If you are into sports, the right mattress is essential for your wellbeing. Our bodies do most of their regenerating during the night when we are in bed. As a result, it is very important that we sleep on the right bedding to avoid making aches worse or entirely missing the point of a good night’s sleep and waking up in pain and a bad mood.
Whether you, jog, swim, lift weights or play squash, the chances are that you had a muscle ache are big. We all know what it feels like and we all wish it would go away. The more masochistic among us might actually enjoy the dull ache in our muscles. But even the tough cringe when they sink into an unsuitable mattress.
We spend one-third of our lives in bed so why not make sure that it is the best place to recuperate? Our muscles do most of the work when we are asleep in bed anyway. But a simple bit of reviewing on the internet won’t do it.
This is why we have decided to research and test mattresses, to provide you with all the relevant information for an athletic person. Athletes need the best, so why not you?
Buying Advice
Importance of Sleep
We assume if you have already come as far as to check out mattresses most suitable for athletes, you very well know a lot about the importance of sleep. But we want to recap for a bit before delving into what’s important and best when it comes to your bedding.
We sleep for about one-third of our lives. That is not mean feat, and obviously, a lot takes place during the night, and we are not talking about those sweet dreams about your partner. While we are asleep in bed, the body has time to regenerate in both a physical and a psychological level.
So getting enough of it makes sure the muscles relax during the night by allowing blood to flow naturally. At the same time, the heart rate slows, reducing blood pressure. Sleep also improves your mood and immune system.
Getting enough sleep is essential for our overall wellbeing – do not skimp, especially as an athlete.
Athletes
Athletes are people that subject their bodies to more pressure than your average John Hancock or Mary Sue. No matter whether you’re a runner, a tennis player or a cyclist, various parts of the anatomy are exposed to something whether it is the joints or merely the muscles alone.
For this reason, athletes need a great bed to sleep on so that they can recuperate during the night and start the day refreshed and fit again. We have seen in the above section how vital sleep is to the human body. When under pressure, rest in bed becomes even more essential.
Imagine you have just partaken in the New York marathon. You trained a lot, but you still feel drained after you passed the finish line. You can think of nothing other than rehydrating, having a shower and getting a good night’s sleep. Try doing that on the wrong type of mattress. Let’s look into why.
Soft Vs. Firm
We already touched upon the fact that there is no such thing as a mattress for athletes. Sorry guys, I know that astronauts have one for them. The most important thing when you are an athlete is muscle recovery – nothing else is more important. What we already touched upon is what the body is exposed to.
What to do if there is nothing specially designed for the athletic body? You review the various brands as we have done at the beginning of this article, and then you decide which one suits your needs the most.
At this point you’re thinking is softer, “plush” mattresses are better than firm. The firmness of the mattress depends on the largest part on how much you weigh. As an athlete, you might weigh more than the average Joe because of the muscle density in your body. As a rule of thumb, the heavier you are, pick a firmer mattress.
But keep in mind, a certain degree of softness is required to allow for sinkage.
Most Common Type of Pain Athletes Suffer From
Upper and Lower Back
Pain can come from many different places, and it all depends on what you do as an athlete that determines which part of the body is hit the hardest.
The upper and lower back can suffer when you pull a muscle by making the wrong move or incorrectly lifting something heavy. Be careful not to pull sciatica. This thumb-thick nerve located in the thigh and hip can cause immense pain if it is pulled too violently.
The right type of mattress can help you in a big way if you suffer from lower and upper back pain. First, the right bed provides the highest-level of support to the spine by making sure it is aligned correctly. This is paramount if you do not want to aggravate the situation any further.
Be sure to pay attention to the right mattress and to the type of sleeper you are. The ideal way to do that is to review a few beds and base your decision on that.
Experiencing from a bad back? Read Mattresses Made For (Lower) Back Pain
Neck
There are few things worse than having an ache in the neck – people don’t say, ‘You are a pain in the neck,’ for nothing. We have all suffered from it at some point or other in our lives. When you’re active in sports like an athlete, your chances of pulling a ligament grow. On the positive side, your body is far better inured to deal with any strains and things that the more unfit suffer from.
Like with upper and lower back pain, the neck needs to be supported in the right way when you are lying in bed. Anything less will make the situation worse, and you won’t be having athletic thoughts for quite a while.
The most recommended way to support the neck is to find the right mattress that suits your sleeping position. Sometimes, as with the other ailments, an electronic frame can be of great help. With neck pain best be sure to support the head and cradle the neck to avoid any further suffering.
Hip
As with the neck and back, the hip needs the greatest support when you are in bed. Pain in that area can come from many things. However, certain sports apply more pressure to the hips than others. Also, posture comes into play here.
