Memory Foam Vs. Spring Mattress: What Is Better?
Written by Mehran Uzair
Last Updated on Feb 14, 2023
Shopping for the right mattress can be tricky, with so many different types of mattresses available in the market. The most common mattresses are spring and memory foam mattresses.
Spring mattresses were popular in the 1800s hooking the western world onto them. It is after memory foam mattresses that people switched to using them for more comfort. Comparing memory foam and spring mattresses is still popular today as most people easily get confused between the two.
They both have been people’s most preferred choices, but memory foam mattresses are in the lead with modern technology incorporated. In this article, we will answer why people prefer these mattresses, what is the difference between foam and spring mattresses, innerspring mattresses vs. memory foam, and other such questions that will help you choose the right mattress for you.
What Is a Memory Foam Mattress?
A memory foam mattress is a mattress without springs designed to take the shape of the sleeper’s body. Mattresses that take the shape of the body helps to align the spinal cord better. Hence, it is a great solution for people who have back problems. What makes the mattress durable, soft, and dense are the synthetic foam bubbles that giving it a lifespan of 10 years.
Memory foam beds were invented in the 1900s and became popular and widely used. Its even weight distribution property soothes the aching joints and bones by relieving pressure on them.
To make an informed choice, knowing the pros and cons of the mattresses would be extremely helpful. Let’s dive into some of the plus and minus points of memory foam mattresses.
Pros
- Motion Isolation – The motion isolation property gives you complete comfort while sleeping with someone. This means that when your partner moves, you don’t get disturbed by it.
- Easy Maintenance – Since it’s foam, it reduces the chance of dust to burrow deep and makes it easier for you to clean.
- Even Distribution of Weight – Memory foam is designed to give you maximum comfort. It helps the body to evenly distribute the weight thereby, allowing your body to rest peacefully. These kinds of mattresses are great for people with body pain.
- Excellent Comfort – Unlike a regular mattress, a memory foam mattress gives you supreme comfort.
Cons
- Heat Sensitive – Memory foam often heats up, which might later become an issue for you while sleeping.
- Heavier Than Spring Mattress – Another downside of a memory foam mattress would be its weight. Although it doesn’t have metals, its weight is heavier than a spring mattress.
- Premium Models Could Be Expensive – Memory foam mattresses are cheaper than spring mattresses, but the luxurious models could be a bit heavy on the pocket.
- Unpleasant Odor – Using a new memory foam mattress might leave a stinking smell for 2-3 days and make you feel uncomfortable.
Types of Foam Mattress
There’s no doubt that high-density foam helps your body relax and get the rest it deserves simultaneously, but are you aware of the different types of foam mattresses? Let’s dive into the details quickly! When choosing a mattress, you should compare mattress types, materials, size, and length to know what works best for you.
- Evlon Foam
Evlon foam is famous for being one of the cheapest foams in the market and comes with a tensile strength of 17.19 lbs. These mattresses are mostly used in high-end sofas, and it offers the highest quality of comfort. The downside is that it can be a bit heavy from other mattresses.
- Polyurethane Foam
Polyfoam or polyurethane is another type of mattress that helps you to sleep better. This material is usually used in making sleeping beds. Did you know, it is the first product that can be used raw to build a mattress. Its firm texture gives the body extra support and comfort. The drawback of this mattress is its lifespan. It wears out quickly compared to other mattresses.
- Latex Rubber Foam
Latex rubber mattresses can be hypoallergenic and easy to clean that provides utmost comfort to the body. These mattresses are eco-friendly, breathable, and durable. These mattresses are bouncy and relieve pain easily from the body.
- Memory Foam
Memory foam is a temperature-sensitive mattress and is also called a no spring mattress. Made with foam, it supports the body better and has a very soft texture. One of the key benefits of a memory foam mattress is that it takes the shape of the body when you lie down. Thereby evenly distributing the body weight and relieving body pains.
- Reflex Foam
Reflex mattresses have tiny holes that adjust according to the body shape and bounce back when you get off. They are mostly used in orthopedic mattresses and balance the bodyweight evenly.
- Gel Foam
As the name suggests, these mattresses have tiny gel beads embedded in them. The role of gel beads is to cool down the temperature of the mattress. How these mattresses work is quite interesting, these gel beads are solid and turn into liquid by absorbing your body heat. This makes it a hybrid mattress infused with foam and gel.
Dreamcloud offers gel-infused memory foam hybrid mattresses to give you extra comfort.
