The Advantages of a Soft Vs. a Firm Mattress

Coils

• Mattress companies get all their coils from Leggett and Platt, so the coils are the same throughout all mattress brands. The firmness of the mattress partially has to do with the gauge of the springs and the number of springs in the mattress. An increase in spring quantity and gauge generally leads to a greater cost, since the mattresses require more material to construct. Softer mattresses have higher gauges, which are thinner coils. However, the coil count creates a difference in firmness that is so minimal that it’s barely noticeable.

  The coil quantity is not as important with innerspring, since improvements in high-carbon-steel allows for mattresses to still be high quality without a large number of springs. However, mattresses with less than 300 coils are usually poor-quality, according to Ohio State University.

Pillow Tops

• The pillow tops can make the mattress softer to lay on. However, they counteract the effects of the innersprings, thus making them a waste of money. Firmer mattresses without pillow tops are cheaper and those who want a softer mattress can buy a foam or cotton mattress.

Memory Foam

• Most people are familiar with innerspring mattresses, since they are cheaper than memory foam. Memory foam is usually softer, but it takes a while for much people to get used to the way the memory foam conforms to their body, so some people might choose a firmer innerspring mattress as a result.

Research

• For those with lower back pain, the traditional recommendation was to use a firmer mattress. However, a study conducted in Spain discovered that those who sleep on a medium-firm mattress have the greatest reduction in back pain among patients with chronic, non-specific, low back pain. However, the study does not necessarily show that medium-firm is a better mattress, because most of the participants on the medium-firm mattress slept in a fetal position. The researchers did not compare firm to soft mattresses since the participants would have easily distinguished the soft from the firm and would have more likely had biased responses. However, this study suggests the firmest mattresses do not necessarily lead to less back pain. Very soft mattresses that sag can cause back problems. However, placing plywood or slats under the mattress base can firm it up.