How to choose a mattress

A person’s well-being is determined, among other things, by the quality of sleep. A good mood and increased performance after a sleepless night, or after an uncomfortable sleep on an unsuitable bed are out of the question. Therefore, choosing the right mattress is key to your well-being.

A mattress selected according to the recommendations of experts is necessary not only for a good night's rest. It protects against the development of diseases of the musculoskeletal system, and also allows people with problems in the spine and other painful sensations to sleep comfortably.

Types of mattresses and their features

Springless ones have been around for a long time, but they are inferior in popularity to spring ones. The point, rather, is a certain conservatism of buyers, since both of these types have their advantages and disadvantages.

On springs

Springs are a classic means of shock absorption. The rigidity of cold-rolled steel and its resistance to wear make them durable and reliable. It is customary to distinguish between two types of structures:

• classical, also known as Bonnell;
• independent.

A distinctive feature of the bonnell type design is that the springs are connected into a certain system; they are a single whole. The connection is made by simply twisting the springs with wire or ropes. Springs usually have a cylindrical shape, less often - cone-shaped.

An independent spring unit consists of elements practically isolated from each other. Each spring is placed in a case and takes the load independently. The consumer properties of a mattress are affected by the number of springs per unit area. A square meter can accommodate from several tens to several thousand (!) elastic elements. Used as a support for such a spring latex, coconut coir and other materials. Along the perimeter, the spring block can be framed with polyurethane foam or the same latex.

It should be noted that prefabricated springs are also used for mattresses. For example, inside a larger spring there is a smaller one, both in diameter and in height. If the user's weight exceeds a certain limit, smaller springs come into action, thereby increasing the shock-absorbing properties.

Without springs

Springless mattresses, which contain foam rubber as a filler, have been popular for a long time, especially for equipping children's beds with them. But the use of new fillers makes it possible to produce products with fundamentally different custom properties.

A mattress with foam rubber is inexpensive, but has one significant drawback - the fragility of its springing properties. Quite quickly, foamed polyurethane, as a soft material, wrinkles, loses its shape, and therefore its value as a filler. But this drawback is more than compensated for by modern fillers. This:

• natural or artificial latex;
• coconut coir;
• latex polyurethane foam;
• other materials with good shock-absorbing properties.

The most successful solution is combined options, consisting, for example, of layers of coconut coir and latex. The manufacturer can finely adjust the rigidity without increasing the weight and height of the product.

Advantages and disadvantages of different types

A mattress with a dependent spring block tends to lose its shape quite quickly. In the lying area, which bears the greatest load, a depression is formed and rigidity is lost. But the main advantage is the relatively low price.

A product with independent springs is good because it allows you to evenly distribute the load, depending on the structure of the user’s torso, his weight and other features. In addition, such a product does not creak, since there is no friction between the springs. The obvious disadvantage of this solution is the cost.

Springless ones have a wide range of characteristics. By combining types of filler and their quantity, manufacturers achieve different levels of hardness, firmness and elasticity.

Among other things, natural fillers are environmentally friendly and do not pose a threat to the user’s health. Naturally, products with natural fillers are more expensive than those with artificial ones.

Which mattress is suitable for whom?

A foam or other soft mattress is suitable for children or users weighing up to fifty kilograms. With a dependent spring block they are a thing of the past. But their use for, for example, a bed on which you sleep infrequently is quite appropriate.

Products with combined filling, as well as with independent spring blocks, should be selected individually, depending on personal preferences, anatomical features and health status.

Types of fillers

In addition to the already mentioned coconut coir, various types of latex and foam rubber, holofiber, memory mold and other materials produced by the modern chemical industry are used as fillers for mattresses. It should be noted that you should not immediately discard materials whose complex names indicate artificial origin. It is not at all a fact that all of them are harmful to health, but technologists have learned to produce fillers with specified properties, and this in itself is positive.

