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My husband and I have slept on springless mattresses the entire time we’ve known each other — so we’re coming up on six years of no-springs-in-our-bed glory. It’s been so heavenly, and so long since I’ve been on a bed with springs for more than one night in a row, that I forget just how uncomfortable they can be.
We recently downsized our bed (living in a small space with a kid will do that to ya) and purchased this amazing little wonder for $359 — shipping included. Besides being super inexpensive, I have four more reasons why a springless mattress can rock your world:
They’re not super bulky
Our mattress came in a relatively tiny box (compared to some that I’ve seen), and it’s six inches thick. NOW WAIT: I’m sure some of you are all “WHAAAAAAAT? I need a mountain of clouds to sleep on!” Let me assure you: this is what I said to my husband when we first talked about getting a new bed. I NEED CLOUDS FOR MY SLEEP! But he convinced me otherwise, and once we began our springless sleeping adventure I soon realized he’s totally right.
They shape themselves around you in no time
My favorite feature of springless mattresses is that the top will shape itself around your body shape. I’m a bit of a tosser and turner, so I thought this wouldn’t work for me — but it does. After a week or two of sleeping in them, our mattresses have always shaped themselves around us. I can’t completely describe what it’s like to sleep in a bed that is formed around your body until you’ve done it, so I’ll just say: it’s awesome.
They don’t drive you crazy with weird pressure points
There is NEVER an uncomfortable spot on a springless mattress! No random coil that’s kind of digging into your hip or the back of your knee — it’s a smooth surface that makes for smooth sleep. Granted, there are some amazing coil mattresses that prevent this, but they’re also pretty expensive. If you’re on a budget (or have serious back pain) and looking for a mattress that will make your bed a nice play to be, springless may be the way to go.
They won’t aggravate your allergies
Most springless mattresses are hypoallergenic. My husband has asthma and is allergic to dust (lucky guy!), so it’s imperative that he sleeps in a bed that doesn’t trap dust mites and other various allergens.
Like I said: they can be pretty cheap
Expensive options always exist, but the brand of mattress we bought (Nectar) is super affordable, and they always have sales. Get on it!
Do you just use traditional box springs underneath the foam mattress? We’ve been trying to figure out what we want to do to replace our old mattress and can’t decide if you get a new set of box springs with the foam ones or not.
We actually just have wood slats underneath and have never had any problems with it!
Hi all,
Did it improve remembering your dreams?
Thanks,
Ellie
You can use your old box spring with your new foam mattress. The foundation only really gives you height so there’s no gap between your mattress and headboard. If you have a platform bed (with slats) you can get away without one.
Hope this helps!
My partner and I splurged for a Sleep Number bed, so while it’s not quite the same design as yours, it is springless. One of the other awesome things about springless beds is that they are quiet and still. My partner can get up before me, go to bed after me, or toss and turn… and my side doesn’t wiggle or squeak at all. That’s also nice during “other activities,” and I can imagine especially so if you have thin walls and roommates/kids/apartment neighbors who don’t want to listen to your squeaky bedsprings.
WORD! on the lack of squeakiness. 😉
Colleen, my hubby and I have a sleep number and its truly a love/hate relationship with the bed. I love that I can have my bed somewhat firm and his side can be like a hammock. The downside is falling in the middle and sleeping practically on top of my husband.
Yes, true. We’ve actually settled on somewhat similar firmness levels (for now, at least) so that mitigates the problem a bit. The firmness still feels different if I lay on my side vs. his side, though, because his is calibrated to his body weight and vice versa. It is kind weird to have half the bed feel different than the other half. Definitely not for everyone!
yay! we are spring-less too, love foam!
This may be a … unique question, but what if you don’t always have the same person sleeping in your bed? It’s super comfortable to sleep on a mattress formed around your body shape, but how comfortable is it to sleep on a mattress formed around someone else’s body shape? Or if two people spend equal time on one side of the bed does it just get oddly compressed and lumpy?
Hmm! Totally an interesting question! I mean.. let’s see. In our case it’s not like the mattress forms a perfect groove around our body shape, it’s more like it just gets more and more comfortable with you the longer you sleep in it. I like springless so much I’d go out on a limb and say it’d be fine, but I think this is definitely a question better answered by someone who has a similar situation. I hope someone else weighs in!
A simple experiment (if you’re willing): switch sides of the bed with your partner for a night. Still comfy?