- Convoluted Foam
These mattresses are famous for their name, egg box, because of having an overlay shaped in the form of egg holders. It is mostly used as a topper material. These mattresses are good for side sleepers and people who like to toss and turn all night. It also helps in relieving back and body pains easily. If you are one of them who complains about back pains, then a convoluted foam mattress seems like a good choice.
What Is a Spring Mattress?
Spring mattresses were introduced in 1871 and became popular due to their bouncing property. Before the invention of coil spring mattresses, beds were very similar to stuffed large pillows made up of hay, down, cotton, and other filling materials. The idea of adding a spring coil to give extra support was seen as the best invention.
The main role of a spring coil was to support the mattresses, and it added a bouncing effect at the same time. Many hotels and homes were filled with spring beds as it was a popular traditional spring mattress with up to 400 coils in a mattress.
The coil gauge influences the firmness of the bed. Hence, manufacturers had to make sure that the quality, thickness, and material of the mattress were up to the mark.
Pros
- More Support – Coils were designed to support the body, and therefore spring mattresses provide extra support to the body.
- Easy on the Pocket – These mattresses are not heavy on the pocket and are easily available in most shops.
- More Bounce – One of the major advantages of a spring mattress is its bounce-back property.
Cons
- No Motion Isolation – One of the major disadvantages of a spring mattress is that when your partner moves, you’ll know.
- Noisy – Imbedded with springs, these mattresses tend to make noises and this can become a bit uncomfortable for people sleeping on them.
Types of Spring Mattress
- Offset Coil Mattress
These coil mattresses share some properties of pocket coil mattresses as the coils are quite similar. These coils are durable and provide more firmness than pocket coils, and are majorly used for these purposes only.
- Bonnell Coil Mattress
These coils looked like an hourglass and were used in the first inspiring mattress. Some manufacturers still use it today, and they can be made to either soften or harden the mattress. These mattresses are cost-effective and easily available.
- Pocket Coil Mattress
Pocket coils are individually wrapped coils reducing motion transfer significantly. These are the latest coils and are technologically advanced than others. Thus, these are more expensive than other spring mattresses and are very popular too.
- Continuous Coil Mattress
Continuous coil mattresses are more supportive than others and have a continuous coil embedded in the mattress. The s-shape coil makes motion isolation possible in this spring mattress and offers supreme comfort to the person sleeping on it.
Key Differences Between Memory Foam and Spring Mattress
Let’s dive deep into some main features of these mattresses to help you choose a better mattress.
| Features | Memory foam | Spring mattress |
|---|---|---|
| Making | Made up of several layers of foam | Made up of spring coils in the center |
| Cooling properties | It has cooling gels induced in the mattress. | It has an open-cell design that cools the mattress easily |
| Motion transfer | It offers great motion isolation | It has poor motion isolation |
| Support | It offers even support | It offers uneven support |
| Body comfort | Evenly distributes body weight | It does not distribute body weight evenly |
| Durability | More durable than a spring mattress. | Wears out in a couple of years |
| Pressure relief | Elevates body pressure easily by aligning the spinal cord. | It does not elevate the body pressure easily. |
| Sagging | It stays intact for years. | It can easily sag in a couple of years. |
| Price | Premium products can be a bit costly. | It is cheaper than a memory foam mattress. |
Memory Foam vs. Spring Mattress for Back Pain
Many people are known to suffer from back pain and often wonder if spring mattresses cause back pain? In such cases, choosing the right mattress would help. For back pain, continuous coil mattresses or pocket mattresses are great options.
These mattresses offer stiffness and support.
It is known that foam mattresses reduce back pain issues. On the other hand, some people might find that a memory foam mattress is too soft compared to spring mattresses. Side sleepers usually prefer memory foam mattresses as it gives the body complete support.
For individualized support, a Bonnell coil or continuous coil mattress are considered to be ideal. Everyone has different needs, and you too can explore to find out yours. It would be better to compare these mattresses before you decide.
Which Is Better? – Foam or Spring Mattress
To get the utmost comfort, you must know what your body needs. Memory foam or spring mattress, you should choose a mattress that suits your body. Everyone has different needs. If you are a silent sleeper, memory foam is good for you as it provides excellent motion isolation. If you want a firmer mattress, then spring would be the best choice.
There are other things that can help you decide whether or not you should go ahead with a particular mattress. These factors are size, weight, budget, and availability of the mattress.
