Sleep should never be hard! Learn the differences between foam vs spring mattress to choose the right mattress for you and your loved ones.

It’s estimated that on average, human beings spend about one-third of their lives either sleeping or preparing to do so. With that fact in mind, the importance of quality and supportive mattress (along with sleep) cannot be underrated.

When shopping for a mattress, one of the major considerations to make is to choose whether you want to go with foam or spring. All mattresses fit into either of these two broad categories.

While spring mattresses have been in the market for eons and have a wide consumer range, foams have also gained a lot of popularity owing to their comfort and conformity.

It’s not easy to say which is better in the discussion involving foam vs spring mattresses, as each has been designed to meet specific needs.

Foam vs Spring Mattresses

Are you going mattress shopping? They fall in 2 broad categories. If you’re a first-time buyer, you may not know how to go about it.

However, by examining each of them, their structure, pros, and cons, you’ll be able to make an informed decision.

Memory Foam Mattress

These are mattresses without springs, which have gained popularity over the last couple of years mainly because of their ability to conform to the shape of the sleeper’s body; thus, offering personalized support and comfort. They also come in different types. Read more here for a comprehensive review of the nectar foam mattress.

Are memory foam mattresses good? We are going to answer this and other related questions as we look at their pros and cons

Pros

Foam mattresses offer you personalized comfort and support. This is just the most popular of its traits. Other benefits include:

• Ability to contour your natural body adding to the comfort
• Provides unmatched support to prevent or relieve various body pains
• Supports important pressure points relieving mild to chronic aches
• Eases breathing at night and thus a good choice for people suffering from respiratory diseases
• It is quiet and no transfer of movements from a restless partner
• Requires little maintenance and does not sag

Therefore, depending on your needs and wants, you can opt for a foam mattress.

Cons

While they are advantageous and a popular choice for many, foam mattresses are not perfect. It’s also important to know the disadvantages of a foam mattress to make an informed decision. Here are a few:

• Retain heat making them hotter than other mattresses
• Expensive
• Initial repulsive odor

Remember, a disadvantage to another person may not be a disadvantage to you.

Characteristics of Foam Mattresses

These mattresses known for their support to the human body are manufactured using layers of springs. They have a few other characteristics that make them a more popular choice. The following are a few of them.

Support

The use of two important layers helps achieve the support in these mattresses. These are the comfort layer and a support layer. These mattresses are ideal for people who suffer from severe back pain as they help in proper spinal alignment.

Memory foam conforms to your body offering a reliable cushion for support which is up to two times longer than springs due to the long lasting materials used in its manufacture. The various layers of foams prevent the mattress from sagging and so you can rest assured of top-notch back and neck support for longer.

Heat Retention Factor

Memory foam mattresses are hot because they tend to cradle your body and use the heat to modify its physical structure according to the pressure.

When this heat is retained, it can become extreme especially to people living in high-temperature climates. However, the new generation of memory-foam products have been improved with the application of open-cell technology and cooling gel, both are critical in thermal ventilation.

Isolated Movement

If you share your bed with a restless partner, then this mattress has got you covered. Its viscoelastic nature ensures that there is no transfer of movement. Therefore, you can get a restful night sleep despite the tossing of your partner

Maintenance

Memory foam mattresses require very little maintenance. It is advisable to rotate the head to the feet every three months to ensure that the mattress is used more evenly. In addition, for your mattress to deliver optimum results, use it in a room with controlled moderate temperature.

Spring Mattresses

These are the most common among consumers mainly because they are affordable and have a wide variety in the market. Mattresses springs or coils are contained in these mattresses. Here is what you need to know before buying one.

Pros

Spring mattresses are bouncy. However, that’s not all there is to them. Below are some advantages:

• Relatively cheap compared to memory foam
• Excellent bounce back effects
• Temperature regulation due to spaces found between the springs

Cons

Just like the foam mattresses, spring mattresses have its share of preferred consumers. While some people swear by it, they may not appeal to you at all. If you have not yet had your encounter with one, here are some disadvantages to remain on the lookout for.

• Not durable- spring mattresses tend to wear off faster as the spring loose elasticity
• Motion transfer- A big hindrance to people who share the bed with a restless partner
• Breeding grounds for mites. Especially when the underlying layers are made of wool or fiber.
• Most varieties have insufficient support and pressure relief for people suffering from chronic back pains

Characteristics of Spring Mattresses

Spring mattresses are pocket-friendly and rightly so. In addition to its use of springs, the mattress has multiple features that make it beneficial to the users. Below are some of the characteristics of spring mattresses.

The Use of Springs

The manufacture of spring mattresses by their definition relies on springs. These give the bounce back effect of these mattresses. Below are the types of springs used in spring mattresses.

Continuous coil spring- This is a single long wire twisted into various individual coils joined together by a helical lacing. The lacing isolates motion and gives the mattress a prolonged lifetime.

Bonnell coil spring- These are hourglass shaped coils with curved tops and are most common in the market. Most cheap spring mattresses use these mechanisms.

Offset coil spring- In this construction, a set of individual coils join using helix shaped lacing. They are ideal for people suffering from back pain, as they are able to conform to your body aligning your frame properly.

Pocketed coil spring- These are soft individually curved springs designed to achieve conformity and support similar to memory foam mattresses. These mattresses are more expensive and are localized in their motion.

Support

Most inner springs especially the high-end are able to shape up to your physique thus offering firm support.

In addition, the offset and pocket coil types provide an exceptional combination of bounciness and conformity. These are best for back pain sufferers who do not want to switch to memory foam mattresses.

Heat Retention and Breathability

Coil mattresses have heat regulation mechanisms. These make them comfortable to sleep on, more so during hot seasons. However, a hybrid mattress that contains both springs and memory foam is bound to get hotter than a normal innerspring cushion

Maintenance

You should flip and rotate your double-sided coil mattress every so often. This will ensure that your mattress is evenly used. In effect, this will reduce bodily impressions, as it gets old.

Spring vs. Foam Mattresses, You Can Now Make an Informed Choice

The foam vs spring mattress debate is one that does not have a clear winner or loser. This is because the advantages and disadvantages of either of them are purely subjective and will depend on the unique needs of the consumers. Foam mattresses will cater for people suffering from chronic back pains by offering soft and conforming relief.

On the other hand, springs are more convenient when you are operating on a tight budget or you just want to experience firmer support with a springier feel. It all boils down to personal preferences and the situation at hand.

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