Should you’re trying to purchase a mattress, I needn’t let you know the analysis course of is complicated. To help with that, we’ve got a whole guide that lays out (no pun meant … OK, partially meant) the place to start. However for now, I’m going to stroll by way of the varied kinds of mattress supplies. My hope is that by the point you end studying this, you’ll have a greater concept of what sort of mattress you’re on the lookout for, which can make your remaining choice that a lot simpler.
To place your thoughts relaxed, let me stroll you thru my credentials: I am a certified Sleep Science coach and mattress tester of over 5 years. I can dissect a mattress blueprint sooner than pouring your morning cup of espresso, I’ve perfected my unboxing kind (as a result of mattresses are heavy), and I can recite the manufacturing technique of main mattress supplies at any given second. It is a enjoyable celebration trick, however it makes me what I like to consider as the ultimate boss of mattress testing. My teammates additionally know their stuff (we sleep on mattresses we take a look at for every week or extra, then report again on our findings), which helped us compile this listing of the best mattresses of 2025.
So, again to selecting a sort of mattress: Regardless of the recognition of mattresses in a field and the picture they undertaking in our heads, it’s a lot greater than an oblong piece of froth you sleep on. There are 4 most important kinds of mattresses: innerspring, hybrid, reminiscence foam, and latex. To assist me clarify these supplies much more, I requested John Merwin, CEO of 3Z Manufacturers (guardian firm of Helix, Birch, Bear, Nolah, and Leesa) and founding father of Brooklyn Bedding, to weigh in as effectively.
Innerspring
Fact be informed, that is extra of a historical past lesson than a sort of mattress you need to store for (except you actually love this type of mattress; to every their very own). “Conventional” innerspring mattresses are the firm-feeling beds you most likely have early recollections of, provided that the make-up is simply innerspring coils wrapped in a canopy. It’s simply as squeaky as you most likely keep in mind, too, because the coil kind used entails connecting every coil to work as one unit.
These are Bonnell coils, they usually join each laterally and vertically. All to say, if you lie down and your weight is pressed into the mattress, all these coils act as “one for all and all for one” and concurrently compress down. It’s not going to work wonders for strain aid like trendy hybrids will, however it’s extremely responsive, which implies it’ll pop again into its authentic form as you progress round. So for those who’re a sleeper who strikes round between sleeping positions, coils are characteristic to have, so that you’re getting near-instantaneous assist.
Why aren’t conventional coils within the works with mattresses these days? In line with Merwin, upgraded pocketed coils far outperform conventional ones.
“Not like conventional coils which might be wired collectively and transfer as a unit, pocketed coils are encased individually, which permits every coil to reply independently to motion and strain,” he mentioned. “This design minimizes movement switch, so when one particular person strikes or will get away from bed, their companion feels far much less disruption. It additionally supplies extra focused assist, contouring to the physique in a means that improves spinal alignment and general consolation.” When you can nonetheless discover innerspring mattresses with conventional coils on the market, they’re usually getting phased out in favor of hybrids. Fact be informed, I’ve solely examined lower than a handful of them through the years. Should you’re lifeless set on this mattress kind, all energy to you, and have enjoyable in your private mattress treasure hunt.
Hybrid
Conventional coil mattresses have advanced into hybrids, which is what you’ll probably encounter on in the present day’s mattress market (except for latex and foam choices). Hybrid mattresses are extremely customizable, permitting you to choose and select what you need in your mattress, whether or not that’s a mixture of froth and coils, latex and coils, and even a mixture of the three. Many mattress critiques will use the phrase “better of each worlds” to explain hybrids, as this mattress enables you to pattern the design points of the supplies concerned. You may get the strain aid you want from reminiscence foam or latex on prime, however ample assist from the coil core (to not point out the aforementioned responsiveness from coil inclusion).
Courtesy of Nolah
Talking of coils and reminiscent of conventional mattress design, the kind of coil utilized in hybrid mattresses issues too, because it improves upon the design of the Bonnell coil. The key phrases to search for are “pocketed coils” or “individually wrapped coils,” which make up the principle assist mechanism of a mattress. As an alternative of being interconnected, every coil stays in its personal lane (pocket, actually) and can compress uninhibited by the opposite coils round it. In different phrases, the place there may be extra weight, the mattress will really feel firmer.
That is particularly relevant for areas the place physique weight is centralized if you’re mendacity down, notably across the hips and shoulders. Pocketed coils are additionally meant to outperform conventional ones within the movement isolation enviornment, which means that if you transfer round, the person coil takes the warmth motion-wise and stops the mattress from reenacting a small earthquake. With the interconnectivity of conventional coils, it doesn’t take a lot for the sensation of motion to journey alongside the complete floor of the mattress.
