A few tips to help you sleep better

INTRODUCTION

At some point in our life, 80% of us will suffer from back pain. Our day-to-day lives subject our backs to significant stress, and it is essential that this tension is relieved while we sleep. At night, we need to reduce the pressure on our intervertebral disks to allow them to rehydrate and to restore their elasticity. Poor quality beds will not provide the required support to achieve this relaxation.

At night, our muscles relax and our brain activity falls. This reduces our sensitivity to a certain extent, which explains why we only become aware of back pain when we wake up.

As well as providing effective ventilation, a mattress also needs to absorb sweat (an average of 33 cl a night, amounting to 120 litres a year!). Wool is particularly recommended since it is one of the few natural materials capable of absorbing moisture without producing any unpleasant feeling of dampness. It is also has effective insulating properties. However, if you suffer from allergies, we would recommend a synthetic material with removable covers which can be machine washed.

DO YOU NEED A FIRM OR A SOFT MATTRESS?

You should always select your mattress to suit your height and weight. For instance, someone who is 1.65 m tall and weighs 90 kg would need a firmer mattress than a person of the same weight, but who is 1.90 m tall.

A Spanish survey involving 313 people suffering from chronic back pain showed that patients who used a medium-density mattress for a period of 90 days felt less pain at night, and also during the day, and their mobility was better in comparison with those who had slept on a firm mattress.

If a mattress is too firm, the supporting points (hips and shoulders) are subjected to too much pressure. This results in pain and causes the sleeper to toss and turn continuously in an attempt to find a more comfortable position.

On the other hand, a mattress that is too soft does not provide the required support for the heaviest parts of the body (the hips). The sleeper therefore needs to make more effort to change position. Bearing in mind that we turn an average of 30 to 50 times a night, it is clear to see how sleeping on this kind of mattress would not be sufficiently restorative.
Our employees are able to draw on their many years of experience to give you professional advice to guide your choice.

THE BEST POSITION

The ideal sleeping position is on your side, since this reduces pressure on the blood vessels and internal organs. However, it is not stable.
Sleeping on your back increases the supporting area, resulting in better weight distribution and reducing pressure on the intervertebral disks.
For individuals who suffer from back pain, the foetal position (lying on your side, legs folded up) seems to be best.