The Medical Advisor

When shopping for a mattress, there are a number of factors to take into account, beyond perceived comfort. In time for Presidents' Day mattress sales, The New York Times listed several tips to help you select your ideal mattress. Among them (1): Assess quality and durability — Bedding and medical experts recommend looking for memory foam with a density of 3 pounds per cubic foot or greater, and coils with a gauge of 13 to 15. You typically get what you pay for —  A recent New York Times test of 20 foam mattresses suggested models in the $1,000 range and over were of higher quality than those costing less than that. A high-quality mattress will last you about 10 years, so it's worth investing in the highest quality you can afford. Comfort is subjective —  What's too hard or too soft for one person may be just right for another, and this includes those with back pain. While a 2003 study 2  in The Lancet concluded medium-firm mattresses improved pain and ...

A friend of mine recently shared a story with me: She had been experiencing persistent discomfort, including neck and back pain, that would not resolve, despite her trying various remedies. One day, on a whim, she decided to replace her 10-year-old mattress. To her surprise, her symptoms disappeared within a few days. “A lot of people wake up in the morning, and they will have a stiff back or a sore back. That may be a sign that the mattress is getting older,” Bert Jacobson, regents professor of applied health and educational psychology at Oklahoma State University, told The Epoch Times. Over the past two decades, Jacobson has led and participated in a series of studies on mattresses. He has identified a common phenomenon: When people switch to a new mattress, the symptoms that once troubled them often disappear. In his research, many individuals reported no longer experiencing stiffness and pain upon waking, feeling more refreshed, and having less psychological stress. He noted th...