If you do a lot of running, horse-riding or touch-and-go sports such as tennis, squash, basketball or football, chances are that you have damaged your hips are very likely. Anything that applies pressure to this area on a continuous basis and over a lengthily period will inevitably damage the hips. All you can do to help counter this is take up swimming or invest in a damn good mattress that supports your body where it needs it, go to our mattress guide geared towards hip pain relief.
The hip area needs support in the mattress if you sleep on your side and sinkage via the buttocks if you sleep on your back. Anything other than that will make things worse or speed up the process.
Shoulder
The shoulders are generally more robust than the back, hips, and neck. However, the proximity to the upper back and the neck can lead to an overlap in pain if you suffer in any of those areas.
Doing sports can result in injuries to the shoulders if you are not careful. Let’s take squash for example – slamming against the wall will undoubtedly hurt the shoulder. Lifting something heavy in the wrong manner can jolt up the arms all the way up to the shoulder and onto the neck and upper back, causing severe agony.
But shoulder pain can also come from the wrong mattress. Depending on your sleeping position in the bed, the shoulder needs either support or give. The former is true for back sleepers, and the latter is valid for side sleepers. There is nothing like an overly hard mattress to make the pain in your shoulder worse when you are lying on your side.
Are you a sleeper with shoulder discomfort? Highest Rated Side Sleeper Beds For Shoulder Pain
Top 3 Athletes Mattress Reviewed
Nectar – Olympian Choice
Features:
- Gel foam and cooling cover
- CertiPUR-US guarantees the high-grade materials
- Forever warranty
- 365-night free trial
Our Ratings: 9.6/10
The bed of your dreams – that is what it says on the Nectar website. But is it really that? How did we get to our claim that it is the choice for athletes and the Olympian at that?
We tried it out, and the claim on the Nectar site is right – after a night’s sleep on this mattress, you can simple say goodbye to the pain. The multiple layers of gel and memory foam coupled with the Tencel cooling cover allow for top breathability and body molding. The body feels supported thanks to the weight distribution all over the mattress.
As the bed adapts to the contours of the physique so well, you can say adieu to tossing and turning because once your body has snuggled into the right position, it won’t want to move. This was one of the beds we really enjoyed reviewing.
If you are a professional athlete or you just do sports for fun, take the time to have a look at our comprehensive review.
Bear – Great Value
Features:
- Choose any mattress size
- Free shipping and return policy
- Multiple layers for multiple comfort
- Eco-friendly materials
Our Ratings: 9.5/10
Who said that comfort has to cost a fortune? With the bear you get four layers of adaptable memory foam: the base is for long-lasting durability and structural support, the next layer of transitional performance foam allows for pressure relief, responsive comfort foam for bounce and cooling graphite memory foam for the best body temperature regulation – if you love memory foam this is your top option. Ultimately, breathable fabric covers the top.
That material is referred to as Celliant, and it has health-promoting characteristics that consist of transferring body heat into infrared light. This is ideal for athletes as the infrared ameliorates the metabolism and muscle regeneration.
With the Bear, you have a great choice for a limited amount of money. Include the consumer-friendly options such as delivery, warranty, and trial; you have the optimal companion for your bed.
Want to find out more info on Bear? Click here.
Helix – Perfect Support & Comfort
Features:
- Custom-made mattress
- Different bedding combinations
- 100-night sleep trial
- Financing available
Our Ratings: 9.4/10
Like when you’re buying a suit or a dress, nothing can beat something that has been especially for you. When you start your purchasing voyage on the Helix website, they want you to tell them a little about yourself so that they can manufacture a bed for your taste. We had to try it out.
As you might have already imagined the price is not exactly cheap, but we wouldn’t say that it is astronomical either for a bed that is customized for you. To do this, Helix uses a blend of hybrid mattresses that each offers various surfaces and sleeping properties that suit yours and your partner’s needs.
After going through the entire experience, you feel rather unique. After that, delivery takes longer due to the customized nature of the bed. However, it is worth the wait. The moment you lie on it, you will notice perfect support and comfort. If you’re an athletic sort, give it a whizz.
Need a to learn more about this type? Go read our Helix analysis here.
Our Final Thoughts
Buying the best mattress as an athlete is no different than if you were couch potatoes. In both cases, your body needs to be supported in all of the right places.
At first, base your decision on the size of your bed and what type of sleeper you are. Once you have done that, move on to the reviewing part, so that you can choose from the plethora of brands on the market.
We should have done most of the work for you by writing this article. We reviewed the highest quality beds for athletic people and gave you a few pointers on how to choose – you should be good to go.
Resources:
- Does Exercise Improve Sleep Apnea? – https://www.nfpt.com/blog/exercise-improve-sleep-apnea