Mattresses are made available in two main categories. This will be innerspring and foam type mattresses. These mattresses look the same on the outside for the most part. It’s tough to tell the difference just by looking unless you are already keen to the subject. The choice between the two depends on your usage. They will both be seen along most price points you will be looking into, including some very cheap mattresses.
By far the one you will see most used and sold is the innerspring style. This type of mattress, as the name implies, has springs inside the mattress made of steel. These coils are surrounded by a tougher spring border for the outer springs and have special support at the edges so your mattress has support in as much surface area as possible. It is usually combined with other materials inside, like a padding of foam, filler, and more. Usage of spring and foam gives support for laying down, as well as a comfort from the foam. Different lengths of springs and stiffness of foam will determine how hard the actual mattress will feel when you lay down (and how high you can jump on the mattress!). Innerspring mattresses are made of three major parts. The first is the box spring. This part supports the rest of the mattress. On top of that, we have the springs and the actual layers of foam or fibers for comfort. It is the box spring on which the steel coils and foam lays on top of.
There are actually a few varieties of springs available inside mattresses. One is the Marshall coil. This type of spring actually has innersprings separated in its own sections divided by fabric. This design helps isolate movement from one coil from being transferred to another. There has been commercials in which someone places a wine glass on the bed, and a foot or so away, someone else drops a bowling ball onto the bed. It is the Marshall type coil that prevents the wine glass from destroying the mattress!
Secondly, there is the continuous coil. This is the most costly option available of all mattress springs. Continuous coils are made in rows along the mattress from only one piece of wire. This design gives the mattress more support than the other types available. It is also known to be one of the longer lasting options as well.
Another option you have for mattresses is the Bonnel or open type that have a special type of coil inside. They are shaped into hourglass type shapes and are connected to wire spirals. This design was made for very strong support. However, you may not be looking for this style if your priority is durability.
Coils have advanced a lot from past coil designs. Having more coils used to mean that your mattress would be more comfortable to lay on, but with recent advancements, the actual number of coils is no longer the determining factor. Many advancements in mattresses have been made to be able to offer a more supportive and comfortable mattress with less coils.
As discussed earlier, foam mattresses are another option you have. Different types of foam are put into all mattresses so it’s good to know what you’re paying for. Latex is one popular material. It is good if you have allergies so you won’t be sneezing all night during your sleep. This foam is comfortable and usually one of the more affordable options of cheap mattress sets. Second, there is a soy foam, which is made to be biodegradable. A growing concern about going “green” has sparked the availability of biodegradable and organic mattress options. Lastly, there is memory foam. The foam in this mattress is meant to conform to the shape of your body for more comfort and better support and is the most expensive type of foam mattress available.