What type of mattress should be chosen to avoid back pain and improve sleep quality?

A total of 39 qualified articles have been included in the current systematic review.

Level of evidence:

1 article was classified as evidence I (systematic review with and without meta-analysis);

7 as evidence II (randomized controlled clinical trial);

27 as evidence III (controlled clinical trial without randomization) and

4 as evidence level VI (evidence from a single descriptive or qualitative study).

The authors concluded that –

Based on data reported by literature, it can be claimed that medium-firm mattresses offer more advantages to subjects with non-specific low back pain. Studies have demonstrated, indeed, that these mattresses improve sleep quality and reduce risk of developing low back pain. Beds with active control improve column alignment and sleep quality. Temperature manipulation using a high-thermalcapacity mattresses (HHCM) caused a reduction in temperature increase of proximal skin on the back and of core body temperature, and an increase in slow sleep waves and sleep continuity; slightly manipulating the skin temperature, the wake-up can be delayed and deep sleep can be favoured.

Further reading:

What type of mattress should be chosen to avoid back pain and improve sleep quality? Review of the literature

Caggiari et al.

Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (2021) 22:51

https://doi.org/10.1186/s10195-021-00616-5