How To Make Mattress Softer? Comprehensive Guide Update 04/2024

If you wake up with aches and pains after sleeping on a new mattress, you probably need a softer or firmer mattress. You may have purchased the new bed after trying out many possibilities in several showrooms or conducting considerable online research. If you’re still having trouble sleeping despite your best efforts, softening or firming up your mattress a little can help.

To change the hardness level of your mattress, you don’t need to spend a lot of money or time. A few easy steps can go a long way toward providing you with a relaxing bed at the end of a busy day. We’ll go through how to make a mattress softer or firmer for your comfort in this article.

Why Mattress Firmness Level is Crucial for Sleep

Selecting the proper firmness level for your sleeping position and body type is key to finding the ideal mattress for you. To cushion their shoulders and hips, side sleepers need a medium, medium-soft, or soft mattress. Because these areas bear the weight of your body in the side sleeping position, appropriate cushioning will eliminate pressure spots in the shoulders and hips.
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To keep their spine in a neutral position, back sleepers need a medium or medium-firm mattress. A firmer mattress surface reduces sinkage beneath your back, reducing the risk of spinal misalignment. Back discomfort, neck aching, and muscle stiffness are all symptoms of spinal misalignment.

For better support beneath their midsection, stomach sleepers need a firm mattress. This decreases the likelihood of straining your spine and waking up sore.

A medium mattress is ideal for combination sleepers since it accommodates their various sleeping positions throughout the night.

Petite sleepers require softer mattresses since they are more pressure-sensitive than harder mattresses. For persons who weigh more over 130 pounds, these soft beds compress under their weight, making them feel softer. The mattress sinks beneath average and plus-size sleepers, resulting in spinal misalignment. Plus-size sleepers, on the other hand, require firmer beds, and normal sleepers require a medium.

Making A Mattress Softer

Have you discovered that your new bed feels more like a bench than a cloud? Don’t worry; we’ve got some helpful hints on how to make a bed softer and more comfy.

So you tested mattresses towards the end of a long day, when anything would have been comfy as long as you were not on your feet. Now that your bed has arrived, it is far too firm. Or perhaps you’ve shifted to sleeping on your side and now require a mattress that will accommodate your arm rather than crushing against it and leaving you with a dead limb to wake up to. Perhaps a new roommate has moved in and requires a softer bed. Whatever the reason, there are plenty of simple ways to make your bed more comfortable.

Let’s start with why having a softer mattress is so vital, and then we’ll discuss several methods for making your bed softer.

Is Your Bed Too Firm?

Remember that when we talk about firmness in our Slumber Yard mattress reviews, we’re talking about it in a relative sense.

Firmness is a subjective term.

Firmness is a phrase that is heavily influenced by body shape and weight. The more one weighs, the more they will sink into a mattress, making it feel softer for them. The same is true for small people, but the less you weigh, the more you’ll find yourself lying on top of the mattress rather than in it. As a result, tiny persons may have a tougher time selecting a soft-feeling mattress than others.

However, we’ve discovered that heavy people will sink through the comfort layers of some mattresses and end up sleeping more on top of the poly foam or coil foundation layers, which will make the bed seem fairly rigid. This is a hint that you need a mattress that is thicker and more supporting.

Make sure you’re sleeping in the right position. When it comes to the firmness level of your mattress, your sleeper type is also quite essential. To keep their spine in a neutral position, back and stomach sleepers typically require a harder surface that supports their hips and shoulders. Back and stomach sleepers may find their hips sinking too far into the bed if the bed is overly soft, causing the spine to arch. Side sleepers will require a softer mattress with greater room for their hips and shoulders. If you sleep on your side on a mattress that is excessively firm, the blood flow in your arms and hips will be restricted, causing tingling or even loss of sensation.

Also, whether you sleep on your back or on your side, keeping your spine in good alignment is critical for your general health. Keep this in mind as we discuss the various alternatives available for softening a mattress.

