Whether you’re a marathon runner, a competitive rower or a long-distance cycler, one thing that
every athlete needs is a good night’s sleep in order to perform, relax and recover.
Increased exercise means that your muscles will be used more, therefore a restorative sleep is extremely important. Although the average amount of time that an adult should be sleeping per
night is 8 hours, experts, including Joy Richards at Happy Beds, has suggested that athletes should be
getting roughly 10 hours for complete recovery.
As every athlete needs good quality sleep, we thought we would mention three of the best
mattress types that you can purchase for muscle recovery.
Orthopaedic Mattresses
The name of this mattress says it all. This sort of mattress is designed to support all of your muscles,
bones and joints. So, if you’re a frequent sufferer from muscle and back pain, this might be one to consider.
Orthopaedic mattresses conform to your body’s contours, giving maximum support to all of your pressure points. It also helps with your posture, which is, of course, beneficial to reducing the strain
on your spine.
Memory Foam Mattresses
A memory foam mattress combines a layer of memory foam with springs or support foam and uses the heat of your own body to soften parts of the mattress which moulds to your shape. This allows the surface to distribute your body weight evenly, meaning your pressure points won’t feel strained.
The good thing about memory foam is that the mattress can also adjust to your body temperature.
Most athletes that exercise in the evening will find that they go to bed feeling fairly hot. If so, then a
memory foam mattress with a cooling feature may be a great suggestion.
Reflex Foam Mattresses
A reflex foam mattress is a mattress that is made from polyurethane foam; a high-density foam that provides the ultimate support and firmness. The mattress itself is made up of tiny holes, which allows it to adapt to the shape of your body. However, it gets the name ‘reflex’ from being extremely flexible and being able to gain its original shape extremely quick once moving off it.
A reflex foam mattress is a great option for athletes, as it can pretty much hold any muscle density or mass, and it shouldn’t lose shape over time. This sort of mattress provides an exceptional level of
support too.
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