Choosing The Right Mattress For Teenagers
Finding the right mattress for an adult can be difficult enough, but where do you begin with the ideal mattress for a growing teenager? What type of mattress can support their growth and development? Do teens need a different design to ensure they’re as comfortable as their parents or guardians?
We’ll explore the different types of mattresses best suited for growing teens and why, so you can get the best mattress for teenagers to avoid any future complaints! Before deciding which mattress to buy for your growing teen, there are a few other things that you may need to take into consideration:
What size mattress is best for a teenager?
Bed size is important; no doubt your teenager is growing taller by the day, and so they’re likely to require more room, width and length in coming years. As such, it's important to find out what size bed should a teenager actually have? It's not something we can specifically answer for you, as every teen is different, but it's still important to consider.
It may cost a little more upfront, but once you have a suitable bed for your teen then they’ll likely be able to use it for the foreseeable future. Take a look at our handy bed size illustration chart to see which sizes of mattresses are available for purchase so you can get an idea of which might be the best mattress for teenagers.
We also have a more in-depth mattress guide available that discusses the difference between the sizes that you may want to consider reading.
Don’t forget to pre-empt growth spurts!
As we're sure you’ll have noticed, teenagers seem to grow rapidly; sudden growth spurts happen as they move through puberty, and there's every chance you'll soon realise that their current bed and mattress isn't suitable for your growing teenager.
Although growth spurts usually occur in the early teenage years, it’s worth bearing in mind that your not-so-little ones may grow even more as they approach the later years. Purchasing a bed and mattress that is bigger than they currently are will certainly be worth the money - particularly if you have a traditionally tall family.
The best mattress for a teenager would be something that will support them and meet their needs as they grow older. Plus, latex foam mattresses are said to be much more comfortable when it comes to growing pains as they offer far more ease to those aches than inner-spring mattresses.
What is the best mattress firmness for a teenager?
To determine the best mattress firmness for your growing teenager, you may want to consider the way your teenager sleeps. Sleeping positions are generally something that is determined early on in life where we figure out which sleeping position works best for us, and your mattress buying journey should be greatly influenced by this.
If you've ever seen a teenager sleep then you'll know that they can get into some odd positions, so it's doubly important to check this before looking for a mattress. Their position can help you determine what would be the best mattress for a teenager who sleeps in that specific position so they are comfortable and not in pain.
This wouldn't be much of a mattress guide if we didn't take a look at which styles are best for which positions, so check out the different firmness ratings and which sleeping position they are best for below:
Position: Stomach Sleeper
Firmness Rating: Firm
Reason: A firm mattress will provide the necessary support to ensure a stomach sleeper’s spine doesn’t curve too much. It will also ensure there is no feeling of sinking into the mattress, meaning there’ll be little reason to move around into a different and less comfortable position. Very important to remember when trying to find the best mattress for a growing teenager!
Position: Side Sleeper
Firmness Rating: Medium/soft
Reason: Soft to medium memory foam mattresses are designed to support the way you sleep. If you’re lying on your side, then there is a high likelihood that you’ll be lying on your arm, so you want your mattress to mould to your body’s natural contour in that position.
Position: Back Sleeper
Firmness Rating: Variable
Reason: Back sleepers can enjoy almost any firmness, so should choose a mattress that feels most comfortable for them. Firm or soft can be suitable depending on existing neck or back issues. Lumbar support is key for back sleepers, so find a mattress that provides the necessary support whilst offering the same amount of comfort.
Do teenagers really need that much sleep?
We’re sure you’ve all been there; waking a grumpy teenager up for school because they’ve been up all night playing computer games. If it sounds familiar, or your growing teenager has an uncomfortable mattress that’s been keeping them up, they likely won’t receive a suitable amount of sleep.
But how much do teenagers sleep? According to the National Sleep Foundation, teenagers generally need 8-10 hours of sleep per night. However, most teens do not get enough sleep and what sleep they do have is irregular, meaning that finding the best mattress for a teenager to support their growing bodies is extremely important.