When you enjoy an active lifestyle, you need a guaranteed, refreshing night’s sleep to maintain peak performance. According to researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina, studies show that getting a comfortable night’s sleep improves your reflexes, co-ordination and stamina so that athletes gain improved speed, accuracy and reaction times.
Sufficient sleep is also important for lowering levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, and to boost your secretion of growth hormone – vital for healing and repair. As a result, while most people can get by with seven to nine hours sleep each night, athletes in training need more. Just as they need more calories to fuel their extra level of activity, they also need more sleep for their body to recover from the physical stress, and their muscles to adapt and respond. Athletes in training need, on average, an extra hour’s sleep each night. At Stanford University, eleven male basketball players were asked to sleep an extra two hours at night, so they achieved a minimum goal of ten hours in bed. After an average of six weeks, they scored significantly faster sprinting times (from 16.2 seconds down to 15.5 secs) and improved shooting accuracy, so and their free throws were 9% more accurate. Similar performance benefits are seen with footballers and athletes too. In fact, in China, sleep is used as an important recovery tool to prevent and treat overtraining in sports – but with a twist. While sleeping, athletes are also bathed in red light which further improves sleep quality by boosting levels of nature’s sleepy hormone, melatonin.
But how do you achieve a good night’s sleep if your mattress is uncomfortable? Tossing and turning lifts you from the deeper levels of sleep so you wake briefly, and wake feeling unrefreshed. Beds age, too, and may deteriorate by as much as 70% from their news state after ten years, to provide significantly less comfort and support. And, just as your current up-to-date laptop and mobile are significantly more efficient than those you owned just ten years ago, mattress technology has also moved on. Some modern mattresses are even designed to promote deep sleep, alleviate sports-related aches, and boost your athletic performance.
What are the criteria for a comfortable mattress? A good rule of thumb to test a mattress is to slide a hand between the mattress and your back. If it slides in without difficulty, remaining in contact with both your back and the bed, it’s probably right.
When it comes to the mattress type, make sure that you look out for filling and padding specification, including thickness and density. The most basic is polyester pads with coconut-based coir or synthetic fibres as filling; or, then, cotton or wool and layers of memory foam.
No matter what variety you choose, there are certain features that are common when it comes to the right mattress. The best mattress has:
The right physical components. The coils or inner springs inside a mattress provide back support. Different mattresses have different arrangements of coils. Padding on top of the mattress, which provides comfort also comes in many different thicknesses. Your personal preferences for ideal back support and comfort dictates your choice of the number of coils, type of padding and the depth of the mattress.
Good spinal support. Your mattress should allow your spine to assume the same natural curve when you lie down as when you’re standing.
Isolation of movement. Low-end mattresses transmit more movement from one person in the bed to another, so if your partner is a restless sleeper and tosses and turns, chances are that you will remain restless too.
Freedom of movement. A good mattress should let you get in and get out of it easy. Some foam beds make changing positions difficult because of the way they conform to the body.
Take good care of the new mattress. It is best to reposition your mattress every six months to ensure that it is evenly worn. This means rotating 180 degrees and flipping the mattress lengthwise on a regular basis.
Know before you buy:
How heavy are you? Lightweight people don’t need big thick pillow top mattresses because they don’t weigh enough to compress the foam to touch the underlying coils/support system. Heavier people, on the other hand, do tend to feel more comfortable with a little extra cushion to help buffer them from the coils.
How do you sleep? People who normally sleep on their sides may need a softer mattress than back or stomach sleepers. However, a mattress of medium firmness is usually comfortable for everyone.
Firm mattresses aren’t always better for your back. There is a difference between firm support and firm feel. You want firm support with a comfortable feel.
Personal preference should ultimately determine what mattress to buy. Any mattress that helps you sleep without pain and stiffness is the best mattress for you. There is no single mattress that works for all people. Choose the mattress that meets your standards for comfort and support and allows you to get a good night’s sleep.
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