If you’re waking up every morning with a sore and stiff back it can be a sign that you need a new mattress. As your mattress gets older, the foam and springs supporting your back lose their resistance to your body’s weight, in doing so the mattress will lose its ability to keep your back straight, which can cause lower back pains.

Overly soft mattresses can also cause back pains. A soft mattress that lacks in support can cause the lower part of your spine to strain. There’s a natural curve in the lower, lumbar area of the spine, (the sacrum and coccyx area) this natural curve needs to keep its curved position, if your mattress doesn’t provide enough resistance under this region the natural curve will ‘straighten out’ resulting in pain.

The reverse is also true: a hard mattress can also cause back pains. I see this in older people, who would sacrifice comfort because they think a hard mattress is good for them. The purpose of your mattress is to keep your back straight. This doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice comfort, it only means that your mattress needs to have a perfect balance of comfort and support for YOUR body.

It is possible to manufacture an orthopaedic mattress with memory foams, and springs and latex, as long as all of these components work together to keep your back straight.

Many different things, of course, can cause back pain: Weak box foundations, weak wooden lateral systems, lack of exercise, being overweight, and a bad posture will always eventually cause back pains. Let’s not just blame the mattress.