Wednesday 2 April 2008

Soft beds 'better for people with lower back pain'

For anyone who ever suffers from lower back pain, sleeping on a softer mattress that adapts to the body's shape could relieve you of pain and provide you with a better night's sleep.

While many people may think that it is better to sleep on a hard mattress or on the floor if suffering from a sore back, researchers found that this is something of a myth and that doing so can actually make pain worse.

Writing in the new edition of medical journal Spine, they explained that they had tested 160 patients with chronic lower back pain using three different types of beds for one month - a waterbed, a body-conforming foam mattress, and a firm futon mattress without springs.

Those on the softer mattresses were able to sleep longer and witnessed significant reductions in their back pain, while those sleeping on the firm mattress tended to have more pain after one month, and found it more difficult to sleep during the night.

The authors of the study noted that both the foam mattress and the water-bed shape themselves around the body's natural curves, placing joints under less pressure than harder mattresses.

Need a new bed? Try this Darcy faux leather bed frame with mattress, or this convertible air bed with pillows.

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