What Is Mattress Firmness
Obviously, the first thing youd like to account for is the essence of the characteristic. Believe it or not, there is a lot of misconception out there amongst potential mattress buyers. They tend to believe that mattress firmness ratings and support are the same things.
While the former directly correlates with the latter and they are mutually dependent, theres a difference. The firmness of the bed is its hardness, put in a very simple way. Is it soft or is it hard? Thats the type of question that you need to ask yourself. It’s subjective and different sleepers will have a different feel.
However, this has become a critical characteristic, and its an important metric which is accounted for by every buyer. After all, it determines the overall level of comfort as well as the support that the entire thing is going to offer. Have in mind that mattress size shouldn’t impact your overall firmness feel.
When To Part With Your Old Mattress
Today’s mattresses are made to last a lifetime. But you probably shouldn’t plan on keeping yours for that long. Our bodies change over time, Breus says, so the mattress that was once a joy to sleep on may no longer feel comfortable a few years down the road.
In addition, mattresses collect dust mites, fungus, and other germs that can exacerbate allergies and impact your sleep patterns. After 10 to 15 years, it’s time to think about buying a new bed.
Ultimately, the experts say that the best bed for you is the one that feels most comfortable. And remember, Shamie says, “There’s no mattress that’s going to save your body when you get only five hours of sleep.” In order to feel your best, you need to get enough rest no matter what type of mattress you’re sleeping on.
Hybrid Vs Memory Foam
The main thing here, and the reason that a lot of people go with the former is that memory foam on its own is not very responsive and the traditional kind can be quite hot to sleep on it is known for retaining a lot of heat. A hybrid, on the other hand, helps addresses these issues with airflow while maintaining the excellent contouring properties of the foam.
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Is It As Firm Or As Soft As Youd Like
Even if you think you know the firmness level youre looking for, we recommend keeping an open mind and trying a range. The only way to know what a mattress firm or soft description really means is to lie down on it. Similar to clothing sizes, with mattresses there are no standardizations for soft, medium, or firm across brands. In our own mattress tests, two staffers who had long insisted they were firm-mattress people realized they preferred mattresses labeled as medium. When youre browsing online and reading reviews, keep in mind that firmness often means different things to different people. For example, although many user reviews describe the Casper Original as being too soft, there are those who consider it to be too firm or just right. If youre shopping in a store for a specific brand you prefer, try the firmest version available, then go progressively softer until you hit the firmness level you like.
How To Choose A Crib Mattress
There are several essential elements of choosing a crib mattress. Any crib mattress purchase should start first and foremost with safety. Key aspects of crib mattress safety include:
- Choosing a firm crib mattress as this can reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome .
- Keeping the mattress clear of soft objects, including toys, blankets, and pillows. Loose and soft items can pose a risk of suffocation and SIDS and should not be kept in an infants crib.
Beyond safety, there are other factors to review that relate to the convenience and usability of a crib mattress:
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A Mattress With Special Layers Of Memory Foam For Softness And Support
Helix Sleep
Use code FORBES100 to receive $100 off + 2 free Dream Pillows when you spend $600 or more.
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- Materials: Memory foam, Helix dynamic foam, wrapped coils
- Sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, California King
- Trial period: 100 nights
Helix offers mattresses that are tailor-built to your needs. You answer a short questionnaire, and the company will recommend the perfect mattress for you. That being said, the Helix Twilight is a top choice for back pain. It offers a firm feel with no sink or give, but its not so hard that you feel like youre sleeping on a rock. The mattress has a specialized foam layer to help cushion your pressure points, especially when youre sleeping on your side, along with a polyfoam transition layer for added support.
Adjustable Sleep Number Air
A recent development in mattress technology is the adjustable air/memory gel hybrid. With this type of mattress, you dial in your desired level of support, and air bladders inside the mattress inflate or deflate to match your command.
The obvious benefit is that two sleepers with different firmness preferences can share a bed comfortably. These mattresses tend to be quite pricey, but satisfied users say the cost is worth it.
A bit of advice about sleep number beds: while firmness level plays a role in your overall comfort, its wise to avoid extremely high or low settings. A too-soft mattress could cause problems over time because it doesnt support the spine enough an ultra-firm mattress that holds the body in rigid suspension all night could also cause problems.
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The Firmness Scale In
In this section, well offer more detailed information about these general firmness levels including about how they can influence support and the types of sleeping positions best suited for them.
