Most of us have done our time struggling to sleep on a mattress that was either too firm, too soft or just downright uncomfortable. If you’re tossing and turning in your Airbnb or in a friend’s guest room, it’s not a huge deal. Less sleep and a stiff neck are sometimes the price to pay for fun times away from home.

However, when you’re in the sanctuary of your own bed, your sleep should be natural, comfortable and refreshing for mind and body. If you’re struggling to get the sleep you need, it’s smart to look at your habits. Are you mindlessly scrolling on screens right before bed? Are you getting enough physical activity? Maybe it’s time to consider melatonin…

Just don’t overlook what ‘s right in front of you. Or, more accurately, beneath you – your mattress! If you have trouble getting comfortable, wake up feeling just as tired as you did at night, or frequently have neck or back pain, it’s possible that your mattress is the culprit. You may be sleeping on a mattress that is not the right firmness for your personal needs. 

Mattresses are a big investment, and here at Happsy, we totally get that. Plus, buying a mattress online can make it even tougher to know which firmness is for you. But, don’t feel overwhelmed. This kind of thing is our jam, and we’re happy to talk mattress firmness with you. We’ll also show you how it applies to our Happsy organic mattress. We want you to be comfortable before and after you get to know our mattress.

The mattress firmness scale is a handy little tool that people developed to help solve this tricky issue of answering: how firm is this mattress I’m considering buying? The reason this question is tricky is because everyone experiences firmness differently. It’s entirely subjective because mattress firmness really only refers to how soft or hard a mattress feels when you lie on it.

As in, how does it feel to you? See what we mean? There’s no exact formula of coils or latex or other materials that can produce an absolute firmness level. That’s where the mattress firmness scale helps. It’s a simple 1 to 10 scale with 1 being the softest and 10 being the firmest. Think of sinking into a mattress vs. lying on top of it. 

The majority of people tend to fall in the middle ground area, but we’re all different. That’s why when it comes to figuring out which mattress firmness is right for you, you have to do a little research. Here are some of the basics to cover.

Since firmness is subjective, it can be difficult to determine what the best fit is for you. But, the following make a pretty solid starting point for you:

Sleeping Position – Are you a side sleeper, a back sleeper or a stomach sleeper? Side sleepers usually benefit most from a soft to medium-firm mattress. Whereas, a back sleeper or stomach sleeper would benefit from a mattress that is closer to the medium to firm side of the mattress firmness scale. 

Body Weight – Simply put, your body weight determines how much pressure you put on the mattress. If you are a lighter individual, you may find that a softer to medium-firm mattress is more comfortable to you. If you’re heavier, a firmer mattress may support your body better and offer more restful sleep. 

Pro Tip! – Combining the knowledge of both your body weight and sleep position can help you choose the right firmness level for you. 

When you think of firmness, you may be thinking simply of soft or hard. Do I like sinking into bed or settling onto a firm surface? But, it’s not just about immediate comfort. Firmness, combined with your sleep position, helps ensure that your spine stays aligned while you sleep. For example, if you’re a stomach sleeper and you’re snoozing on an extra soft mattress every night, there’s a chance your spine won’t be aligned while you sleep. 

Why is spinal alignment important? When things go wrong with the spine, it can cause a multitude of issues from daily discomfort to hip pain and back pain, even migraines.

Happsy is considered a cushion firm at roughly a 6.5 out of 10 on the mattress firmness scale. This is universally considered the standard for a medium firmness mattress. If you’re a combination sleeper, there is a good chance we may be the mattress for you. 

Love our organic promise and better-for-the-planet materials more than your other mattress options … but think you’d sleep better on something softer? Happsy does also offer an organic mattress topper which brings us to a 5.5 on the mattress firmness scale. 

Choosing the right mattress firmness for you is a form of self care, considering you’ll spend roughly 8 hours a night on your mattress. Sleep quality, along with proper spinal alignment, is essential, and you deserve to sleep well. The best part about giving Happsy a try? We offer a 120-night sleep trial where you can try us out for yourself and see if we make a great match. If it doesn’t work out, we send Load Up, our third-party mattress recycling service, to remove the mattress – refunding you no questions asked. You can’t lose.