Memory Foam Isnt Right For Everyone
The unfortunate fact about memory foam is that many people just do not like how it feels when they sleep, whether its the warm, abrasive feeling that some foam can have or the lack of a smooth surface that a traditional mattress has.
If you prefer a traditional innerspring mattresss firmness level, then a hybrid may not be for you. While it will provide similar support, you wont get the same soft, pillow-top feeling due to the memory foams texture.
The best way to find out if a hybrid mattress is right for you is to head out to a showroom near you and test one out for yourself.
Furniture Fair has multiple hybrid mattress styles and features the bedMatch rest test, which will scientifically determine which mattress is best for your sleep needs.
Components Of An Innerspring Mattress
Innerspring mattresses have a thin comfort layer on top of a coil support structure.
Comfort Layer
The comfort layer provides plushness and extra cushioning to the bed. These comfort layers often contain natural fibers like cotton or wool.
Most innerspring mattresses have a pillow top, an extra layer of padding sewn over the comfort layer. The padding may contain natural fibers, gel, wool, latex, or memory foam and provide more cushioning. In standard pillow-tops, you can feel a gap between the comfort layer and the padding, but in a euro top, the padding layer is stitched beneath the cover. Euro tops cant shift or lose shape, and they have a more uniform look.
Support Layer
The support layer of innerspring mattresses contains a spring base of Bonnell, Offset, Continuous coils, or Pocket Coils.
Bonnell coils are shaped like an hourglass and are wired together. They make beds durable but also transfer motion.
Offset coils, respond to compression and support your body, but are also poor at isolating motion.
- Continuous Coils
Continuous coils are made from a single length of wire making them vulnerable to motion transfer. The continuity of wires make the bed strong, but causes motion on one side to impact the other, disrupting sleep.
Pocket coils are thin gauge, barrel-shaped coilsindividually wrapped in fabric for reducing motion transfer and establishing a mattress for motion isolation. These coils are expensive so they are usually found in higher-end mattresses.
Added Comfort And Support
A hybrid mattress is basically a bed that used more than just one type of material in its construction. Generally speaking, hybrid mattresses are made with an innerspring core layer, and several other layers on top of it. These layers can be made from materials such as memory foam, polyfoam, latex foam, latex, cotton or wool batting, etc.
Naturally, the fact that a hybrid mattress uses different types of materials means that sleepers can get the benefits that each of the materials used in the construction provides on an individual level. What does that mean? It means that a hybrid bed with an innerspring layer offers support that is specific to a coil system, it means that using latex in the mattress will make it cooler and give it a nice bounce, and it means that using foam will provide better contouring and comfort. In other words, you are getting the best out of multiple worlds.
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How Are Hybrids Constructed
There are two required elements for a mattress to be a true hybrid:
While the comfort system can be made of many different types of materials, the support core must be coil-based. The springless hybrids that are marketed by some manufacturers may be quality mattresses, but they are not true hybrids.
All hybrids have two common elements, but the way those components can be constructed creates diversity among the hybrids on the market in terms of price, feel, and performance.
Who Should Choose A Memory Foam Mattress
Okay, lets get down to it. Its time to make a choice. Who should pick a memory foam mattress?
- Those who prefer to sleep in their mattress- Memory foam allows you to really sink into the mattress. If you like to slowly sink into your mattress and feel it envelop you, a pure memory foam mattress could be the way to go. Overall, you should feel more like you are sleeping in your mattress rather than on it.
- You are a side sleeper- Memory foam is usually superior when it comes to pressure relief. If you are primarily a side sleeper, a memory foam mattress could be a great choice. While lying on your side, you should feel the pressure on your shoulders and hips melt away. Just make sure to find a mattress with a thick enough comfort layer. You dont want to be bottoming out!
- You want to save money up front- If you choose to go with a memory foam mattress, you will most likely spend less money. For those with a smaller mattress budget, a memory foam mattress could be a solid choice.
- You sleep with a partner- If youre looking for a couples mattress, memory foam is always a good option. This material is great at isolating motion in the mattress, so if you or your partner move around at night, you shouldnt disturb one another.
Do you think a memory foam mattress is the best option for you? Check out our favorite memory foam mattress below:
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Benefits Of A Hybrid Mattress
Whether youre a hot sleeper who struggles with temperature regulation or a person who cant find the ideal sleep position, a hybrid mattress can help. Here are some of the chief benefits of sleeping on one of our hybrid models:
- Premium comfort without sacrificing support for your limbs
- A breathable sleep experience that maintains a comfortable temperature
- Edge-to-edge support from one end of the mattress to the other
- Dampened motion transfer thanks to pocketed micro-coils
- Haas a soft memory foam layer that cradles your body
- Reduced pressure on joints and other potential pain points
- More durable than most types of memory foam beds
Should Side Sleepers Have A Hybrid Or Memory Foam Mattress
Side sleepers can achieve comfortable sleep on both hybrid and memory foam beds as long as they find a mattress thats compatible with their sleep style and body type. Both hybrids and memory foam beds come in a variety of firmness options, so you can find one to suit your unique needs rather easily.
