Mattresses are expensive, and if you don’t have the funds to replace your mattress, there are things you can do to improve the comfort and support of your current mattress.
When your mattress doesn’t offer enough support, you can end up waking with stiff joints, poor posture and a bad mood. Here are some methods you can try, to improve the supportiveness of your mattress.
Signs Your Mattress Needs More Support
Your mattress should keep your body level and comfortable. When it no longer does that, it’ll give you some obvious signs.
You’ll perhaps notice sagging, with noticeable dips where you sleep, or uneven spots that don’t bounce back, even after you’ve made the bed.
If the surface of your mattress doesn’t feel consistent, you will notice pressure building in places like your hips, shoulders and lower back.
Another way you’ll know if your mattress is starting to fail, is how you feel in the mornings. If you wake up with stiff or sore joins, it can be a sign that the mattress isn’t keeping your body in a healthy position whilst you sleep.
Start With Your Bed Base And Frame
Before you make any changes, check what your mattress is sitting on. Your mattress could be completely fine, and it could be your bed base that’s the issue.
If the bed base is unsupportive, weak, uneven or starting to give, it won’t hold your mattress properly.
A strong bed frame is usually made from solid wood or steel, and it should feel steady, sit level and stay quiet when you move on the bed. If you notice any wobbling, creaking, or a visible dip anywhere, that lack of stability will affect your mattress.
Make sure your bed’s base suits your mattress type. Foam and hybrid mattresses need consistent support across the surface, so a base with slats that are close together. Any wide gaps can allow your mattress to sink between them over time.
For larger sized beds (like queen size or king-size beds), proper center support is important, so adding a center rail and support legs can make your whole bed feel noticeably firmer.
Add A Mattress Topper That Firms Things Up
If your mattress feels a little too soft, using a firm mattress topper is a great way to bring back support, without you having to replace your whole bed.
A mattress topper can change the feel of the bed surface, and keeps your body more evenly supported.
The material of the topper is important. Latex and high-density foam toppers are more supportive, giving you a little bit of spring to stop your body from sinking into the foam.
Memory foam also works well, if you want extra pressure relief. If you get hot at night, a cooling topper or a gel topper with breathable holes will prevent heat build-up, which can make foam feel softer.
For thickness, around two inches is usually enough to give you decent improvement in the mattress, whilst three to four inches will give you a more noticeable firm effect.
Try A Mattress Pad For A Subtle Boost
If you don’t want to splash out on a mattress topper, a mattress pad, is a simpler and more affordable option. It’s usually a thinner piece of foam that covers your entire mattress, with elasticated straps that you pull over the four corners of the bed.
Mattress pads are good for smoothing out minor unevenness, to take pressure off any painful joints, as well as protecting the mattress underneath.
For your mattress pad, cotton and bamboo mattress toppers are more breathable, and will help with temperature control if your bed already feels super warm.
You can choose a down style, for a fluffy and soft topper that will cushion your aging mattress.
Improve Edge Support So The Whole Bed Feels Stable
If the edges of your mattress feel weak and have lost their support, this will make your entire mattress feel less supportive, even if the middle is fine.
Make sure you rotate your mattress regularly, so the same side isn’t taking all the wear, especially if you sit on the edge of the bed to get changed, or put your shoes on.
You can improve the way the edges of your mattress feels, but adding a topper, as it adds stability all over, and will cover the edges and seams of your mattress for extra support.