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Before, mattresses had only been made using materials such as feathers and straw, materials that come directly from nature. Now, every mattress company is finding ways to use other materials in order to make innovations and add new features never seen before.
From simple mattresses that were thrown on the floor, now modern technology have come up with several types of mattresses, each one showing off its unique capabilities and benefits. Yes, so many benefits abound these modern types of mattresses but the question is, which suits your lifestyle? Which type of mattress is best for your home?
The following are the primary types of mattresses available in the market today. Read their description are decide which among them is the best for you.
Types Of Mattresses
1. Innerspring mattress
The innerspring mattress has always dominated the mattress market for years. These mattresses were previously considered the standard in choosing mattresses for our homes. An innerspring mattress is easily distinguished as it uses springs or wire coils for support.
Before, the common notification was that the more coils there are inside the mattress, the stronger the support it has. Today, we have realized that the number of coils may not be that important. Then again, modern technology has allowed manufacturers to place reinforced coils using heavier wire which are much stronger than the ones our parents had.
Now, mattresses generally come with 300-800 coils. A bed with 800 coils is, of course, considered strong and firm but there are many mattresses that come with half its number, around 400, that has the same capacity for strength and support as 800-coil mattresses.
There are two common types of spring mattress: open spring and pocket spring. Open spring mattresses, the most common in the world, have a border wire that keeps the edge of the mattress firm and helps it retain its shape. Its sides are machine- stitched generally. Pocket spring mattresses, on the other hand, emerged much recently than its counterpart.
Individual springs are placed separately in fabric pockets which enable them to spread the sleeper’s weight evenly. This is helpful for couples who want to sleep undisturbed by their partner’s movements.
2. Foam mattress
Foam mattresses are relatively newer than the coil mattresses. A memory foam mattress is distinguished by its ability to fit in the form of the sleeper, giving the sleeper a feeling of melting into his / her bed. The shape and contour of the sleeper are retained in the bed for a while even after the person gets up.
Using a memory foam will help you distribute your weight and pressure points evenly, so avoiding tension or stress on the heavier parts of your body. This provides excellent support to your body which guarantees you a sound sleep. Your movement will not be restricted because of memory foam molds and then re-molds not just according to your contour but according to your movement as well.
Memory foam mattress is also called visco-elastic mattress. Sleeping on this kind of mattress will help improve your blood circulation and helps you maintain correct body posture. Some people say though that when you’re using memory foam, you should often rotate your mattress so that pressure will be evenly distributed on all of its sides.
3. Air mattress Beds
Air mattress Beds that use air mattresses basically use the same principle as that of an innerspring mattress. Instead of wire coils, air is used to pump up support to the bed. Generally considered as high-end mattresses, air mattresses are adjustable. The amount of air inside the mattress can be adjusted according to the preference of the sleeper on how firm he/she wanted the bed to be.
Air mattresses are also said to be very helpful in alleviating pressure from the body which is why this is the kind of mattress preferred in hospitals and health clinics. What is different between air beds and those that use innerspring or foam is that air beds not only absorb the weight of the sleeper but they also displace the weight, giving the sleeper a very light, floating feeling.
Nowadays, the price of an air mattress is not that high as compared to its price when it first came out in the market. Before only a few companies manufactured and sold air mattresses but now that it has become better known and used, air mattresses have become a staple in mattress companies.
4. Latex mattress
Latex mattresses have been around for a pretty long period of time but they have been regaining popularity recently. A latex mattress technically has the same principles as that of a memory foam mattress. What makes it different however is that unlike memory foam, after it molds according to the sleeper’s contours, it recovers faster to its original shape.
Offering the same support and durability as the memory foam, many people contend that its better flexibility beats the latter because it allows the sleeper freer movements. It is also more breathable as compared to the memory foam and does not store in heat, which gives the user a better sleep.
As of now, the best kind of polymer available in the market is the Talalay latex. Big mattress companies have made Talalay latex its standard when making latex mattresses because of its durability and its hypo-allergenic feature.
5. Water mattress
Lastly, the water mattress. Water mattresses had seen the peak of their popularity in the youth of our parents or around 1970s. Few companies still offer water beds with constant changes and improvements from the time it first came out.
Water mattresses use to practice the same principle as those of innerspring and air mattresses. Instead of wire coil or spring, a water mattress uses liquid to give it support and strength and retain its form. Because of the upgrades allowed by modern technology, most water mattresses nowadays closely resemble the strength and durability of innerspring mattresses.
Before, sleeping in a water bed can give someone sea sickness because water beds were made soft, almost resembling real water. Now, many improvements have been made and water beds have become firmer. The user can now also choose whether to use hot or cold water for his mattress.
