Choosing a mattress is like choosing a car. It’s a big investment but it’s a critical component of good quality sleep. But with so many different mattresses available, how do you know which mattress is best?
Purpose of a mattress
First, lets take a look at what you need a mattress for in the first place. A mattress serves two purposes:
- Support – Take the pressure off your joints and align your spine with the rest of your body. Ensures good posture and prevents any aches and pains.
- Comfort – Provides a place where you can truly relax and easily drift off to sleep.
Do you need a new mattress?
If your mattress does not provide you with comfort and support, then you should consider buying a new mattress.
Mattresses are expensive, but consider that it is something you are going to use every night for six to eight hours. That’s probably more than you use your car in an entire week. Consider also the impact a mattress has on your sleep and the potential health problems you may experience if your mattress doesn’t properly support your body. A new mattress is money well spent.
But sometimes for whatever reason you’re unable to get a new mattress. During my student years, I had to put up with a crappy mattress that was supplied with the house. What can you do then?
There’s usually two things that can go wrong with an old mattress:
- Sags and no longer provides you with support
- Becomes lumpy and no longer provides you with comfort
If a mattress becomes lumpy, you can often solve this problem by either buying a mattress topper or flipping the mattress over. You could even just place a blanket on top of the mattress.
If the mattress sags or doesn’t provide you with enough support, unfortunately there is no easy way to fix it, although you could try flipping the mattress over if you haven’t already. A mattress that doesn’t provide you with enough support is dangerous and could cause you health problems.
A replacement doesn’t need to cost the earth. Ikea sell mattresses for under $200, although the durability may be questionable.
Types of Mattresses
There are four main types of mattresses:
Open Coil
The most common type of mattress, approximately 8/10 mattresses are open coil.
Why you should buy an open coil mattress
- Cheap – often used for budget or “no frills” mattresses
Why you should avoid an open coil mattress
- Goes lumpy with use as the fabric sinks into the springs
Pocket sprung
In a pocket sprung mattress, each spring is separate, contained within its own pocket.
Why you should buy a pocket sprung mattress
- Provides very good support for your body. Each spring works separately to contour around your body.
- Since each spring works separately, if you sleep with a partner, you can move around on your side of the bed and your partner won’t be able to feel it on their side.
Why you should avoid a pocket sprung mattress
- Expense – Pocket sprung mattresses tend to populate the more premium end of the market and are more expensive then open coil.
- Since springs are used, pocket sprung mattresses become lumpy over time
Latex Foam
Latex foam mattresses can either be 100% foam or as part of a hybrid with a spring system. A hybrid contains the positives and negatives of both types of mattress. Below refers only to 100% foam mattresses.
Why you should buy a latex foam mattress
- No lumps! If your like me, the prospect of never having to deal with a lumpy mattress again is nothing short of a revelation.
- Foam mattresses can be surprisingly cheap. I have one myself that I bought from Ikea for around £80, equivalent to around $130. It’s the best mattress I’ve ever slept on by far, although it’s beginning to show signs of ware after its 2 years of use.
Why you should avoid a latex foam mattress
- Firmness – Latex foam mattresses tend to be medium to soft. If you prefer a firm mattress, latex foam may be one to avoid.
Memory Foam
Memory foam mattresses are similar to latex foam mattresses but it moulds around your body for a few seconds, keeps its shape. Marketing guys love to constantly drop into the conversation that memory foam was invented by NASA for the space program, but since that’s completely irrelevant to sleep, I won’t mention that here. Memory foam can also be a part of a hybrid system.
Why you should buy a Memory Foam mattress
- Memory foam moulds around your body and has the unique effect of “holding you in”, meaning you’re less lightly to move around at night.
- Supports your body wonderfully. Provides firmness when needed but also takes the pressure off your joints.
- It was invented by NASA!
Why you should avoid a Memory Foam mattress
- Memory foam often proves itself to be the most expensive type mattress you can buy
- Memory foam has a very unique feeling to it. It’s safe to say you’ll either love it or you hate it. I personally love it, but both my parents hate it.
How to buy a new mattress
In addition to comfort and support as explained earlier, when buying a mattress you also need to be aware of two extra factors:
- Firmness – Whether you prefer a firm mattress or a soft mattress is mainly down to personal preference. As a rule of thumb, back sleepers often prefer firm mattresses whilst side and front sleepers prefer medium to soft mattresses. Try out a range of mattresses yourself to decide the level of firmness you most prefer.
- Quality – The higher the quality, the longer the mattress will last. For either a latex foam mattress or a memory foam mattress, the durability can be defined by the thickness. The thicker the mattress, the longer it will last. For a spring mattress, the amount of springs often defines the quality.
Choosing a new mattress
Find a mattress store that contains both a large range of mattresses and knowledgeable staff. The members of staff should be able to guide you through this process and help you identify the best quality mattress for your price range.
You want to try as many mattresses as you can to decide which type of mattress you prefer along with the level of firmness. You should spend at least 10 minutes on each potential mattress, noting its comfort and support. This is your chance to see if it is right for you:
- Test out the mattress in different sleeping positions.
- Bring your pillow along so you can see exactly how it would feel if you bought it.
- If you sleep with a partner, bring them along too and lay on the bed with them. Notice whether it sags and how much it moves on your side of the bed when your partner moves.
The added extras
Some extras to take into account when buying a mattress:
- Disposal of your old mattress – Many bed stores offer to take away and recycle your old mattress for free when you buy a new mattress.
- Delivery time and costs – These can often be negotiated if next day delivery is not already included.
- Money back guarantee – Ensure the bed store allows you to take back if you change you mind.
- Insurance – If you also take out an insurance plan with your new mattress, make sure you know exactly what it covers. Many don’t cover accidental damage.
