Optimal room temperature, no coffee, alcohol and stress at bedtime. These and other factors are crucial for a healthy and restorative sleep. Also, the sleep environment and the bed significantly affect the night's sleep. In addition to a matching pillow, a corresponding duvet and a good slatted frame, the mattress plays a central role in the quality of sleep

Negative influences on the night's sleep

The night's sleep is quickly negatively affected if you lie on the wrong mattress. Often, back problems and tension are the result. If the intervertebral discs are compressed unevenly over a longer period of time, the person feels it at the latest the next morning. It also happens that some body parts do not rest properly on the newest thebest-mattress choice. The muscles are thereby tense throughout the sleep.

Especially in the areas of the shoulders and pelvis, the mattress should not be too hard to relieve these areas. The right mattress adapts to the individual requirements and gives the back an opportunity to recover overnight.

Sleeping positions in comparison

The sleeping position is also crucial for the quality of sleep and a high level of lying comfort. On the side, on the back or on the stomach - in which position do you prefer to sleep?

Side sleeper: This position, also called "stable lateral position", is the most popular among the sleepers. Why this position does not offer the best reclining comfort? The spine is slightly twisted, the musculature on the spine is loaded differently, and the head suffers from tension.

The sleepers usually take this position because the mattress is too hard. Sleep coach and specialist in bedding, a slightly softer mattress is recommended for the restorative sleep of side-sleepers, for example, to facilitate the sinking of the shoulder and pelvic area.

Back sleepers: Sleep in the supine position is the second most common sleeping position and not healthy for the lumbar area. Experts recommend back sleepers and especially persons who tend to the hollow back, mattresses with supportive factors.

Abdominal sleepers: This is the unhealthiest sleeping position, as the spine is not positioned in the ergonomically correct position. The head should not be stored too high in abdominal sleepers to avoid additional shoulder and neck problems.

The combination of sleeping position and (false) mattress can damage your back. The right type of mattress adapts to the sleeping position and your back and provides a restful sleep.

Not every mattress is suitable for everyone

You should therefore invest sufficient time in the selection of the right mattress, because there are a few points to note. Every person is different and therefore any mattress is not suitable for everyone.

Differences in body weight, in the shoulder, waist and pelvic width or, as already described, in the sleeping position affect the individual needs for the sleeping basis. In addition, the sensitivity to pain increases with age.

Also with the mattress there are many factors to consider: the degree of hardness is there a slatted frame or a plate grid, latex or cold foam, how many lying areas? The mattress purchase seems to be a science in itself. According to Experts, "one size fits all" mattresses, standard mattresses, are not recommended. No one can tell you if you're right or wrong and it's usually hard to rate yourself.

Often, it only becomes clear after years that the wrong sleeping place has left its mark. Anyone with special needs or back problems should, according to Experts, prefer to go to a bed retailer to get detailed advice - including specific sample tests.

Physiotherapist and sleep consultant Florian Derek gives online tips for the perfect mattress:

1.      The mattress should be as soft as possible and as hard as necessary to give you room to sink in for the shoulders and hips, to relieve the connective tissue and at the same time to stabilize it in the middle of the body.

2.      It should suit your body (build) and your individual requirements.

3.      Be sure to get advice from an expert and take your time.

4.      Have the mattress adjusted or changed if it does not respond to your desired feeling of lying or properly fitting your body after the first ten nights.

Dust mites are usually found on the mattress. There a mite finds enough food and optimal living conditions, namely heat and moisture, which the sleeping person involuntarily donates every night. House dust mite allergy sufferers are exposed all night to the mite-producing allergy triggers and accordingly suffer greatly in the morning from a variety of ailments.

The mild form of house dust allergy is characterized by the fact that the nose is often blocked, tingling and, above all, in the morning, running. Also, for example, you often sneeze after getting up. If the allergy is pronounced, the eyes are sometimes red, itch or tears. In addition, the deep respiratory tract can also react with coughing, difficulty breathing or whistling breath sounds.

If you suffer for many years under the house dust mite allergy, develop chronic symptoms of the nasal mucosa. It comes to a permanently blocked nose and recurring sneezing.

If you are allergic to dust, which is in homes and apartments, there is usually a suspicion of a house dust mite allergy.

Although dust is composed of various components, but usually the trigger for an allergy is a tiny arachnid called the house dust mite. These little animals feed on dead skin dandruff, which we mostly lose during the night (in the regeneration of our skin). Allergy triggering ingredients from the excretions of the mites! Therefore, the term house dust mite allergy and not house dust allergy is rightly used.

The house dust mite allergy is usually more pronounced in the winter months (due to the heating season).

Remedy is the regular bed cleaning, as well as adequate ventilation of the bedroom and special bedding that can prevent the nesting of the mites. You can read more about house dust mite prevention in our article about mattress care.