A Guide for Athletes on How to Choose the Best Mattress this 2021
Sleep is vital for quick physical recovery. For athletes who are twice physically active as most individuals, they need restorative sleep to stay in the best condition. And a night of good sleep is achieved with a correct mattress.
Athletes are the most health-conscious individuals out there. They prioritize physical training and then they balance it with eating nutritious food. Indeed, it is a general fact that a healthy diet and being active supports an athlete’s body to stay in great shape. However, most tend to overlook the significance of sleep.
Skipping sleep harms an athlete’s body. Sleep deprivation declines focus, energy, and causes the body to feel fatigued quickly, thereby downgrading an athlete’s performance.
Likewise, it is important to establish that sleep is the body’s natural means of restoration. It is the only time the body can repair damaged tissues and build new ones. Therefore, skipping sleep deprives the body of restoring itself, which is detrimental to general health.
One factor why some athletes experience difficulty in sleep is due to a poor sleeping environment. For instance, a worn-out and hard mattress does no good in making the body settle comfortably at night. To get high-quality sleep, one must invest in the correct mattress.
If you are one of these athletes who are unable to sleep well at night, below is some advice in searching for the best mattress this year.
Relieves Pressure Point
Muscle soreness and joint pain are two common side-effects of excessive physical exertion. As an athlete, no doubt, you are familiar with muscle pain. Going to bed with a sore body is uncomfortable. The pain and discomfort often become unbearable, especially after a hard training day.
A mattress with slow response and high-density foam alleviates pressure points. Additionally, mattresses with firmness ranging from neutral to medium-firm allow the body to relax without compromising stability and support that is necessary for relieving pressure points.
Body Contouring Feature
The body-contouring feature is a necessary element in a mattress for athletes. Since the mattress conforms to the body’s structure, it stops adding pressure to the muscles and joints.
Likewise, a mattress that contours to your body while sleeping supports blood circulation. A bed that is too firm cuts blood flow that leads to pain and discomfort. As a result, you wake up with sore joints and muscles, leading to poor physical performance.
Spinal Alignment
Athletes or not need a mattress with the best spinal alignment support. A mattress that maintains a neutral spine position reduces pressure and strain in the lower back area. Hence, it prevents back pain and soreness. Moreover, it relieves pressure in the lumbar region, which is the most affected area when running and lifting weights.
Body-Cooling Feature
Most athletes are hot sleepers; thus, sleeping on a bed that traps heat does not help in sleeping. It is why experts suggest that athletes use mattresses with body-cooling temperature.
The best cooling mattresses are hybrids of memory foam and coil, innerspring, and latex. Meanwhile, others infuse cooling technology such as gel beads that cools core body temperature. Athletes must avoid pure memory foam at all costs. This type of material increases core body temperature and mitigates heat.
Comfort
Comfort differs from one person to another. Hence, one athlete might not find certain mattresses comfortable, whereas others do not feel discomfort when sleeping on them.
A good rule of thumb is to choose a mattress with the above features and at the same time feels comfortable to you. Experts recommend mattresses with a minimum of three layers of support wherein one is a higher density foam. However, it all comes down to your decision. This advice from professionals is a guide to steer you towards better options.
Athletes are the most health-conscious individuals out there. They prioritize physical training and then they balance it with eating nutritious food. Indeed, it is a general fact that a healthy diet and being active supports an athlete’s body to stay in great shape. However, most tend to overlook the significance of sleep.
Skipping sleep harms an athlete’s body. Sleep deprivation declines focus, energy, and causes the body to feel fatigued quickly, thereby downgrading an athlete’s performance.
Likewise, it is important to establish that sleep is the body’s natural means of restoration. It is the only time the body can repair damaged tissues and build new ones. Therefore, skipping sleep deprives the body of restoring itself, which is detrimental to general health.
One factor why some athletes experience difficulty in sleep is due to a poor sleeping environment. For instance, a worn-out and hard mattress does no good in making the body settle comfortably at night. To get high-quality sleep, one must invest in the correct mattress.
If you are one of these athletes who are unable to sleep well at night, below is some advice in searching for the best mattress this year.
Relieves Pressure Point
Muscle soreness and joint pain are two common side-effects of excessive physical exertion. As an athlete, no doubt, you are familiar with muscle pain. Going to bed with a sore body is uncomfortable. The pain and discomfort often become unbearable, especially after a hard training day.
A mattress with slow response and high-density foam alleviates pressure points. Additionally, mattresses with firmness ranging from neutral to medium-firm allow the body to relax without compromising stability and support that is necessary for relieving pressure points.
Body Contouring Feature
The body-contouring feature is a necessary element in a mattress for athletes. Since the mattress conforms to the body’s structure, it stops adding pressure to the muscles and joints.
Likewise, a mattress that contours to your body while sleeping supports blood circulation. A bed that is too firm cuts blood flow that leads to pain and discomfort. As a result, you wake up with sore joints and muscles, leading to poor physical performance.
Spinal Alignment
Athletes or not need a mattress with the best spinal alignment support. A mattress that maintains a neutral spine position reduces pressure and strain in the lower back area. Hence, it prevents back pain and soreness. Moreover, it relieves pressure in the lumbar region, which is the most affected area when running and lifting weights.
Body-Cooling Feature
Most athletes are hot sleepers; thus, sleeping on a bed that traps heat does not help in sleeping. It is why experts suggest that athletes use mattresses with body-cooling temperature.
The best cooling mattresses are hybrids of memory foam and coil, innerspring, and latex. Meanwhile, others infuse cooling technology such as gel beads that cools core body temperature. Athletes must avoid pure memory foam at all costs. This type of material increases core body temperature and mitigates heat.
Comfort
Comfort differs from one person to another. Hence, one athlete might not find certain mattresses comfortable, whereas others do not feel discomfort when sleeping on them.
A good rule of thumb is to choose a mattress with the above features and at the same time feels comfortable to you. Experts recommend mattresses with a minimum of three layers of support wherein one is a higher density foam. However, it all comes down to your decision. This advice from professionals is a guide to steer you towards better options.