Tempur-Pedic Mattresses: Good for your Spine?

The correct mattress may mean the difference between a good night’s sleep instead of tossing and turning and chronic back pain. The ideal mattress provides both comfort and back support. Of the “memory foam” line of mattresses that claims to revolutionize these two issues, Tempur-pedic is perhaps the most well known. But is it actually good for your spine? Or is it an overpriced hoax?Tempur-pedic started when NASA wanted to develop a material that could withstand the huge g-forces that astronauts face. Swedish scientists realized that this pressure-relieving material could also benefit the earthbound as the ideal sleeping surface. Because of the unique cellular structure within the Tempur material, billions of cells “breathe” and readjust to an individual’s movement and body structure while they sleep. The Tempur cells’ equal size and shape provide optimum comfort and long life.According to the Tempur-pedic website, the spinal benefits result from the multiple layers of Tempur material, each with a distinct base to relieve pressure, maximize comfort, and therapeutically benefit your back. The top layer of the mattress reacts to your unique body temperature and weight. The second layer adjusts as you sink into the mattress and evenly distributes your weight, supporting your spine in perfect alignment. The bottommost layer works to increase airflow, overall comfort, and responsiveness.Since the Tempur-pedic technology responds to even the slightest movement and acknowledges the most unique curves in your body, your hips and shoulders can sink into the mattress and remain in a natural curvature while being fully supported. Traditional box spring mattresses work via counter-pressure, which forces your body into unnatural positions, causing poor sleep, pressure points, reduced blood flow, and back pain. The mixed customer reviews prove that some consider the Tempur-pedic a godsend, and others, a big waste of money. For all the scientific mumbo-jumbo on the website, anatomy seems to out the Tempur-pedic as having no medical benefit to the spinal cord. The back depends on gravity to compress the spine when you stand up (during the day, normally) and upon your laid-out posture to spread it apart at night. Since the spine lacks blood vessels, when the back is compressed during the day, waste oozes out of the discs between the vertebrae, and during the night, the back absorbs new minerals and nutrients. Tempur-pedic mattresses allow your shoulders to sink, anchoring the top of the spine in one place, and when your lower back sinks, it too sets. This process prohibits the decompression needed by the spinal cord, and your discs never get the proteins necessary to rebuild or the chance get rid of waste buildup, resulting in bulged discs and chronic pain.Although no single mattress works for everybody with back pain, in general, firm mattresses only aggravate spinal cord problems. Besides the Tempur-pedic and other “memory foam” brands, poor sleepers sing the praises of adjustable beds and air mattresses. In the end, personal preference determines the mattress for you and your spinal cord. We always recommend our Chicago physical therapy patients to first really define what the main problem with their sleep is and then make a mattress buying decision based on how the mattress address that issue. But many stores offer 30-day trials, so try one out, and hopefully you’ll soon find the mattress that grants you sweet dreams without the stiff back.