Understanding the Benefits of Memory Foam Mattresses

Memory foam mattresses and their hybrid relatives are the mainstream alternatives to traditional innerspring bed sets. But to many, these soft and supportive mattresses are the new kid on the block: untested, unnecessary, just another trend that will soon be replaced by an even greater fad.

In truth, memory foam mattresses are now enjoying their third decade of strong sales. And sales are only getting stronger. Memory foam is slowly commanding more floor space in mattress stores, and more foam-focused brands are popping up each month. Folks are catching on. Across every major bed brand and chain of stores, the benefits of memory foam mattresses are becoming well-recognized.

Nevertheless, some mattress shoppers remain unconvinced. People like sticking to what they know best. It’s human nature. For many shoppers, what they know best are innerspring mattresses bought from a local department store. Their current bed might have even given them 25 years of reliable service. How can you beat that?

For such shoppers, memory foam would have been a rarity the last time they bought a new mattress. And if they’ve heard testimonials, chances are they’re considering outdated stories from a field that has grown immensely in quality and nuance over even just the past five years.

So, now would be a good time to reset expectations. For folks who haven’t yet considered the benefits of memory foam mattresses, we’ve summarized the most important points. Let’s dive in.

Consistent spinal health

Back pain ranks among the main reasons people lose sleep or consider changing their mattress. Too often, a poor mattress leads to a restless night’s sleep. More importantly, it leads to a long and sluggish day ahead. Whether you’re tossing and turning from inadequate lumbar support or trying to deal with a sore back in the morning, an ill-suited mattress makes a sleeper miserable.

So why should I consider anything but a supportive spring mattress?

One of the counter-intuitive principles of physics is that as you press down on a surface, the surface is also pressing up against you. This is easier to appreciate for anyone who has lied down on the padded metal bars of a pull-out sofa.

A significant problem with spring mattresses is that they can’t offer long-lasting, consistent support across the sleep surface. That’s because the springs create more resistance directly beneath the sleeper. As such, areas of the back that aren’t directly supported by a spring will get less support.

Manufacturers try to offset this by having different spring strength in different portions of the mattress, but sleep sensitivities vary so much among people that it hardly makes a difference beyond the sales pitch.

Memory foam offers more consistent support

With memory foam, all parts of the sleeper’s body that touch the bed surface are supported equally. The physical structure of memory foam cells means that this support is consistent over time.

Sleep specialist Donna L. Arand, PhD, says that “when you lie on the memory foam, the heat from your body softens it in appropriate points, so this helps to support your body along the curves and natural lines of the body.” (source)

The physical structure of memory foam cells means that this support remains consistent over time. It doesn’t experience wear and like a coiled spring. This is another reason why spinal support stays aligned for longer with memory foam.

Mattresses that offer zoned support take spinal alignment one step further. Support zones are designed to provide different areas of the body with the right balance between firmness and cushioning. This prevents the buildup of pressure in sensitive areas like the neck, shoulders, or hips, which affects overall sleep quality.

When zoned support is paired with memory foam, a pairing perfected in bed-in-a-box mattresses such as the Octave, the result is highly targeted and consistent support across the body.

Effective, consistent motion isolation

Has your partner ever woken you up by rolling over or getting out of bed? Depending on what stage of the sleep cycle you’re in, or if you are simply a light sleeper, even negligible movement can disturb your slumber on an innerspring mattress. Springs transfer motion. Traditional mattress manufacturers have made improvements to this problem in recent years by better isolating spring networks, but memory foam mattresses are often superior at absorbing motion.

Every mattress reviewed on this site lists its motion isolation score relative to other models. The higher the score, the better the motion isolation, the less motion transfer. (We commissioned these ratings through third-party engineers using professionally validated methodology.)

Good motion isolation means movement on one side of the bed shouldn’t be felt on the other. For couples who go to bed or get up at different times, the switch to a memory foam mattress with an above-average motion isolation score like the Octave can feel like a breath of fresh air after years on an innerspring bed set.

As Arand puts it, “Without the coiled springs, you feel your sleep partner’s movement less.”

The bed-in-a-box industry can save you thousands

Over the last decade, companies like Octave have turned the mattress industry on its head. A high-end memory foam mattress from a branded store can cost over $5,000. That’s the cost of quality these days, you might think at first. But with beds-in-a-box, even king-size models rarely cost more than $1,500 online.

Decades of marketing and personal experience have trained the average person to associate higher prices with better quality. Unfortunately, this quick rule of thumb no longer applies in the mattress industry; it can leave you paying premium prices for a mid-market product. Or just as bad – you may overlook plenty of top-of-the-line mattresses just because their price points are below what you would expect from a luxury item.

Mattress prices are crashing like the cost of computers

Let’s take a quick look at why that is:

• Bed-in-a-box mattresses are often made to order, so manufacturers don’t need to risk producing and storing additional inventory that may someday need to be cleared out at a loss; they can make exactly as many beds as they need.
• They sell their products directly, so the prices aren’t marked up by retailers or middlemen needing to offset their profit margins.
• The product is more compact, so shipping is more efficient.
• Online brands don’t need showrooms or commission salespeople, so that reduces overhead costs further.

After all these gains in efficiency, the online companies still make the same amount of money per mattress sold, but they can afford to sell their products for nearly a third of the cost of what traditional mattress retailers may ask for. Indeed, there are dozens of excellent memory foam mattresses available for purchase online. Most of them have generous return policies.

Other benefits of memory foam mattresses

In addition to reducing pain, providing a more even sleep surface, increasing motion isolation, and saving you money, there are still other benefits to memory foam mattresses. For example, they’ll look newer for longer. Innerspring mattresses that sag can be a real eyesore within a few years.

Memory foam mattresses, on the other hand, retain their shape and look great for years. Also, memory foam mattresses have a reputation for needing to be rotated less often. While many innerspring mattress companies recommend rotating their products every two months, memory foam brands often list six months as the sensible benchmark.