The Best Mattress for a Better Night's Sleep Buying a new mattress? Here are tips for finding the right mattress for you. You spend about a third of every day in bed. Whether that time is spent blissfully slumbering -- or tossing and turning -- depends a lot on your mattress. "A mattress can impact a person's sleep," says Michael Decker, PhD, RN, associate professor at Georgia State University and spokesman for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. One way that your mattress affects your sleep has to do with the network of fine blood vessels, called capillaries, that runs underneath your skin. "When you lie on any part of your body for an extended period of time, the weight of it reduces the flow of blood through those blood vessels, which deprives the skin of oxygen and nutrients," Decker says. This causes nerve cells and pain sensors in your skin to send a message to your brain for you to roll over. Rolling over restores blood flow to the area, but it also briefly interrupts your sleep.
Ideally, a mattress that reduces the pressure points on your body should give you a better night's sleep, Decker says. Yet the ideal mattress is different for each person. Which Mattress Is Right for You? Finding the right mattress isn't about searching out the highest-tech brand or spending the most money. "A much more expensive mattress doesn't necessarily mean it's better," Decker says. A high price tag is a product of both the materials that go into the mattress, and the marketing that helps sell it. Instead of focusing on price and brand name, think about what you want in a mattress. "Selecting a mattress is very personal," Decker says. Some people prefer a firmer mattress; others favor a softer style. Although there isn't a lot of scientific evidence to prove that one type of mattress will help you sleep better than another, people with certain medical conditions do seem to rest easier on a particular mattress style. Anyone with back or neck pain should take a Goldilocks approach to mattress buying: not too hard, and not too soft.
"If you're on too soft [of] a mattress, you'll start to sink down to the bottom. But on too hard of a mattress you have too much pressure on the sacrum, and on the shoulders, and on the back of the head," says Howard Levy, MD, an Emory University assistant professor of orthopaedics, physical medicine, and rehabilitation. A medium-firm mattress, or a firm mattress with a softer pillow top, will give your spine that "just-right" balance of support and cushioning. An adjustable bed can be a good buy if you need to sleep with your head raised. Doctors sometimes recommend elevating the head to help people with COPD breathe easier, or to prevent nighttime heartburn from GERD. These beds can also allow you to adjust your knees and hips to a 90-degree angle, relieving some of the pressure on sore joints, Levy says. If you have allergies or asthma, you might have considered buying a bed labeled "hypoallergenic." "There are a lot of claims made by mattress manufacturers that their mattresses are hypoallergenic or don't support the growth of dust mites, but I don't know of scientific evidence to support these claims," says Paul V. Williams, MD, a pediatrics professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine and an allergist at Northwest Allergy and Asthma Center in Washington state.
Williams says dust mites will live anywhere there's food -- and that food is your dead skin cells. Instead of investing in an allergy-free mattress, slip on a washable mattress encasing. It will form a barrier that prevents dust mites from getting to you. A mattress encasing cuts allergen growth by robbing dust mites of their food supply, Williams says. And what about those space-age memory foam mattresses, which can cost thousands of dollars? There is some evidence they can help with back problems and improve sleep, but their advantage over a regular coil mattress is only slight. Where memory foam mattresses can really help you sleep is if you have an active bed partner who is keeping you awake, Decker says. Foam mattresses reduce motion transfer, letting you lie still while your partner tosses and turns. Test Drive a Mattress Before You Buy "You wouldn't buy a car without test driving it," Decker says. So why would you invest hundreds -- or even thousands of dollars in a mattress without trying it out first?
Take any new mattress you're considering for a test nap. "People should not be embarrassed to go into a store and lay on a mattress for 20 minutes," Decker says. For a more realistic test, sleep in the beds at different hotel chains when you travel. If you get an especially good night's sleep on one of them, ask the desk clerk what brand it is. When you test out a mattress, make sure it feels comfortable in every position, especially the side you favor for sleeping. The mattress should be supportive where you need it, without putting too much pressure on your body, Levy says. Time for a New Mattress If you've been having trouble sleeping, the problem might not be your mattress type, but its age. "It's really important for people to realize that mattresses have a certain lifespan," Decker says. Keep your mattress too long, and the foam and other materials inside it will start to break down, compromising its ability to support your body. Decker recommends keeping your mattress for no more than 10 years.
After that, it's time to go mattress shopping again.Good quality memory foam mattresses distribute body weight evenly, like having billions of little springs supporting you. Pressure points are significantly reduced, up to whopping 80%, which only memory foam can provide. Fast Fact: The lowest mmHg on the market is provided by Essentia memory foam mattresses at 12.43mmHg @ 200lbs.If a quick glance at the chart above wasn’t enough, you can read on to see all the pros and cons of spring mattresses and memory foam mattresses. 1) Low Cost - Given that spring mattresses don’t cost much to manufacture; you can find spring mattresses at bottom dollar prices. The only time you’ll pay less is probably a futon or a hand-me-down.2) Durability - A spring mattress can last between 7 and 10 years.1) Loss of Support - Spring mattresses usually begin to sag after 1-2 years. In fact, they lose 16% of their support in the 1st year alone.2) Sketchy Warranties - Spring mattress warranties allow up to 1.5 inches of normal body impression.
