MATTRESS CONSULTING for Deep Sleep and Recovery – While Sleeping in Bed-Position
MATTRESS CONSULTING for Deep Sleep
Linear and Lateral Support
1. Linear Support
By linear support, we understand the support that makes that your body does not sag. In an undistorted by hanging du hard to top a mattress lying still..
In a side-lying posture, the back shall form one straight line, from the neck vertebrae to the sacrum. In a side/belly posture, the spinal column shall remain in its natural bended form, from the neck to the sacrum, as in an upright posture. Thighbones and knees shall sink a little bit deeper in the mattress, so as not to cause too large a pressure on the lower back. When sleeping on the back, the spinal column has to keep its natural bended form from the neck to the sacrum. It is important that the lumbar region is supported sufficiently. In all recumbent postures, an orthopaedically justified support is necessary. The position of the spinal column at night may in no event obstruct the hormonal flows. I hereby refer to the sacro-cranial therapies.
In addition, the dorsal vertebrae must be able to arrange themselves at night so that the intervertebral disks can regenerate optimally. At the same time, the neck and dorsal muscles that are during the daytime most of the time contorted because of an incorrect sitting position must be given a chance to relax. But, the human body is not a plank. Normally, our shoulders are broader than our hips; but at the hips, we have more weight than at the shoulders.
So, it is clear that the ideal bed for a dominant side sleeper is softer at shoulders’ height and harder at hips’ height. Hard mattresses are a real disaster in terms of support, one really completely tenses up on such mattresses.
« Fabeltje te harde matras »
The double bed is an invention of the devil who was jealous of the blessings of marriage.
Marie Stopes,
Sleep, Chatto and Winders, Londen 1956. |
Even light persons have to impress their shoulders sufficiently so that the pillow, when used, does not have to carry the weight of the shoulders through the neck.
Orthopaedic pillows on too hard beds shift the problem from the shoulders to the neck. Neck muscles get overloaded and the pressure on the head is much too large. Especially for back-sore people, the mattress has to make it possible that the distance between the shoulder tip and the lumbar region can be impressed by the shoulder. This implies that, independent of the person’s weight, the mattress can at shoulders’ height be impressed 6 to 9 cm, whereas at the hips, that generally weigh more, the mattress cannot be impressed that much. Most certainly for low-back-pain patients and slipped-disk patients, no pressure may be exercised on the lower intervertebral disks. Therefore, in order to offer a perfect linear support, the mattress shall be very elastic without becoming deformed. It shall also have a softer shoulder zone and a slightly harder hip zone, as well as a softer knee zone, if so desired.
The base on which the mattress is lying, shall allow the same support and impression, though in an accentuated way. The ideal bed is as large as possible, and allows you to optimally stretch out both lengthwise and breadthwise, it allows you to make yourselves as large and as broad as you wish without being hindered by a bed head end, a foot bed end or your partner. For side/belly and belly sleepers, the bed is at least 30 cm and preferably 50 cm longer than the person in question! It must be possible to maximally stretch out the spinal column and to have your body heave on the mattress. This ensures a perfect lateral support.
2. Lateral Support
The secret of the ideal bed not only lies in a perfect support, but also in an optimal pressure-reducing contact plane between the body and the mattress. The larger the contact zone between the body and the mattress, the smaller the pressure registration per square centimeter of skin. The larger the contact zone, the longer it will take before the body subconsciously orders to turn over and before large tension build-up in the skeleton muscles can interrupt your deep sleep or REM sleep. Sleep quality indeed is reduced drastically when you are wakened by an internal pain impulse caused by overpressure or by difficulties when turning over. The longer you can stay in the same position without suffering pressure damage, the longer your muscles can deacidify. In addition, reduced pressure also stimulates the blood circulation in the limbs. But, a larger contact plane also implies that the mattress should ventilate perfectly. The skin that touches the mattress also must be able to breathe and the purifying perspiration must be absorbed without the mattress feeling moist to the touch. Therefore, when falling asleep, the perfect lateral support is obtained by giving the body as large a contact plane as possible and by having the body heave maximally on the mattress. So, in this scope, stretching out and as large a mattress as possible are extremely important.
Back schools give advice on how to turn your dominant recumbent posture in a better equilibrium posture, so that you do not have to turn over too quickly. In all events, when falling asleep, one should lie as relaxed as possible, with as large a contact plane as possible. The ideal bed can help you a lot.
Green Sleep
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