Got Sleep Apnea? Here’s How Your Mattress Can Help

For people with sleep apnea, you may find sleep a constant struggle. This is because sleep apnea is a serious disorder where your breathing stops and starts during the night. You’ll find that you snore excessively and loudly, and you feel tired even after sleeping all night.

You may also experience a headache in the morning, irritability, and difficulty paying attention when you are awake. The scariest symptoms include stopping breathing while you’re sleeping and gasping for air when you sleep. The good news is a new mattress may help with your sleep apnea symptoms.

If you’ve got sleep apnea, here’s how your mattress can help:

A Mattress Can Help You Get to Sleep Faster

One way a new mattress can help is that it can help you fall asleep more quickly and help you get a deeper sleep.

This is because as mattresses age, they develop lumps and bumps. Many spring mattresses end up leaving sleepers disrupted and cause uncomfortable sleep.

When you bring a new mattress into your home, you generally find relief from aches and pains. This helps you reach sleep faster while helping you stay asleep longer.

A Mattress Can Improve Your Sleep Position

If your mattress is old and dilapidated, you probably aren’t very comfortable at night. A new mattress can improve your sleep posture and help you maintain better sleep.

With the right posture, your mattress can help you maintain a better breathing rhythm, thus relieving some of your sleep apnea symptoms.

Many doctors will tell you to sleep on your side if you have sleep apnea. In mild to moderate cases, sleeping on your side may help you breathe better.

Plus, a new mattress provides better support as you sleep, providing you with more rest.

A Mattress Can Improve Circulation

If you have poor blood circulation, you may also find it hard to sleep. For sleep apnea sufferers, poor circulation makes it more likely they will awaken during a sleep apnea episode.

When you have a quality mattress, you have more support for your body. This ensures better circulation and may help you avoid “pins and needles” in your arms and legs.

Thus, a better mattress can improve circulation and, hopefully, sleep apnea symptoms.

A Mattress Keeps Allergens at Bay

Old mattresses are full of allergens and can keep you up at night, affecting your breathing. With a new, hypoallergenic mattress, you may find relief, especially if you have allergies along with sleep apnea.

When there are a lot of allergens, your airways are restricted, and you have a harder time breathing. This compounds your sleep apnea to cause major problems.

So, consider a hypoallergenic mattress to reduce your allergies.

What to Look for in a New Mattress?

Here are a few things to look for and consider when purchasing a new mattress:

First, you want to look at what the mattress is made out of. We mentioned that sleeping on your side is very beneficial if you have sleep apnea. So, consider a mattress that has a layer of memory foam. This helps provide a layer of comfort for side sleepers.

Plus, memory foam relieves pressure on your joints, your hips, and your shoulders. You’ll also find that a top layer of memory foam helps keep your spine in proper alignment.

Next, consider an adjustable mattress. This helps you elevate your head slightly, which may reduce snoring. If you don’t want to do an adjustable mattress, purchase a supportive pillow to keep your head elevated.

Finally, you want to choose a mattress with the correct firmness level for you. Many people with sleep apnea prefer medium-firm mattresses or even firm mattresses. Ultimately, it’s what works best for you.

Final Thoughts

In the simplest of terms, sleep apnea is a medical condition. For sufferers, it’s caused by abnormal breathing while sleeping.

If you leave it untreated, you have both long and short-term life-threatening risks. You may end up with heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiomyopathy, depression, and even car accidents if you fall asleep at the wheel.

Many people with sleep apnea try various remedies, including changing mattresses.

If you think you may have sleep apnea, your first step is to visit the doctor. Your physician can provide treatment options to ease your symptoms, help with complications, and even prevent heart problems.

Do talk with your doctor about how a new mattress may help with sleep apnea. Many people find changing sleep patterns can be a big relief for sleep apnea symptoms. It is important to note, though, that while a mattress can help provide some relief for symptoms, a mattress cannot cure or fix sleep apnea.

If you decide you are ready for a mattress to help alleviate your symptoms at a terrific price point, we can help. Contact us today!

Photo by Alexandra Gorn on Unsplash