How to Select the thickness of the mattress? Well, do you need to at all? Most times, thickness is the last factor in our minds when we go ‘mattress-shopping’; at least in Indian homes? Primarily it is the size, the comfort, maybe the durability, and of course, the budget. But, strangely, such an intimate aspect of our life is offered the least consideration. One hardly mentions the brand name of the mattress they bought; after all, it is beneath the sheets! But as you get along with your everyday life and come crashing to your bed at night, seeking some solace and comfort, you often end up with immense backaches. This grows with time, and soon enough, you have been diagnosed with a some-strange-sounding spine problem. However, no one told you that the main cause could be that little piece of ‘detail’ on your bed that could have saved you a lifetime of a medical condition.
Not very long ago, and still quite prevalent in major slices of our Society, Winters is all about getting the new bedding for the home. This includes sunning out the old ones and allowing them to ‘bake-outside’ for hours at end and also having the new ones ‘manually made’ by the ‘Mattress Fluffers’ or the ‘Gadda-walaa’. Usually, these hard-workers would park themselves in the home courtyard for days to mend your ‘bespoke’ mattress. The knowledge of treating the mattress and reviving was a legacy that was handed down to the generation of professionals. But then came along the factory-made ‘foam mattresses’, and everything changed forever.
The introduction of the ‘sleep technology’ bought with it the knowledge that your body responds to the way your sleep at night. This majorly depends upon the ‘quality’ of the mattress you have been sleeping upon. What the sleep technology essentially states is that: just like your shoes, clothes, home, car, your mattress should also be ‘complementary’ to yourself. It cannot be one-size-fits-all; as a general rule, and there are chances that your needs are completely different from your partner, sibling, parents, or neighbours. Thus, the sleep technology bought with it the need for the user to select the thickness of the mattress, the type, the material used, density, Support system, and much more. In a nutshell, it bought in an entire Science of ‘choosing the right mattress with itself’, the thickness being the prime one. After all, when you go mattress-shopping at the mall, you do jump into the one on display to check out the ‘thickness’ it serves. But, this needs some amount of knowledge, practice, and a few vital tips.
Tips for Choosing the Thickness of the Mattress
Firstly, it is never about ‘thick’, ‘too thick’ and ‘thin’. There is a certain method to the entire selection process.
The Thickness of the Mattress Based on Type
The Memory Foam
This is the mattress that ‘hugs’ you when you fall upon it. This mattress type is one of the most popular ones as it ‘supports’ the people with higher BMI to sleep comfortably without the mattress sagging in too quickly over time. The Memory foam is located within the ‘Comfort Layer’ of the mattress, which is 2-2.5 inches in thickness. Thus, it is recommended to ensure that the Memory foam thickness should be below 3-inches at all times. However, the story continues down to the ‘Support Layer’, which itself is up to 6-inches. Hence, on average, a memory foam mattress should be at least a good 7-inches or more.
The Latex Foam
This is the medium-soft, Medium-firm mattress type and has a comfort layer made from PU foam layer quilted to offer added luxury. The rubber-like nature of the latex foam contributes to the bouncy feeling one gets as one jumps upon the mattress. The Latex Foam layer is usually 2-3 inches in thickness and is encased within the ‘Comfort layer’ of the mattress. The big price tag of the product owes to the fact that Latex is derived from the Rubber plant sap. To make the product accessible to the masses, the latex foam is used ‘in-part’ with the Support layer of the mattress. Usually, these mattress types are made as low-density or high density, thus offering you a choice. Also, these are the now-famous Orthopedic mattresses that are making news. Overall, a thickness of 2-3 inches should be just fine when you are opting for the Latex foam.
The Inner- Spring Mattress
This is perhaps the most versatile of the lot as it offers the user multiple choices when it comes to the Support layer, Comfort layer, and the Spring system included. In this type, the material used for the Comfort layer and the Support layer can be anything. However, the strategically placed Spring system in the core layer or/and the Support layer make all the difference. On average, the overall thickness of the Inner-Spring mattress should be about 7-inches.
The Foam-Mattress
In this case, the comfort offered directly depends upon the ‘Comfort layer’ of the entire Mattress system. In this case, the user might experience a feeling of ‘sinking’ into the mattress due to the inadequate ‘Support layer’. This is often compensated with the presence of multiple Comfort layers. Hence the overall thickness of the Foam mattress should be 2-3 inches and should stay within the 6-7 inches range on average.
The Bonded-Foam Mattress
This is one of the most recommended options for people that are overweight. This is also known as the bonded or the rebounded foam and is used in the case of the orthopaedic or the ‘firm-foam’ mattress. These are not too thick as they are engineered to offer uniform reactive pressure. These find wide application as Support or Baselayer in case of any mattress system type and have a maximum thickness of 3-inches. However, if and when used as a core layer in a mattress, the thickness of this particular layer can vary.
The Dual-Comfort Mattress Type
This mattress type comprises varying densities and thickness along with a variation of the Comfort layer as well. Overall, the mattress of this type can be of thickness ranging between 7-8 inches. This is to hold the structure of the mattress on both sides and prevent it from sagging over time. In this case, the Support layer has an individual thickness of about 3-4 inches, and likewise, the Comfort layer is another 2-3 inches in thickness. One must bear in mind that the efficiency of the dual-comfort mattress should be high-density and firm to offer the kind of support expected from this mattress type.
The Advantages Of A Thicker Mattress
As mentioned earlier, the thicker the mattress, the better it ‘feels’. Hence, thickness has its own set of preferences and advantages. Let us take a look at some of them:
Durability: It is a no-brainer that the thicker the mattress, the higher is its longevity. With an average thickness of 6-8 inches, the mattress of this type offer year of good sleep, and this is the reason why Orthopedic mattresses have a thickness of 6-8 inches.
Good Night’s Sleep: Of course, it feels good in an instant. Have you ever wondered why a ‘7-star hotel’ brand charges so high? One of the reasons is a high-quality, super-luxurious bedding system that costs a small fortune and guarantees a good night’s sleep. However, it also involves more room for the Comfort layer and the Support layer to work together to offer you the much-needed ‘feeling of being hugged’.
The Spine: As mentioned previously, an excellent mattress is a great investment if you are worried about your Spinal alignment over time. A nice thick mattress usually comprises inner-spring systems and Supportive foam layers to offer your Spine the much-needed proper alignment.
The Support: Not all of us have the luxury of owning singular sleeping arrangements at all times. Most homes have beds that are shared by multiple members of the family. This can lead to one partner being increasingly and endlessly disturbed due to the sleeping pattern of the other one. Not anymore. With the revolutionary Latex foam or Inner-spring coils, the motion transfer is minimized to ensure that the ‘disturbance’ does not transfer to the other partner every time one wakes up for various reasons.
How to Select the Thickness of the Mattress?: The Conclusion
So my dear ‘Sleepy heads’, it is time to find the thickness of the mattress that suits you the best. Many times we are quick to ‘jump to conclusion’ as soon as we sense that we have found our perfect match in mattresses. However, it is recommended that we wait a while and do a bit of research to find a mattress that is long-serving and comfortable too. For this, it is essential to remember that the ‘thickness factor’ is one of the major aspects to consider.