Softest
A 1 on the firmness scale is extremely rare, but many mattresses are offered in the 2-3 range.
Support: because their softness allows them to conform closely to the body, very soft mattresses can help to relieve pressure points and keep the spine aligned. However, the flip side of this is that for many people, there is simply too much sink and contouring, and the result can be to induce an excessive curvature in the spine.
Sleeping positions: of the main sleeping positions, a very soft mattress is usually best for side sleepers. Side sleepers tend to have more pronounced pressure points at the hips and shoulders and can benefit from more cushioning at those points. For the majority of both back and stomach sleepers, the amount of sink in a very soft mattress can draw the spine out of alignment.
Medium
Support: these medium-firm mattresses usually offer the best overall support because they have enough contouring to reduce pressure points while not permitting excessive sinking into the mattress. Spinal alignment for most people is best maintained on a mattress of this firmness.
Firm
Can You Use A Mattress Without A Box Spring
Yes, most modern mattresses dont need a box spring. The traditional box spring was only designed to work with old-fashioned innerspring mattresses, with the coils inside a box spring laid out to sync up with the coils inside a spring mattress. These coils are not spaced close enough to create an evenly supportive surface, leaving gaps that can cause sagging.
So if, for example, you place a memory foam mattress on a box spring, the mattress is likely to sink between the coils and lose its shape.
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What Is The Best Month To Purchase A Mattress
Many mattress retailers offer deep discounts around Presidents Day, which is celebrated annually on the third Monday in February. You can usually find some good mattress deals around Memorial Day and Labor Day, and sometimes around the Fourth of July. Generally speaking, you may see a few decent price drops during holiday shopping events like Black Friday or Cyber Monday, but they likely wont be the best deals of the year. We track deals on all of our mattress recommendations year-round.
Which Is The Best Type Of Mattress
The short answer is that there isn’t a single best type of mattress. Why? Because everyone is different, so the right type for you depends on your body, your health and your sleep style. Secondly, it’s because the differences between each type of mattress are increasingly negligible. Materials have advanced so much over the last five years alone that it can be difficult to notice any perceptible difference when you’re sleeping on them.
That’s good news for you: it means you should be able to pick any of the options in our best mattress guide and be extremely happy with your choice – regardless of whether it’s made from copper-infused memory foam, coils, cooling latex, or a cutting edge combination of all-natural materials.
However, it can be helpful to know what each mattress type is before you make your final choice. With that in mind, here we walk you though the main options, highlighting the key differences between each…
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The Cons Of A Hybrid Mattress
With the goodness of hybrid mattresses comes a literal price. You’ll see that these can reach well into the thousands, which can be the deciding factor for someone on a budget.
However, most hybrid mattress companies provide an easy-to-use payment program where you can pay off your new bed. So, if you’re in need of a new bed but can’t shell out a grand right this minute, don’t completely shy away from the idea just yet.
Specialty Foam / Memory Foam Mattresses
Foam mattresses are becoming much more popular, and they tend to get higher customer satisfaction ratings than innerspring mattresses . There are two major types of specialty foam, and a foam bed will usually have at least one of them, if not both. There is latex, and memory foam.
Memory foam is probably the most recognized type of foam in bedding. It is a slower-response foam . This has the benefit of not causing pressure to the body. Memory foam is perhaps the best pressure-relieving material that is used in beds today.
Memory foam is often mixed with a type of gel to add additional support and to help keep a more neutral surface temperature. Older styles of memory foam tend to retain heat. Most modern memory foam mattresses dont have this issue.
Latex foam is the other type of common specialty foam. It tends to be more supportive than memory foam, a lot more durable , it responds a lot more quickly than memory foam, and naturally keeps a more neutral temperature without relying on gel. However, it does not relieve pressure as well as memory foam does, and isnt as good at separating motion.
Most of the time, these types of foam will be put on a base of whats called poly foam, which is just a high density, resilient support foam. Its not really designed for comfort, but it will hold the mattress up. Some lower-end mattresses are only made of poly foam, and these tend to feel harder.
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What If I Am A Combo Sleeper
Because our favorite picks for side sleepers often include optimal pressure relief and zoned support, many of these products should be a good fit for those who spend some time sleeping on their backs as well. However, if you are also a stomach sleeper, consider how much time you spend on average in each position. If the majority of the time is spent on your side, these beds should be a good fit for most.
