Which mattress is better - cotton or foam?

Cotton and foam mattresses have their own advantages and disadvantages. However, they are inferior in durability to analogs made, for example, of foamed rubber, based on a spring frame and other options.

A mattress is a product in which the ratio of long and short fibers is optimal. Shorter fibers allow for a flatter appearance but reduce overall weight.

The wadded mattress is environmentally friendly and keeps you warm. But there are significant disadvantages:

• cotton wool gathers in lumps, from this the product loses its shape and falls through, is compressed in three months of constant use;
• has unsatisfactory natural ventilation;
• may distort the sleeping posture;
• the material attracts harmful bacteria;
• the maximum mattress service life is no more than five years.

The foam mattress has a number of advantages: easy transportation, compactness and overall reduced weight, elasticity and relative softness. The filler does not get lost, losing its structure, but remains in the given form for a long time. But it is worth considering the disadvantages of foam rubber:

• prominence;
• destruction by moisture, any liquid can turn foam rubber into dust in a few years;
• flammable, quickly ignites, and does not smolder, unlike cotton wool, wool and fluff;
• harmful to health with insufficient hydro and vapor barrier.

Polyurethane products are similar in structure to latex. It is similar to foam rubber - but the quality and durability of the polyurethane foam (polyurethane foam mattress) is better. The mattress with the addition of latex, unlike previous analogues, repeats the shape and curves of the sleeper. Disadvantages - the content of allergens, the product crumbles, increased rigidity compared to latex, it is impossible to fall asleep on hot nights (it does not remove heat), it is lost after three years of daily sleep, increased weight.

Natural is a wadded mattress, and foam is environmentally friendly. Neither product will cause an allergic reaction in the person using it. Mattresses are not stuffed with medical cotton - household cotton is noticeably different from it. Despite its sterility, medical cotton wool is easier to knock off than technical wool.

Foam mattresses retain their shape, wadded ones have mesh stitching. Unlike old featherbeds, which were filled with lamb, sheep or goat wool, but not sewn over the entire plane, modern mattresses are spared from instant dumping when they are moved from place to place. They do not need to be fluffed up beforehand, trying to give them a certain shape - they will not lose it. If the filler is placed on a spring frame, then the mattress will become orthopedic - even with subsidence and destruction of the porous lining, the springs will allow it to retain its factory shape.

It is worth remembering that all mattresses, if they are not impregnated with fire-retardant reagents, burn. Wadded, woolen - smolders slowly, while smoldering can be replaced by fire at any time. Synthetics flare up like a resin torch, capable of burning quickly. No mattress product should be placed near a fire source, for example, when hiking and traveling, or near hot objects. In the best case, you will lose your mattress, in the worst case, you can be seriously hurt yourself.

The mattress should be of acceptable softness. A product that is too hard will cause back pain and a feeling of stiffness. Although semi-hard mattresses are useful for people with osteochondrosis, scoliosis, hardness should be optimally combined with elasticity and softness. The surface of the new product should be flat and smooth in a flattened, unloaded condition.

The new product must be free of foreign odors. Harsh, "plastic" odors indicate the presence of foreign reagents, incorrectly selected during the final processing of the filler. If you can't find a mattress, for example, with a leather cover, then you can use a gymnastic mat instead - as a temporary replacement.

The fabric that makes up the mattress topper and “mattress topper” should not have any defects: fibers creeping and tangling, a crooked or defective seam. The label indicates:

• size (format) of the usable area in the unloaded state of the product;
• the composition of the fabric with which the product is sheathed;
• filler content;
• country, city of the manufacturer.

Choosing a mattress is better than domestic production: for example, the same Chinese products are manufactured according to laws and regulations that often contradict Russian ones. Despite the maintenance of such products at the level of international legislation, Russian users find clear violations. Low-budget production, due to its massive scale, violates some technologies, saves on the quality of raw materials.

Finally, choosing a mattress means investing in maintaining a healthy back. An incorrectly selected product can lead to spinal problems even in initially healthy users. If you are already sick, keep this in mind: problems with the vertebrae and ligaments, back muscles can be significantly aggravated after several weeks or months of sleeping on a low-quality mattress.