Is Purple Mattress Good For Back Pain

What Is A Purple Mattress

Have you heard of a Purple Mattress? Purple Mattress have been talked about everywhere for a few years now. What are they and are they worth buying?

We set to find out more about this new style of mattress and if it was worth investing for older adults or seniors. Especially since in this population, older adults and seniors are usually sufferers of low back pain or needing a mattress to provide pressure relief on bony areas to avoid skin breakdown.

A Purple Mattress is made with the Purple® Smart Comfort Grid. This grid was a game changer in the bedding industry. The only other significant change was memory foam back in the mid-80s. In September 2015 the original model came out and was met with glowing reviews. Three years later, in early 2018, the all-new Gen. 2 was released and was equally well received.

Gen. 1 was characterized by a two-inch comfort grid with a medium to a firm feel, and a dual layer of foam base. Gen. 2 improved on the original by selling the mattress with either 2, 3, or 4 adjustable inches of the comfort grid. It has a soft-medium feel to a firm feel and a base made of a single layer of foam. It also has response support coils built into the bottom of the bed.

Both options overall do a great job at providing a good nights rest. Gen. 1 may be the economic choice but it holds up to its reputation in comfort and support. Gen. 2 allows a higher degree of customization when it comes to selecting a bed it may be a better choice for pickier sleepers

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Purple Mattress Video Review

The original Purple mattress is an innovative mattress with a feel unlike that of traditional foam or innerspring beds. Purples top layer, its proprietary Hyper-Elastic Grid, provides a floating sensation and a surface thats cool, pressure-relieving, and supportive. Mattress expert Adrianne stepped into the lab to test it. Check out her full review here!

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What Type Of Mattress Is Best For Back Pain

Memory foam and latex are the most commonly recommended mattress materials for back pain. These materials conform to your body and provide pressure relief where you need it most. One hundred percent memory foam mattresses and hybrid mattresses — which combine springs with memory foam and/or latex — are both good choices.

Return Policy Trial Period

Sometimes, a mattress simply doesnt work out especially if you have a bad back. A mattress may have felt good when you briefly tried it at the mattress store, but its hard to know for sure until you have time to try the mattress at home.

For anyone with back problems, its important to choose a mattress that has a trial period and hassle-free return policy. Purchasing a new mattress is a big investment, and its important to feel confident that your mattress comes with a guarantee. Thats why all Purple Mattresses include a 100-night sleep trial and free returns. Try Purple for 100 days, and if your bad back gives you trouble, well pick up the mattress at no charge and donate it to charity.

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Drawbacks Of Sleeping On Your Side

While there are many benefits to sleeping on your side, there are also some notable issues that side sleepers may face. One of the most common problems for side sleepers is shoulder pain. When you are sleeping on your side, your body weight can put a significant amount of pressure on your shoulders, which can result in shoulder pain over time. As a result, we typically recommend softer mattresses for side sleepers to help with pressure relief.

Another common problem that side sleepers face is lower back pain and neck pain. This is usually caused by pelvic rotation, which results from the misalignment of the back muscles and lumbar spine. While this cant necessarily be remedied completely, there are some preventative measures you can take, such as choosing a mattress that offers proper support and softness or keeping a pillow in between your legs while you sleep. If youre thinking about changing up your preferred position, be sure to look at our best mattresses for back sleepers, best mattresses for stomach sleepers and best mattresses for combination sleepers guides.

Still, need guidance in your mattress buying journey? Check out our ultimate mattress buying guide!

Other Mattress Performance Considerations

Your specific sleeping needs can also guide you to other important features.

If you sleep with a partner, look for mattresses with good motion isolation. Foam and hybrids with pocketed coils tend to reduce motion transfer best.

Edge support is also important for couples, since you dont want a rude awakening when you find yourself pushed toward the edge of the bed.

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Purple Mattress Pain Relief Performance

How well a mattress alleviates pain depends on whether or not it can relieve pressure, especially at sensitive pressure points at the hips, shoulders, and lower back.

To measure pressure relief, I used a handy pressure mat. I placed the mat on top of the mattress and climbed aboard. The mat created a map of how much pressure my body exerted on the mattress in different positions. The map turns blue to green for low pressure, and yellow to red for high pressure. Youll see those graphics below.

Back Pain I think this is a nice mattress for back pain. The map is all blue at my back in each position, which shows theres low pressure there. However, if you have severe back pain I might opt for a slightly firmer bed, which will help keep your spine in a straight line.

Shoulder Pain I like the Purple for shoulder pain. The grid offers some great pressure relief and should cradle sore shoulders well.