See Our In-depth Guide:Mattresses for Combination Sleepers
Best Mattress Buying Guide
Which brand? What type? Where from? How much? What is the best mattress? These are the questions that are likely running through your mind when buying a new mattress. Well, youve come to the right place. In this guide, Ill help you answer all of those questions and youll be having sweet dreams in no time!
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Always Think About Your Weight Too
Believe it or not, many things will depend on your weight and even on your body type. So it would help if you combined your sleeping position with your weight when choosing the firmness of the mattress.
If you dont weigh more than 150 pounds, you can buy a mattress on a medium-firm side, ranging from 5 to 6. And if you weigh over 150 pounds to 200, you can choose the standard firmness that goes around 5-7.
If you have around 200 pounds or more, you should want to choose the firmer and thicker option because it will significantly support you. But dont worry, because these mattresses are soft too.
Which Type Of Mattress Should You Buy Memory Foam Latex Or Innerspring
Thats a hard question to respond to, because there are so many things one need to consider prior to buying any bed mattress. In spite of the prevalent belief that memory foam is much better than innerspring or natural latex, all 3 kinds of bed mattress on this list have their own pros and cons.
Each kind of bed mattress has its own market share , and each is a popular choice for a various reason.
Heres a fast guide to assist you choose between memory foam, latex, and innerspring bed mattress:
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How Do I Purchase A Mattress
Weve put together a guide containing helpful mattress shopping tips to help our readers through the process of buying a mattress. While we cant answer what is the best mattress to buy, we can lead you to a few great options depending on the kind of sleeper you are.
We recommend checking out our deals page to maximize savings on your next purchase, and use one of our promo links to navigate you to the mattress youre interested in buying.
When To Toss It: 6 To 9 Years
Many of us find that the right humidity level can help with a good nights sleep which means we may run a humidifier in the winter months and dehumidifier in the summer. But its not just set it and forget it. Twice a year we should be checking our dehumidifiers filter for tears or damage and replacing it if necessary, according to online parts store Repair Clinic, and once a year the filter should be replaced altogether . You can expect about six to nine years out of the dehumidifier itself. For humidifiers, replace the pad, filter or element yearly once mineral deposits build up, theyre difficult to remove.
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How Long Does A Mattress Last
My mattress is getting on in years. In fact, Bill Clinton was in his first term as president when I last bought a new one. Is it time for me to replace my mattress?
Youve probably logged more than 30,000 hours in your bed, and your mattress has likely become less comfortable and less supportive. But theres no set formula for determining when you need to replace a mattress. It might be time to buy one if:You regularly wake up tired or achyyou make Oscar the Grouch seem as cheerful as Mr. Rogers.You tend to sleep better away from home, than in your own bed. Are you planning unnecessary business trips or looking for any reason to go on a weekend getaway?Your mattress looks or feels saggy or lumpyit needs go on the Abs Diet.Youre over age 40 and your mattress is five to seven years old. Remember, your body tolerates less pressure as it ages. As if getting older werent tough enough . . .
How To Choose Your Perfect Mattress
There are three common types of mattresses: innerspring, foam, and adjustable. There’s no one “right” material to choose, but in general, side sleepers need a softer mattress, stomach sleepers need a firm one, and back sleepers fall somewhere in between. Beyond the types of mattresses and firmness, you’ll need to think about a few other factors. From sleep style to negotiating with a bedfellow, here’s what to look for based on your needs:
If you like a bed with bounce
Traditional innerspring styles have that familiar bouncy feel and may be firmer. Interconnected coils are extra-durable, but individual “pocketed” coils, each covered with fabric, reduce the ripple effect that happens when someone on one side of the bed moves.
If you prefer a firmer base
Memory foam options have less spring and offer more pressure relief. To determine quality, look at the density and thickness of the foam, which will determine how deep you’ll sink. The newer, online mattresses generally use several different layers of foam, with heavier ones on the bottom for support and lighter, cooler kinds on the top for comfort.
If you want a plush top
Innerspring mattresses typically have either a fiberfill or foam outer layer, covered in quilted ticking. But even if you want an uber-plush feel, don’t be swayed by a thick-looking pillowtop as it can compress over time. It’s often best to choose a firmer, well-quilted mattress, and then cover it with a replaceable mattress topper.
If you sleep on your side
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