News on Sleep Comfort

Studies show that harder is not necessarly better when it comes to matresses.

The theory that it is best to sleep on a hard matress is without foundation

Hundreds of people sufferring from lombar pain were evaluated by a group of Spanish investigators which arrieved at the conclusion that there are no general rules to indicate the most appropriate type of matress nor the appropriate degree of hardness. None the less, a local orthopedic expert afirms that the spinal column requires both comfort and support to maintain the spinal column in its most natural profile during sleep.
The tradicional recomendations of specialist over the use of hard matresess to prevent or correct lumbar problems apear to based on tests of no merit.

To the contrary, investigators in Spain carried out substatial studies and found that pacients that slept for various months on semi-firm matresses reported improvements in their well being in comparson with pacients that slept on hard or very firm matresses.

Not withstanding, the experts clarified that the study, recently published in the medical magazine "Lancet", does not mean that everyone will benefit from a semi-firm matress and that it is probably best to experiment with both types of matresses to determine which suits each person best.

Local Expert Speaks Out

In this sense, Dr J. Sakal Emboz
( Centro de Diagnostico Integral de Lechería. Telf.: 2868145 y 0414 8065548) Shared his Opinion.

"The Belief that the harder the matress the better is more folklore than science". Dr. Emboz is an Orthopedic Specialist and when asked where erroneous belief came from, he replied that it most probably came from the East Asian culture. Dr. Emboz pointed out that the spinal column has naturally occuring curves in the dorsal, lumbar, and cervical regions and that to sleep on a matress that is either to hard or to soft causes dificulties in maintaining the proper spinal column profile.
"For these reasons, I recomend that people use a semi- firm matress that provides comfort yet sufficient support to maintain the spinal column in its natural profile".

According to information provided by the AP Agency, there are no generalized rules governine the most adequate matress nor in the determiantion of the grade of firmness (hardness)

"Up till now this is a subject that has been very pourly studied" said Dr. Scott D. Boden professor of Orthopedics and a Director of the Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, "It is evident that different matress types can have different effects on a given individual. But the question continues being whether there is a formula capable of providing relief to everyone", he added. Boden who did not participate in the Spanish studies said "each individual should determine for himself which type matress suits him or her best, but very definitely the matress choice is something that merits paying attention to and even more so for those that sufer cronic back pain.

Field Test A study was carried out by scientist from varirous clinics in Spain to determine the efects of hard and semi-firm matresses, envolved 313 persons that suffered back pains, non-organic back pain, while laying down or while getting-up in the mornings. Approximately one half of the group were given hard (frim) matresses and teh other half were given semi-firm (hard) matresses. After three months, about 82% of those that used the semi-firm matress reported improvement while 68% of those that were given hard matress said the same.

Dr Sakal Emboz explained that pain is an alarm signal sent by the spinal column to indicate that it is experiencing problems. The spinal Column is the central axes of the body which permits human beings to stand erect and to walk on two feet. When things are not well with the spinal column, it alerts the brain with a signal of pain. The muscels arround the spinal column also play an important role. When there is a tension imbalance in these muscles a contraction occurs which causes pain. This pain, in turn, causes the muscels to contract further which causes more pain. It is this pain, of course, that causes difficulties with sleeping. In this maner one enters a vicius circle, and when the pain becomes intoleranble the pacient seeks the help of medical specialist.