The mattress is the most vital single component of a bed for comfort, particularly if you choose a bedstead which is essentially a stylish base to support the mattress and without a sprung base.
I will cover bed and bedstead advice in a later post
Modern technology has changed the mattress beyond recognition from its earliest predecessors of only 20 years ago. Using high tensile steel in springs, topped with layers of traditional felt, wool, cotton and more modern fillings of foam, latex, polyester padding, manufacturers can now combine all or some of these materials to give you different 'feels' like never before. Indeed the latest trends are towards no springs and different density layers of high resilient foams and, or, latex and polyester.
For simplicity I have grouped mattresses into 5 groups:-
1. Open Coil Spring Mattress - These are what most people have - a 'normal mattress' you might say
2. Pocket Sprung Mattresses - Individual springs in pockets - a very different feel to a normal mattress. Most people who try and get used to pocket springs find it very difficult to go back to and open coil mattress as they find it umcomfortable
3. Latex + Memory Foam The newest types of mattress - the foam molds to the countours of your body
4. Combination of Memory Foam, Latex + open coil spring unit. These are a popular alternative to a pillow top mattress (which is a layer of padding on an open coil sprung mattress) as the padding effect is more durable.
5. No Turn Mattresses designe dto be one way up only. Most mattresses should be turned a few times a year to spread the wear and tear, but it would not be necessary to do so with one of these mattresses
