Sleep is one of life's greatest pleasures. Yet it's often taken for granted, thanks to the hectic life we all lead today. It is also one of the vital factors that make a world of difference in how we feel and function.
When you get enough sleep, you feel refreshed, energetic, and ready to take on the day’s challenges. And when you are sleep deprived, everything from your health and work to mood and relationships gets affected. But did you know that your mattress plays a crucial role in this? Yes, the soft mattress on which you sleep every night is as responsible for your sleep quality as your diet, activity level, and other lifestyle factors.
A less-than-ideal mattress—or one that has gone bad—can cause more than a crick in your neck or back pain. It can lead to sleep deprivation and subsequently life-threatening life diseases such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and more. So, it’s safe to say that provided you buy the best mattress in India, it can have an enormous impact on your overall health and well-being.
Let's dive a little deeper into how mattresses affect our well-being, particularly through the lens of sleep.
The Psychology of Sleep and Well-Being
Understanding how mattresses affect our health and well-being starts with understanding sleep and its stages. Unlike what you may think, sleep is not just a passive state of rest but a critical process that impacts our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. It affects the mind and behaviour, influencing cognitive functions, mood regulation, memory consolidation, and overall mental health.
Our sleep cycles through different stages, primarily NREM (Non-Rapid Eye Movement) and REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. During these stages, our body and mind undergo vital processes: NREM sleep helps with physical restoration, while REM sleep is essential for cognitive functions like memory consolidation and emotional regulation.
The Role of Circadian Rhythms
Circadian rhythms are natural, internal processes that regulate the sleep-wake cycle and repeat roughly every 24 hours. These rhythms influence various physiological processes, including hormone production, body temperature, and metabolism.
Psychological aspects of circadian rhythms include:
Sleep Timing: The timing of sleep is governed by circadian rhythms. Disruptions to these rhythms, such as shift work or jet lag, whether from inconsistent sleep schedules or environmental factors, can wreak havoc on our sleep quality and overall well-being.
Light Exposure: Exposure to natural light helps regulate circadian rhythms. Insufficient light exposure, particularly in the morning, can disrupt these rhythms and lead to mood disorders like Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
The Role of Mattresses in Sleep Quality
Since you spend a third of your day in bed, the mattress you choose can make or break your well-being. That’s perhaps why it’s recommended to buy one from the top mattress brands in India. Here’s how a mattress affects your overall health.
Support and Spinal Alignment
A good mattress provides the necessary support to maintain the natural curve of your spine. This helps prevent back pain and ensures comfort throughout the night. If your mattress fails to provide much-needed back support, you may wake up with tender joints and back pain, interfering with your daily life. Different mattresses offer varying levels of support based on their construction materials and design.
Mattresses like Sleepwell’s Pro Nexa Comfort conform to your body's shape, distributing weight evenly and reducing pressure points. This is particularly beneficial for side sleepers who need extra support at the shoulders and hips.
Comfort and Relaxation
Firmness or softness of a mattress can significantly impact your comfort while sleeping. While personal preferences vary, sleep experts recommend choosing the best mattress in India that provides the right balance between firmness and softness. A very soft mattress can make your body sink in too much, causing an unnatural curve, while a very firm mattress can cause pressure points. A medium-firm mattress can help achieve a relaxed and restful state.
For couples, mattresses with motion isolation are essential. The best mattress brands in India such as Sleepwell offer motion isolation features in their mattress to minimise the disturbance caused by a partner's movements, ensuring uninterrupted sleep.
Temperature Regulation
Some mattresses, especially traditional memory foam, can retain heat, making you sleep hot and uncomfortable. In a country like India, where temperature is extreme, this is especially common. As a result, sleep quality takes a hit. By choosing the top mattress brands in India, you can get yourself a mattress that features superior airflow and incorporates cooling technologies, such as gel infusions or breathable materials, to help dissipate heat and maintain a comfortable sleeping temperature.
How Does a Bad Mattress Affect Your Health?
A bad mattress can cause several health problems, with chronic back pain being the most concerning of all. Here are some of the problems it can cause:
Drowsiness
A poor-quality mattress prevents you from having deep sleep, interrupting your sleep multiple times a night. This makes you feel unrested, tired, and drowsy in the morning. It can also impact your alertness throughout the day, increasing the chances of mishaps at work or while driving or engaging in risky activities.
Low Back Pain
If your mattress doesn’t support your spine and keep its alignment in check, the risk of developing low back pain goes through the roof. Studies suggest that people who sleep on an overly firm mattress are more likely to develop chronic back pain than those who rest on a medium-firm mattress.
Weakened Immunity
You may wonder how a bad mattress can suppress your immune system, but the science behind it is associated with sleep quality. Sleep science has established a clear connection between immunity and sleep quality. Lack of sleep can weaken your immune system, preventing it from functioning optimally and fighting illness or disease. It can also hamper your body’s ability to recover from injury, which is one of the functions of the immune system. When you sleep, your immune system releases proteins called cytokines, which help fight infections and illnesses. When you don’t sleep adequately, the immunity system doesn’t produce enough cytokines, which impacts your body’s ability to fight infection.
Unhealthy Weight Gain
Sleep deprivation makes you feel fatigued throughout the day. This tricks your brain into thinking you are low on energy and makes you eat compulsively. Many people also tend to snack in the middle of the night when they can’t sleep properly. When this goes on for a long time, they tend to gain weight. This also increases the risk of obesity, which is linked to life-threatening diseases such as diabetes and heart attack.
Respiratory Problems
Over time, mattresses become a breeding ground for dust mites, allergens, and many other potentially harmful elements. Sleeping on such a mattress can increase the risk of developing respiratory illness caused by allergens, such as asthma and bronchitis. Not to forget, it can also lead to skin irritation, allergies, and other problems.
Premature Ageing
One study found that lack of sleep can cause visible signs of ageing, making you look older. Dark circles, stretchy skin, and baggy eyes are some visible signs of ageing that sleep deprivation causes. For sound sleep every night, invest in the best mattress for your health and sleep preferences.
Cardiovascular Problems
You probably didn’t know this, but not sleeping for 7-8 hours is linked to an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. A study found that people who sleep less are at a 48% higher risk of developing heart disease. So, if your mattress prevents you from having deep sleep, you know what’s at risk.
Joint Soreness
If your mattress doesn’t support your joints and muscles, you may experience joint or muscle pain when you wake up. This is also the case with an overly firm mattress that puts additional pressure on your tailbone, spine, shoulder, arms, and ankles, leading to joint soreness over time.
Reduced Libido
Lack of sleep, whether a result of a poor mattress or a health issue, is linked to reduced sex drive. Research reveals that men who do not sleep enough have low testosterone production, which is a sex hormone responsible for libido in men.
Cognitive Issues
Sleep plays a crucial role in keeping your brain healthy and optimally functioning. When you can’t sleep because of your mattress, you feel less coordinated and mentally tired all day. When this happens for a long time, it can lead to several cognitive issues, severely impacting your brain health.
Final Note
Your mattress plays a more important role in your sleep and overall health than you think. From impacting your sleep quality to reducing back pain to ensuring your sleep soundly, it does make all the difference. That’s why it makes sense to invest in the best mattress in India, so you don’t have to face the consequences that an unsuitable or bad mattress brings. Sleepwell and Kurlon are two best mattress brands in India you can choose from for a perfect mattress.
_20240705193225_original_image_35.webp)
