Are Natural Latex Beds Good for Your Back?

Composition

• Natural latex beds differ from traditional innerspring mattresses at their core. They are constructed from latex milk harvested from trees. Manufacturers churn the latex milk until it becomes frothy and thick, and then they press it into molds. The molds create a latex mattresses perforated by thousands of tiny holes, which give the mattress flexibility and softness. The core is surrounded by a fabric casing of natural cotton, wool or linen.

Benefits

• A natural latex mattress can be good for your back because it is soft enough to adjust to your body's contours, providing orthopedic support along the length of your back. It keeps your spine in alignment at night. A latex mattress doesn’t compress enough to create a depression that traps you in a single spot all night, which can leave you stiff in the morning. Your weight distributes evenly on the mattress, preventing uncomfortable pressure points on joints and blood vessels.

Choices

• Natural latex mattresses are made in a range of softness and firmness options. You can find them classified as 25, which is very soft, all the way to 40, which is extra firm. To find the mattress that feels best for your back, take a pillow to a showroom and lay down on the display beds, using the position in which you most often sleep. If firm innerspring mattresses have been good for your back in the past, then start with the firm natural latex mattress options.

Considerations

• In addition to providing even support, natural latex mattresses offer the advantage of not sagging over time. A soft spot in a mattress can injure your back; latex mattresses, however, can last for 30 years without giving out. Latex mattresses have antibacterial properties and aren’t attractive to dust mites, unlike traditional mattresses. They are more expensive than innerspring mattresses, and organic, natural latex mattresses are more costly than synthetic latex mattress options.