Are you hopping from one online store to the other looking for a new mattress? But is the abundance of options making you feel overwhelmed? Relax, as you aren’t the only one! There are a few things that you must know in order to make it easy for you to choose a mattress.
Let’s keep the common factors aside, such as the size and thickness of the mattress, as you would have already determined that depending on the bed you own. But, what is most important when choosing a mattress is its firmness. Whether you want to sleep on a firm mattress or a soft one depends on various sub-factors.
Your likeness for immense comfort or body support will play a major role in helping you decide on one. Now, what contributes towards making a mattress soft or firm? Well, the material of foam, alongside other technologies that are used in the making of the mattress, will decide whether it’s firm or soft enough to meet your comfort needs.
Don’t worry, as this article will give you a clear elaboration on firm and soft mattresses, and will help you decide on what would work well for your comfort needs. So, read along till the end to put an end to your debate on firm vs soft mattress.
What is a Firm Mattress?
The mattresses are referred to as firm when they provide a medium level of stiffness at the upper layers. Remember, the firmness level isn’t the only thing that defines the support quotient of a mattress. In today’s world, all mattresses that are firm don’t give you the required comfort. So, if you intend to choose a firm mattress, it should depend on something more than just assessing the support quotient it claims.
People who aren’t experiencing too intense of a back pain issue can consider sleeping on a firm mattress. It is because the bones will then be absorbing most of the body’s pressure, and the arteries, veins and muscles will be released from stress. In short, your muscles will be alleviated from pressure, and your blood circulation will improve.
This makes the firm mattress ideal for people who work hard throughout the day and end up straining their body muscles and crave soothing relaxation. Sleeping over a firm mattress will ensure your lower back doesn’t collapse and allow your body to intake more oxygen while you sleep.
In addition to that, the sagging effect will also be less! It means the body weight will be distributed evenly all across the mattress surface, ensuring no one part gets to bear the pressure brunt. For you to better understand this, firm mattresses are considered better for people who prefer sleeping on their backs, as they get more stability and an even surface to feel more relaxed. Even stomach sleepers can consider buying a firm mattress.
If you are a hot sleeper, firm mattresses are mostly meant to help you with better temperature regulation, ensuring you sleep cooler than that of your softer counterparts. Softer mattresses come with added memory foam layers that can trap the body heat and direct it towards the sleepers, resulting in midnight discomfort.
Pros:
- You get a proper spinal alignment if you are a stomach sleeper.
- If you are a heavy-weight individual, firm mattresses are your best bet, giving you sufficient compression.
- It is quite easy for you to change sleeping positions on a firm option.
- Have an added option to add a new comfort layer as the mattress’s top layer for enhancing the plushness.
Cons:
- Pressure can be formed around the hips or shoulders, especially for side sleepers.
- All lightweight sleepers will find firm mattresses uncomfortable.
- It might trigger more pain for people with joint or muscle aches.
What is a Soft Mattress?
A soft or plush mattress, as the name suggests, comes with some added comfort layers right above the support layers. It means, your body will be experiencing a conforming and softer effect when you lay flat on the bed. Depending on the materials and technologies used in the making of this mattress, you will notice an elevated sinking effect, more than what the firm mattresses had to offer.
The top surface of a soft mattress will give a great contouring effect, which is better known as a hug-like feel. Memory foam is the common material that most of the top mattress brands in India prefer to use for making softer mattresses. Such options are recommended mostly for people who are going through intense back pain, which isn’t coming under control while sleeping on any other standard mattress.
Apart from that, a soft mattress is also recommended for people who are light in weight, as a firm or hard mattress might not compress well for them. Considering the sleeping position, if you are a side sleeper, you need good cushioning for your hips and shoulders to ensure your spinal alignment doesn’t take a negative blow. Thus, you must stick to softer mattresses to attain that comfort.
Stomach sleepers are good candidates, even for soft mattresses. You must know that the human back isn’t straight and has inward curves between the tailbone and mid-back. Now, there’s a little gap around the lower back region, which creates a small space. The job of a good mattress is to fill that gap correctly, ensuring that spinal alignment is achieved. And a soft mattress does that.
There are only a few soft mattresses in the market that are worth considering. And one among them that you can avail of in the Indian market is Sleepwell Nexa! This product is the finest and offers unparalleled luxury. Impeccable plushness, airy feel, and softness are the traits of Sleepwell’s Nexa mattress.
Pros:
- Experience relief from pressure across hips and shoulders if you are a side sleeper.
- Motion isolation quotient is quite high in softer mattresses, ensuring your sleep won’t be disturbed due to the partner’s movements.
- You will get a conforming feel, which will support your body curves profoundly.
- Immense spinal support is essential, mostly for the back sleepers on soft mattresses.
Cons:
- The sinking effect might be uncomfortable for some sleepers.
- The added comfort layers might just trap too much heat to let you have a hot sleeping experience. This depends on the use of other materials in the mattress.
- Difficult to change sleeping positions.
What are the Factors You Must Consider for Choosing Between Firm or Soft Mattress?
Now that you know the significance of plush and firm mattress, you must keep in mind these few factors, which includes:
● Sleeping Position:
One of the most crucial factors for you to decide between a hard or soft mattress is your preferred sleeping position. All the stomach sleepers will find a firm bed more comfortable, whereas the side sleepers will find the soft mattresses provide them with optimal support.
A combination or back sleeper can consider either of the two types of mattress options or go with an option that can provide you with a medium feel.
● Body Type & Weight:
When it is about deciding between a firm or plush mattress, the body weight or type are some of the crucial considerations that will help you state your comfort definition. If you are light in weight, you won’t be getting enough compression over the firmer mattresses, for which the best soft mattress options are ideal for you. On the other hand, heavy-weight sleepers must pick firmer mattresses as that would keep their spine in perfect alignment.
Remember, the side sleepers, irrespective of their body types, should prefer a soft mattress to ensure their hips and shoulders stay aligned with the spine. If you are too overweight, consider looking for mattresses that have durable and strong support coils at the base, to bear your load and give you the comfort as expected.
● Personal Choices:
Just like you are about to shop for some new clothes, you take your personal preferences into account. Therefore, when you are out choosing the right mattress firmness, your preferences should be taken into consideration on priority. If you have been sleeping on a firm mattress for quite a while now, but that isn’t giving you the comfort you need, it is better to go with the softer alternatives.
Brands like Sleepwell provide you with a trial period of 100 nights, ensuring you get the opportunity to test out the mattress with your sleeping position and see if it gives you the comfort you expect. If not, you can return the product with no questions asked.
You can also consider buying the Dual Pro Profiled Mattress by Sleepwell, which comes with both soft and firm sides in a single product. Check out more about it!
Conclusion
When choosing a mattress, you must know there is no one type that can suit everyone well. Firm and soft are two categories based on which the mass audience judges the mattresses. Therefore, to help you better understand what it takes to decide on one type over the other, it is important you take note of some of the crucial factors, as highlighted above.
And, if you have already come to a conclusion, you have all the best options waiting for you at the official store of Sleepwell. It is the best mattress brand in India that offers you both budgeted and luxury options for your choice of firmer or softer products. Beyond standard materials, Sleepwell also boasts the integration of some special technologies to enhance the firmness or plushness levels of the dedicated mattress options.
Check out the store and explore the products to know more about them in detail!