Getting a good night's sleep can seem impossible if your mattress is too firm or soft, and the problems run more than skin deep!
As you toss and turn, growing frustrated at your lack of comfort, you can become anxious, triggering the release of the stress hormone cortisol with adrenaline. This raises your body temperature and heart rate, making you even more uncomfortable and restless (this is also why racing thoughts can enter your head).
So, what to do?
One thing you can do is buy a new mattress – a mattress that is suitable for your body weight and favourite sleeping position will go down a treat.
A cheaper option is to make your mattress feel firmer or softer than it is, and all you need is a suitable mattress topper to achieve it.
Is your mattress brand-new?
Firstly, is your mattress brand-new? If it is, you might want to send it back if it comes with a free night trial or if your consumer rights allow it. Otherwise, new mattresses get softer after breaking in, which is good news if your mattress is too firm.
If you haven't bought a mattress yet and are eyeing one above or below your usual firmness rating, read our mattress buyer's guide, which has recommendations for mattress firmness, body weight, and sleeping positions.
Is your mattress old?
If your mattress is old and is suddenly a lot softer than it used to be, the materials inside the mattress are probably spent.
The support system might be worn down and broken, or the foams might be damaged, making your mattress feel soft. Try rotating your mattress 180 degrees to see if this improves your comfort.
Signs you need a new mattress include:
Lumps and bumps
Soft spots
Dips and sagging
Loose foams
Rips and tears
Heavy soiling
Squeaks and creaks
Suddenly reduced comfort
If your mattress has a few of these, it's time to upgrade.
Making your mattress feel firmer
If your mattress is too soft, you will squish it and compress the surface considerably more than it should. This puts your spine and hips in an unnatural position, which can give you lower backache and hip pain.
To make your mattress firmer, you need a firm mattress topper.
Firm mattress toppers are great for improving the top surface of a mattress and improving overall comfort. While they don't make the mattress firmer, they provide resistance to take the edge off of soft mattresses.
The best mattress topper is a high-density memory foam topper at least 4cm thick, which will transform the feel of your mattress.
You can expect to pay between £80 and £140 for a good memory foam topper. The LUTE memory foam topper (Amazon, non-affiliate) is an excellent example, with 5cm of memory foam to make your soft mattress feel firmer.
Making your mattress feel softer
Pictured: Testing mattress responsiveness and firmness between memory foam and latex materials.
If your mattress is too firm, you feel like lying on top with no squishiness or body-hugging comfort. This doesn't let your spine enter a natural curve, making it seize up and causing mobility problems.
A soft memory foam mattress topper at least 3cm thick will do the trick, helping your firm mattress feel a whole lot softer than it is.
A thicker mattress topper offers better results. However, the topper can be too squishy if you go over 5cm thick. It's best to strike a balance between squishiness and firmness to provide support and comfort.
Overall
You don't have to put up with a mattress that is too firm or soft – get a mattress topper that is firmer or softer than your mattress. However, if your mattress is old, it's best to replace it.
