A recent announcement by one of our competitors, makers of the European-type latex mattresses in Berkeley, Ca touts the benefits of their new metal coils. The announcement starts with the statement: "Coils are the foundation of a mattress."
Coils were invented many years ago for industry, and some industrious inventor realized you could sit and lay on them, and the coil mattress was born. This was a boon for the mattress business, as they were able to spend very little money, as coils are cheap, and sell a mattress for large profits.
Metal coils, however, were the enemy of the public, and yet many brands are still using them, for the same reasons: they are cheap. Metal coils may be the foundation of their mattress and several other mattress makers, but coils are NOT the foundation for mattresses that are built properly. Let me explain...
A metal coil is just that: steel coiled up. That coil, when pushed down on will push back. That is what springs do, they bounce back. When your mattress is made up of a coil foundation, your body weight creates energy due to gravity. That energy is then bounced back towards you, creating pressure and causing diminished blood flow. Why is this a bad thing?
Pressure leads to discomfort. When you are in a deep sleep, getting much needed REM sleep, your body will sense the discomfort and will come out of a deep sleep and move until its comfortable again. The average person on a coil mattress will move many times in the night, essentially struggling to get long bouts of REM sleep.
Coils also lead to diminished blood flow. Micro-capillaries are compressed by the pressure from the coils, slowing blood flow. Ever wake up with a "dead" arm, or one that has fallen asleep? That is what happens when blood flow is diminished. A coil mattress will cause this similar action throughout the parts of your body in contact with the mattress, and it only gets worse as the mattress ages. The foam or cushioning layers between your body and the coil will compress over time, absorbing less and less of the pressure from the coils.
What is the solution? Don't get suckered into thinking coils are a smart choice. Sleeping on a coil mattress could be what is keeping you awake at night. A completely memory foam mattress or organic latex mattress without coils can provide excellent support while allowing your body to relax and sleep relatively pressure-free.
At Nest Bedding, we recommend non-toxic memory foam mattresses and all latex organic mattresses. These types of mattresses provide support without the pressure of a coil for deeper sleep and longer bouts of restorative rest.