Select the Mattress That Is Ideal For You.Many people believe that a soft mattress is far more pleasant than a firm mattress. This is especially crucial for people who have scoliosis or fibromyalgia. We should sleep in comfort because we spend a third of our day sleeping, which equates to nearly a third of our lives asleep. Also, whether you sleep on your back or on your side, keeping your spine in good alignment is critical for your general health. Keep this in mind as we discuss the various alternatives available for softening a mattress. As a result, select the mattress that is best for you.

How To Make a Mattress Softer

Break In Your New Mattress

If your bed is brand new and seems excessively firm, give it some time to break in. Your mattress, like new shoes, has to be broken in. You can break it in by sleeping on it night after night like you normally would, or you can speed up the process by walking about your bed for a few minutes each day. You could even have your kids jump on it (or borrow your sister’s kids) to soften it up faster. A new mattress might take up to 60 days to break in, according to most mattress manufacturers. Novosbed won’t accept returns within the first 60 days, but if you think the hardness of the bed isn’t soft enough for you, they’ll send you a Comfort+ Kit (a free foam topper).

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Check Your Trial Period

Most online mattress providers offer trial periods during which you can try out your new bed in the comfort of your own home before making a final decision. The majority of companies provide a 100-night trial period, although some brands provide longer periods. For example, Nectar offers a one-year free trial. If you just acquired your mattress, see if it’s still in its trial period. If it is, you may be eligible for a free return and refund, and most businesses will also come and remove the mattress for you.

Flip The Bed

Try testing the other side of your mattress if you know it can be flipped. Some mattress brands, like as Layla, provide multiple hardness settings per side, so you might prefer the softer side of the bed. We also recommend rotating your mattress at least once a year to avoid sagging and lasting indentations. Permanent indentations in your bed may indicate that the comfort layers have been crushed, making the bed seem stiffer. Rotate your body so that the heavier components, such as your hips and shoulders, are in different places. Sagging and imprints, on the other hand, may indicate that it’s time for a new mattress.

Warm It Up For Comfort

Memory foam and airy polyurethane foam, for example, are temperature sensitive mattress materials. A warm environment will assist the entire bed soften up, similar to how memory foam encourages your body to sink into the foam as it absorbs your body heat. To warm things up, try adjusting the temperature, using a heated blanket, or switching to flannel sheets. This is yet another method for assisting you in determining how to make a bed more comfy.

Get A Mattress Topper To Make The Bed Softer

There are a lot of wonderful options on Amazon, and they’re a lot less expensive than buying a new bed. Mattress toppers come in a variety of styles and can provide additional pressure reduction or body contouring. For a softer sensation, we recommend a thick memory foam topper, goose down topper, or wool topper. Keep on mind that egg crate style toppers can have too much texture, which can irritate sensitive sleepers. A mattress pad would suffice, but toppers are thicker and plusher. The Casper Topper and the Linenspa Topper are two examples of good goods.

If All Else Fails, Just Get A Softer Mattress

As we mentioned in the introduction, the firmness of your mattress is critical for your spinal health. A worn-out, sagging, or overly firm bed can cause body discomfort and difficulty sleeping, which can lead to additional problems. If the suggestions provided aren’t working, it may be time to invest in a new bed. If you need some assistance deciding which bed is right for you, take our Mattress Finder Quiz.

How to Make Your Bed Comfortable

Have you ever had one of those days when you just want to get home, curl up under the blankets, and unwind? Isn’t it pure bliss? A particular layering strategy has proven to be one of the simplest ways to ensure that my bed is the most comfortable room in the house. Each component exudes a sensual sense of softness and elegance.Here are my top four recommendations for a restful night’s sleep:

  1. Soft flannel linens: Nothing surpasses the coziness of flannel sheets in the cooler months. When the temperature warms up, I move to t-shirt and jersey bedding. They’re so plush!
  2. A memory foam mattress topper can help side sleepers relieve pressure on their hips and shoulders. A memory foam topper provides just the right amount of cradling support.
  3. Add a quilted mattress pad cover to keep your topper in place while also serving as an additional layer of padding.
  4. Get a body pillow: I enjoy to cuddle on occasion, but I don’t always want a hot, sweaty human with dragon breath invading my personal space. That is why I am so fond of my body pillow. I get all of the advantages of having a snuggling partner without any of the disadvantages.

