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Adults spend around eight hours a night in bed. The body uses this time to regenerate and recover. Nevertheless, many know the feeling of waking up exhausted and feeling even more tense than the evening before. Sleep no longer fulfills its function, the body cannot regain its strength - there are many reasons why this can be the case. A pathological sleep disorder must be examined by a doctor so that physiological and psychological reasons for it can be excluded.
Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep is described as pathological if it occurs for more than four weeks in the majority of nights and there is no improvement in sight. Since a general feeling of sleepiness and a tired body cause stress in everyday life, it is necessary to get this under control quickly.
If you want to do something yourself for your night's sleep, you can ensure healthy sleep hygiene - this includes a ritual to go to sleep, such as brushing your teeth and then locking the apartment door.
But the mattress can also be responsible for a restless sleep if it does not adapt properly to the body. There are different variants that can be used - the important thing is to find the right one for you. However, given the large selection, this is not so easy. However, if you know your sleeping habits and roughly know what is important to you when you sleep, you can find the optimal mat for your own needs by comparing the different types and consulting a specialist shop.
Sleep is essential for the body and mind
Anyone who stays awake for more than three days must fear for their mental health. The brain has an emergency switch that it uses to put people into deep sleep if they are awake too long. The mind needs time out in sleep in order to be able to sort and process the impressions of the day.
People who have not had enough sleep are mostly unable to concentrate because they lack this part of sleep. Mental recovery takes place in the REM phase. Gesundheit.de describes an experiment in a sleep laboratory in which people were woken up in every REM phase - after just two days, psychological effects such as depressive moods became apparent. After several weeks, anxiety and psychosis can occur.
Another, irreplaceable phase of the night's sleep is deep sleep. This is where the body recovers: essential building blocks are formed that are important for maintaining and repairing the organs. Sleep is therefore necessary to keep the body and mind healthy - choosing the right mattress is therefore not to be made lightly.
Lying comfort & quality of the different types of mattresses
In order to choose the right mattress, a comparison with regard to lying comfort and quality is crucial. However, there is one thing to note with all variants: A cheap mattress for under 100 euros from the discounter usually does not meet the properties required for a restful sleep. In the case of mattresses, as is sometimes noticeable with products from other industries, the brand name is not bought - a high price here stands for a higher quality, as it were, which improves the sleeping experience sustainably and effectively.
Innerspring mattress
The spring mattress is a classic among sleeping pads in Germany.The system is now more than 60 years old and is still popular in bedrooms. The pocket spring mattress model is a newer invention, but it basically works just like its predecessor - with steel springs that are embedded in the sleeping pad and ensure elasticity.
functionality
In the core of the mattress, between the foam padding, there are steel springs, which should ensure good lying comfort. The spring mattress has different degrees of firmness so that the preferences of different people can be taken into account. Since it is possible to sink into the mattress, it is also suitable for side sleepers - in this case it is best to choose a soft suspension.
The pocket core mattress also works according to this principle, but has one advantage: the steel springs are grouped together in different pockets so that they can react more precisely to the body. The pockets are interconnected to increase elasticity.
Thanks to improved foam padding, these mattresses are overall of higher quality than the previous model - it is therefore advisable to opt for a pocket spring mattress. In order to be sure that the mattress is designed according to this new type of suspension, you should inform yourself about it.
Adaptation to the body
The springs yield to pressure and, if this is reduced, swing back to their original position. This relieves the body when lying down, the weight is fairly evenly distributed. This relief works better with the new model of the pocket spring core than with the older one.
These mattresses are often very rigid and precise relief is not possible. If the elasticity of the springs decreases, it can happen with both models that a hollow forms in the mattress. Within this, an optimal relief is no longer given. Turning the mattress frequently is a good way to counteract this.
Due to the different degrees of hardness, it can also be adapted to every body type, so that it is not inferior to the other mattress variants in this point.
Cost factor
There are good spring mattresses, with and without pocket springs, from 150 to 500 euros. It is possible to spend even more money on it, but this is usually not necessary. Nevertheless, it makes sense to try it out - if you prefer the more expensive version, this is preferable. When you go to a specialist bed shop, you should try out sleeping pads in different price ranges to find the right one for you.
Foam mattress
The foam mattress is finding its way into more and more bedrooms. One of its great advantages over the spring core mattress is its low weight: the cold foam is light and can therefore be handled well by older people. This is particularly pleasant when washing the cover or turning the mattress. This mattress is available in two versions: cold foam and visco foam. Both work the same way. The latter only has the disadvantages that the ventilation is not optimal and the elasticity is not given at too cold temperatures.
functionality
Foam offers very good point elasticity. The body is optimally relieved. This material is especially recommended for bedridden people or people with complicated bone fractures who need ideal pressure relief.
