CHAPTER 30: CHOOSE YOUR SLEEP SURFACE WISELY

By DARIUS CREED

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You can apply just about every strategy in this book to improve your sleeping conditions, but if you ignore what kind of material you lie on, the quality of your sleep may still fall short. Suffice it to say, the type of sleep surface you choose matters. If you can dial this in, your sleep experience can be significantly improved.

Although certain sleeping surfaces are obviously much more conducive for rest than others (like a basic soft mattress versus concrete), there is no scientific consensus over what type of mattress materials are regarded as the best for optimum sleep. Having said that, this chapter does not provide a comprehensive review of the most popular mattresses that are available. You can easily look this up with a Google search.

This concise discussion merely explains how certain sleeping positions can be supported by various mattress densities (soft, firm, or something in between). But even these considerations are not fully based on any exact science, although I do my best to provide scientific findings whenever possible.

Really, this chapter is more about implementing common sense with your mattress-purchasing decisions. Now that I’ve laid out the expectations of this chapter, let’s proceed.? ?

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Choose Surfaces That Accommodate Your Sleeping Positions AND Preferences

Generally speaking, when it comes to sleeping surfaces, those who sleep on the back or belly typically require a medium-firm mattress (Caggiari et al., 2021). On the other hand, side sleepers need a bit more softness to accommodate for the body’s uneven pressure points (Foley, 2024). These guidelines should be true for most people.

Again, I’m speaking in general terms. This is really a personal choice determined by your body’s build and your unique preferences.

As an example, I’m a side-sleeper. Based on that, I’m supposed to enjoy softer surfaces to accommodate the uneven pressure points I mentioned a moment ago. Yet, I prefer the firmest surface I can find. From my personal experience, mattresses that are too soft throw my spine out of alignment and give me back pain, and there is some research that supports this (Bergholdt et al., 2008; Jacobson et al., 2008; Kovacs et al., 2003; McCall et al., 2012).

Of course, I’m sure there are many who have reported the same back pains from sleeping surfaces that are too firm. You’ll have to experiment to see what works for you, because again, this is not an exact science that’s consistent across the board.

Some online research can certainly help, and there are plenty of articles that discuss the pros and cons of the available brands and materials out there. However, I suggest you find a way to sample various sleeping surfaces if at all possible.

I know that leaving the house to spend a few hours exploring different mattresses may seem like a headache to some, but the investigation is well worth it. Of course, even if you find a mattress you initially enjoy, your body may not agree with your first impression. In other words, you may have to learn through trial and error.

Although this is a short chapter, it should by no means be considered less valuable. The kind of mattress you sleep on can play a significant role in the quality of your sleep, especially if you’re dealing with musculoskeletal issues like hip, back, neck, or shoulder pain (Caggiari et al., 2021). If you can optimize your sleep surface, this alone could potentially solve some of your bedtime problems.

NOTE

What you are reading is a small portion of a book I put together with Dr. Catherine Divingian. Most chapters were written by me, while other chapters were written by her. Some of the material was written by both of us.

I originally wanted to post the entire ebook at once, but given its size, I came to realize that is not practical. There are four main parts to this book, each with its corresponding chapter/s. Every day, I will post a chapter until the entire book has been fully posted into LinkedIn. The first day will be the book Title, Medical Disclaimer, Table of Contents, Preface, How to Use This Book, and Introduction. The next day forward will be all the Part intros and the chapters, one per day.

Most of the chapters are fairly short. No long stories. We make it a point to get to the point. This is deliberate. We wanted to keep the chapters short so you can make the most of the information without burning up too much of your time doing so. For busy professionals this is a good thing.

Anyone who wants a copy of the ebook—in its entirety—is free to DM me. We will be happy to send you a digital copy as our gift to you.

Rest well.

Darius Creed (& Dr. D)

SOURCES

Bergholdt, K., Fabricius, R. N., & Bendix, T. (2008). Better backs by better beds? Spine, 33(7), 703–708. https://doi.org/10.1097/brs.0b013e3181695d3b

Caggiari, G., Talesa, G. R., Toro, G., Jannelli, E., Monteleone, G., & Puddu, L. (2021). What type of mattress should be chosen to avoid back pain and improve sleep quality? Review of the literature. Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, 22(1), 51–59. https://doi.org /10.1186/s10195-021-00616-5

Foley, L. (2024, February 7). Best mattress for side sleepers: Expert rated in our test lab. Sleep Foundation. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/best-mattress/best-mattress-for-side-sleepers

Jacobson, B. H., Wallace, T. J., Smith, D. B., & Kolb, T. (2008). Grouped comparisons of sleep quality for new and personal bedding systems. Applied Ergonomics, 39(2), 247–254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2007.04.002

Kovacs, F. M., Abraira, V., Pe?a, A., Martín-Rodríguez, J. G., Sánchez-Vera, M., Ferrer, E., Ruano, D., Guillén, P., Gestoso, M., Muriel, A., Zamora, J., Gil del Real, M. T., & Mufraggi, N. (2003). Effect of firmness of mattress on chronic non-specific low-back pain: Randomised, double-blind, controlled, multicentre trial. The Lancet, 362(9396), 1599–1604. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(03)14792-7

McCall, W. V., Boggs, N., & Letton, A. (2012). Changes in sleep and wake in response to different sleeping surfaces: A pilot study. Applied Ergonomics, 43(2), 386–391. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2011.06.012

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