You're currently on:
A Guide to Popular Mattresses
These days, you seem to have as much choice when buying a mattress as you would when making a car purchase. Again, the volume of research that attends the production of mattresses these days seems to compete with that of the space shuttles. All these should not scare you however as it gives you great options even though it may seems a bit confusing. Well, if you are still finding it hard to come to grips with the complexity of mattress types, why not let this be a break-down guide for you?
- Innerspring Mattresses: Chances are, you have come across or even use this kind of mattress as they are the commonest in the market these days. Basically, what you have are a set of coils covered with some padding covering it for your comfort...it is kind of difficult to imagine any comfort derived from sleeping on bare coils! These coils also have different sizes, structures and quantity thus determining the strength of the mattress itself. There are actually different kinds of coils used to makeing innerspring mattresses and they include:
i. Open Coil: These hourglass shaped coils are still the most commonly used today. The coils are connected to each other by helicals; small wire spiral. You really get to enjoy these coils when they are still new but the major downside is that they wear out too soon quite unlike some more contemporary coil designs.
ii. Offset Coil: The structure of this type of coil is more cylindrical than those of the open coil thus guaranteeing it more durability. Apart from this, its squared off head also differentiates it from the conventional open coil with the rounded head. This structure also permits better contouring by the mattress.
iii. Pocket Coil: Especially suited to people that sleep on their sides as the structure of the coils permit the best possible contour, pocket coils are cylindrical with each coil wrapped in its separate fabric packet. The upside to this kind of spring is that it reduces the effect of movement by someone else on the same mattress but then it will not provide much support to people who weigh a lot.
iv. Continuous Coil: This type of coil has rows of single wires with helicals lining them thus allowing the weight to be more proportionately spread. The reduced stress on each coil ensures that mattresses made with this kind of coils outlast others in the innerspring category.
- Memory Foam Mattress: I guess this is one instance where high-tech space research paid off for commercial ventures. The material for the production of this mattress was the result of a research carried out by NASA in the 1970s in order to combat the extreme g-forces which astronauts had to contend with. Viscoelastic was the result of this research, a material that follows the mold of a person’s body when under pressure but would return to normal shape when the pressure is relieved. By the 1980’s, commercial varieties of this material became available. You’ll have to make sure about the firmness of the mattress when examining it as the firmer ones will last longer.
- Latex Mattress: The major difference between this kind of mattress and the memory foam mattress is the level of elasticity; the former has much more elasticity than the latter. This might be better suited to some individuals as memory foam mattress could cause cratering when laid on for long periods. Latex mattresses have a recoil effect that provides a great deal of support and durability with a faster recovery time than memory foam.
- Air Mattress: As the name suggests, this kind of foam is devoid of springs, instead making use of air. You can actually control the firmness of the mattress by controlling the amount of air pumped in.
As you can see, even with the use of space technology in mattress production, it is still within the bounds of human comprehension! All you need t do is arm yourself with this knowledge about mattress types and make the right choice. At Select Foam, that choice is made far easier for you with the simplification of the diverse products available for you when you are buying a mattress.
