What type of Mattress to buy for Back Pain, Heat, Allergies? Best Mattresses in India by need
There are many types of material of mattresses available in India -
Cotton - typically custom-made by smaller stores
Spring mattress
Coir
Memory Foam
Coir / Memory Foam + Latex
Fully Latex
And so on
WATCH INSTEAD OF READ?
Which type of mattress to buy is always a dilemma as we are never sure what’s best for our use. In this video, I won’t cover the cotton mattresses - Cotton mattresses are good from a dissipation of heat, absorption of moisture, and being hypoallergenic which is ideal for people who suffer frequently from sensitive skin, allergies and asthma. But it is also known to attract dust mites, mould (esp. If you live in a humid place) and can also sink in fairly quick causing back issues in many cases.
Think of a mattress having various different layers - bottom supporting layers, one or more transition layers and then a comfort layer on the top. Each of these have their own pros and cons. I’ll try to cover what will be ideal for you based on your needs in this video. If you need more details on the pros and cons of each material, drop me a comment.
If you are looking for good back support - typically firm/medium firm mattresses are better for the back - you need mattresses that will take the shape of your body and will give support to your spine. Most latex or memory foam mattresses are good for the back as they take the contour of your body. Soft and bouncy mattresses can aggravate your back pain.
If you are looking for an all natural product or have sensitive skin and allergies - then you can go for a fully latex mattress OR a coir + Latex combination where the supporting and transition layers are coir and comfort layer is latex. Remember that these provide the best back support, heat resistance, are not too bouncy - and are also the most expensive.
If you are looking for heat resistance - if you stay in a hot area or you have a tendency to get hot fast - then you need a latex comfort layer or a fully latex mattress. A fully latex mattress will be most expensive and a latex comfort layer will use coir or foam as support or transition layers - will be less expensive giving you most of the benefits of an all latex mattress. Coir will be a better option as it has natural air circulation abilities too. So again in this case - an all Latex mattress will be most expensive and a combination of Latex and coir/foam will be lesser expensive.
If you are looking for a soft mattress with a bit of a bounce - similar to the type of mattresses that you experience in high end hotels, then you will prefer a pocket spring mattress. These mattresses are also known to have zero motion transfer when two people are sleeping and either person has a tendency to roll often. Personally - I don’t prefer soft mattresses - this is one of my biggest pet peeve when I visit hotels - I just can't get a good night's sleep in hotels.
The other criteria to think about is your predominant sleeping position:
Side sleepers may prefer a medium firm or soft mattress to release pressure on the hips and shoulder. So a memory foam mattress would be ideal.
Back or stomach sleepers may prefer a firm mattress that takes the contour of the body to keep the spine aligned. A latex or a memory foam mattress would be ideal in this case.
If you have multiple sleeping positions - you may need to select one based on your dominant sleeping position.
For couples - well there is no option here - let the wife choose as the wife is always right ;) Jokes apart, there are not many dual mattress options - i.e., having two different variants on different sides of the same mattress - in India, yet.
Once you have determined the material that would work for you - the next thing to consider is the thickness you need:
The higher the weight of the sleepers, the thicker mattress you will require.
If even one of you weighs over 80kgs, you should consider a mattress with atleast 8 inches thickness.
If both of you weigh less between 60-80kgs, then a 6 inches mattress is sufficient.
If both of you weigh less than 60kgs, then a 5 inches mattress is sufficient.
The same weight brackets hold for single mattresses as well.
There are a number of new age companies providing mattresses in a box these days. Most have a great delivery schedule and experience. My top recommendations for mattresses based on the type you would want to select are linked in the description below. I’ve provided a recommendations for:
Best All natural latex mattresses - these start around 35K for a double size in 8 inches
Best Latex + Coir mattresses - these start around 18K for a double size
Best Latex + Memory foam mattresses - these start around 15K for a double size
Best Memory foam mattresses - these start around 12K for a double size in 8 inches
Best Pocket Spring mattresses - these start around 12-14K for a double size
Now that we have that out of the way - let’s talk about maintenance.
In general - we have a tendency to think mattresses should be used forever. That is not the case.
If you live in a humid area - you will find the mattresses covered with mould / fungus. Yes there are ways to get rid of this if the infestation is light. But if heavy, you may need to replace your mattress. You can also use a mattress protector to protect your mattress from this.
With age, the mattress starts to sink or sag in the corners of the mattress OR sometimes even at the center - based on your sleeping positions. When you see it sag - it is time to change.
Frequent back / neck / shoulder ache are an indicator you may need to consider changing your mattress - ofcourse check with your doctor first.
In general - mattresses should be changed atleast once in 10-12 years, if not more frequently if you see the above issues.
The last thing is about the use of a mattress protector - you may at times see sweat stains or mould on your mattress. Or you may want to protect it from any type of spills like coffee / tea / juices etc. Or you have a kid that is not yet toilet trained sleeping on the mattress. A mattress protector can help to protect your mattress from damage and you can wash the mattress protector regularly in your washing machine. I’ve linked to a few mattress protectors as well.
I hope this was useful in helping you decide what type of mattress to buy for your specific use.