A mattress matters to your overall health and well-being, but it can be a pricey investment up front. Consumer reports recommends a new mattress every 7 to 10 years, so think of the cost of a quality mattress as one that can be spread out every night over the course of a decade. That should help put the purchase into perspective.
You should expect to spend anywhere from $350-$600 on a nice king size mattress. One in the $900-$1500 range is more common for a quality night sleep. One with all of the bells and whistles of memory foam, individually wrapped coils, and gel could run over $2000.
Let’s look at the options, one by one.
Innerspring Mattresses
The most common and least expensive mattress is the innerspring. It has metal coils inside of the mattress with foams and fibers on the top. The lower priced mattresses tend to use the older style coil in which they’re all tied together.
The more quality mattresses have stronger springs and will be individually wrapped. If the springs are individually wrapped, they contour better to your body and have less transfer of motion. So, if one person bounces around or changes positions, the partner will not feel it as much. Many innerspring mattresses also offer the added luxury of pillow top.
Specialty Foam
Foam mattresses are becoming much more popular, and they tend to get higher customer satisfaction ratings than innerspring mattresses. There are two major types of specialty foam, latex and memory, and a foam bed will usually have at least one of them, if not both.
Memory foam is probably the most recognized type of foam in bedding. It is a slower-response foam that takes time to return to its normal position. This has the benefit of not causing pressure to the body. Memory foam is often mixed with a type of gel to add additional support and cooling. Some foam mattresses are a bit stuffy.
Latex foam is the other type of common specialty foam. It tends to be more supportive than memory foam, more durable, and feels a bit cooler to the touch. It is not as good at relieving pressure as memory foam.
Most of the time, these types of foam will be put on a base of what’s called “poly foam,” which is just a high density, resilient support foam. Many times, memory foam and latex are mixed.
Foam Plus Springs
Many of the top-rated mattresses offer a mix of both springs and foam. Most feature an advanced pocketed coil technology combined with multiple layers of advanced memory gel foams. They offer support, cooling action, and pressure relief.
Depending on your needs and your budget, a quality mattress in any of these categories can be found. This investment in your overall well being doesn’t have to break the bank. Remember to shop sales and clearance mattresses before making your decision.
