Your Bed Has Foam In It. Yes, It Really Does.

by Joe Alexander February 01, 2013

After years in the mattress business, you pretty much hear and see it all. One of the common misconceptions I see across the board with consumers is their misunderstanding that their bed has foam in it. I really think there is a large segment of consumers who think their mattress consists of nothing more than springs and some type of fabric surrounding the springs. The reason I say this is because I cannot tell you how many times I have mentioned to customers that their bed has foam in it and they insist there is no foam in it. It's simple; all mattresses have some kind of foam layer in the quilting. That said, there are a very few rare exceptions, such as a horsehair mattress, which is no longer mass produced and available at your local mattress store, or like The Sparrow, which is wool and cotton over a coil, but that type of mattress hasn't been produced by the major mattress makers for a long time either. No, most every mattress in the homes of America are produced with a layer of foam above the coils, whether it is a firm or pillow top mattress.

And it is this foam that begins to matte down over time, losing its absorption properties and thus, you start to feel the pressure more and more from the metal coils pushing your body weight pressure back at you, leading to pain in the hips and shoulders. Think of sleeping on the hard floor on your side: not very comfortable. Then, think about adding a few layers of blankets: starts to feel softer, as the layers absorb some of the hardness and provide cushioning. In a typical coil mattress, it is the foam layers which absorb the energy from the springs and creates a comfortable mattress. And as this foam slowly wears out, you slowly develop shoulder, hips and lower back pains.

In a lot of these types of mattress, where all the coils are connected together, it is the foam which provides the support for the curvature of the spine. And again, once the foam layers start to matte down and lose their loft, so goes your back support. Improper support leads to back and neck pain, slowly developing so you just start to get used to it, affecting your quality of sleep and quality of life.

A good friend of mine and friend of the business, Wayne, who owns The Healthy Bed store in Folsom, Ca has a wonderfully informative and eye opening blog call the Mattress Morgue where he has taken lots of photos of old mattresses he has picked up from customer's homes, cut them open and shows what is in the mattresses. This is a very revealing and shocking pictorial of what consumers are sleeping on every night, and its no wonder there are so many consumers in pain!

Sterns and Fosters, very expensive mattress, with cheap foam and fibers

Simmons Firm. Yes, even the firm mattress has foam

Nest Bedding, opening this weekend in San Francisco at 283 9th st and open every day in Albany/Berkeley at 1053 Solano Ave, is dedicated to informing consumers about getting proper sleep and we believe we have the best products available on the market to meet that goal. Come in or call today as we can ship for free throughout the country and our staff are trained to help you choose the right mattress.