FAQs

Do firm mattresses get softer?

Within the first 50 to 60 nights of regular use, all mattresses become softer. The natural break-in phase is what it’s termed. This natural break-in, on the other hand, does not make the mattress uncomfortable; rather, it softens the excessive stiffness of a new mattress.

Do mattress toppers help in firming up or softening your bed?

Mattress toppers can change the way your mattress feels. Use a thick memory foam mattress topper to give your mattress a plusher feel. Toppers made of memory foam can range in thickness from 2 to 4 inches. Use stronger memory foam, compact wool, or latex mattress toppers to firm up your bed. They improve support by giving you the perfect amount of firmness.

Do I need a firm or soft mattress?

This is determined by your sleeping position as well as your body weight. A decent mattress will provide you the correct amount of firmness for you. Soft or medium-soft beds are better for side sleepers, while medium-firm or hard beds are best for back and stomach sleepers.

We don’t recommend sleeping on your stomach since it puts a strain on your spine and can lead to health issues including back pain and neck ache. To accommodate their various sleep positions throughout the night, combination sleepers require the appropriate balance of softness and firmness. On a medium bed, they can get a better night’s sleep.

A softer mattress is required if you weigh less than 130 pounds, while a firmer mattress is required if you weigh more than 230 pounds. A medium mattress is ideal for those who weigh 130 to 230 pounds.
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How do you firm up a sagging mattress?

Placing bunkies beneath a drooping mattress is the cheapest way to firm it up. This will help to extend the life of your mattress, but it is not a long-term solution. If you observe sagging while the mattress is still under warranty, you should contact the manufacturer to have it repaired or replaced. Within the warranty term, most mattress manufactures repair or replace mattresses with a sag of more than 1 inch. Most warranties are for ten, twenty, or twenty-five years, however certain brands may provide lifetime warranties.

Can you flip a pillow top mattress to make it firmer?

Pillow-top mattresses, on the other hand, cannot be flipped. To increase plushness, they include an additional layer of padding on top of the mattress. You won’t be able to benefit from the cushioning layer if you flip a pillow top mattress. Unless particularly indicated as double-sided beds, most modern mattresses cannot be flipped.

Is memory foam too soft?

Memory foam mattresses come in a variety of firmness levels, ranging from gentle to firm. To suit your body shape and sleeping posture, you can choose from a variety of alternatives. You can use a thin mattress topper to add firmness to your existing memory foam mattress if it seems too soft.

Does a hard bed cause back pain?

Back pain can be caused by either too firm or too soft of a bed. If the cushion is excessively firm, it will press on your pressure points (hips, shoulders, and torso) and produce misalignment. If your arm falls asleep while you’re not putting much weight on it, your mattress is probably too hard.

Why does a new mattress feel firm?

When a mattress is fresh new, it can seem stiff, and it can take some time for it to settle. This is particularly true when it comes to memory foam. Some online retailers ship their beds compressed in a box. You’ll see that when a corporation does this, it’s already soft. Expect some adjustment time if your bed arrives in perfect condition. It could take up to 30 days. The same is true for this type of goods, just like when you buy shoes and have to break them in to get rid of that “new” feeling.

Does adding plywood underneath the bed make it firmer?

Without a doubt! If you have boxsprings, you simply need to do this. A solid platform frame, on the other hand, will have the same effect.

Can I make my memory foam mattress firmer?

Yes, there are a few techniques to firm up a memory foam mattress. The first option is to sleep in a cooler environment. The foam material firms up as the temperature drops. Another option is to get a firm mattress topper.

Conclusion

Your bed is supposed to be the most relaxing and rejuvenating spot in your house, but if it’s softer or firmer than necessary, it won’t be able to give you with enough comfort. Uncomfortable mattresses contribute to poor sleep, which has an impact on your productivity during the day. Adjust the firmness of your bed to avoid this impact. There are numerous ways to soften or firm up your current mattress, but if it’s more than 7 to 8 years old and sags, it’s time to replace it. Mattresses degrade with time and become unsupportive.

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