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How To Find A Hybrid Mattress
Just as any other type of mattress, hybrid mattresses come in a variety of quality levels and price points. When shopping for a hybrid mattress, you should examine the composition and thickness of each layer to determine if it will meet your needs.
Who Should Get A Hybrid Mattress
Hybrid mattresses are great options for just about everyone. Since they combine the coziness of all-foam with the resilience of traditional spring mattresses, many different types of sleepers can find their perfect fit.
For example, side sleepers can enjoy the right balance of softness and support in their favorite sleeping position. If you have a hard time getting out of bed, the firm border is designed to give you a boost. And for those who tend to have night sweats, the cooling technology built into hybrid mattresses may help regulate your temperature.
To really maximize comfort for every sleeper, make sure youre also choosing the right pillow sizes and height for your sleeping position.
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What Sleeping Position Does The Tempur
Flex mattresses suit the whole range of sleeping positions. Side sleepers will appreciate the contouring of the extra soft Flex-Elite, while back sleepers and stomach sleepers will want the firmer Flex-Prima. Both the TEMPUR Flex-Supreme and Supreme Breeze are medium on the firmness scale, making them quality universal choices.
To compare the Tempur-Flex Hybrid Mattress to other beds for each sleeping position, check out our guides below.
There’s No Motion Transfer
Hybrid mattresses are great if you’re a light sleeper, thanks to the combination of foam and pocket springs. Whether you need to get up in the night or need to switch sleeping position, they’re much less disruptive than traditional sprung mattresses.
The magic of pocket springs is all down to their independent movement. Since each one is designed to react to the specific weight and pressure applied to it, other springs won’t move. This means that your motion won’t be transferred to your partner – and vice versa.
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What Is A Hybrid Mattress
A hybrid mattress – or combination mattress – is a multi-layered mattress that combines springs and foam layers for the best of both comfort and support. They’re a fantastic option if you love the bounce and support of a pocket sprung mattress, with the comfort of foam. They’re also perfect if you often switch sleeping positions. Read on to discover more!
Who Can Sleep On A Hybrid
Hybrid mattresses are versatile, catering to a variety of sleepers. Since the firmness for most hybrid mattresses ranges from medium-soft to medium-firm, here are our recommendations depending on your sleep style, body type, and personal needs.
Side Sleepers
For side sleepers, a softer hybrid mattress may be a perfect fit. The thick comfort layers contour to your body providing adequate support, especially in the hip and shoulder regions.
Back Sleepers
In back sleepers, a medium hybrids foam layer conforms to the spines natural curvature, enhancing lumbar support. The coil layer at the base provides give to the mattress, promoting spinal alignment.
Stomach Sleepers
A medium-firm hybrid suits stomach sleepers because the firm comfort layer backed with coil support prevents sinkage and spinal misalignment.
Combination Sleepers
Combination sleepers may benefit from a medium hybrid because the pocket coil layer provides resilience making it easier to change positions during sleep.
Hot Sleepers
Hybrids are beneficial for hot sleepers because coils promote airflow, improving mattress breathability by making it cooler.
Lightweight Sleepers
Lightweight sleepers who prefer some bounce in their bed may like a medium-soft hybrid. The option of a soft memory foam layer on top gives them the body-conforming feel, while the coil layers add a bounce.
Average Sleepers
Plus Size Sleepers
Couples
Pocketed coil layers in hybrids reduce motion transfer, making them a good option for couples.
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Are Hybrid Mattresses Good For Back Pain
Yes, hybrid mattresses are a great option if you suffer from back pain. Thanks to the individual support of every pocket spring, you’ll get excellent spinal alignment and postural care.
Every pocket spring reacts independently to your unique shape and body weight. That means they can deliver more or less support – depending on the body area. The result is a perfectly tailored feel, with just the right amount of support where you need it and no more aches and pains.
Of course, there are many other types of mattresses that are designed to care for your back. Our range of orthopaedic mattresses are expertly made to ensure a healthy sleeping posture and high levels of back support.
Hybrid Mattress Vs Memory Foam
Memory foam mattresses are often buzzed about in the mattress world. Combining layers of foam, these beds react to body heat and pressure to mold to the curves of your body. The viscoelastic material absorbs excess motion, allowing you to melt into the mattress. For sleepers who want the benefits of both foam and spring, hybrid mattresses unite memory foam and a foundation of pocket-wrapped coils. The springs provide that jump on the bed feel that people love in a spring mattress while the foam envelops you with that cloud-like embrace.
