Choosing the right mattress for your needs | Air Mattress Beds for Back Pain

Have you considered buying an air mattress bed for your poor aching back? Did you come here expecting enthusiastic support for your decision? Are you expecting me to tell you, definitively, that a particular style of air mattress such as the Sleep Number bed is the right solution for precisely your problem? Well, hang on to your hat because you won’t get that here.

What? A site about air mattress beds not supporting them as a cure for back pain? Well, I’m being a bit tricky. CAN air mattresses help with back pain? Sure. WILL they ALWAYS? No. That’s the rub. It isn’t a matter of whether or not I feel they can offer a solution (one very well might), it’s that I’m not going to commit my integrity (or your money) to a solution that might not be the right one for you.

Any mattress that, with absolute conviction, sells itself as a definite cure for back pain is suckering its consumers out of their hard earned dollars. The truth is that a flat board with a half inch of foam on it might be the right cure for you. I simply have no way of knowing, and neither do air mattress bed manufacturers, what the right requirements are for you specifically. What they can tell you with reasonable honesty is how independent testing has rated their beds relative to other styles and in that regard, air mattress beds do fairly well.

Air mattress beds such as the Sleep Number bed often are a fantastic solution for back pain relief. The adjustable firmness alone is a major factor behind that. My own back problems were alleviated after switching mattresses. But, I don’t attribute my success to the mattress so much as an ancient Chinese secret I’ll reveal later. In some cases, however, a memory-foam mattress may be the better solution for your back problems. In others, a particular brand of innerspring mattress is the right solution. What’s the common theme here? No one brand or style of mattress is going to be the universal solution for all people.

If you do suffer from chronic back pain you can begin your search for the right mattress for you by applying some of the knowledge you’ve hopefully learned here. Consult with your physician and if he/she is honest, you’ll receive some simple wisdom such as “some people report improvement from sleeping on air mattresses” or “your condition might be best served by a very firm mattress.” That information being about as useful as what I’ve offered so far in this post, let’s get to the real best solution for you.

The best thing for your back is sleeping on a mattress that affords good back support, promotes healthy curvature of the spine and is very comfortable. If you can find all three in a single mattress, you’ve probably found the mattress that will help you with your back pain. The last item, comfort, is very important, though. The bottom line is that no amount of ergonomic engineering will matter to you if you can’t get comfortable enough to sleep well.

The hard part here is that finding the right mattress to alleviate back pain isn’t like finding which candy bar you like best. Mattresses are expensive. In finding a mattress that’s good for your back, take several minutes to test each model in the store. This will give you at least a glimpse into what you can expect when you get the mattress home. More importantly, though, ensure that your purchase comes with a generous satisfaction guarantee and return policy. You won’t know until you’ve invested a week or two sleeping on your new mattress if it is the right one for you. Select Comfort offered a one month trial period at one point (and may still) on their Sleep Number bed which, to me, was a major selling point. Try to find something similar in your purchase.

So, the answer to your question is that, yes, air mattress beds of varying styles can do wonders for back pain relief but there are no guarantees. Your best bet is to test a variety of mattresses and ensure you are protected should you later determine the mattress is not right for you.

Oh, and that ancient Chinese secret for curing back pain? Stop carrying your wallet in your back pocket. I did, found relief in weeks and I haven’t had back problems in the 5 years since.