Sleep is important. A huge contributor to that is the type of mattress that you sleep on each night. Whether or not you wake up feeling rested actually depends largely on the age of your mattress and the condition it is in. If it is time to buy a new mattress, you are likely aware that there are countless options out there for you to choose from. So how do you know if you’re choosing the right one?

Here are the different types of mattresses and the benefits they can serve you.

• Innerspring Mattress

An innerspring mattress uses a steel coil support system. There are several types of spring systems:

• Springs connected in a single unit

• Units with individually wrapped pocketed coils

• And more!

The shape of the springs, the overall design, the gauge of the coils and the number of coils in a mattress can vary. This innerspring is covered by padding or upholstery materials. Usually, the greater the number of coils, the more points of support you will get and the better that the mattress can contour and support you while you sleep.

• Pillow Top Mattress

This is exactly as the title suggests, with mattresses that have an additional upholstery layer sewn onto the top of it, much like as if pillows were placed on the top. Usually this layer is made from a variety of fiber and/or foam materials.

• Hybrid Mattress

This mattress combines a steel coil support system with one or more types of foam such as polyurethane, memory foam or latex.

• Gel Mattress

These use foam that contain gel in the support system and/or upholstery layers. This gel is added to the foam using different types of technology. This foam can offer buyers comfort, feel, and heat dissipation features.

• Specialty Foam Mattress

These use one or more types of foam as the support system. This foam can be made into a variety of shapes and densities that can offer buyers a mattress that has a different comfort, feel and other features such as heat dissipation.

• Memory Foam Mattress

Also called viscoelastic mattresses, they use a high-density polyurethane foam as the support system. This foam will contour closely to the shape of the sleeper.

• Latex

Latex mattresses use latex foam as the support system and/or the upholstery layers. This latex could be made from plant or petroleum based materials.

• Airbed

Airbeds have an adjustable air chamber as the support system. This should not be confused for an air mattress. This air chamber is covered by padding/upholstery materials of various foams and fiber. Airbeds can allow adjustment of the firmness and can allow each side of the bed to be controlled separately in order to meet the individual needs of couples. They are also designed to look like a conventional bed.

• Waterbed

​Waterbeds use a water chamber as the support system. The water chamber can be ‘free flow’ where nothing obstructs the flow of water in the mattress or ‘wave less’ where fiber will limit the motion of the water. There are two types of waterbeds:

• Hard-sided: has a water chamber inside a rectangular wood frame.

• Soft-sided: has a water chamber inside a rectangular rigid foam frame inside a fabric casing.

Like other mattresses, the chamber is covered by padding/upholstery materials such as foams and fiber. Both types of waterbeds usually rest on top of a platform and are designed to look like a conventional bed.

These are the various types of mattresses, and with this guide, you can choose the right one depending on your sleep preferences.

All credit goes to Comfort Plus Furniture