Memory Foam Mattress Vs. Coil Spring Mattress

The innerspring mattress has been around for over one hundred years

. During the late eighteen hundreds and early nineteen hundreds, the bed spring was seen as a major advancement in sleep systems. Even in a country that was experiencing explosive economic growth during the Industrial Revolution, many Americans would have been happy with a wooded box filled with straw or old rags. Owning a proper mattress was often a sign of economic wellbeing.

By the nineteen thirties, the innerspring mattress was sweeping the bedding market. The government began to implement strict standards for bedding construction requiring manufacturers to disclose the material content. Coupled with these improved disclosure laws about mattress content and construction, the combination of an innerspring mattress and box spring foundation became the standard by which beds were measured.

So with over one hundred years of design and sales history, the traditional box spring and mattress seemed here to stay. Indeed, a sleep system based on the traditional innerspring mattress has many competing products. Air adjustable mattresses, hard sided waterbeds, soft sided water beds, futons, and foam mattresses all have a share of the mattress market. Still, in spite of the intense competition, the innerspring mattress remains the most popular bedding option in the world.

Starting in the nineteen eighties, a new design in sleep systems gained a great deal of attention. A failed development effort on behalf of NASA provided the impetuous for an entirely new sleep system that would change the mattress market forever. What has become known to many as visco elastic memory foam is not only the primary ingredient in latex foam mattresses, but memory foam has found its way into the design of hybrid innerspring mattresses.

The development of visco-elastic foam was indeed a major development in mattress construction. Comprised of literally millions of tiny air cells, visco-elastic foam has the ability to mold around the body providing a great deal of support. The original intent behind the development of visco-elastic memory foam was its proposed use in manned space flight vehicles.

While breaking free of Earths gravity during lift off, astronauts experience a tremendous amount of G-force. The idea was to line the seats with visco-elastic foam providing astronauts with a more comfortable ride to space. While the original idea had merit, the foam did meet the stringent requirements of manned space flight. The chemical used to produce synthetics like visco-elastic foam out gassed, making the foam unsuitable for use in the confines of a space vehicle.

Promoters of memory foam argue that the traditional innerspring mattress creates pressure points that can interfere with a good nights sleep. This may be true with a less expensive innerspring mattress for several reasons. A cheap innerspring mattress will lack quality materials and fewer coil springs. With fewer coil springs to support body weight, a cheap innerspring mattress will not be very comfortable. On the other hand, a quality innerspring mattress, with a high spring count and sufficient layers of top padding, will create fewer if any real pressure points.

Perhaps combining the best of both worlds, many mattress manufacturers have combined the best of both products in creating the hybrid innerspring mattress. Using an innerspring as the core, layers of latex and memory foam are added. The addition of the foam helps to create a sleeping surface that has all of the support of an innerspring, with pressure relieving qualities of memory foam. Memory foam, as it has come to be called, remains a popular option for many consumers. All-foam mattresses do offer consumers a choice over other sleep systems.

by: Mitch Endick

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