If you wake up every time your spouse or partner moves, it’s time to check your mattress.  Mattresses differ in the way they absorb motion disturbance.  When a mattress has little surface foam padding and wide-spread inner springs, movement on it influences a larger surface.

A regular mattress has a 10 year lifespan. Consider carefully the type you eventually buy, since it significantly affects your sleep and overall health. Ensure your mattress serves you well before it wears out.