Totally willing! I’ll report back tomorrow. 🙂
My husband and I don’t swap sides when we’re both in the bed, but if one of us gets up early, goes to bed late or is away that night it’s a bit of a free for all. I tend to sleep in a weird face down starfish type position in the middle of the bed (taking up the entire thing), he will just steal my side. It feels different but it’s not uncomfortable or lumpy.
Our matress is fairly solid and feels very firm so like Stephanie said there’s no noticable groove, but when you’re lying on it in your normal position it feels like the bed is wrapping around you a little bit, moving with you.
Starfish position REPRESENT!!
if it is a cheap one like the one Stephanie speaks of (and like the little more expensive but still cheap compared to name brand) It would depend on how often the sleeper changes and if there is 1 person always sleeping in it. before my husband and I got married the few times I stayed the night for just 1 nihgt the bed was heaven! BUT now that we are married the bed has formed a duckduck sized hole in the middle from the 4 years he had it before we got married and now about 7 nights out of the month I just can’t take it and I go to sleep on the couch. When we can afford to get a new bed (lets face it a kitchenaide stand mixer is on the list before a new bed) I’m not so sure I will opt for getting another foam mattress. and our bed doesn’t swqueak, but the frame does and the wood creeks like an old house making the bed louder at night romps.
You know, I’m not sure if this is just because of the mattress. My husband and I have always had foam mattresses, and we’ve been together (and sleeping in the same bed) for six years and never had this problem. In fact, for the first year we used the mattress he had already used for four years and it was totally fine, AND we’ve always bought cheaper versions of springless mattresses — never spent more than $250 for one.
This is a similar problem we also had with our foam mattress. Ours is a cheapie from Ikea and, after four years of constant use by my partner and I, and our two 45+ lb. dogs, it’s compressed itself into an uncomfortable mess to where neither of us can get a good night’s sleep. Like in many things, you get what you pay for and quality does matter. We’re now shopping around for a new mattress and we’re considering opting for a combination mattress–one of the kind that has a layer of foam *over* a spring mattress.
Anyone know how these work out for fat folk? My partner and I plus kiddo is around 700 pounds and our situation is currently miserable
You know, I can’t speak with total authority, but the springless mattress we have is pretty firm and gives a lot of support. I would IMAGINE that a springless mattress maybe combined with some kind of mattress topper would be awesome?
I have a springless (futon) with a mattress topper it is AMAZING! It is sleeping on giant fluffy clouds, much more so than a spring mattress is
I was wondering the same thing. My boyfriend and I are in desperate need of a new mattress. Our current one has developed a pointy spot that’s driving me crazy. And I’m a side sleeper with giant hips so I’m hoping a springless mattress might be exactly what I’m looking for.
@Courtney as a plus sized gal with a chubby guy (around 450lbs)and a foam mattress I can tell you that, we love it! Totally comfy. We bought ours from ikea (of all places)and while the cost was above what is approximated here it has been well worth it!
My boyfriend and I are on a springless latex mattress (yes you can make this work with a latex allergy, just get an allergy cover, we did) with pine slats underneath. Together are probably between 600-650 lbs and we both love it. We’ve actually had less problems than with regular mattress plus box spring, as in, haven’t broken the supports, no pressure points, super comfortable. And we’ve never had an complaints from sleepover guests. Also, it’s just as comfy laid out on the floor.
Definitely agree about the floor part — we only recently bought an actual bed (our first in 6 years), and before that always had the mattress on the floor or on a metal frame.
I know this is late but for those just coming to the party: my husband is quite large, and we have a memory foam mattress. I did some research and for those who are larger, you want to get a mattress that is thicker. At least 10″-12″ thick depending on how large you are. For that weight you mentioned I’d go for 12″ thick at least. The thinner it is, the more you will compress it and feel what’s under it when you sleep. You want thick AND high density foam. The nice folks at the mattress stores can help with that part I think.
We have a memory foam mattress too!
And I manged to fit a full bed mattress in the back of my beetle!! (Ok so I had to put the roof down to physically manouvere the box in, but once it was in I put the roof back up!)
Oh my. When I lived alone (aka, before husband), I had a double foam bed and it. was. heaven. I plunked a one inch memory foam topper on it and yes, it did ‘mold’ to you a little bit but I’d actually recommend it to people who like firmer mattresses — at least mine was. I originally picked it out as a teenager because it was the cheapest option – best decision ever! Now I’m tempted to convince the husband that we need to move up to a king, mainly so I can get a deliciously comfortable foam mattress again. Ahh..
