Find a mattress to enhance your rest with cooling technology or built-in sensors for tracking statistics is no simple task, but there are plenty of innovative new technologies out there that you should investigate. From adjustable foam mattresses with variable firmness settings to those made using nanotechnology – here are some of the latest mattress innovations on offer.
Phase Change Surface Infusions
Understanding the revolutionary mattress technologies transforming how we sleep requires two Ph.D. degrees: one in chemistry and mechanical engineering. However, you might just find your ideal bed by taking a closer look at these innovative materials and components:
Cooling Phase Change Materials
Sleeping hot used to be one of the chief complaints when memory foam first hit the market, but that has changed thanks to cooling phase change materials technology. This uses gels that respond to body heat by turning from solid into liquid when you become too warm before returning back into semi-fluid form when temperatures decrease again. Now many mattress manufacturers use this cooling technology in their mattresses so as to provide more comfort to people who tend to overheat during the night.
Silver-Infused Fabrics
Many new smart mattresses on the market feature fabrics infused with silver to help keep you cooler. Silver ions help reflect back heat away from your body and keep it from building up, providing relief from overheating during sleep problems such as insomnia. In addition, this feature also keeps your mattress cleaner and fresher over time and increases hygiene standards in general.
Mattresses constructed with plant-based foams are becoming more and more popular, not just because they’re more eco-friendly but because many find them more comfortable as well. This type of foam, often made of natural resources like soybeans or latex combined with other ingredients, provides increased resilience over traditional urethane foam and lessens sagging over time.
Motion Isolation
Sharing a mattress can make finding quality rest difficult when your partner shifts during the night. Mattresses equipped with motion isolation technology are specifically designed to minimize this movement so you can have a restful slumber despite them moving around on your sleep surface. Some models even allow you to customize how your mattress responds to each partner’s movements so both partners get optimal restful restful slumber.
Silver Infused Fabrics
Mattress technology is constantly advancing, with numerous innovations designed to enhance sleep quality and promote overall health. These innovations include tracking tools that allow users to track their sleeping patterns, customize support options accordingly and even prevent snoring or acid reflux from occurring.
Many smart mattresses feature pressure-relieving materials like memory foam, latex or nanotechnology in order to create customized beds that meet each person’s specific sleep requirements and preferences.
Smart mattresses utilize advanced cooling technologies such as gel-infused foam and phase-change material to address overheating problems that may interfere with restful sleep, such as airflow promoting gel-infused foam or phase-change material, which promotes cooling airflow to keep you cool throughout the night, helping avoid night sweats. Some models even come equipped with breathable fabrics which reduce odors while helping you reach an ideal sleeping temperature.
If you suffer from chronic sleep disruptions or need to address snoring or acid reflux, an adjustable mattress with an adjustable base can offer the proper support to alleviate these problems and enhance your sleeping environment. Many models also come equipped with power bed frames so you can elevate upper bodies or legs for increased ergonomics and comfort.
Smart mattresses often include more features than their traditional counterparts, yet can still be classified into five broad categories based on their internal construction. Hybrid, innerspring, foam and latex mattresses with smart technology are typically found most commonly.
Hybrid mattresses combine an innerspring or foam core with advanced materials like memory foam or latex to improve performance in several ways, including relieving pressure points and improving spinal alignment.
Foam beds typically consist of a base layer of polyfoam and multiple layers of memory foam or latex that conform to your body shape, relieving pain and improving posture. Foam mattresses typically offer good support while feeling great, yet may lack edge stability compared to other mattress options.
Some shoppers will prefer an airbed with an adjustable support core that they can inflate via app or remote, with air chambers that can be filled more or less to modify firmness level and comfort system that features layers of foam, latex or cotton/wool for layers of support and layers to cushion their bodies against pressure points. An airbed equipped with smart technology often features speakers to play soothing or white noise soundscapes.
Plant-Based Memory Foam
Have you heard that some mattress brands are turning to plant-based memory foam technology as part of their mattress offerings? While it’s true that such mattresses use less petroleum-based components, this technology does not necessarily benefit both the environment and consumers alike.
Problematic materials do not perform as effectively as traditional memory foam mattresses, while manufacturers misinform consumers by falsely advertising these beds as natural. This practice known as greenwashing poses serious threats in the mattress industry.
Soy-based biofoams use 23% less energy to manufacture than polyurethane foam, yet are still substantial resource users and not as eco-friendly as many manufacturers claim. Furthermore, the soy used to make polyols comes from genetically modified soybean fields; an apparent example of greenwashing from Cargill. This company is notorious for environmental and human rights abuses.
Memory foam is well-known for its ability to conform to the contours of the body and offer exceptional support and pressure relief, especially beneficial to those suffering from hip, back or shoulder pain and requiring proper spinal alignment.
Memory foam’s conforming effect comes at the expense of heat retention. To mitigate this issue, memory foam is often combined with gel that reacts to sleeper temperature to reduce heat retention and help users sleep cool.
Other technologies designed to combat overheating include breathable fabrics and cooling gel layers, both of which may help prevent it from happening altogether – something many shoppers seeking a memory foam mattress find disconcerting.
Amerisleep and Stearns and Foster both offer mattresses equipped with this cutting-edge technology. While not receiving top ratings from customers, these mattresses still provide great pressure relief, above average warranties, longevity, quality construction and reduce motion transfer. This makes these environmentally-friendly mattresses a good choice for anyone wanting to reduce risks such as offgassing or VOC emissions associated with conventional mattresses and seek an environmentally friendly option.
Latex with Graphite
Finding the ideal mattress technology means finding a combination of materials that allows for restful, quality restful night’s sleep. Based on your body needs, budget and preferences there are various hybrid material options that could provide just what’s needed for a great restful night’s rest.
Latex with graphite mattress technology has gained immense acclaim among mattress enthusiasts, thanks to its superior soft feel and heat resistance properties. Used extensively in high-performance electronics to dissipate heat away from expensive components, graphite can now also help mattresses remain cool through its cooling abilities.
Graphite can either be mixed into latex foam or applied as a thin layer overtop. As your weight settles into the foam mattress, graphite particles become closer together and dissipate heat more rapidly – contributing to greater comfort by keeping you cool all night long.
Latex offers many other advantages besides cooling properties; among them are natural antimicrobial and odor resistance as well as hypoallergenicity – making it an excellent solution for allergy sufferers. Furthermore, natural latex infuses with graphite to form an air permeable surface which allows heat to escape while air can circulate freely.
Though mattress technology advances rapidly, not everyone will be able to afford the latest and greatest. That is why it’s essential to assess both your personal needs and budget when shopping for a mattress – starting by self-assessing to identify any conditions preventing quality sleep for yourself and then finding one with maximum value while being within your budget. By doing this, 2020 will bring quality restful nights that everyone deserves.
The Sleep Loft - Online mattress showroom 