Mattress - Complete Guide To Mattress Selection And Features

Mattress Complete Guide

Everything You Need To Know About Mattress Materials, Types, Features And Standard Sizes

Mattress is now a crucial component of a good night’s sleep and it is an important part of living a healthy lifestyle. Adequate sleep is the key to overall health and well-being. Healthcare professionals and various studies recommend that an average adult needs around 7-8 hours of peaceful sleep.

Regular sleeping habits and leading a healthy lifestyle can do wonders for your mental and physical health. A good night’s sleep is essential for the body’s healing mechanisms to function properly. It also helps to improve productivity and immunity.

Interior design professionals as well as home owners must have basic knowledge of mattresses, including types of mattresses and their technical features, so that the correct mattress can be selected as per the project requirement.

This article will guide you through the basics of mattress selection, including the various types of mattresses on the market, standard sizes, material characteristics, prices and technical features.

Complete Guide To Mattress Selection

Complete Guide To Mattress

Types Of Mattress

Different types of mattresses are used in various home improvement and interior design projects for both residential and commercial properties. However, the mattress market is flooded with a plethora of options with fancy product names sold in the showroom under different categories.

Most mattresses look the same from the outside, and experiencing the mattress’ comfort for a few seconds in the showroom can be misleading. Therefore, it is not an easy task for the average person to select the right mattress that fits into their requirements and budget unless they acquire basic knowledge about types of mattresses, materials used, technical features, and price ranges.

Foam Mattress.
Latex Mattress.
Memory Foam Mattress.
Innerspring Mattress.
Coir Mattress.
Hybrid Mattress.
Orthopedic Mattress.
Pillow Top Mattress.
Water Mattress.
Air Mattress.

Complete Guide To Mattress Selection

Foam Mattress

What Are Foam Mattresses ?

The foam mattress is essentially made up of foam, which is basically a petroleum product. Foam material is extensively used for manufacturing different types of mattresses. These mattresses are available in a wide range of sizes and features. The most common types of foam mattresses include memory foam mattresses and high-resiliency foam mattresses.

A polyurethane foam is characterized by a lightweight cellular structure with highly flexible and elastic properties combined with excellent strength. A polyurethane foam is obtained by mixing a polyol component and an isocyanate component under stirring to effect foaming.

Foam mattresses are the most commonly used mattresses in both the residential and commercial segments. The foam mattresses are either made up of a single foam sheet layer or use multiple layers of foam sheets with different properties.

The multilayer foam mattress allows the manufacturer to use different types of foam material in the mattress body to add some special features to the product. It is manufactured by gluing together multiple layers of foam sheets.

For example, the top layer of the foam mattress consists of soft foam material to provide a cushioned feel. The middle and bottom layers of the mattress body, on the other hand, are made up of a firm layer of foam sheets that provide the body with strength and firm support. The top layer of the mattress is provided with a soft knitted cotton fabric cover as a finished product.

Complete Guide To Mattress Selection

Memory Foam Mattress

What Are Memory Foam Mattresses ?

Memory foam mattresses are predominantly made up of memory foam, a type of soft and low-resilience foam. The main feature of memory foam is that it contours to the shape of your body for optimal spinal alignment and adequate support at critical points such as the shoulder, waist, and lower legs.

Memory foam adjusts the shape of the body and provides a high level of personalized comfort due to its soft bounce-back property. And therefore, these mattresses are very comforting and will make the mattress feel like it was just tailor-made for you!

Memory foam, also known as visco-elastic foam, was first invented and designed by NASA in the mid-1960s. It is made from polyurethane and is used by NASA for the special costumes designed for the astronauts. Memory foam was later used in other applications such as mattresses, pillows, and mattress toppers.

Memory foam is extensively used in the mattress industry, and these mattresses are very popular due to their comfort and durability. A layer of memory foam is also used in hybrid and innerspring mattresses to enhance the performance of the top layer in the mattress design.

Complete Guide To Mattress Selection

Latex Mattress

What Are Latex Mattresses ?

Latex mattresses are manufactured from either natural rubber latex or synthetic latex. Natural latex is considered an eco-friendly product because latex is naturally obtained from rubber trees.

