I am brand new to the world of choosing mattresses to optimize health. I’ve never given much thought to mattresses impacting personal health but it seems this is very much the case as I get older (I’m 32). So I’ve recently begun to suspect that the mattresses I’ve been sleeping on have been impacting a chronic injury of mine. I had a hernia surgery in Dec 2019 but even though the hernia was fixed, the doc told me I have a massive amount of scar tissue in the inguinal canal (the part of your body where typical hernias occur, right around your waste line, close to the groin). Since then I’ve spent most of the time sleeping on a very soft mattress with an extra softener on top that sinks in greatly when I lay on it. I didn’t think much of it until I heard that this may not be good for people who sleep on their stomach as it can put extra pressure on your back (I usually sleep on my stomach and sometimes on my sides too). Jump to a week and a half ago and I’ve moved cities and am currently crashing on my friend’s pull out while I search for my own apartment. Over the course of the week my injury began to gradually become more agitated and I was struggling to understand why. Finally it hit me one morning when I woke up feeling pain around my injury. Usually a long night’s sleep is a great recharger for this injury and I usually feel a little stronger and with less pain when I wake up. But that was not the case this morning. The pull out I’ve been sleeping on is super stiff and I think me sleeping on my stomach and side is putting extra pressure on my injury. I was thinking I may buy a slightly more firm mattress than the one I’ve been using the past year so as to not put my back in jeopardy, but after this realization I am definitely more inclined to stick with something soft. Perhaps there is an inbetween? Such as a medium/soft firmness mattress?
Any recommendations and insight is highly appreciated! Thank you!
Sleeping prone tends to be the most problematic posture for alignment, and most sleep ergonomic researchers will advise against it. You need to protect from excessive forward (lordotic) curvature of the low back when on your belly, which is why a mattress that is ultra plush and lets you sink in too deeply is something to generally avoid. But that doesn’t mean that you need to sleep on something like the floor - that would generally be considered too hard and not conform enough.
How much surface plushness will depend upon your body type, personal preferences, and tolerance for stretching of your abdominal wall (because of your past surgery and scar tissue situation). Something that is in the cushion firm range is a very popular choice for stomach sleepers, but this is of course a generalized statement. Have a mattress with good deep support characteristics is imperative, regardless of the surface comfort, as maintaining a more neutral alignment is the most important thing that a mattress does.
Overall, I think your surgeon would be most happy if you could retrain to sleep upon your side or back (I know, easier said than done).
And I wouldn’t put an inordinate amount of emphasis on your brief experience on a sleep sofa mattress, as those tend to be horrible in both support and comfort characteristics. But I’d agree that something that is excessively hard wouldn’t be warranted.
When you say a mattress with good deep support characteristics, can you be more specific? Like what kinds of things should I look for when shopping? Thank you for the info!
While all of the layers of a mattress work in unison, the deeper support layers (innerspring unit, HD/HR polyfoam core, or latex core) contribute the most to helping maintain a more neutral alignment. Make sure that these items are strong and durable. There is a section here on the site that you should read that discusses various support units. Also, take a few moments and go over the Mattress Shopping Tutorial. It’s most helpful.
Sorry, I think I’m having trouble navigating this site. It seems like when I go to the mattress tutorial section I can only see the introduction and none of the actual information. Even when I click on a specific tutorial (like I’ve been clicking on the comprehensive complete tutorial) it just reloads the same page with the tutorial introduction…
Are you still having trouble accessing the mattress support coreslink and Mattress Shopping Tutorialthat Jeff provided? A browser issue may be involved, both links are currently intact. Are you still unable to access them? Let us know how we can help .
.