Mattress Type Guide – What Is The Best For You

Mattresses are designed to provide the support and comfort you need to relax and rest. If you have had your mattress for a while, you may be wondering if it is time to buy a new one. Research shows that people sleep better, suffer less back pain and experience fewer symptoms of stress when sleeping on newer beds. In general, your sleep quality improves if your sleep surface relieves pressure on joints and other areas of the body. Matching your specific comfort needs with the right product is a very subjective process. Each mattress type is made with a variety of materials and technologies to deliver support systems that meet the broad array of consumers’ needs, tastes, and budgets. The following provides basic information on the different types of mattresses available today so that you are better equipped to choose a mattress that meets your needs.

What are the types of mattresses?

Innerspring Mattress

An innerspring mattress uses a steel coil support system. It is a popular traditional mattress type. Manufacturers offer several different types of spring systems, including units with springs connected into a single unit and individually wrapped pocketed coils. Spring shapes, designs, coil gauge, and number of coils in a mattress can vary. Coil count can be more arbitrary, but the idea is that the greater the number of coils, the more points of support and greater distribution, thus the better the bed can contour and support the sleeper.

Best for:

• People who want a more traditional spring feel
• Better bounce
• Stronger edge support

Not Best For: 

• People who are seeking a lot of softness
• Can potentially feel movement of partner

Shop Innerspring Mattresses

Hybrid Mattress

Hybrid mattresses are designed to use aspects of multiple mattress types. A hybrid mattress combines a steel coil support system with one or more types of foam, such as polyurethane foam, memory foam, or latex foam, as well as foams that contain gel or other materials. Allowing you to get the bounce of traditional mattresses while the comfort of memory foam mattress designs.

Best For:

• People looking for a balance of support and comfort
• Better body contouring than innerspring
• Couples looking for a compromise on mattress feel

Not Best For:

• People who might be on a tighter budget
• People who are wanting a firm feel for a mattress

Shop Hybrid Mattresses

Memory Foam Mattress

Memory foam mattresses use a high-density polyurethane foam as the support system, in the upholstery layer, or both.  This foam has properties that allow it to contour closely to the shape of the sleeper. Memory foam is know for providing great support and pressure relief. The newer designs tend to also include cooling technologies, which allow you to sleep a lot cooler than previous memory foam mattress designs. It can work for those who are combination sleepers, since it does have conforming capabilities.

Best for:

• People who want a more body hugging/shaping type of surface.
• People sleeping with a partner — less motion transfer

Not best for:

• People who want a firmer surface without conforming.
• People who typically sleep hot — try one of the cooling models

Shop Memory Foam Mattresses

Gel Memory foam Mattress

Gel memory foam mattresses use a type of foam that contains gel in the product’s support system, upholstery layers, or both. The gel is added to the foam using deferent types of technology. The gel foam can offer consumers different comfort, feel and heat dissipation features.

Best For:

• People who may sleep hot
• People who want the benefits of memory foam construction

Not Best For:

• Those are looking for a firmer feel
• People looking for lower priced mattresses

Latex Mattress

Latex mattresses use latex foam as the support system, in the upholstery layers, or both. It is a more natural bedding, featuring natural latex that comes from the sap of a rubber tree. Latex mattresses are one of the most popular types because of its durability and how it conforms to the body. It provides more bounce and offers pressure relief. There are two main latex types used in the manufacturing: Talalay and Dunlap.

Best For:

• People with allergies — the mattresses are hypoallergenic
• People who want to buy more eco-friendly products
• People wanting a longer lasting mattress

People who want some conforming but not the pronounced hugging from memory foam mattresses

Not Best For:

• People looking for a lower price point
• People searching for a light weighted mattress

Shop Latex Mattresses