If you’re looking for a natural bedding product, then a natural latex mattress would be an excellent option. When compared to foam mattresses, these mattresses have a longer lifespan, a higher bounce back, and a faster response. Please look for GOTS and GOLS certification to ensure the quality of the natural latex material used in the mattress.

The latex mattress offers a unique, comfortable feel that promotes restful sleep and adequate body support. These mattresses are relatively expensive as compared to foam mattresses.

Latex rubber sheets used for mattresses are provided with cylindrical perforations throughout the body. These perforations are an essential feature of latex mattresses, which effectively reduce the problem of body heat retention and improve air circulation.

Complete Guide To Mattress Selection

Coir Mattress

What Are Coir Mattresses ?

Coir mattresses are made of natural coir material, which is a type of fiber extracted from coconut husks. Coir mattresses are manufactured from coir foam, which is another excellent natural material.

Because coir is a natural product, it has several significant advantages. Coir material is durable and has good structural strength. The coir material is easily available, which makes coir mattresses a very affordable and inexpensive option.

Coir mattresses offer excellent sleep comfort and body support. It has a heat resistance property due to the structural composition of coir foam, which allows for good air circulation. These mattresses are considered more comfortable than other types of mattresses.

However, coir is a natural material that tends to decompose, deforming the mattress, especially under moist conditions. The popularity of coir mattresses is also declining due to the advent of new technology and trendy foam and latex mattresses.

Complete Guide To Mattress Selection

Innerspring Mattress

What Are Innerspring Mattresses ?

Innerspring mattresses are the oldest and most commonly used mattress type, and they are extensively used for both residential and commercial-grade mattresses. The mattress body essentially consists of two layers. The top layer of the mattress is made up of foam sheets, whereas the bottom layer consists of mechanical springs.

The top layer of the mattress can consist of multiple composite layers of foam sheets as per the mattress’s design features. The base layer of the innerspring mattresses uses a metal wire system closely tied to springs to create a support frame.

The mattress is then covered with thick fabric, with cushioning material used on top of the mattress for a soft feel and extra support. The bounce-back feature and firmness of the mattress depend upon the mechanical properties and springing action of the base layer.

Innerspring mattresses have some drawbacks similar to those of foam mattresses. These mattresses are not considered good for motion isolation. Further, due to its high bounce feature, your partner is more likely to feel your movements, which could be disturbing.

However, the mechanical springs tend to create noise during the normal movements. The failure of a few springs renders the entire mattress useless. In comparison, the foam mattress have longer lifespan, offers good sleeping comfort, and is quieter.

Complete Guide To Mattress Selection

Hybrid Mattress

What Are Hybrid Mattresses ?

A hybrid mattress is a type of composite mattress that combines the benefits of multiple traditional layers of foam sheets supported by a base layer of spring coils. The hybrid mattress’s composite construction provides a level of comfort that accommodates a variety of body types and sleeping positions.

A mattress is said to be hybrid when the base layer consists of any spring coils and more than one-third of its top layer height composed of a soft foam material. The top layer of these mattresses could be made up of a wide range of materials, such as PU foam, HR foam, or latex rubber sheet.

The main difference between a hybrid and an innerspring mattress lies in the composition and thickness of the base layer. The innerspring mattress’s base layer occupies more than two-thirds of the body’s height, and the top layer is relatively thin.

The top layer of a composite or hybrid mattress, on the other hand, is much thicker and typically consists of two to three layers of different types of foam and latex material depending on the mattress design.

Complete Guide To Mattress Selection

Orthopedic Mattress

What Are Orthopedic Mattresses ?

Orthopedic mattresses are special mattresses designed for people with certain health conditions, such as backache, spine-related issues, blood circulation issues, and other such conditions. These mattresses are designed to provide optimal support to the spine, shoulders, waist, and legs for various sleeping positions.

Depending on the personal requirements, An orthopedic mattress is a type of mattress that is specially constructed to provide support to the joints, spine, neck, and lower legs. Orthopedic mattresses are typically recommended by healthcare professionals for people who need optimal support during sleep pain management, people who are in active recovery from injury, senior citizens, athletes, or other such people.

An orthopedic mattress can consist of a combination of different types of mattress material, such as foam, latex rubber sheet, memory foam, bonded foam, and innersprings. The structure of the mattress depends on the needs of a specific market segment.