I’m afraid I must disagree here. I’ve slept on a memory foam matress for 4 years and I hate it with a passion. I hate feeling the nook my body has carved on my side of the bed when I roll and want to sleep in the middle, I hate when it’s hot and I feel like it “swallows” me a little, even if only a fraction of an inch. Spring mattresses do not have to be squeaky or have weird poking springs if you choose a high quality pocket spring one. Especially if said mattress is topped by a 2-inch layer of memory foam or latex, depending on your taste. Yes, they are a LOT more expensive, but they may be a better choice (and not as nightmare-ish as you pictured them!) for people who prefer a firmer bed. And yes I’m spending a humongous chunk off my savings to get a new mattress when we move in 2 months. My husband thinks I’m crazy too 😉
Memory foam is different to regular foam. It’s supposed to sink and form around you, then return to it’s original shape gradually when you change position or get up.
A normal foam matress isn’t like that, it’s firmer and won’t change nearly as much or as quickly. It takes weeks or months to make a noticable difference and shouldn’t ever form nooks like memory foam.
The problem I’ve had with regular foam mattresses before is that they end up “sinking” at my hips, I guess because I’m much heavier there than at the upper part of my body, and then I don’t have good enough support for my back. But maybe I’m just a weirdo, LOL 😀
I had the exact same experience as you. My SO got a high quality foam mattress as a gift, but I am significantly pear-shaped. My heavier lower half would sink in causing intense strain on my back. It took months for the resulting pain to fade after getting rid of the mattress. I think people need to remember that no mattress is perfect for everyone.
I like the idea of a springless mattress because husband and I go to bed at different times, and him getting in bed and finding a comfortable position often wakes me up and makes me grumpy pants.
No (or less) motion transfer is my favorite, especially when I have a tossing-turning husband, a wiggly terrier and a toddler that has no plans on leaving the family bed anytime soon!
I wap between a springed and spring-less matteress due to college and home. I feel such a difference between the too. The sring-less is so much better for my back (I have several injuries and on the verge of an operation). They also last longer. My mum who was a huge springed fan till she slept in mine and now she wants 1 too (she likes a firm matteress). I recommend people atleast try them when next buying a matteress. You an also get different firm-ness 1s too now!! (or atleast in the UK)
I’m progressing from daydreaming to serious planning & prep to go either small house or houseboat in 2 -3 years as I transition into my emptynester adventure Life 2.0.
I am REALLY intrigued after reading this article. Questions: How easily does your mattress roll up/fold?
Would it work well for a futon-ish, counch/bench that’s also a bed situation?
How do you clean it?
I am soooo bookmarking this article! 🙂
As a grad student who’s moved quite a bit, our latex mattress is super easy to transport. It rolls/folds quite easily, we stored mine in a storage unit rolled and held closed with bungee cords with zero damage.though I’m not sure about using it for a futon that you are going to fold up like a couch since it can be floppy when you have it folded, but most futon mattresses are springless, so I really couldn’t say.
We clean ours with a washcloth dipped in a little bowl of laundry detergent dissolved in cold water. You just scrub and let dry, works for any spots or stains, (it’s worked great for blood, and “fun time” stains).
I got the cheapest foam mattress from ikea, and I have to say, I think it’s a fantastic purchase for where I am in my life (aka, moving every 4 months). While you’ll never be able to get the mattress back into the same size as it came vaccumm packed in the store, if you take two long poles (I’ve used a broom and a mop), sandwich an end between the two poles and roll it up tightly around the poles, you can still roll the mattress so it’ll fit in a car. I must admit though, if money wasn’t so much an object, I probably would have gone up one or two in the ikea lines.
Also, I think foam matresses are fantastic for sleeping with someone. Previously, my SO and I shared a full standard ‘springed’ mattress. This weekend, we stayed on my twin bed. It was actually way better, as the only time I woke up because of movement was when he actually bumped me.
IS the foam/springless mattress hot? I’ve heard from various people that certain name brand foam mattress tend to get really hot, so i’ve always avoided them.
It’s already 97 degrees where i live, and at night it only goes down to about 75-80. Since we don’t have anything other than fans to keep us cool, we need a bed that will stay cool.
Second question: how does the thinner mattress work with sheets? Do standard size fitted sheets fit, or are they too big- slipping and sliding all over?
Our latex mattress does not get hot, I’ve definitely never noticed it retaining our body heat and I cannot sleep if I am hot. We have only had a problem with slippage if we get the sheets that are extra deep for pillowtop mattresses. As long as you pull it under all the way around it should stay just fine, even if you don’t have a frame.
