Why Should You Invest in An Orthopaedic Mattress for the Elderly
Sleep is an essential part of our daily routine, especially in our golden years. As we age, it becomes more challenging to get a good night's rest.
According to recent studies, almost two-thirds of elderly people in the UK have disturbed sleep patterns, with many experiencing insomnia or other sleep disorders.
Lack of quality sleep can lead to a range of health issues, including depression, anxiety, memory loss, and even cardiovascular disease.
One of the primary reasons for this lack of sleep is an uncomfortable mattress. Sleeping on a mattress that is too soft or too hard can cause significant discomfort and lead to joint pain and stiffness. This is where investing in an orthopaedic mattress can be life-changing for the elderly.
Let us delve into how and why the elderly feel difficulty to sleep and what they need to reclaim undisturbed repose. We will also provide helpful tips on how to choose the right orthopaedic mattress for your loved ones, so you have all the information you need to make sleeping a lot more pleasant for your elders.
Sleep Troubles of the Elderly
As we age, our sleep patterns and needs change, and many older adults experience sleep disturbances. Transitioning to every stage of life has its challenges, and the golden years pose their unique everyday hurdles, of which deep, restful sleep becomes a rarity.
We’ve put together some common concerns observed and reported by researchers worldwide. See if you concur with some or most of them.
Disturbed Circadian Rhythms – Decreased Suntime
Elderly people often experience changes in their sleep patterns due to changes in their circadian rhythm. The amount of time spent in each stage of sleep changes with age. The elderly tend to spend less time in deep sleep, which is important for physical restoration and more time in lighter sleep stages.
As a result, they may wake up more frequently during the night and experience more fragmented sleep.
Furthermore, elderly people may produce less melatonin than younger individuals, which can contribute to sleep disturbances. Elderly people often experience changes in their daily routines, such as retirement or a decrease in physical activity and limited exposure to sunlight which is crucial to stay aligned with the natural clock.
Insufficient Movement
Since elders prefer a rather quieter, less active lifestyle in general, without vigorous physical activity, the body may have extra energy that makes it difficult to relax and sleep. When the body is inactive, muscles can become stiff, and joints can become achy, leading to discomfort and pain.
Added to this are the elderly’s health conditions that cause acute discomfort, which further impedes any sort of physical movement, and eventually makes it difficult to sleep at night.
Medications & Health Conditions
If your elders have had the habit of popping depressants or sleeping pills to get their required slumber, they may face a difficult time dozing off without them. What’s worse? These medications only sedate the person and don't deeply rest them.
Additionally, these medications can cause rebound insomnia, leading to difficulty falling or staying asleep once the medication is discontinued. Medications used to treat hypertension, such as beta-blockers and diuretics, can cause nighttime urination and sleep disruption.
Likewise, medications used to treat angina and arrhythmias, such as nitrates and calcium channel blockers, can cause flushing and headache, which can interfere with sleep.
Medications used to treat gastrointestinal disorders can cause acid reflux and indigestion, which can interfere with sleep.
Overall Health Decline
Another crucial thing to note here is that as we age, our liver and kidney function declines, leading to slower metabolism and excretion of medications. This can sometimes lead to hassles of erratic urination patterns and waking up multiple times to empty the bladder.
Increased Mental Stress
Mental stress can have a significant impact on sleep quality and duration, leading to a range of sleep problems such as insomnia, sleep fragmentation, and daytime sleepiness.
One of how mental stress affects sleep is through the activation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). The SNS is responsible for the body's "fight or flight" response to stress, which can lead to increased heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate. This physiological response can make it difficult for the elderly to fall asleep or stay asleep, leading to sleep disturbances.
That’s why they tend to wake up to even the slightest of noises, are startled by minor inconveniences and take a while to regain composure.
Added to this chaos is the depression, isolation or grief of losing their partner or friends. When paired with existential dread, every night is excruciating.
Fluctuations in Body Temperature
Ageing affects the hypothalamus, leading to less efficient temperature regulation. A decrease in body temperature can contribute to sleep disturbances among the elderly, as the body may not be able to maintain a comfortable temperature throughout the night.
One study found that people over 65 years old had more trouble sleeping when they experienced large fluctuations in body temperature. This phenomenon can cause difficulty falling asleep, waking up during the night, and feeling restless.
Top Tips When Choosing an Orthopaedic Mattress for Your Elderly Loved One
Now that we’ve seen what sleep woes the elderly encounter, it makes sense to get an appropriate mattress that addresses all their needs and induces peaceful, soul-soothing sleep. Here’s the thing – the HiGRID mattress takes into account all the sensitive needs of the elderly and has blended sleep and comfort tech to create plush, ergonomic, orthopaedic mattresses.
