A good night’s sleep relaxes not just the body but the mind too! And while a good night’s sleep depends on many factors, the main and often discounted factor is the mattress. A good mattress should relieve the pressure on your joints and distribute your body weight evenly to provide a restful sleep. However, as a mattress ages, it loses its firmness and support leading to a gradual decline in your sleep quality. When this happens, you might experience restless sleep, joint pains, back aches, etc. This is the time to change your old trusted mattress and get yourself a new, better mattress. There are many types of mattresses made from different technologies and materials. Selecting which mattress to buy depends a lot on your requirements, preferences, comfort, and budget.
Here is a list of 9 different types of mattresses based on their technology and materials used, to help you find the best mattress that can meet all your sleep needs.
Innerspring Mattress
Innerspring mattresses are the oldest and most popular of mattress designs. These mattresses are made of steel coil support systems with springs connected into a single unit or individually wrapped pocketed coils. This inner core of springs is then covered with upholstery or padding materials. The spring shapes, designs, coil gauge and number of coils in a mattress can vary. And more number of coils means more points of support that help the mattress contour to the body’s shape. These mattresses offer firmness and good sleep support. However, they are not very durable and can start sagging and emitting squeaking noises over time.
Memory Foam Mattress
The memory foam is made from a substance called viscoelastic which was first designed in the mid-1960s for NASA airplanes to improve seat cushioning and crash protection for pilots and passengers. It has the unique ability to conform to the body while dispersing the weight evenly throughout the bed, making it ideal for achy joints, morning pains and restless sleepers. Highly energy absorbent and soft, it returns to its original shape once you remove the body pressure. Tempurpedic were the first company to develop memory foam mattresses and are still popular. However, there are also many other tempurpedic competitors that provide great quality and design in mattresses.
Gel Foam Mattress
Memory foam mattresses effectively distribute body weight in response to heat and pressure. As a result they also tend to get warmer while sleeping which can sometimes be uncomfortable. However, gel foam mattress tackles this problem with ease and finesse. In these mattresses, gel is usually added to a foam mattress in the support system or upholstery layer. This gel can dissipate your body heat more effectively offering better relief. However, they have a slightly different feel than memory foam.
Latex Mattress
Latex mattresses are made of natural latex rather than any synthetic materials. Latex is more durable, offers varying levels of firmness and cushioning to accommodate different types of sleepers. Latex is very durable and resilient. It supports the body without placing excess pressure on hips, shoulders or other area while offering proper alignment. As a result, latex mattresses can help reduce pain in sensitive areas including the lower back. They feature minimal off gassing and don’t require flipping and rotation. However, they are heavier, difficult to move, and more expensive than innerspring mattresses.
Hybrid Mattress
As the name suggests, hybrid mattresses combine two or more types of support systems, typically sophisticated memory foams with advanced innerspring systems. The use of multiple sleep technologies in a hybrid mattress provides several advantages for discriminating sleepers. These mattresses offer the various advantages of the memory foam with the strong coil support and better shape of innerspring or latex mattresses. Hybrid mattresses are often less expensive and perform better than memory foam mattresses.
Pillow Top Mattress
Pillow top mattresses have, as the name suggests, a top padded layer stitched to the top which works as a pillow and gives more comfort. Generally, pillow tops are used with innerspring and coil mattresses. They are very soft and cushiony, offering the same level of comfort as memory foam. They allow the head and shoulders to sink into the pillow top and keep your back in comfortable alignment. They are especially good for side sleepers.
Natural Fiber Mattress
Natural Fiber mattresses, as the name suggests, have natural fibers within them instead of synthetic materials like foam. Some of these materials include organic cotton, organic wool, hemp, latex, coconut coir, and bamboo. Wool, like memory foam, is an elastic material great at regulating temperature.
Cotton mattresses are more durable than others, lasting for almost 15 years. Coconut coir with its buoyant quality is a good option if you want some bounce in your bed. Natural latex made from rubber trees is similar in function to foam mattresses with an added benefit of fire-resistance. These mattresses are eco-friendly and can reduce your carbon footprint. However, they are quite expensive and sometimes a little less comfortable than their synthetic counterparts.
Air Beds
Air beds use a chamber filled with air as their primary support. Over this air chamber, another layer is added which is padded with foam or upholstery to offer comfortable seating. These inflatable beds can take as long as an hour to assemble and often require large pumps to fill up air. Depending on your product, you can adjust the firmness of the mattress for effective pain relief. Some brands even allow you to adjust the firmness for both sides separately to meet the needs of both you and your partner.
Sagging is not an issue with these mattresses. Moreover, the use of PVC materials ensures that off gassing is as low as possible.
Water Beds
Similar to air beds, water beds also use a water filled chamber as the primary support system of the mattress. The additional top layer is padded with foam or upholstery. There are two settings for waterbeds: free-flow chamber or limited flow wave-less chamber. In the free flow chamber, nothing obstructs the water from moving from one end of the chamber to another. However, in wave-less chamber, fibers limit the movement of water. You can select either type depending on your needs and preferences.
Water beds are considered best for back sleepers, although individual preferences may vary.
There is no such thing as an ideal bed type. It’s all about weighing the pros and cons of a particular mattress type against your personal requirements and preferences. It is better to do a thorough research before you make an investment in any type of mattress.