I was going to say the same thing as Aimee — I live in Alabama and it’s been over 95 degrees a lot already this year. We don’t use our air conditioning and have one fan in a window and we’re fine. 🙂
We’ve also never had a problem with regular fitted sheets!
We have a foam mattress from Ikea, with a memory foam topper, and I find it tends to run a bit warm but not uncomfortably so.
Husband-elect and I disagree on this. I have a memory foam mattress from Ikea. I don’t find it hot, but the few times he’s napped on it he’s found it hot. But I also have flannel sheets, so.
I live in the tropics with average temperatures of about 86 at night and almost 100 in the day, with an average of over 85% humidity… and I do find foam mattresses very warm without air conditioning. Your mileage may vary though. 🙂
This has made me curious. I may have to save my pennies and give this a shot.
My husband and I spent nearly 1,000 buying a nice firm pillowtop a couple years back, but within a few months it had developed a serious dent in the middle. My husband is a big guy but even turning it or switching sides didn’t help. Since I’m half his weight every night not to roll on top of or under him.
SO do you find that lying too far to the side makes you feel like you’re on a steep angle and about to pitch inward? Do you think this is a likely outcome?
I have never had the rolling down hill problem on our latex mattress, but we get it all the time on the spring mattress in my room at my parents house. Nothing is less fun than rolling into your bedmate(s) while trying to sleep lol. We have a queen size mattress and I feel just as supported whether I’m on the very edge or curled up right against my boyfriend. I’ve had this mattress for almost 4 years and we haven’t had any problems with lumps, or spots losing their support, or anything.
I’m not sure if the new ones are better but in my experience foam mattresses gather moisture and can go mouldy. My sister had this happen and she didn’t even realise – half the mattress had rotted beneath her and she didn’t even realise – GROSS!
My house is extremely prone to mould, pretty much anything left against an outside wall will get black patches behind it, even when we keep the windows open for air flow and run a dehumidifier. But the only time the matress got mouldy was when the bed frame broke and we had it sitting directly on the floor for about 2 weeks before we got a new frame.
It was only after that I found out you’re supposed to air out or flip matresses every day if you don’t have them raised off the floor.
That’s what I was going to say — if you flip it (we flip ours every few weeks or so) then you shouldn’t have a mold issue with the mattress.
I have a foam matress and I love it. Before we got this one we were using my husbands old spring matress. This thing was only about 5 years old and it was already lumpy and creaky and one broken spring was even poking right out of the matress!
The one we’ve got now is 5 years old now too and it feels almost like new. I think the foam has softened in places (it was very firm when we got it) but theres no noticable lumps or dips.
One thing I would say is to bear in mind that memory foam is very different to normal foam. Reglar foam won’t move as much when you press down on it but it will spring back into position faster. Memory foam will sink and shape around you when you lie on it then slowly return to it’s original shape when you move, so if you shift position you’ll be lying on lumps for a little bit.
I know some people absolutely swear by it but I could never sleep on memory foam. Regular foam I absolutely love.
Four years ago, I traded my full sized bed (regular mattress) with a coworker who had moved to a smaller apartment. I got her brand new king sized memory foam mattress. It was the best trade I ever made. We LOVE the foam! We are both giants, with very different sleeping styles, and the foam means neither of us is uncomfortable or waking the other up by shifting around or getting up to pee. We have it flat on the floor because this is the most comfortable option for us, and it is very comfy. I do not flip it and have never had a mold problem. It does not feel any warmer than a regular mattress in summer to me and I’m one of those can’t sleep if I’m hot people. The only thing I will say is that it’s a straight up BITCH to move…it weighs a ton and is a big awkward marshmallow so you can’t get a grip on it to balance like you can a regular mattress. When I got it it was rolled up in a duffle type bag, and I unzipped it and it just blobbed out and swelled up to full size. However, mine is never going back in the bag, no way, and I’ve had no luck rolling it up because it’s super thick. Still, the comfort and the improvement in my morning pain level to me is worth the annoyance of wrestling the thing into a new place.
I have a futon bed that I got when I started university because it was cheaper than a boxspring and traditional mattress and I absolutely LOVE IT. We got a thick memory foam topper for it and it is like sleeping on fluffy clouds! Everyone who has visited me and slept in it is amazed at the comfort and softness. I’d definitely say as others have the lack of squeakyness during certain activities is a huge plus. One of my favorite features, because sometimes I’m really excited about sleeping, is being able to jump onto the bed and just be absorbed in snugglyness instead of making a loud crashing sound landing on a spring mattress.
