Mattress Types û WhatÆs Best For You

TodayÆs mattresses come in all sizes and shapes, trumpeting all kinds of features geared to perk everyoneÆs interest. But the true gauge of an excellent mattress is the combination of comfort, support, value and durability.

There are roughly three types of mattresses today, each having its own distinct advantages and features. Users, too, have their own distinct needs and preferences way different from the next guy.

What is best for one person may be deficient and totally unfit for the other. The game therefore is to know your preferences and exact needs and match these with the right mattress.

Spring mattresses

The invention of the innerspring mattresses marked a revolutionary departure from those in the past. Basically, the old mattresses were literal bags of cloth stuffed with whatever was convenient.

Today, spring mattresses use foam and padding aside from springs. A higher spring coil count means more support. The quality of the upholstery means better cushion from the springs and better insulation.

Spring mattresses have a reputation as better than all the others for back pain. This is true only in the correct amount of support for your spine. A bed thatÆs too firm or too soft is always uncomfortable.

Spring mattresses also lose their bounce after years of use. The center part develops a depression as well as on the side where one sits on or gets up all the time.

Latex and memory foam

Latex, made from natural rubber, is dust-resistant and hypoallergenic. It is a great choice if you are asthmatic, or dust allergic. Latex mattresses are very comfortable, keeping you cool in summer and warm in winter.

The latex mattress is also extremely airy. It has the right firmness without cramping the muscles resulting in body aches.

Memory foam mattresses (made from Visco-elastic, a synthetic foam developed by NASA for astronauts) follow the contours of the body. It can sense the bodyÆs weight and temperature and responds by molding the bodyÆs exact shape and position.

With this, the memory foam provides good support and relieves pressure points during sleep. However, it is not environment-friendly like latex. It also retains moisture and attracts dust mites and molds that cause allergies.

The inflatable beds (air mattresses / waterbeds)

Air mattresses (including the popular Sleep Number bed) and waterbeds were designed to mimic spring mattresses. Air mattresses are great as comfortable extra sleeping equipments that can be stored or transported easily.

Air mattresses (and waterbeds) are comfortable because they use air (or water) to support the sleeper instead of spring coils. The pressure points are even, and the only thing that is adjusted is the firmness, which is also even across the whole mattress.

As an inflatable, one can adjust the firmness according to oneÆs preference. One sore point is when it is punctured. With a hole, the air mattress (or a waterbed for that matter) is useless.

Another issue for air mattresses is that they cannot keep moisture and heat out. Their only advantage is their adjustability in firmness.

The best mattress

The choice for the best mattress is still out with the jury. No one type of mattress is right for anyone. Where there are deficiencies in quality, the only recourse at the moment is approximation.