Tips for choosing the perfect mattress

When it comes to resting easy, no two people are the same. When we lay our heads to sleep at the end of a long day, each of us has our own definition of what’s comfortable. The height of the pillow, the amount of light in the room, the level of noise – all these details matter, but at the end of the day, the key to a great sleep is finding the right mattress. We’ve got a few hints that will help you identify the right mattress. 

1. Should your mattress be firm or soft? 

If you like to sleep on your side, soft and ultra-soft mattresses are the way to go. These mattresses cradle your body, cushioning your hips and shoulders, and spread out your body weight. For side sleepers, these mattresses are good for your spine and for older individuals, they’re effective in combating joint pain. 

Additionally, plush and ultra-plush mattresses are great for lighter people. If someone doesn’t weigh much, it takes a softer mattress to compress and adjust to their body. Their sleep will be softer, more comfortable and more luxurious. 

Firm mattresses are ideal for back and stomach sleepers. They offer excellent back support so they work well for people with a history of back ailments. A firm mattress is believed to keep your spine better positioned as you sleep. As the mattress doesn’t ‘give’ with your body weight, it distributes your weight more evenly across your body as you sleep, so none of your joints or muscles are unnecessarily stressed. Memory foam mattresses. However your mattress shouldn’t tip into the overly firm or hard category – this is as bad as a too-soft mattress and can cause much of the same issues such as inadequate support and weight distribution. 

Two of our recommendations are the iGel Spring Mattress, which features memory foam yet still offers your body support, and the iPillow Spring Mattress.

2. How thick should a mattress be? 

The thickness of the mattress you choose depends primarily on your body weight. Simply put, heavier people benefit from firmer, thicker mattresses, while lighter folks can rest comfortably on thinner, more yielding mattresses. It also depends on whether you have any special medical needs. And as mentioned earlier, back sleepers would benefit from a thicker, firmer mattress than side sleepers who can get by with thinner mattresses. 

Bear in mind that even thinner memory foam mattresses can offer as much support as thicker spring mattress. So it’s not just the inches that matter, but the composition of the mattress.  

3. When should you opt for a medical mattress?

Medical mattresses are designed to offer superior support and are ideal for older sleepers and those suffering from back pain. Medical mattresses employ a combination of memory foam and springs that is known to offer better support and weight distribution. For instance the I-Firm Textured Single Medical Mattress comes in rebounded foam overlaid with a soft damask cover. However, if you have serious health concerns, it is best to speak to a doctor about your specific needs before investing in a mattress. 

4. What are the advantages of memory foam? 

We’ve spoken repeatedly over the course of this article about memory foam like it’s the holy grail of mattress materials, but what exactly is memory foam? According to WebMD, “memory foam molds to the body in response to heat and pressure, evenly distributing body weight. It then returns to its original shape once you remove the pressure.” It is believed to hold the body snugly as you sleep, relieving excessive or uneven pressure on any point. 

Of course, an entire mattress is never composed of memory foam, rather it is a layer in the mattress, and this layer of memory foam can vary in thickness. Generally, most mattresses have a bottom layer of thick supportive material, followed by springs, memory foam and finally a softer covering layer. Foam can also come in gel form, or in cooling, anti-allergy variants like this aloe vera mattress. So compare the composition and thicknesses of a different memory foam mattresses before you make a purchase. 

5. What spring should you choose – Bonnell or Pocket? 

Spring mattresses come with a layer of springs that is generally topped with foam. There are two types of springs - Bonnell and Pocket springs. The former have been around for a while now. Bonnell springs are wider at the top and bottom, and narrow in the centre. These springs are tied together and attached to border springs. Pocket springs, on the other hand are coils that are individually arranged in their own pockets of fabric. But what does that mean? It means each spring moves separately to offer superior support. They’re also generally more numerous. A pocket spring mattress offers a great deal of localized movement, which means each time you toss or turn, your partner is not affected. 

However, pocket mattresses tend to be more expensive than Bonnell springs. The comfort they offer is also dependent on the thickness of the foam layer above, so do keep an eye out for that! Check out some of our top selling Bonnell and Pocket spring mattresses to learn more.