However, it is normal for your mattress to get a body impression, as it can mean the “comfort layer” is conforming to your body. Be sure to find out the exact terms of your warranty before purchasing, and the steps that will need to be taken to qualify your possible issue as warrantable. 3) Poor Back Support - Innersprings do not offer proper back support and do not address spinal alignment.4) Painful -Spring mattresses do not distribute your body weight evenly. Because each spring pushes back with the same force, pressure points are inevitable.5) Not Hypoallergenic - The fluffy polyester top and the empty space in-between the springs creates a perfect nesting ground for dust mites.1) The Low Cost - You can still get a durable memory foam mattress for under $950.2) Pressure Distribution - It relieves pressure better than any other type of mattress.3) No Motion Transfer - No jiggle or bounce means no transfer of movement or waking up your partner when someone needs to make a midnight bathroom run.4) Hypoallergenic - A solid block of foam means dust mites can only live on the surface and not inside.1) Price - Top memory foam mattresses can be expensive depending on quality and brand name.
Cost is typically directly associated with quality because the materials are costly, not the labor.2) Quicksand Like Feel - Because a memory foam mattress adjusts to the contours of your body, the foam can take longer to contour to your body as well as bounce back to its original shape. This can leave some feeling like they are stuck in the mattress or like they are sinking into quicksand.3) Temperature Sensitive - Most memory foams rely on your body temperature to be able to contour to you, the problem arises as with the lack of air flow through traditional memory foam mattresses. You can wake up a sweaty mess. 4) The Smell - Some memory foam mattresses are made with poor quality foams and may have a pungent, unpleasant smell when new.A deciding factor for many people is whether the mattress if firm or soft. While this is a very personal preference, and the concept of firm or soft will differ based on personal taste, there are some standard industry rules that can make a mattress firm which you can learn about here: Springs act as a shock absorber and reduce the wear and tear of the mattress.
Springs or coils used in mattresses are available in four different types which determine firmness and support: continuous coils, bonnell coils, offset coils and marshall coils. These are also measured by the gauge of the coil.The less coils you have, the thicker the spring. 14 to 15 gauge coils will give in easily to pressure, while a 12-gauge coil is the thickest and will feel firm.Memory foam mattresses can be firm to supple. Since they distribute your weight evenly, a firm memory foam mattress should still give you the firmness you are looking for without compromising your back, hips and joints.Memory foam mattresses become more supple with body heat, while this ensures the cradling support your body requires, you should also realize that when it comes to memory foam you most likely won’t find something firm enough for your tastes if you enjoy sleeping on the floor.In the charts above we mention temperature sensitivity, but what does it really mean based when comparing spring and memory foam?
Memory foam is known for being temperature sensitive, or that it reacts according to your body heat. This can be a negative as it takes time for the foam to adjust to your body. This delayed response time or quicksand-like feel is a common complaint among memory foam mattress owners.The temperature of the room will also have an effect on the feel as well, as the colder the bedroom the longer it will take for the foam to adjust and recover. At freezing point, memory foam can become rock hard.On the flip side, memory foam can also trap heat which is another common complaint of memory foam mattress owners. The warmer the room and mixed with your body heat, the more chance you will be sleeping hot and waking up sweating. Spring mattresses don't adjust on body temperature unless they come topped with memory foam. The top layer will add comfort and support if made with enough quality memory foam.Fast Fact: The only memory foam that remains consistent in average room temperatures is Essentia's natural memory foam, which has been tested to sleep on about 7 degrees cooler as it allows air flow through the mattress.
A traditional spring mattress doesn’t adjust or feel differently based on body temperature, unless they come topped with memory foam. The top layer of a spring mattress is generally known of the comfort layer, and some companies with add memory foam to enhance the perceived comfort, support and quality of the mattress.Spring mattresses require more maintenance as they must be rotated once every three months for even wear. This way you don’t get dips and indents over and above the normal body impression. You will also want to avoid folding or bending a spring mattress, as you will compromise the springs and break it.Memory foam mattresses do not have to be flipped or rotated. There is no maintenance required apart from keeping the cover and sheets clean. Spring mattresses should have died in the 80's, like parachute pants and leg warmers, but they have remained popular because of their low cost and high profit margins (100%+). They also need replacing every 3-10 years which is great reoccurring income for Sealy, Serta, Simmons, Spring Air etc.
The Better Sleep Council suggests that a quality mattress should provide 8-10 years of good support and comfort. With an average person spending 30% of their life sleeping, the importance of a healthy and supportive mattress cannot be ignored. A good quality mattress is important for healthy living and this applies to adults, the elderly, young children and babies. How you feel and act is directly affected by how well you sleep. A quality mattress may be pricey but it will certainly keep your body well supported and comfortable for close to 20 years.We hope that you now have a better understanding of the difference between spring and memory foam mattresses. If you’re leaning toward memory foam, you’ll definitely want to take a look at Essentia’s natural memory foam mattresses that offer comfort, support and even address the common complaints of memory foam mattress owners. If you're serious about getting serious sleep and want some of the best mattresses in the world, we've got you covered.