The Differences Between Men and Women

Nowadays, people generally take into account that differences in weight and height are crucial when buying a bed. However, a woman’s physique differs significantly from that of a man.

In addition to mattress firmness, other factors are important for optimal support. For men—especially athletic types with broad shoulders—it is important that the mattress yields much more in the shoulder area than in the pelvic area when lying on one’s side. This pelvic-to-shoulder difference can sometimes be as much as 10 cm on each side. Such a large difference cannot be compensated for by varying material firmness in different zones of a mattress alone, even though advertising often suggests this with images of a perfectly straight spine in the side-sleeping position.

A woman’s waist is significantly narrower than her shoulders and pelvis. In addition, we often observe a more pronounced lordosis in the lumbar region (swayback) in women than in men. This means that, in addition to the sinking of the shoulders—which are usually much less developed in women and thus provide less weight to sink into the mattress—the waist must be actively supported in women, both in the side-sleeping and back-sleeping positions. Here, too, a slightly firmer material in the corresponding zone of the mattress does not provide sufficient support. Furthermore, the zone requiring support is usually not in the right place on a standard bed because everyone’s back is a different length. Differences of up to 10 cm are not uncommon here either. A customized bed takes these differences between men and women into account.