Hip Pain I also like the Purple for hip pain. Again, that grid layer does a great job cradling the body. However, if youre a side sleeper with severe hip pain, Id go for a softer mattress that will give you even more pressure relief.

Nectar Vs Original Purple Comparison

The Nectar and Purple mattresses have very different constructions and materials, which is most evident in their comfort layers. The Nectars comfort layers feature multiple layers of memory foam, while the Purple features a hyper-elastic gel polymer.

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These materials create different feels. Thanks to its memory foam, the Nectar has a slow-moving feel that offers plenty of pressure relief and body contouring. Once again, the Purple is bouncy, responsive, and simultaneously squishy and firm.

The firmness ranking for these mattresses will depend a bit on the weight of the sleeper in question, but we ranked both of these beds around a 6.5/10.

The Nectar and Purple are also very similar in terms of price, although the Purple costs around $100 less.

Who Should Get The Nectar?

• Folks who like a memory foam feel
• Lighter-weight sleepers
• Side sleepers who need plenty of body contouring

Who Should Get The Purple?

• Heavier-weight sleepers

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What Is Back Pain

Most of us know when our back is giving us issues, but what is really happening here behind the scenes?

According to the National Institute of Arthritis And Musculoskeletal And Skin Diseases, back pain is one of the most common medical problems in the U.S it can range from a dull, constant ache to a sudden, sharp pain that makes it hard to move.

Surveys from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke found that about 80 percent of Americans will struggle with back pain at some point in their lifetimes this potentially helps explain why back pain is the fifth most common reason people go to the doctor. At the same time, many pain sufferers do not see a doctor because of pride, money issues, or other reasons.

The Mayo Clinic describes back pain symptoms as:

• Muscle ache
• Pain that radiates down the leg
• Pain that worsens with bending, lifting, standing, or walking
• Pain that improves with reclining

The Mayo Clinic also defines two types of back pain: acuteand chronic. Acute back pain occurs when symptoms last between a few days and a few weeks if the symptoms last for over 12 weeks, this is considered chronic back pain.

Additional Sleeping Accessories For Sleepers With Back Pain

Besides a mattress, other accessories can play a part in making your bed conducive to quality, pain-free sleep. Upgrading your pillows and your bed base can be done as a lower-cost way of improving your sleeping surface, or you can purchase these along with a new mattress as part of a complete overhaul.

Pillows

Pillows play an important role in preventing and reducing back and neck pain. Pillows that provide proper support to the neck can improve spinal alignment because the spine extends into the neck . In addition to supporting the head, pillows can be strategically placed to provide cushioning and comfort to other parts of the body.

Numerous factors affect which pillow can best help any individual fight neck and back pain. The amount of loft of your pillow should fit your personal preference and body shape. The right loft level is also largely determined by the firmness of your mattress and your sleeping position, as outlined in the following tables.

To reduce back pain, pillows can be used to support other parts of the body besides just the head and neck.

Bed Platforms and Bases

The base of the bed can contribute to a supportive overall sleeping surface for people with back pain.

Some people opt for an adjustable bed, which allows for the upper and lower body to be raised at various angles. Many adjustable bed frames also include a heat or massage feature that can be a nice bonus for back pain sufferers.

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Best Hybrid Mattress For Sciatica: Amore Luxury Hybrid Mattress

The Amore Luxury Hybrid Mattress is covered with organic cotton and organic wool and contains both an innerspring system and several memory foam layers. In addition to the natural fabrics used for the mattress cover and topping, the Amore Luxury Hybrid contains a layer of Dunlop latex for additional support and shape retention.

From the bottom up, this mattress is a true hybrid. Using some of the best components of modern mattress design, the Amore Luxury Hybrid could be a great option for sleepers of all types, a rare quality in a mattress.

The internal innerspring system offers bolstered edge support for users that prefer to sleep near the edge of the bed, while the springy latex layer above the innerspring provides proper spinal support and alignment for back and stomach sleepers.

There is a layer of contouring memory foam squeezed into this mattress, but its hidden beneath the latex layer, rendering it far less effective. This mattress was designed to work with adjustable bed bases, ensuring that it can bend and flex without tearing or sagging.

Customers who decide to invest in this mattress can take advantage of a 100-night sleep trial. Included with the purchase of each Amore Luxury Hybrid Mattress is a 20-year limited warranty that protects buyers against manufacturing flaws and mattress indentations greater than 1 inch in depth.