Coconut coir is popular for several reasons. It creates the required level of rigidity, up to achieving some massaging effect. Coir, which is shavings from the inner parts of a coconut, is especially often used to make children's mattresses. Among other things, this material is affordable.

Under latex one should understand the type of elastic materials of artificial or natural origin. Latexes have a wide range of properties, which makes it possible to assemble a mattress of any kind according to its characteristics. Natural latexes are more expensive, but also preferable for environmental and anti-allergenic reasons.

The main disadvantages of the usual type foam rubber (foamed polyurethane) is low rigidity and low wear resistance. But there are types of foam rubber or combined materials based on it, the characteristics of which look more attractive when it comes to filling for mattresses.

Memory Form, the main feature of which is clear from the name, is a material based on polyurethane foam. Under the influence of temperature and the weight of the user's torso, it collapses, holding the resulting shape for some time. This property is useful for people with certain pain syndromes, it helps reduce pressure on the body. But the advantages of memory form are offset by the limited time for memorizing the form and special requirements for temperature conditions.

Holofiber and other similar fillers They are a mass of spiral-shaped lumps of nylon or other synthetic fibers. The shape gives them elasticity, which is a valuable property. Holofiber is relatively inexpensive, so it can be classified as a budget segment.

Upholstery fabrics for mattresses

Fabrics based on cotton, polyester and other natural or synthetic fibers are used for upholstery. Manufacturers are more concerned about tactile properties and upholstery design, which in itself is good. Buyers are also interested in the strength of the fabric and other characteristics that determine the durability of the product.

Cotton, linen and other natural fibers are preferable, but sometimes their cost is too high. Polyester and other synthetic fabrics in their pure form are materials that should be avoided when choosing upholstery.

The correct choice of upholstery is the choice of combined materials with specified properties. Jacquard is a fabric made from a mixture of synthetic and natural fibers, often impregnated with a special substance with anti-allergenic properties. As an argument for choosing this particular upholstery, we can say that it is used in the production of premium-level mattresses.

Features of choosing a mattress for double and single beds

Double bed

The requirements for a mattress for a double bed are more stringent because two people can:

• have different weights;
• have different preferences;
• have health problems.

There are several solutions to problems. Some of them are universal, some are temporary. For example, there are products whose rigidity is different on each side. But if you choose such a mattress, it turns out that one of the spouses will sleep in uncomfortable conditions. Much more attractive is the option in which the rigidity varies along the longitudinal axis. That is, one part is more rigid, the other less.

You can simply purchase two mattresses with different characteristics, or choose an option with nested springs (the so-called DS block). Moreover, manufacturers also offer double mattresses, each half of which differs in the number of springs and their properties, and even in the composition of the filler. So the difficulty of choosing a product for a double bed lies rather in the wealth of choice.

Single bed

The owner of a single bed can choose a mattress according to his personal preferences, both in terms of design and hardness.

Which hardness to choose?

Experts advise for overweight people:

• up to 50 kg, choose soft ones;
• up to 90 kg – choose products of medium hardness;
• more than 90 kg – hard.

But these recommendations are very general. An orthopedic mattress should first of all be comfortable for the person who will sleep on it. It is desirable that it does not cause deformation of the spine, which is possible both in the case of too soft and in the case of too hard option.

Which size should I choose?

Manufacturers produce double mattresses ranging from 1600 to 2000 mm in width. The length is determined by the wishes of the customer, but the vast majority are no longer than two meters. The minimum width for a single bed is 800 mm.

In order for a double bed to be comfortable for both spouses, its length should be approximately twenty centimeters greater than the height of the tallest spouse. The width is determined by the physique of the users. Don't forget about compliance mattress size bed parameters.

Conclusion

The difficulty of choosing lies in the wide variety of offers. But it is recommended to approach this process carefully and not try to save on your own health and comfort. The information that a person spends almost a third of his life in bed is trivial and known to everyone.