Do I Need A Box Spring? Why They Are Important For Your Bed
You buy a new mattress and bring it home, only to realize — you don’t have a box spring. You probably wonder, “How important is a box spring, anyway?”
It turns out that the answer might not be as simple as you think. While box springs are important for some types of mattresses, they are increasingly becoming obsolete and may even damage newer types.
In this guide, we will tell you everything you need to know about box springs and when — and if — you need one.
What Is The Purpose Of A Box Spring?
A box spring is a fabric-covered support that sits between your mattress and bedframe. It is designed to provide extra support for your mattress.
But box springs have multiple purposes aside from simply supporting the mattress, including:
Increasing airflow — Sleeping on a warm surface can drastically reduce the quality of your sleep, leading to night sweats and overheating. A box spring lifts the mattress off the ground, improving airflow under and around it.
Providing support — Giving your mattress extra support helps you sleep more comfortably while protecting it from damage. This will increase the lifespan of the mattress so you don’t have to replace it for many years.
One way a box spring does this is by absorbing additional impact that could potentially break the mattress components down.
Raise the height of the bed — This one is simple: a box spring also serves simply to lift the bed up to a more comfortable height. While this isn’t an absolute necessity for everyone, it can help people who have limited mobility or who need help getting in and out of bed.
What Happens If You Don’t Use A Box Spring?
The general answer of what happens if you do not use a box spring is — it depends. Once, almost all mattresses needed a box spring to avoid being damaged. But these days, modern mattress designs do not always need one. In fact, some of them could actually get damaged by a box spring.
Most contemporary foam or coil mattresses are supported enough by their own infrastructure, combined with a bedframe, and generally do not need a box spring.
For mattresses that need a box spring, not using one can lead to significant damage and a quicker breakdown of the mattress components over time.
What Is The Benefit Of Using A Box Spring?
If your mattress needs a box spring, using the right support will make a huge difference in not only the lifespan of your mattress but also the quality of your sleep.
With mattresses that need support from box springs, you will sleep more coolly and enjoy more support with one. As we have mentioned, they will also extend the life of your mattress by protecting the components from fraying, tearing, or wearing out.
Box Spring Vs Slats: What's The Difference?
A box spring is not the only type of mattress support you can use. Alternatively, you may want to consider using a foundation.
Foundations usually consist of a frame with solid wooden slats, though some variations have a flat wooden platform. You can find standalone versions as well as ones that are made to fit on a regular bed frame.
Foundations offer a lot of support with a very firm surface. But because they don’t contain coils or other materials that “give”, they are not as good at absorbing damage. That being said, they are an excellent choice for soft memory foam mattresses since they add some additional firmness.
Other Types Of Mattress Support
Box springs are far from the only type of support for a mattress. We have already mentioned foundations, which may be appropriate for certain other types of mattresses. Here are a few other options:
Foundations — Flat wooden slats or platforms; best suited for foam mattresses that need some extra support
Platforms — Platforms bridge the gap between foundations and traditional bed frames. Often, they are one structure that serves as both a bed frame and mattress support. As a result, most platform beds — as the name implies — are lifted off the floor. They may have regular legs or storage space like drawers underneath.
Adjustable platforms — These pricey alternatives to traditional bed frames provide support for your mattress on an adjustable frame. You can change them to sit upright or lay flat, much like a hospital bed. These are best suited for people with mobility issues or special needs and need special mattresses.
How Do You Know If You Need A Box Spring?
So with all these different types of mattresses and mattress supports, how do you know whether you need a box spring or not?
The simplest way is to check with your mattress’s manufacturer when you purchase it. This may save you the expense of buying one. What is more, since the wrong type of support can damage your mattress, double-checking might also save you from having to make an expensive replacement in the next few years.
Here are the times when you might need a box spring:
You have a collapsible metal bed frame — metal bed frames that are made to fold up do not offer any central support, such as slats or a platform. For this reason, if you are using one, you will need to have a box spring.
Low platform beds — People with mobility issues might find it uncomfortable to use a platform bed that sits very low. For this reason, they might prefer a box spring, even though the platform provides support.
You probably will not need a box spring if your mattress is on a foundation, higher platform, or reinforced metal frame.
Conclusion
The answer to “How important is a bed frame?” is more complex than you might think, for the simple reason that there is no single correct response.
Much depends on the type of mattress you have as well as your manufacturer’s warranty and your personal sleep and health needs.The simplest way to find out what type of mattress support you need is to contact your mattress manufacturer.