5 Must-Have Mattress Features For Sleep Quality
Most mattress buyer’s guides tell you that firmness and technology rule the roost when picking a new mattress. These features are crucial, but there’s more to choosing the perfect mattress than these basic points.
Your mattress should also deaden motion for minimal partner disturbance, maximise edge support so you can use the whole sleep surface, and respond appropriately to your body in a way that you find comfortable.
Join us below to discover five must-have mattress features:
Edge support
Edge support is how well your mattress resists compression at the edge under your weight, letting you sleep right up to the edge of your bed without falling off.
The best technologies for edge support are pure foam and encapsulated pocket springs – pure foam mattresses with a dense core support foam won’t crumple, and pocket springs with encapsulation retain their rigid shape.
Whether a mattress has good edge support is a matter of construction. Some mattresses lack support and will collapse when you sit on them. Look for mattresses that mention edge support as a feature to ensure you get it good.
Here are some options:
Motion isolation
A mattress with decent motion isolation limits the range of movement and motion transfer between you and your sleeping partner.
That means you won’t feel your partner getting in and out of bed, and movement in bed is significantly reduced.
You’ll enjoy more uninterrupted sleeping if your mattress has good motion isolation, and the best technologies for it are pillowtops and latex foams.
Pillowtop mattresses have a thick, additional comfort layer sewn into the mattress top that absorbs impact motion before it hits the support layers. Latex foam only compresses under your body – not around it – to reduce motion transfer further.
A few options:
Cooling materials
Cooling sleep surfaces like memory gel, latex gel, and breathable natural fibres help to regulate your body temperature for more comfortable sleep.
Summer is the season you’ll benefit most from a cooling mattress, but any nights with high humidity and excessive central heating also make it worthwhile.
The best value for money is a memory gel mattress – these sleep-like memory foam mattresses are a little more expensive. The Giltedge Beds Asteria is a decent mid-range option, while the Sleepsoul Paradise Coolgel is a good budget mattress.
Enjoyable responsiveness
The support system in a mattress, such as open coils, pocket springs, and core foam, does not dictate responsiveness. The top surface odes.
Pictured: Giltedge Beds Pinnacle Mattress, 2000 pocket springs for individual contoured comfort.
Some mattresses are bouncy, some have no give, some sink around you, and others push against you to improve mobility.
You probably prefer a specific responsiveness. For instance, memory foam is perfect if you like your mattress to sink around you. But if you prefer it to maintain its shape, so you lie ‘on top’ of it, reflex or latex foam is best.
Wool and other natural fillings provide an airy, breathable top surface with a dense feel you will love if you want a firmer surface.
Anti-allergy coatings
A mattress with an anti-allergy coating will help reduce your asthma and pet allergy symptoms following sleep.
An anti-allergy treatment is a spray coating that penetrates the fibres and layers of a mattress at the factory to prevent allergens.
AEGIS Microbe Shield (found in some Sleepeezee mattresses) and Purotex (Silentnight) are two examples of anti-allergy technologies.
Here are some Silentnight mattresses to consider:
Pictured: Silentnight Geltex 1000 Desire Mattress
Anti-allergy mattresses are beneficial for people with allergies. If you don’t have any allergies, a hypoallergenic mattress will do just fine – these contain materials unlikely to trigger any allergies.
