Did you know that using the wrong mattress can have detrimental effects on your health? If you often find yourself waking up with a headache, a runny nose, or back pain, you may be using the wrong mattress.
It’s about time that you get rid of your mattress and find the one that suits your needs. But with all the choices in the market today, how can you determine which is the best mattress type for your bedroom? Read this article to know how!
Table of Contents
What are the Different Types of Mattresses?
There are a lot of factors to think of when choosing the right mattress. The best starting point is identifying the right mattress type for your needs. To do that, you have to learn more about mattress types and differences.
Lucky for you, we’ve compiled all the essential information about them below:
Innerspring or Coil
Even with the arrival of newer mattress types, innerspring mattresses are still considered to be the bestselling mattress type in the market. This type features steel coils wrapped in layers of foam material.
Innerspring mattresses come in different types, including Bonell, offset, and pocketed coil. Among the three, the pocketed coil is the most popular because its coils are individually enclosed. With this, this mattress type offers excellent motion isolation properties as well.
Pros:
- Versatile as it comes in different types
- Motion isolation
- Affordable price
Cons:
- Wears out faster
- Noisy
Memory Foam
The first memory foam bed was introduced only in 1991, but it has risen in popularity because of its many benefits. This mattress type features many layers of foams of different densities.
The unique feature of this foam is it contours to the body’s shape and conforms to its movements. Since the mattress moves with you, it reduces pressure points and helps you maintain proper posture. As a result, back pain is minimized.
Pros:
- Gives the feeling of being cradled
- Motion isolation
- Pressure point relief
- Dust- and mite- resistance
Cons:
-Retains heat
– Gives off a chemical smell
Latex
Latex mattresses are similar to memory foam regarding the level of contouring and pressure relief they can provide. It’s known for having more bounce. As a result, these deliver a firmer sleeping surface than the latter.
There are two types of latex mattresses—synthetic and natural. As much as possible, go for the natural latex, which is a byproduct of rubber tree’s sap.
Pros:
- Balanced comfort and support level
- Excellent temperature regulation properties for a cooler sleep
- Firmer sleeping surface
- Durable
Cons:
- Expensive
Hybrid
The hybrid mattress type is said to provide you the best of both worlds because it’s constructed with a combination of foams, coils, and latex. Often, it has a base layer of coil springs and a few layers of either latex or memory foam at the top. Sometimes, the manufacturers incorporate a gel topper to address temperature issues.
The resulting sleeping surface has the same bounce and support as an innerspring mattress and the comfort of either latex or memory foam.
Pros:
- Provides a more customizable sleeping surface
- Offers the combined benefits of all mattress types
Cons:
- Expensive
Polyfoam or Polyurethane Foam
This is the most affordable mattress type that you can find, but it also offers the lowest quality. It’s made of synthetic petroleum-based compounds, which is why it’s not as expensive as other mattress types.
The foam comes in different densities. The rule of thumb when choosing polyfoam mattresses is, the higher the density, the more durable the foam is.
Pros:
- Affordable
- Provides a soft sleeping surface
Cons:
- Often contains petroleum-based materials.
- Lacks support
How to Choose the Perfect Type of Mattress for Your Bedroom
Now that you know the differences between the various mattress types, let’s now try to figure out which is the best mattress type for your needs. Below are some possible categories that you would come across along with the recommended mattress type for each purpose.
Based on Your Budget
The first thing you need to establish before choosing a mattress type is your budget.
As mentioned, the most affordable ones are polyfoam, with its prices ranging from $500 to $900. If you’re really on a tight budget, the quality of this foam will suffice, but make sure to go for the high-density ones with CertiPUR- US certifications.
The price points of other mattress types are as follows:
- Innerspring: $700 to $1000
- Memory foam : $600 to $1200
- Latex: $1000 to $2500
- Hybrid: $1000 to $2000
Based on Your Sleeping Position
The levels of support you need may vary depending on your sleeping position. With that in mind, here are the best mattress types based on your sleeping position:
Stomach Sleepers
You would benefit from using a memory foam mattress to contour to your body shape and comfort to your movements so that it won’t put too much pressure on your lungs and breast.
Back Sleepers
With your sleeping position, there’s a big gap between your lower back and the mattress. If not given enough support, you may encounter spinal damage later on. To get the support you need, it’s recommended that you would need a mattress that offers bouncy and springy support. For this, you can choose from either latex or innerspring mattresses.
Side Sleepers
To keep the spine in proper alignment, you would need a mattress that’s firm enough to provide support to your neck and, at the same time, flexible enough to let your hips and shoulders sink in.
For this, the best option you have is a medium-firm memory foam mattress. One of the best memory foam mattress for side sleepers is the one from Loom and Leaf. The great thing about it is it’s gel-infused for cooler sleep. To know more about it, please read our review here.
Based on Your Body Type
Light and thin sleepers would benefit from soft and less dense mattress like polyfoam or memory foam mattresses. On the other hand, heavy sleepers can get the support they need from innerspring or hybrid mattresses.
The Bottom Line
With all the available options, finding the right mattress type for your needs can be a big challenge. Considering the importance of using the right mattress on your health and productivity, you must choose wisely. You can surely do that as long as you keep in mind all the tips and information we’ve shared with you.
