La-La Land And The Mattresses That Take You There: Which Will You Choose?

Ah, La-La Land, Sleepville, Comfort Zone! All the many euphemisms people use for sleeping are as varied and funny as names for body parts. What is equally as varied and funny are the many different types of mattress vehicles used to help you get to the Sleep Zone. If you walk through a mattress store or mattress department in any retail store that sells more than just mattresses, you may be at a loss for all of the choices you have. Being able to choose your comfort level while you sleep should never be this hard, but it somehow is. Here is a mattress shopping guide that can help you pare down some of the many choices available to you. 

Foam Mattress

Once upon a time, a foam mattress was not the option you wanted because it meant that there were zero coil springs inside and that the foam would eventually flatten and provide no support to your body at all. Foam mattresses then only existed because they were an inexpensive option that was better than sleeping on the hard floor. Now, you have foam mattresses that have been elevated to a scientific status, with memory foam at the forefront of mattress technology. This kind of foam beats all predated foam options because memory foam supports your body and never loses its shape. Between the purely foam mattresses with memory foam and the hybrid mattresses that have coil springs several inches below the thick padding of memory foam, you can find a foam mattress with a comfort level that suits you. 

Coil Spring Mattress

This is the traditional variety of mattress, with several steel coil springs built into the mattress to support the weight of the human body. The greater the number of coil springs, the firmer the mattress and the greater the support for heavier, heftier bodies. If you are like many Americans with a lot of extra weight, you need to choose a firmer mattress with more coils so that the mattress does not immediately lose its firmness and shape. If you are worried about comfort, try a coil spring mattress with "pillow top." 

Pillow Top Mattress

Besides adding an extra one to four inches to the top and/or bottom of the mattress, the "pillow top" of these mattresses is built for comfort. It may be made of memory foam or just dense batting that protects sleepers from coils underneath that may apply pressure to the body's pressure points. When a standard coil mattress is too hard, and the foam mattresses are too soft, a pillow top mattress can meet you in the middle.