Memory Foam vs. Coil Mattress
If mattresses could talk, they would say they are tired of how we take advantage of them. We sleep on them every night, but how many of us pick out a mattress with extra care? Usually it takes aches, pains or lack of sleep to realize that we should think about where we are spending our nights. The two most popular mattress types sold today are coil mattresses and memory foam mattresses. Does this Spark an idea?
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Traditional Coils
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A coil mattress, also known as an "innerspring" mattress, uses wire coils inside the mattress to support the body. According to the Best Bed Guide, the comfort of these mattresses vary depending on certain factors: number of coils per mattress, thickness of coil wire, how tightly wound the coils are, and how tempered the coils are by heating and cooling. Coil mattresses usually contain from 250 to 1,000 coil springs. The more tightly wound the coils are, the more comfortable the bed will be.
Modern Memory Foam
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A memory foam mattress adjusts itself to the size and weight of the sleeper to relieve the pressure on specific body parts that feel stress while sleeping, most notably the back, neck, shoulders and hips. Temper-pedic cites a fun fact about the origin of memory foam. It was discovered through research performed by NASA in the 1970s. NASA wanted to alleviate the stress on astronauts during take-off and their research resulted in a foam that could adapt its form to the human body.
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The Competition Begins
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Memory foam mattresses were first introduced into the market by Tempur-Pedic in Sweden during the early 90s. It was not long before they became popular in the United States and other countries. They quickly began to take over the mattress industry. Memory foam mattresses can shape themselves to your body and adapt to different weights and temperatures.
Memory Foam Complaints
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Robin Obrien, the founder of a mattress rating website, wrote an article that emphasizes that the popularity of memory foam mattresses is due to doctor recommendations. In terms of orthopedics and most medical fields, memory foam mattresses are the healthiest options for the neck and spine. However, Obrien admits that there are customers who still prefer their standard coil spring mattress. They like the bouncy nature of a coil mattress rather than the firm nature of the memory foam. Also, memory foam mattresses can be pricey and there have also been comments about memory foam beds having an unpleasant odor.
Making the Choice
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Humans spend about a third of their day in beds. Choosing the right mattress is an important decision. If a person is choosing to be economical, and does not suffer from back pain or related ailments, a coil spring mattress may be a great choice. On the other hand, if you are going to invest in a piece of furniture, a memory foam mattress could pay you back in the future with years of sleeping soundly with a healthy body.
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References
- Photo Credit luxurious bedroom image by Ritu Jethani from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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emarvinney
May 19, 2010
An exciting, thought-provoking read. I was literally on the edge of my mattress.
