Recovering Energy and Enhancing Sleep: Exploring the Link Between Mattresses, Back Pain, and Sleep Quality
Sleep plays a vital role in restoring energy levels and ensuring optimal performance in daily activities. However, sleep disturbances, including various sleep disorders, are prevalent among adults. Back pain, a significant contributor to poor sleep quality, has garnered attention as a potential factor that can be addressed through mattress selection. Sleep plays a crucial role in restoring energy and optimizing daily performance. However, sleep disturbances are prevalent, with 15-30% of adults reporting issues like sleep onset latency, insufficient sleep duration, and frequent nighttime awakenings. Poor sleep quality is often associated with conditions like low back pain, highlighting its impact on overall well-being. Existing literature offers mixed findings on the type of mattress that may prevent back pain and improve sleep quality. To shed light on this topic, we conducted a systematic review of articles published until 2021. Our review explored the association between different types of mattresses and sleep quality, specifically focusing on low back pain. Following classification based on the National Institutes of Health, including soft, medium-firm, extra-firm, and customized mattresses for patients with supine decubitus, we analyzed a total of 39 qualified articles. The results of our systematic review indicate that a medium-firm mattress promotes comfort, sleep quality, and proper alignment of the spine.
Keywords: Mattress, Back pain, Sleep quality, Sleep, Quality of life
The Impact of Mattress Selection on Sleep Quality and Back Pain: A Review
Sleep constitutes a significant portion of human life, accounting for approximately one-third of our lifetime. However, the quality of the remaining two-thirds largely depends on uninterrupted and undisturbed sleep. Unfortunately, an increasing number of individuals have reported experiencing sleep disorders in recent years.
While the recommended sleep duration falls between 7 and 8 hours per day, there has been a noticeable decrease in sleeping hours due to work habits and lifestyle changes. Insufficient sleep or poor sleep quality can have detrimental effects on overall health, as well as mood and quality of life.
Among the factors that contribute to compromised sleep quality, low back pain deserves special attention. While the significance of mattresses in promoting good sleep has been acknowledged in various studies, there is no consensus on the ideal mattress design for alleviating or preventing cervical or low back pain. Consequently, we sought to explore which type of mattress could offer a potential solution to these problems.
Evidence suggests that mattress firmness plays a pivotal role, with medium-firm surfaces demonstrating efficacy in reducing back pain for individuals experiencing such discomfort. However, it is important to note that claims made by certain companies promoting their mattresses as "orthopedic" or possessing therapeutic properties lack sufficient scientific support.
Various studies have indicated that the firmness of a mattress plays a significant role in addressing back pain among individuals. Specifically, medium-firm surfaces have been found to be particularly effective in reducing pain for those who experience back pain. These findings highlight the importance of selecting a mattress with the appropriate level of firmness to alleviate discomfort and promote better spinal alignment. By opting for a medium-firm mattress, individuals suffering from back pain can potentially experience relief and improved sleep quality.