Since cold foam is open-pored, good ventilation is also guaranteed - however, visco foam is more fine-pored and therefore very dense. These mattresses are only offered in zones, usually seven are integrated. As a result, every area of the body is optimally relieved and supported, so that body and mind can effectively recover while sleeping.
Adaptation to the body
Due to the different degrees of hardness, the mattress can be optimally adapted to every body weight. The flexibility of the foam optimally supports the body - if it is too soft, however, the sleeper can sink in too deep. This can cause the body to heat up as there is insufficient air supply. Profuse sweating can result. In spite of the sinking in, there is normally no hollow - cold foam, especially the visco material, returns to its original shape when the pressure is removed from the mattress. In addition, these sleeping pads are very durable - they can be used for up to ten years.
Cost factor
Cold foam mattresses tend to be in the middle and upper price segment if quality is important. Consumers should therefore expect a minimum price of around 200 euros, a visco-elastic mattress usually costs even more. It is important to try it out so that the specialist can see whether the mattress is too hard or too soft and can advise the customer accordingly.
Waterbed
Water beds are an invention that transfer the comfort and adaptability of the wet element to the bedroom. What was considered a luxury until a few years ago is now affordable for almost every household. This type of bed should therefore also be included in the selection when buying a new mattress. It is also very hygienic as each part can be washed or wiped clean.
functionality
Water is highly adaptable. Water can flow around any shape - but at the same time the element is also hard, so that if it is limited it offers good load-bearing capacity. This is used with the waterbed: the mattress is filled with the element and thus adapts perfectly to the body without the person sinking in too much. The water can also be heated by a built-in heater - this is particularly useful in winter, as the bed has a comfortable temperature and does not have to be heated by your own body heat.
Adaptation to the body
The great advantage of a waterbed is that it cannot be worn out. It "retains the same comfort as when you bought it even after 12 years," reports this website. A conventional mattress usually has to be replaced after four to ten years because it has lost its elasticity or a sleeping pit has formed. By individually setting the degree of hardness, the water mattress can be adapted very well to any body weight - even if this varies in a person due to weight gain or loss.
Cost factor
Waterbeds are in the middle price segment. Anyone who buys such a bed for the first time should also consider the assembly or ask the store to explain exactly how this is to be carried out. A test bed is necessary to find the right hardness setting.
Futon mattress
This mattress comes from Japan. There it is rolled out on the tatami mats, the traditional floor covering in Japanese houses, in the evening, rolled up again in the morning and stowed in a closet to save space. In the often small apartments in the big city, this is an advantage in order to have enough space to live.
Europeans rarely have a tatami floor and usually enough space for a bedroom. Instead, the futon mattress is placed in a bed frame - some of this has a tatami floor in order to reproduce the comfort of lying in Japanese houses as closely as possible.
functionality
The futon is filled with coconut, horsehair, cotton, hemp or a mixture of two or more of these materials. To ensure dimensional stability, latex is also used in some models. The sleeper is hard because the mattress is very thin. Nevertheless, there is a different degree of hardness, depending on the filling of the futon. The higher the latex content, the better the mattress adapts to the body.
Adaptation to the body
The futon consists of a multitude of layers that are connected to one another at some points. The natural fibers are pressed together by the body weight, so the lying comfort is high. However, this can also create a hollow if the fibers no longer straighten up.
The hardness or softness of the mattress depends only to a certain extent on the body weight, but rather on the position of the sleeper. Since a futon is generally very thin, sinking in too deep is not the problem. A side sleeper, however, needs a softer mattress so that there is not too much weight on the shoulders and hips. If you sleep on your back, you can therefore buy a harder futon mattress.
Cost factor
The mattresses, which are made entirely from natural fibers, are in the low to medium price segment. The cost factor varies depending on the size and the materials used. A test bed is advisable here so that people can see whether this thin sleeping pad is something for them at all, or whether they prefer to fall back on more western bed models.
Comparison of the individual variants with regard to their advantages and disadvantages
| Innerspring mattress | Foam mattress | Waterbed | Futon mattress | |
| Lying comfort | High | High | High | High |
| Adaptation to the body | High elasticity | Point elasticity | Point elasticity | High elasticity |
| Different degrees of hardness | Available | Available | Available | Available |
| Danger of a sleeping pit | Available | Conditionally available | Unavailable | Available |
| Cost factor | Low to high | Medium to high | Medium to high | Low to medium |
You can find your medication here
➔ Medication for sleep disordersConclusion
Those who adhere to the various quality criteria will quickly find the right mattress. If there is little financial leeway, spring core and futon mattresses are appropriate; If you prefer the best possible, precise relief of the body, you should opt for a water bed or a cold foam mattress.
A short test lie in the bed shop is usually not enough to find out whether the mattress meets your personal requirements - experience should be included for this reason. If you have slept on a spring mattress until now, but sleep is disturbed, you should resort to another system - provided that other causes of the sleep disorder are excluded.