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What Is The Difference Between A Hybrid Mattress And A Regular Mattress
Hybrid and regular mattresses differ primarily in their design. First, it is essential to note that hybrid and innerspring mattresses contain coil systems. Still, hybrid mattresses come with pocketed springs, making them medium-firm, whereas regular mattresses come with interconnected grids, making them firmer. Furthermore, hybrid mattresses include a thick foam comfort layer and a transitional layer, as opposed to a regular mattress that features a thin cushioned comfort layer.
Memory Foam Vs Hybrid Mattresses
Both memory foam and hybrid mattresses often use thick comfort systems to relieve pressure and limit motion transfer. As the name implies, memory foam mattresses use memory foam, but some models also incorporate other materials to adjust the feel and performance.
The contents of a hybrids comfort system may vary more, potentially including latex, polyfoam, memory foam, microcoils, fiber, or a combination of several materials.
Beneath their comfort systems, many models have transitional layers. Both memory foam and hybrid mattresses frequently use polyfoam to limit excessive sinkage and relieve pressure. However, memory foam and latex transition layers are also common, and some hybrid models use microcoils.
The main difference between memory foam mattresses and hybrid models lies in the support core. While memory foam mattresses typically contain a high-density polyfoam core, hybrids use a coil system. Polyfoam cores usually perform better in motion isolation and noise control, but coil systems tend to earn higher marks for bounce, breathability, and edge support.
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What Is A Hybrid Coil Mattress
By Michelle Zhang, Wellness Writer
Hybrid coil mattresses are often called hybrid mattresses or just hybrids. These beds mix the support core of an innerspring mattress with the thick comfort layers of a foam bed. The result is a bed thats bouncier than a foam mattress and contours better than an innerspring bed.
How Does It Feel To Sleep On A Hybrid Mattress
The feel of a hybrid can vary based on the details of how its interior layers are constructed. Nevertheless, some common characteristics help explain what its like to sleep on a hybrid.
- All in Balance: Expect that youll have a blend of features including motion isolation, conforming, and bounce.
- Never Get Stuck: On most hybrids, youll notice that it has at least a moderately bouncy feel, making it simple to adjust your position and not feel stuck in the bed.
- Out on the Edge: If you find yourself sitting or sleeping near the perimeter of a hybrid, youll normally notice the stability that comes from enhanced edge support.
- Going Steady: The robust design of a hybrid, including its innerspring support core, provides a steady and reliable feel that you may find comforting.
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Whats Better A Hybrid Or Memory Foam Mattress
A hybrid mattress is better if you want to strike a balance between soft foam cushioning and the support and responsive movement of a spring coil. If all you want is soft foam cushioning then a foam mattress is better.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JOSH HARDY Senior Editor
Josh is senior editor at Mattress Comfort Guide. He is an industry expert with over 30 years of experience in the bed and mattress industry. Josh is a native of Albuquerque and is a graduate of the University of New Mexico. He holds an M.S. in Project Management and a B.S. in Earth & Planetary Sciences.
He has worked in both the retail and manufacturing industries where he has held consultancy roles on mattress design and technologies. Josh has a particular interest in how different mattress types complement body size and sleeping position, and deliver optimal lumbar support. Josh is a keen sports fan and when hes away from the office he likes to play basketball and catch the New Mexico Lobos games with his two sons at the Pit.
Whats The Hybrid In Hybrid Mattresses
Hybrid mattresses combine the classic construction of old-school innerspring mattresses with the comforting top layers of all-foam mattresses. A hybrid mattress will typically have coils and memory foam or latex on top.
If youre well-versed in mattresses, you may have a question at this point.
Dont most regular coil mattresses use memory foam or latex on top?
Well, yes. In some respects, the hybrid name is just a marketing term an evolutionary step rather than a revolutionary one. Hybrid mattresses tend to have a little more foam and a little less of the other comfort materials than is used in traditional innerspring mattresses. Also, the top of the hybrid mattress is typically flatter like a foam mattress, rather than tufted like a traditional innerspring mattress.
The Sealy Posturepedic Hybrid in Ability firm setting has a flat top in comparison to the more traditional Posturepedic mattress below.
This is a more traditional innerspring mattress. The little indents on top are tufting, more indicative of a traditional innerspring mattress. Most hybrid mattresses use a smooth surface instead.
But in the end, what ultimately matters is your comfort. No all-foam bed or even hybrid bed is made for every sleep position. To find optimal spinal support, its best to look for a firmness level that matches sleeping position and provides enough pressure relief and cushioning to leave you well-rested.
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