While mine is quite thick because it’s a futon, it can’t roll up, but it’s easy to transport (I moved every year for 4years in university) and I have the wooden slat bed frame which is much easier than a real bed frame. Now that I’ve been living with my boyfriend, my beloved springless is in storage and we’ve been sleeping on his mattress, it’s definitely squeaky and a bit poke-y and makes me even more appreciate my bed.
GO SPRINGLESS MATTRESSES!
What are they like, temperature wise?
I’ve been curious to try a memory foam mattress, but Mr. Ivriniel overheats easily (if he had his druthers the house would be 15 C year round) and is worried that someone that conformed to his shape would make him too hot.
In the summer, I notice that they are a little warmer, but not uncomfortable. Next summer I’m going to put a cotton mattress pad over the top, which will allow for a little more breathability. My husband is the ultimate chunky-dude head-machine. He has never felt too hot in the bed (though he sleeps without covers in the summer).
Just curious about the, ahem, fun times – is it difficult to change positions? I mean with all the sinking in and body molding going on is it difficult clambering around? Is there more friction or less support for the moving, lifting, and uh, switching that goes on? Oh, my, I must sound very acrobatic ;), but really, I’ve spent the night sleeping on my cousin’s foam bed, and found crawling across it to my designated side exhausting so I can only imagine how more involved, intimate, and longer-lasting (one hopes!) efforts might be cumbersome…
Nope. It’s comparable to my old bed – a pillowtop spring-coil mattress.
How small is the box exactly? I’m planning to order one but I don’t know if it will be too big for our mailroom (if so I’ll get it shipped to a friend’s house) Thanks!! This article helped me find the perfect affordable bed for us
We have an amazingly comfortable Temperpedic. My husband bought it about 4 years ago, in his bachelor days. When I slept on a coil mattress, I always had lower back pains in the morning. I noticed that when I would stay at his place, I always woke up feeling better — no pain and a much better night’s sleep. It was amazing. After 4 years (including 5 months that it lived in a storage POD) it’s still in great shape and incredibly comfy and supportive. It’s more on the pricey-side of coil-less mattresses, but in my opinion, it’s worth it. You have to keep liquids away from it (so says my husband), so if you co-sleep with an occasional bed-wetting human or animal, or love to eat soup in bed (literally…although that’s now my new favorite euphemism…) then you might need a rubber sheet or some kind of barrier. We’ve never had a problem with sexytime liquids, you just need to avoid a major spill.
My partner and I recently had a mattress-purchasing debacle, which may or may not be ongoing.
We bought a pocket-spring-coil, euro-pillow-top, cool-gel-memory-f0am, $4,000 mattress at a model year end sale at a department store for 80% off. A bit of a rushed purchase because the day I did all the research about new mattresses, they were ending the sale. The first one that was delivered to us, the bottom thread of the sewing machine they used for the entire mattress was missing–so all the threads were tucked into their patterns, but if you bumped them at all they fell off. Stuffing was popping out of the seams in a few spots. The “waterproof” stain-protection cover doesn’t even cover the entire top surface of the mattress, let alone down the sides, so I still needed a full waterproof sheet underneath it.
A replacement was ordered, but they forgot to put a new box spring on the order too. So with a 60-day-from-purchase return policy, it took almost weeks to get my original to me and 10 days to get my replacement, then my final replacement order arrived 30 days after the original purchase. I was verbally told it was a 90-day return policy, erroneously as it happens, but I was able to argue at 70+ days that it should be 60 days from the final delivery date. Because I had no way of knowing that at less than 60 days with my real, final mattress, I would have poking and pinching and a sagging mattress.
We ended up going to IKEA, but all the non-spring mattresses sunk down so I could feel the individual slats, and weren’t much better about the shaking when my partner kicks than the spring ones. We ended up with a pocket-spring-coil with totally separate memory foam topper. Basically the same style that didn’t work from the department store, at almost half the price. But it’s a different construction and has a 90-day guarantee, so if it doesn’t work then we will probably end up trying a no-springs mattress from IKEA with the better set of slats (we already had cheap slats from when we had a futon mattress, so we decided to wait to get the expensive slats until later).
Bonus: Because the dept store mattress required a full box spring in order to not void the manufacturer’s warranty, I had to JUMP with my gimpy body onto that bed. With the IKEA mattress, since we can use their slats, I can actually get into and out of bed much more easily!