Are You A Side Sleeper? Use These 8 Proven Testing Techniques To Discover Your Dream Mattress In A Showroom (Part 2)

August 06, 2021

4. Check your Spinal Alignment

Perfect Spinal alignment: Maintaining spinal alignment requires a sleep surface with balanced comfort and support.

Take a friend with you on your mattress hunt to check if your spine is aligned correctly. Lie on your side and ask them to observe your spine. They can place a ruler or stick along your spine to ascertain proper posture.

Pillows are crucial for keeping your neck aligned properly with your back. Perfect pillows for side sleepers keep the neck elevated enough to bring it in line with the spine. Getting a pillow for proper neck support surely helps keep neck pains away.

5. Beware of Numbness or Tingling

As you lie on mattresses in store, note any numbness or tingling sensation in arms or legs. If the mattress surface isn’t soft enough, your weight ends up causing a lot of pressure on your body parts. The pressure hinders blood circulation, causing distress and disturbing your sleep.

If you don’t feel any pins and needles after lying for 10-15 minutes, the sleep surface is suitable for a restful slumber.

6. Look for Lumbar/Flank Support

Back Pain in Side Sleepers
Lumbar support is as crucial for a side sleeper as it is for those who sleep on their back. As you lie down, the mattress should conform to the curves of your flank.

Ask the salesman to show you beds with zoned support. Many mattresses have unique features in the lumbar region to improve support and resist sinkage.

With different foam densities in the middle-third of the mattress, the foam holds your flanks up as hips and shoulder sink into the bed for pressure-relief.

Flank support is so crucial that you can find specialized pillows and support wedges on the market to ease the side sleeping discomfort.

7. Remember to Check All Sleep Positions

No one sleeps in a single position all night. We may start by sleeping in our primary sleep position, for instance, on our left side. But, during the night we shift sides and roll onto our front or back multiple times.

Therefore, while testing mattresses in-store, change sides and spend some time on your back and front as well. Notice if it’s difficult or easy to change positions. The adjustment time, i.e., the duration in which foam conforms to your new position may disrupt your slumber.

Memory foam is usually less responsive as compared to pocketed coils. However, in hybrid compositions, the foam layers and springs combine to form sleep surfaces, best for all sleep positions.
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