Having sold most every major brand out there (Tempurpedic, Spring Air, Simmons, Serta, Sealy, Sleep Number, Dormia, Restonic, Keetsa, etc) I can tell you there is not much to a mattress. Fancy fabrics, fancy labels and fancy names, but a mattress is simply nothing more than a comfortable layer of material on top of a supportive layer, wrapped in fabric. And there is not much variation there: foam on top of foam, foam on top of coils, or foam on top of air or water, or some kind of fiber on top of one of those layers. When you shop at a major retailer and you see their "huge selection" its basically the same firm, medium or soft mattress just repeated over and over again with a different brand and different price. There is the cheap version, medium priced version and expensive version of the same mattress over and over again. It's no wonder the public gets confused when it comes to buying a new mattress.

Let's clear up some myths real quick so we are on the same page. First of all, memory foam. Just like there is a variety of quality in cars, but all are cars, there is a big disparity when it comes to foam quality. When you go to Costco or Walmart, or even your local mattress store running a sale, and you see a mattress set for 299 or 399, that mattress cost about $50 to make. Yes, you read correctly: $50. That's the labor, foam and coils and fabric. And all those mattresses have foam in them. Yes, even the coil ones. There is no "all spring" mattress, nor would you want one. All mattresses, unless otherwise noted, have some foam in them. "Memory foam" is a catchall term for higher density foam, Tempur foam, or the foam you can see your hand print in. And you can see your hand print because the foam is so dense. Dense foam, in the 3.0 to 5.0 density range is ideal and higher quality. Lower density foams wear quickly and are cheaper to make, and that is the foam in the majority of mattresses today, which is why they break down.

Another myth is that the more expensive the better the mattress. And while the mattress might have better quality materials it may not be the best for your particular body and issues.

When you buy a coil mattress you are paying for a lot of air, air between the coils, and that is more profit for the manufacturer. Most people in America are sleeping on a name-brand mattress with coils tied together, the worst thing you can sleep on. When the coils are tied together, they whole mattress moves with any kind of movement in the bed, and it prevents the mattress from contouring to support the curve of your spine. When your spine is in the spine neutral position, the muscles can relax, and you get proper, supportive sleep. The coils tied together force your back to flatten and also causes increased pressure and decreased blood flow, two more issues that prevent proper rest.

The best kind of mattress is one with pocketed coils or no coils. These put a minimum of pressure on your body and contour to your posture, allowing for proper blood flow and lack of pain. Then you can get the rest you need and deserve.

Nest Bedding, located in the Berkeley Albany San Francisco San Rafael area, a natural organic and non-toxic mattress and bedding store carries these proper types of mattresses and can help you choose the right one for your situation.