Why should I buy the HiGRID mattress, when there are other alternatives, you ask. Let us share what you need to look for when choosing an orthopaedic mattress and compare them with our offerings. We’ll also show you what our customers have to say about our mattresses, and let you decide.
Are you ready?
Orthopaedic mattresses are designed to suit the needs of those suffering from musculoskeletal problems and the elderly. They provide proper support for the spine and promote good posture. This is particularly important for elderly people, who may have weakened muscles and joints and may be more prone to back and joint pain.
Another benefit of orthopaedic mattresses is that they help to relieve pressure points, which can be a problem for people with arthritis, osteoporosis, or other age-related conditions.
Well Distributed Pressure
Since the bones, muscles and skin gradually become softer and more fragile for our elderly, you need to consider a mattress that can spread out their body weight across the greatest surface area, so that no single body part suffers from extreme pressure.
Your entire body needs to come into contact when you lay on your sleep surface. Each point needs to be treated specially, depending on its sensitivity and the extent of pressure it handles.
The contour of the neck is a great example you can consider. Oftentimes we don’t pay enough attention to how we place it on a pillow or mattress. But, your neck position determines how well you sleep, and how your nasal airway functions, if not rested optimally, can cause acute headaches and neck pain the next day, which can spread to other parts of your shoulder and back.
You need a mattress that doesn’t sink to the floor and take you down with it. That’s exactly what your elders need too. A mattress that adapts to their sleeping positions, and also supports their head, neck, shoulders, hips and pelvis. This type of orthopaedic mattress lifts pain or stress from all parts of the body and helps your elders relax in a short period.
This is a hallmark feature of the HiGRID Orthopaedic mattress. The Hyper-Elastic polymers infused in the mattress’ design are columns that shift and spread pressure and encourage blissful comfort. Your elders won’t know how they fell asleep and will wake up in the morning with a new sense of calm.
Unhindered Airflow
Night sweats can be agonising for elders who already find it difficult to stay asleep as it is. Suffocating, or sweating profusely at a time when you long to rest is painful for anyone.
You need to ensure your mattress has breathable layers, not only at the top where it meets the elders’ skin but also in the other layers, so there’s air circulation and a cooler temperature overall.
Since the transitional layers in HiGRID mattresses are designed with 2500+ air pockets and a grid-like structure, no heat or air is trapped between the sheets. The materials of the top cover and other inner layers are chosen and blended in such a way that they allow excellent airflow.
This means that your mattress breathes with you. Check out what our customers had to say about our orthopaedic mattresses.
Right Blend of Firmness & Softness
A thin line between hard and soft - that’s the sweet spot your elders would love. And different types of foams and material blends give you different ranges of comfort and firmness – ranging from super soft to super firm. A mattress that’s even slightly on the harder or too soft side defeats the entire purpose of it being an orthopaedic mattress.
But, here’s the thing – HiGRID orthopaedic mattresses have got it right. With a medium firmness level of 4.5 and high resilience foam, this smart orthopaedic mattress remembers your sleeping position, and adapts to your elders’ body type and movements, while still offering just the right cradling for their body.
The Luxio comfort technology in between the layers gives them a floating feeling and lures them into a meditative sleep they haven’t experienced in years.
Clean, Soft Sheets
If your elders are living alone, they will find it hard to clean, wash or flip a heavy mattress all by themselves. Due to this hiccup, they shouldn’t have to sleep on an unclean mattress either. What’s the solution? Washable, self-cleaning, infection-resistant top cover that’s easy to remove, gets spun in the washing machine and comes out squeaky clean in no time.
Well, you guessed it right. HiGRID mattress’ cotton and viscose blend top layer evaporates sweat and other body fluids, and fights infections to keep them away from the skin. Since it’s made of light materials, the cover is removable and washable. You don’t need to flip the mattress quite often.
Your elders can flip it whenever they have an extra hand, until then the mattress will protect them from infections that may otherwise pollute their skin and respiratory tract.
Tempted to Check Out if HiGRID Orthopaedic Mattress Will Work For Your Elders?
What’s not to love about the HiGRID Ortho Essential mattress? It’s highly ergonomic, practical, super soft, and supportive and can give your elders the sleep of their lives.
You can bring home this state-of-the-art mattress at mouth-dropping low prices, use it for 200 nights, check if it suits you, and if your elders don’t fall in love with it till then, you can return it for FREE.
No more hassles of bringing your elders to the mattress showrooms, making them try out different mattresses in a haste and choosing an option they aren’t ready for. You can now try them out at home.
This is a big decision, we understand. Check out the rave reviews we’ve got on our website, and decide for yourself.
After a long, beautiful life of working hard, your elders need to rest and sleep deeply. Take them closer to relaxing sleep with ultimate orthopaedic support and comfort, by bringing home the HiGRID Ortho Essential Mattress.