Pulled Back Muscle And Lower Back Strain

Lower back or lumbar pain could result from a range of different causes. However, these are causes that are associated with the lumbar disc directly or with muscle strains. This could actually result from sudden movements, lifting heavy objects, or any other twists.

In any case, the thing that you need to do here is to get a proper and professional consultation with your doctor.

This is based on the prediction that you might have fallen into a specific situation with particular medical requirements. These might determine the firmness as well as the material type of your bed. The only person who could provide you with thorough and actionable advice on the mattress that you should get is your doctor.

And, keep in mind that this should happen only after careful and thorough examination. The source of the pain needs to be isolated and targeted properly.

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Are You Sleeping On The Wrong Mattress

When you finally hit the pillow after a long day, all you want is to feel comfortable. Unfortunately, many of us spend an hour or more tossing and turning before we finally fall asleep. Though anxiety is a common cause of poor sleep, its just as likely that youre sleeping on the wrong mattress.

Here are some of the symptoms of sleeping on the wrong mattress:

• Your mattress is more than 8 years old or you cant remember how long youve had it.
• You wake up several times during the night to change positions
• Your mattress has started to sink in the middle or develop depressions on one side or the other.
• You wake up feeling stiff and sore, as if youve slept wrong or not at all

The age of your mattress is a dead giveaway if youve been sleeping on it for 8 to 10 years, chances are its reached the end of its lifespan. Another sign is that you wake up feeling sore, achy, or unrested. Simply put, if you wont wake up feeling good, youre probably sleeping on the wrong mattress.

If any of these things sound familiar, it may be time to start shopping for a new mattress. Read on to learn what to look for!

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How Much Is The Purple Mattress

The cost of a queen-size Purple Mattress is $1,099 before any discounts.

Mattresses with innovative materials and construction such as the Purples hyperelastic polymer grid layer tend to be more expensive than their standard competitors. Still, the Purple has a price-point that is at the lower end of mid-range for an all-foam mattress. Its priced only slightly higher than the overall average cost of an all-foam bed, allowing it to offer excellent value for its cost.

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Mattress Firmness Firmer Doesnt Always Mean Better

You might have heard that theory that the firmer your mattress, the better it is for your back which means that people who suffer from back pain should basically sleep on a rock. That sounds downright miserable to us and the fact is, it just isnt true. At the same time, you dont want a mattress with a foam layer thats too soft, either.

Firm Mattress

Too firm a mattress blocks your hips and shoulders from sinking in, which causes your lower back to strain as it tries to reach a supportive surface. It also puts uncomfortable pressure on your hips and shoulders.

Soft MattressWhile a good pillow-top may provide comfort to your pressure points, it offers little-to-no-support for your back, pulling it into an unnatural U-shapewhich may look like a smile, but its definitely more of a grimace.

Average MattressThe in-between foam mattress isnt firm enough for back support or soft enough to be comfortable on your hips and shoulders. Its an awkward middle ground that compromises your backs comfort, support, and overall health. Not. Worth. It.

Other Considerations For Reducing Back Pain

When it comes to the right material for back pain, Purple may be just what you need. Scientifically engineered to be soft where you want it and firm where you need it, a Purple mattress can be an ideal choice for back pain relief. This bed is literally science you can sleep on.

How We Chose The Best Mattresses For Back And Neck Pain

We explored top-rated mattresses on the market, paying careful attention to features important for pain relief. To create our list, we considered:

• Customer reviews. Many brands say their mattresses can relieve pressure and pain, but reviews from other shoppers often present a more accurate picture. We read what customers had to say to see how these picks actually helped improve their pain and sleep quality.
• Company reputation and transparency. We focused on brands known for good business practices, quality mattress construction, and a reputation for providing good customer service.
• Company policies. Most brands understand the leap of faith required to buy a mattress online, and many offer a trial period so you can return the mattress if it doesnt work out. Reputable mattress brands generally offer a lengthy warranty to cover product defects and excessive sagging.
• Expert insights. We consulted peer-reviewed studies for more information on the connection between sleep and pain and the qualities that make a mattress good for pain relief. We also reached out to Krystle Howald, PT, DPT, owner of Expecting and Empowered and Empower Movement Physical Therapy, for her tips on getting pain-free sleep.

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Depression Insomnia Or Anxiety

Over time, a lack of deep sleep leads to a slow decline in your emotional state. This is a sign your mattress needs replaced! It puts you at an increased risk of developing an emotional condition, including depression, insomnia, or anxiety. If you already suffer from one or more of these, you’ll notice the onset of more severe symptoms.