by John McCormick

In the sometimes desperate pursuit of comfortable sleep we are generally confronted with a choice between tree options ” standard innerspring mattresses, foam mattresses and air mattress beds. Though each can meet an individual’s needs, for my money, only one stands out as a clear winner.

Quality sleep is determined by several variables. Firmness or softness ranks as very important. Likewise, how forgiving a mattress is on pressure points is critical. Though difficult to quantify, the level of general comfort and resulting quality of sleep rounds out the picture. In their pursuit of perfection in all these areas, manufacturers employ different technology. That, unfortunately, can require making sacrifices in other areas.

Looking first at innerspring mattresses we find compromises in terms of price. The inclusion of high-end construction and padding will help with pressure point discomfort. Additionally, spring density (the number of springs in a mattress) may be increased for greater comfort. Each of these steps, however, comes with an increase in price. The more comfortable, the more expensive the bed becomes.

Foam mattresses such as those manufactured by Memory Foam or Tempur-Pedic are good alternatives to innerspring mattresses. In particular, these beds shine in areas of comfort and pressure point accommodation without suffering from a substantially increased bottom line. They do require good padding or a topper to offset the ’sticky’ nature of the material (a sensation I find wholly uncomfortable). Of course, you get the benefit of jumping on the mattress without knocking over a glass of wine.

In addition, both innerspring and foam mattresses have the downside of only providing ideal comfort for one sleeper. The level of firmness afforded by the mattress may be ideal for you, but not at all comfortable for your partner. Sacrifices like that are what can lead to one person or the other always waking up grumpy. The only real solution is the purchase of two separate mattresses or beds.

The final option in the quest for the perfect bed is the air mattress. I’m going to show my hand here and talk, specifically, about the Select Comfort bed which is a high-end, everyday use air bed you might recognize as the Sleep Number bed.

Sleep Number beds, like their foam mattress counterparts, are wonderful for pressure point comfort in that they do away with springs entirely. The result is even pressure over your entire body without discomfort in hips, shoulders or joints.

The addition of a topper or pad is key to making both foam mattresses and air mattresses comfortable. In the case of an air mattress, you don’t want to sleep on the cold vinyl of a bare bed. But foam mattresses require the topper for legitimate comfort (to avoid that cocooning sensation I mentioned) while air mattresses only really need the topper to separate you from the material of the mattress itself. The topper isn’t required to adjust the bed’s firmness or softness.

Both foam mattresses and air mattress beds perform well in independent sleep studies. Individual studies may favor one mattress over another, but analyzing multiple studies reveals they perform about equal in terms of general comfort, pressure point accommodation and sleep quality. But here is one area in which innerspring mattresses and foam mattresses can’t compete against the Sleep Number bed.

The real benefit to Sleep Number beds is their adjustable firmness offering and the fact that it is independent on either side of the bed. While this may not be a critical feature to single sleepers (though even they might have times when a softer or firmer setting may become preferable) couples will understand the benefit. Having your own setting allows you to sleep in complete comfort without requiring a sacrifice on the part of your partner.

Foam and air mattresses provide very similar levels of general sleep quality, support and pressure point comfort. The only real considerations in your decision of which to buy are price and flexibility in accommodating different preferences. High comfort innerspring mattresses will generally be the most expensive. A quality air mattress will generally fall between an innerspring and foam mattress in cost. But don’t make the mistake of letting price alone dictate your decision. The money you save at purchase won’t count for much compared to the countless hours you’ll spend in a barely adequate mattress. With great benefits in terms of comfort coupled with the ability to adjust firmness as required without annoying your partner leaves an adjustable air mattress bed like the Sleep Number bed the clear winner in this equation.

About the Author:
For more information on select comfort beds and other air mattress beds for everyday comfort, camping and accommodating guests, visit www.airmattressbedsguide.com

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