What Kind of Mattress is Best for You?
There are a wide variety of mattresses to choose from, here is an easy to understand overview of the types available:
Open Coil Mattress
Open coil mattresses are the most common type in the UK and offer good value for money, especially if you are on a tight budget. The mattress is made up of a number of single circular springs which are all connected. The springs work together, so that when pressure is applied to the mattress support is given not only by the springs you are lying on but by interconnected springs all over the mattress.
There can be problems with roll-together with this type of mattress though, so if you and your partner vary greatly in size or weight then it may not be the best option for you.
Pocket Sprung Mattress
A pocket sprung mattress differs from the open coil variety as each spring is separate and held in place by a cloth pocket, hence the name pocket sprung. All the springs work independently and so provide a greater level of support.
This type of mattress tends to have fewer problems with roll-together, so if you and your partner vary greatly in size or weight then this would be a better choice for you.
As with all sprung mattresses it is important to look at the number of springs it contains. Generally a pocket sprung mattress contains a larger number of springs than open coil mattresses. The number of springs is an indication of the overall level of support, the more springs the better support. This is also why pocket sprung are on the whole more expensive than open coil mattresses.
Miracoil
Revolutionary new spring systems are continuously being developed. One such system is Miracoil from Silent Night. It is advertised as an intelligent spring system and is designed to spread weight evenly so the mattress supports the heaviest and lightest areas of your body simultaneously leaving no pressure points. It also promises to do away with the problem of roll-together completely with individual sleep zones for you and your partner running lengthways down the mattress.
If you or your partner find it particularly difficult to get to sleep or suffer from waking up during the night it would be worthwhile considering one of these as they are specifically designed to give you more personal sleep space so you both get your own comfort zone and do not disturb each other.
Adjustable Beds
Adjustable beds allow you to choose the most comfortable and supportive sleeping position for you. You can tailor the position of the bed to your unique requirements. They are electronically controlled via a handset so you can also change the position of your bed for different activities. You can adjust the bed to support you while you are sitting up in bed reading a book and then easily adjust the setting and the bed will relax you down into your chosen sleep position.
The mattresses used for adjustable beds are more flexible than normal mattresses allowing freedom of movement into your desired position.
Adjustable beds are a popular option for people who have mobility problems. Some also come with additional settings to help you get in and out of bed.
Springless Mattresses
Springless mattresses have become more and more popular over recent years. As the name suggests the mattress is not created using any springs. There are two main types of springless mattress, memory foam and latex.
They are both excellent options for people who suffer from allergies or breathing problems such as asthma, as dust mites find it very difficult to survive in these hypo-allergenic mattresses.
A Springless mattress is also very durable and their lifespan is generally longer than the average lifespan of the more traditional sprung mattresses.
Sometimes a layer of memory foam or latex is used on top of an open coil or pocket sprung mattress to provide an additional layer of comfort and a pressure relieving surface.
One problem that some people report with memory foam and latex is that they can occasionally smell slightly chemically when they are first delivered. Although this smell disappears within a couple of weeks, so it may be a small price to pay for many years of comfortable sleeping if this is the best type of mattress for you.
Memory Foam
Memory foam mattresses are made from visco-elastic foam. The weight of your body is absorbed into the top layers of the memory foam so it moulds to the exact contours of your body. This provides both excellent support and deep comfort.
Weight is distributed evenly over the memory foam so there are no problems with roll-over. Even if your partner tends to move around a lot you are less likely to be disturbed as the movements are confined to that side of the bed only.
Many people who suffer from back pain report that a memory foam mattress helps them sleep painlessly and also wake up without their usual aches and pains. This is attributed to the foam shaping to the body and allowing the spine to correctly align.
They can also improve circulation while you sleep, as the memory foam moulds to the shape of your body and the position in which you are sleeping. This means that there is less chance of you waking up with your arm having fallen asleep due to poor circulation.
Latex
They are made of latex, although some do have a layer of memory foam on top of the latex mattress to provide additional comfort.
They are made with a pincore construction, meaning that the latex core has thousands of tiny holes throughout it allowing air to circulate within the latex and to soften the core and make it more comfortable.
As with memory foam mattresses, the latex moulds to the contours of the body and so helps with back pain, circulation and pressure distribution while sleeping.
Latex mattresses also boast motion isolation, meaning that the latex itself absorbs the motion of one person on the bed so that the other person does not feel the movement and is not disturbed.
