Can't sleep? Experts say it may be time to replace your mattress

Korin Miller

·Writer

April 7, 2020 at 7:10 AM·6 min read

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There are so many factors that go into getting a good night’s sleep—your mindset, your overall health, your sleep hygiene, and your mattress. While each one plays an important role in how well you sleep, sometimes just changing your mattress could help you get better ZZZs.

“A better mattress absolutely can help with sleep,” Christopher Winter, M.D., of Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine, and author of the book, The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep Is Broken and How to Fix It, tells Yahoo Lifestyle.

There are a few specific signs that it’s time for a mattress upgrade, Winter says:

You’re moving around a lot at night. “A lot of times, pain or discomfort makes you move a lot to try to get comfortable,” Winter says. You might not even realize this is happening. Check out the status of your sheets in the morning—if they’re all bunched up or twisted, it’s a good sign you were tossing and turning. Or, if you sleep with a partner, Winter recommends asking if they’ve noticed you moving around at night.

You’re sore in the morning. The wrong mattress can put pressure on your hips, shoulders, and knees, causing stiffness and soreness in the morning, Winter says. “Soreness is a great way to find out if your mattress is supporting you the right way,” he says.

You’re overheating at night. If you’re getting hot and sweaty at night, your mattress could be to blame. “Some mattresses that offer more support can sometimes make you feel hot,” Winter says. “Sweating in bed is a big thing people often put up with, but they shouldn’t.”

Unfortunately, going to a showroom and trying out different mattresses is difficult right now due to coronavirus. But Winter says you can still find a good option online.

He recommends making a list of what you need—more joint support, a softer feel, a cooling environment—and looking for options based on that. If you have a partner, Winter recommends sitting down with them and making a list of the factors that are important to each of you in a mattress. “If they’re widely diverged, you probably want to look for a mattress that you can customize for each side,” he says.

Not sure what you need? Opt for a medium-firm option, Harrison A. Linder, M.D., pain management specialist with The Center for Interventional Pain Medicine at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, MD, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. ”They tend to be firm enough to offer support for back and front sleepers, but still offer some cushion for those that prefer to sleep on their sides,” he says.

Here are a few options to get you started. Bonus: They all have great return policies for the just in case.

Leesa Original Mattress

Leesa’s Original Mattress is the company’s most popular memory foam mattress. It’s made with premium foams to help cool you off, contour to your body, and offer support for pressure points. You can try the mattress for 30 days and, if you decide it’s not a good fit, Leesa will pick it up from your place and refund the full purchase price.

Tempur-Breeze

Tempur-Pedic’s Tempur-Breeze mattress contains several layers to help cool you off while you sleep, helping you to avoid waking up in a puddle of sweat. You can choose a mattress based how much cooler you need to be at night—three or eight degrees. A cool feature: You can zip off the outer cooling layer and wash it. Tempur-Pedic also allows you to return the mattress within 90 days if it doesn’t feel like a good fit.

Casper Element

Don’t want to spend a lot on a new mattress? Casper’s Element has got you covered. This mattress offers enough support to relieve pressure on your joints, with a price you’ll love. It also has a top layer of breathable foam with tiny holes to help move heat away from your body and keep you cool at night. A durable base offers support and prevents sinking and sagging. Casper offers a 100-night risk-free trial so, if you don’t like the mattress, they’ll pick it up, pack it up, and give you a full refund.

Nectar Memory Foam Mattress

Nectar’s memory foam mattress has a quilted top layer for a cushy feel. That’s followed by a layer of gel memory foam to help distribute your weight and body heat, and another layer of adaptive memory foam for support. The mattress has nonstop air flow throughout its layers to help keep you feeling cool while you sleep. Nectar tops everyone in the trial department: They let you try out their mattress for an entire year and return it for a full refund if it doesn’t feel right.

Saatva Classic Mattress

Saatva’s hybrid innerspring mattress offers the durability and support of a coil mattress with a memory foam layer for comfort. This mattress has a special Euro pillow top that’s more cushioned than standard mattress tops to keep you comfy at night. Saatva lets you choose between soft, medium, and firm options at the same cost. The company also offers a 120-day trial and no-hassle return policy if you ultimately decide this isn’t the mattress for you.

Helix Midnight

Helix uses its Memory Plus Foam and Helix Dynamic Foam layers to relieve pressure points and contour to your body. It also is incredibly soft to the touch and is made to increase airflow, helping you to stay cool at night. Wrapped coils help cradle your body for extra support while you sleep. Helix offers a 100-night sleep trial so, if you’re not in love after 100 days, you can send it back.

Eight Sleep The Pod

The Pod is a smart mattress that has advanced heating and cooling technology to help you fall asleep and stay asleep. The mattress is dual-zone, so you and your partner can find a temperature that’s right for each of you. It combines four layers of foam and an active grid that works to create the best level of comfort, support, and temperature for a good night’s sleep. The Pod can even adjust the surface temperature of the bed to wake you up gradually when it’s time. An app lets you control the settings and see how well you’re snoozing at night. Eight Sleep gives you 100 days to try it out and return it without paying shipping charges.

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