How to Choose the Best Foam Mattress

You should be getting up to eight hours of comfortable, good, thorough sleep per night. This is what doctors recommend for you to be clear headed throughout the day. If you aren’t getting the right amount of sleep or the right quality of sleep, then you can trust that your body will know about it and it could very well be the reason for the fact that you aren’t feeling up to the challenge when you wake up in the morning. So, if you aren’t getting quality sleep, could we go right ahead and say that your mattress could be what’s to blame?

Yup. Your mattress. You can have a lot of problems if you don’t have the right mattress, and none of them are pleasant to deal with – for one, it can knock your spine right out of alignment, and that’s about as great as it sounds. The wrong kind of mattress could also result in springs poking into you while you are trying to sleep, or it could be the reason for your respiratory issues or allergies.

If you’re having trouble sleeping, the first place you should start looking is your mattress. But then the question becomes, if you have to look through thousands of different options, which mattress should you opt for? Here’s a look at the different kinds of mattresses available – and a bit more about the best foam mattress you can find on the market today.

Blow up mattresses

First, let’s talk about something that almost nobody talks about anymore, but something that you’ll still see in a lot of apartments belonging to bachelors, campers who never quite got used to the idea of setting up house and couples – who are just plainfully just too broke to buy a mattress: Blow-up mattresses.

They exist in many shapes and forms, but the criteria involves that they’re blown up with air – and that generally makes them cheaper. But this also means that they’re easy to pop, blow down over time and generally just aren’t as comfortable as you’d expect – they’re made for camping, so you honestly shouldn’t expect much more from it. If you have a blow up mattress right now, you should especially consider switching to sponge instead – it’s time to blow the blow up mattress to down. Get rid of it: It’s just hurting your back.

Let’s talk sponge

Next, let’s talk about a sponge mattress. This is the next step-up from a blow-up mattress, and foam mattresses come in several forms, shapes and sizes – the most basic form is a simple sheet of sponge, which also technically qualifies as being a foam or sponge mattress, but should at all costs be tossed right out the door: These are made usually for camping or children, and shouldn’t be relied on for long term comfort – about two or three days sleeping on these and you’ll end up rather sleeping on the floor. Sponge mattresses go flat quickly.

Then, there’s the next level up for sponge mattresses, whereby it’s a mattress with springs that are covered by sponge – some of these are pretty high-level, some of these are pretty advanced, and there are also models of these that are extremely basic. But all of them tend to wear over time – some quicker than others, but none of them are an exception to the rule. All of them will wear, and all of them will go flat over a certain period of time, eventually exposing the springs if you leave it for long enough. You should most definitely replace your mattress immediately when this kind of thing starts happening – your health can only go downhill from there once you start feeling the effects of a bad mattress.

Long-term mattress problems

So, have you known that you should be replacing your mattress soon but managed to ignore it? Of course, many people think that they can ignore it for even longer to come. They tell themselves they don’t have the money right now. They tell themselves they’ll have money for a mattress later. They tell themselves all sorts of lies that are only bad for their health – and that’s the bottom line of it. If you ignore the fact that you should have replaced your mattress six months ago, you’ll suddenly realize why you should have – the symptoms can include being in a lot more pain because you’re not getting sleep, having a spring poke into you while you’re trying to sleep, developing allergies because your mattress is still full of ten years’ worth of dust… Look up videos of dust mites on YouTube to see just what it can do to your bed – and then imagine you’re sharing your bed with millions of those little critters every night. You’ll toss your old mattress right away. But then what? That’s why we’re here.

Next, let’s talk foam instead

Now, let’s talk about the best alternative to everything we’ve mentioned before: Memory foam. Memory foam is great because it literally retains a memory of its original shape, but at the same time it’s able to shift to the shape of your body – or head, in the case of a pillow! Memory foam is made from polyurethane, which is hypoallergenic and won’t freak out your allergies, memory foam offers actual support for your back instead of only being something you sleep on. For people who have back problems and for people who want to save themselves for health problems in the long run, memory foam mattresses and pillows are a great alternative to the traditional: And you’d like to know that it comes recommended by doctors and other health experts on a regular basis, too – because they know what we’ve just told you already: Memory foam can be good for you, and if you’re looking for the best foam mattress, memory foam is your best bet.

Foam is better

Cotton and feathers are literally a magnet for different kinds of allergens; the same isn’t true when we’re talking about memory foam. It doesn’t attract the same sort of nasties to where you lay down your body to sleep, and it’s hypoallergenic so if you have problems with allergies you shouldn’t have any issues to speak of. Traditional sponge mattresses are made (and sometimes not very well) from sponge, wood and springs – these are all things that will be poking straight into you when the sponge wears. Memory foam will almost never have this kind of problem: Foam is overall better. If you don’t have back problems now, getting the right kind of mattress will help you avoid developing them later in life – let’s not forget a little thing called foresight!

What makes a mattress

So, what are the factors that make a good mattress? One has to look firstly at comfort: Can the mattress allow you to sleep comfortably? If the answer here is no, you’re obviously not going to buy it – and if you do, it’s going to be one of those purchases you seriously regret, right? The next thing you have to look at is quality: Is this mattress well-made and will it last you a lifetime? Then, you look at the overall firmness: Is the mattress as firm as you need it to be? If a mattress is too soft, you’re not going to be able to get a good night’s worth of sleep on it at all – and, again, obviously you’re not going to buy it. Are there any other factors that influence you when you’re about to buy a new mattress?

The best foam mattress

When you’re looking for a new foam mattress, you’ll want to take a look at the best foam mattress you can afford: You want good quality, you want durability and you want comfort: You want a mattress that’s great now – and guaranteed to be great in five years. Memory foam needs replacement much less frequently than other mattresses, and it’ll last you a whole lot longer. You want something that offers you the right level of support – and the right level of comfort. A great foam mattress can offer you all of this.

Remember that these, like any other mattresses, are available in varying sizes – and even in varying shapes – so pick one that’s right for you and be sure to measure the space you will be putting it in to make sure that it’ll fit. If you can, test the mattress beforehand so you can be sure it sleeps and sits comfortably – the best way if you’re ordering online is to physically go to a store and see if you can test the same model in the store. Most of them will allow you to, and you have the added benefit of knowing what you’re ordering and making sure that it’s right for you before you buy it. Also decide if you’re going to buy foam pillows with your purchase of a foam mattress – these can really compliment your foam mattress, and there’s no point in buying a new mattress if you don’t have the right, most comfortable pillows to go with it.

About the author

Amy Tokic

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