Mattress 101

Innerspring

• Innerspring is the most widely purchased type of mattress on the market. Consisting of tempered steel coils covered by layers of upholstery, this mattress offers a full range of comfort options. Innerspring mattresses are available in everything from soft to firm. Don't count on the number of coils it contains to tell you if it's a quality mattress though. It's the combination of top quality coils and superior upholstery materials that determines the quality of a mattress.

Foam

• Like innerspring mattresses, there's a wide range of firmness options available in foam mattresses. A solid foam mattress is made of a solid core of of several different layers and types of foam that have been laminated together. Foam mattresses provide comfort and performance.

Airbed

• Airbed mattresses look like a traditional mattress and box spring combination, but the core is filled with air instead of steel coils or foam. One benefit of air mattresses is that they are typically designed to be adjustable, giving individual sleepers a choice of firmness.

Adjustable

• Adjustable bed mattresses are specifically built to allow for a flexing motion that allows the bed to be adjusted at the head and foot. These mattresses can be innerspring, foam or a combination of two.

Water Hybrid

• A water hybrid mattress also looks like a traditional mattress, but rather than steel coils or foam at its interior, it is filled with water. It is the level of water that provides the support, while the upholstery provides the insulation and surface comfort. If you're going to opt for a water hybrid mattress it is especially important that you look for a model that has been designed for maximum durability.