How to Choose a Mattress

We all know that the quality of a mattress affects our health and comfort during the night. If you sleep in right position, you don’t have back or neck numbness, and in the morning you won’t feel any pain or weakness.

We usually choose a mattress every few years. To avoid the situation when after a couple of nights on a new mattress you realize that it doesn’t suit well, we’ll tell you about different types of mattresses, so you can decide which one to choose to have the most comfortable sleep.

Construction

A mattress can consist of either coils or multi-layer filling. Learn about the most popular mattress types:

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Coil mattresses (or innerspring mattresses) use a support of steel springs. Springs inside these mattresses can be of different shapes and forms.

In continuous coil mattresses, the rows of coils are connected together with one piece of metal from head to toe. The advantage of this type is that the construction is strong and reliable. The disadvantage is that instead of taking the shape of your back, it makes your back take the shape of the mattress, which might be not so good for your healthy sleep.

Pocket coil beds use springs wrapped individually into a piece of fabric, which allows them to react to pressure independently instead of all together. If you lie on such bed, only the coils being pressed down will react. It reduces movement of the mattress during the night, so this kind is good for couples. Besides, a pocket coil mattress contours your body so you have a proper sleeping posture, and your back gets better relaxation.

Springless mattresses Inside other types of mattresses, you can find layers of one material, or a combination of different kinds of layers, which can be latex, coconut coir, polyurethane, memory foam and other natural or synthetic fibers. In comparison with innerspring mattresses they might be felt firmer, however, they provide good support to your spine. The filling minimizes the movement of the bedding during the night and is perfect for couples.

Sizes and dimensions

Dimensions and terminology of the mattresses depend on the country you purchase your mattress in. Most countries have their special standards, besides, two different mattresses of the same size can be slightly different in dimension because of the filling or manufacturing features. In most countries, standard mattresses are rectangular. So, if your bed is of other shape, circular, for example, you might have to make a special order. Standard mattress sizes for the USA and Canada have names like “king”, “queen” or “full”. The standard depth usually varies from 9 inches up to 13 inches. To ensure your mattress keeps its advantages, it’s recommended to buy a mattress suitable for your bed size.

Fibers

Manufacturers say that there is more variety in mattress fibers today than ever before. These synthetic or natural fibers can help regulate temperature, provide comfort, and make mattresses durable and even fire resistant.

Coconut coir is a natural material made of recycled pressed coconut husk. It gives the mattress firmness and helps to balance pressure on the springs.

Sisal is a fiber made of Agave plant found in Mexico. Sisal fiber is slightly softer than coconut coir. It is also used to give support to the core, and provides ventilation, high tear resistance and firmness.

Latex mattresses use latex foam inside. This synthetic fiber also provides firmness, ventilation and keeps your body in proper sleeping posture. It keeps its shape for longer time and durable for at least five years.

Memory foam or viscoelastic polyurethane foam is a dense fiber, which gets softer when you lie on it, but returns to its original shape when you get up. This fiber contours to the exact shape of the sleeper and almost doesn’t resist pressure. Some people find memory mattresses perfect, others find it hard to get used to them, so it’s better to test a memory foam mattress before buying.

There are plenty of other fibers, which serve for making mattress resilient, comfortable and durable. Different combinations of fibers are used to get different level of firmness and resilience.

The firmness scale

Firmness means how hard or soft the mattress is and is not the same as support. According to firmness characteristics, mattresses can be mainly divided into three kinds – soft, medium and firm. Some brands also offer medium firm or medium soft ones.

Soft mattresses get their softness from layers of latex, memory foam and polyurethane. They are mostly suitable for elderly and lower average weight people and are sometimes recommended for sleepers with painful spine disorders.

Medium firm mattresses are usually good for healthy sleepers of average weight. The effect of firmness is achieved with the help of combined layers, so coconut coir and sisal give the mattress firmness, while latex makes it soft and resilient.

Firm mattresses are recommended to people with spine or neck problems as they provide proper body support during the sleep. Hard fibers like coconut coir or sisal are mostly used in them. Besides, good firmness might be achieved by using pocket coil construction, which makes it resistant to a heavier weight.

In case your new mattress turned out to be too firm or too soft for you, you can improve the situation by using a mattress topper – a special layer that is placed on top of a mattress. If you want to make your mattress softer, choose a topper with elastic foam, latex or memory foam, otherwise, take a topper with coconut coir.

Some manufacturers provide double sided models with dual firmness. They have two different layers on each side, one of which is for using in winter, which keeps your body warmer. Another side provides better ventilation and is comfortable for sleeping when it’s hot. The sides can also have different firmness. It’s helpful as you can flip the mattress soft side up in the periods you have painful disease process.

Things that should influence your choice

Weight

A perfect sleep depends on the weight as well as on the sleep position of a person. The heavier the weight of the sleeper is, the firmer the mattress should be. As a rule, to have the best possible sleep people with average weight (from 150 to 200 pounds) should choose a medium firm mattress. Sleepers with the below average weights usually find it hard to feel any confirming or pressure relief, so soft models are best for them. Firm mattresses should be chosen by people, whose weight is more than 230 pounds to avoid uncomfortable sleep.

Age

For elderly people it’s recommended to sleep on soft mattresses, because the firm ones might bring them spine problems or poor circulation. The mattresses for children must be firm to support their forming spine. It should also be considered, that children not only sleep on the bed but also play and jump, so pay attention to the durability of the item.

Health condition

Healthy people can make their choice according to the individual characteristics and comfort preferences. Pocket coil construction is suitable for healthy back as well as for people with some disorders. They contour your body and don’t let the spine “sink” supporting back in right position.

If you have some back problems, the choice depends on what spine, for example, cervical or lumbosacral, is disordered, in other words, what part of your back needs more support and care. If you feel loin pain, choose a soft layer. However, if you meet with neck pains, for instance, you better sleep on the firm one.

This is only general advice, so, in case of spine disorders, you must follow your doctor’s recommendations.

Testing

There is another simple method of finding a perfect mattress for you and your partner. Most brands offer an opportunity to test the model and to lie on it in the shop. You can study characteristics and prices and compare different models online, and when you find several suitable ones, go to the showroom.

It might be difficult to find out what firmness will give your back the best comfort, or if you like a memory foam layer or not, because it provides such unfamiliar feeling of slightly “sinking” body. Many features should be taken into consideration. It is always better to test the mattress in person, to lie for some time taking the posture you are used to during your sleep. Make choice based on your feelings and sensations.