How to Choose Your Perfect Mattress?

If you're looking to invest in a new mattress so you can enjoy a good night's sleep every day, there's no doubt about it: it's essential to choose a quality mattress with the utmost care. One of the choices available to you is an orthopaedic mattress.

On the other hand, if you're looking for an extra mattress for occasional use, you can opt for a roll-up mattress or an entry-level foam model.

Perhaps bedroom design is also a very decorative issue for you? In that case, you could opt for a round slatted base or a bed with unusual dimensions. A made-to-measure mattress may also be an option. Be careful, however, with mattresses that are off the beaten track: never lose sight of the fact that we spend 1/3 of our lives sleeping, and that the mattress is the main guarantee of a good night's sleep. A water mattress is not necessarily recommended.

The priority is to find a good mattress adapted to your morphology, i.e. your height, weight and sleeping position.

✔ Which mattress for an overweight person? A firm or medium-firm mattress is generally recommended. You can therefore opt for a latex or spring mattress.
✔ Which mattress for children? A foam mattress is recommended, as a mattress that is too firm can be uncomfortable.
✔ Which mattress for babies? Although infants are fairly light, it is essential to prevent any risk of suffocation. Despite their slight build, a fairly firm foam or latex mattress is preferred.

Ideally, your mattress should also relieve pressure points. Because the weight of the body is not uniform: the head and pelvis are the heaviest areas, so they will exert more pressure on the mattress. They need to be able to sink in far enough to respect the natural alignment of the spine, but not too far either. That's why new generation mattresses offer 3 to 7 comfort zones.

Which mattress for back pain? This is certainly the question that comes up most frequently when choosing a mattress. And with good reason! As we've seen, the wrong mattress is likely to cause back, lumbar and neck pain. On the other hand, a good mattress that is perfectly adapted to the sleeper will ensure optimal rest for the muscles and alignment of the spine.

You may have already heard that if your back hurts, you need a firm mattress. Well, that's not quite true! In fact, it all depends on the cause of your pain. In the case of rheumatism, for example, professionals recommend a soft mattress. Pregnancy-related back pain is an entirely different situation: a mother-to-be's body is changing and her weight distribution is evolving. She needs support that is sufficiently toned so that her belly is well supported, while still benefiting from a soft welcome. A memory foam model is therefore the most comfortable mattress for pregnant women.

In a nutshell! The best thing to do is to seek advice from your physiotherapist or osteopath if you have specific health issues and pains!

Dust mites are one of the main causes of allergies - and these little creatures take great pleasure in invading pillows and mattresses. It's a factor you need to take into account when choosing the right mattress. Having a dust mite-free mattress is even more important for children and babies, who are particularly sensitive to dust mites.

Dust mites are particularly fond of dust, heat and humidity. To keep them at bay, it's advisable to choose a mattress with good ventilation, to ensure optimum moisture evacuation. Some materials are naturally hypoallergenic - latex and memory foam, for example. For a healthier environment, you can opt for an organic mattress.

Sleeping independence is the essential criterion for choosing a mattress for a couple. After all, even a person who sleeps peacefully moves around an average of... 40 times a night! So it's vital that you don't wake the person sleeping next to you when you change position (and that they don't wake you when they move either). Although memory foam or latex provide a good level of sleeping independence, the spring mattress is generally considered to be the reference model for couples.

From the age of 55 onwards, the quality of sleep changes: while seniors still sleep just as much, their nights are less restorative. They also suffer more from back and joint pain. A memory foam mattress is the most appropriate choice, as it promotes good blood circulation and encourages muscle recovery. Choosing a mattress for an elderly person sometimes means taking health-related criteria into account - particularly in the case of illnesses that require you to spend most of your time in bed: in these cases, an anti-bedsore mattress is recommended.

Perhaps you don't want to change your mattress very often? If so, it's important to consider the lifespan of the mattress when choosing a new model. As well as encouraging the proliferation of dust mites, moisture is a mattress's worst enemy: here's another good reason to choose a model with good ventilation!

The durability of a mattress depends mainly on the materials it's made of. Good to know: an eco-friendly mattress often lasts much longer than a conventional mattress.

Average lifespan by mattress type:
- Foam mattresses: 2 to 10 years
- Spring mattresses: 10 to 15 years
- Latex mattresses: 15 years