Shopping for a new mattress can be a confusing process. With hundreds of beds to choose from across dozens of categories, it can start to feel overwhelming. Fortunately, you can narrow down your search easily by focusing on one big question: Do you want a foam or an innerspring mattress?
We’ll focus on the differences between foam versus spring mattresses. By learning more about these two categories, you can become better informed when it comes to choosing the right mattress for your needs.
What’s the difference between a memory foam vs spring mattress, or pocket spring mattress? It all comes down to the materials used and the style of construction. The details of each style are discussed in later sections.
Which is better? There’s no definitive answer to that question.
Of the two mattress types, innerspring beds are the older and more “traditional” option. Some may think of them as old-fashioned, but there are plenty of high quality, comfortable, and modern spring mattresses available.
Foam mattresses are a newer concept, but exceptionally popular. While memory foam was originally invented in the 1960s, the foams used today are far more advanced. Manufacturers now create specialty foams designed for specific applications – cooling, support, pressure relief – and combine them to develop well-rounded mattresses.
When comparing foam vs spring mattresses, there’s no clear “best” or “worst” option. There are simply too many variables to consider to make a generalized claim that one is better than the other.
Rather, it is better to frame the question as a matter of which one is the better choice for you and your needs. Each type of mattress tends to perform better in certain ways, making them generally better suited to the needs of different kinds of sleepers. There is also plenty of variation in performance among models of the same type, making it important to investigate how a roll up mattress is constructed.
What is a Foam Mattress?
Foam mattresses are all-foam beds that are exceptionally popular for online mattress shoppers. They can be made out of a variety of foam materials, from memory foam to polyfoam, and typically contain several unique layers. Foam beds can be soft or firm, budget or luxury, so there is a huge amount of variety within this category.
Foam beds utilize a variety of materials to provide support and pressure relief. There are many types of foams, and often manufacturers will utilize several materials in each mattress.
Types of Foam
Polyurethane (Poly) Foam – Foam made from polyurethane, commonly referred to as simply “polyfoam,” is a very common ingredient in modern foam beds. Polyfoam is known to be much more bouncy and springy than materials like memory foam. Polyfoam is popular for use as a layer in modern all-foam mattresses, as well as for the top comfort layer in spring beds.