Is a Firm Mattress Better?

In the interest of continuing education, I was reading an online article about this subject. The author, who’d worked in the mattress industry for over 20 years, gave some pretty insightful information.

In the comments section, however, a reader felt the need to dispute all that good information.  He was adamant that the perfect bed had to be the combination he then listed, which was a long list of very specific components in very specific heights and, strangely, a specific height of bed frame.  He stated in his comment that this list was what will work for everyone, because it’s what worked for him.

I was horrified.

Not only because it was so wildly inaccurate, but also because it was the first comment after a quite helpful article about how to find a better bed. What’s the typical “I need a new mattress” researcher to think?

So, let's clarify a few things.  Is a firm mattress better?

Let’s define “firm.” Firm means solid. Hard. Stiff. Rigid. Not yielding when pressed.  This is something we hear quite a lot: “My doctor says I need a firm bed for my back.”

What becomes clear when talking more in-depth to customers is that a huge percentage of people equate the word firm with the word supportive. 

Let’s define “supportive."  In a medical sense, the word “supportive” means to help maintain a normal physiological balance.  In essence, a properly supportive mattress is one that holds your body in as neutral a position as is possible while you’re sleeping.  

“Firm” and “supportive” don’t mean the same thing.  A super firm mattress, one that does not give to the natural curvature of the body, will cause problems for most people.  A supportive mattress, one that fits properly, will hold your body in a natural, neutral position.  A supportive mattress will support your body weight and yet provide enough contour for shoulders and hips.

The goal is to get your body in as neutral a position as is possible. Imagine how you look when standing in an upright, natural position - hips and shoulders are nicely stacked and relaxed, that’s how the proper mattress should hold your body.  And that’s where weight, build, and sleeping positions come into the picture.

Imagine a 5’2”, 115 lb. female with a small waistline who’s a side sleeper.  In order to achieve a neutral position while side sleeping, her shoulders and hips have to compress the mattress materials enough to get contact in the waistline area.  This is the only way the spinal column can remain straight and neutral.

If the mattress is too firm for this person (meaning her weight is such that her shoulders and hips can’t compress the mattress enough) the shoulder and hip will get contact, but the waist will not. There will be a gap in that region until the muscle relaxation of sleep sets in, at which time the waist region will sag down until it meets the mattress. Ultimately, the spine is forced into a “U” position, placing undue stress on the intervertebral disks and spinal musculature. Pressure points can potentially build up in the shoulder and hip joints, causing pain and/or numbness. At the very least, she’ll have low back pain upon waking.

Now imagine another scenario. This time we have a 6’2”, 220 lb. man who is mostly a back sleeper.  If you envision the customary, slightly curved “S” shape of the spinal column and keep in mind that he’s a back sleeper, you can conceptualize how the seat area needs to compress the mattress just enough so that the curvature of the low back gets contact.  With that accomplished, the spinal column should be supported nicely.  This individual, as a heavier back sleeper, can go firmer than the female side sleeper and be in a healthy position.

However, if you turn this same man onto his side, the broadness of his shoulders comes into play. Now, in order for the shoulders to compress enough of the mattress to allow support through the torso (and maintain a straight spinal column) the mattress needs to be a bit softer. No less supportive, just more flexible in order for the shoulders and spinal column to align properly.

Back to the original question of “is a firm bed better?” The answer is that it truly depends on your weight, build, and how you sleep. You can go too firm, and you can also go too soft, depending on your weight.

Your body weight has to be distributed evenly on the mattress. The mattress needs to be flexible enough to give where you need it to (shoulders/hips when side sleeping, seat when back sleeping) but supportive enough so that your spinal column is never forced into an unhealthy position.

This is why we ask so many questions when customers come in for mattresses, even when there’s the old familiar “I need firm” idea in their minds. We take our customers through a fitting process to find the mattress that not only supports them properly, but feels the best to them.  It’s simple. It’s logical. And it works.