What Type Of Mattress Does Not Need a Box Spring?
What Type Of Mattress Does Not Need a Box Spring?
When you're ready to sleep, you want to lay on a comfortable bed that ensures you feel relaxed and refreshed. After all, the average person spends around eight hours in bed every night.
With that in mind, choosing a mattress that best meets your comfort requirements makes sense. Thankfully, there are plenty of choices available for mattress buyers, so it won't take long to find your perfect mattress.
But have you considered the base on which you'll place your mattress? As with beds, many options are available - and a common choice is the box spring base. Did you know some mattress types don't need a box spring base?
What Is a Box Spring Base?
A box spring base is a popular mattress support or base manufactured for a specific size. It's made of a wood frame construction and has springs that fill the void inside the wooden frame. Sometimes, a metal grid gets used instead of an array of springs.
The wood frame, springs, or metal grid get wrapped in fabric for aesthetic and safety reasons. You would use a box spring base with a bed frame explicitly designed for a box spring. Box spring bases serve three purposes:
- They provide support to the mattress. Due to their construction, box spring bases absorb some of the shock from the bed, resulting in enhanced comfort;
- They raise the mattress to a suitable height. You wouldn't find it very comfortable lying down and subsequently getting up from a bed laid on the floor;
- They improve airflow. During a hot or humid summer evening, you can rely on a box spring base to keep your mattress cooler, resulting in a better night's sleep.
Box spring bases perfectly complement innerspring mattresses as they offer additional support. The only downside is they aren't suitable for all mattress types.
There was once a time when box spring bases were all you needed for your mattress. Today, there's a whole host of mattress designs on the market, and many of them don't need or are unsuitable for box spring bases.
Mattresses That Don't Need a Box Spring Base
It's no secret there are many stylish alternatives to box spring bases. If you'd prefer a bed that doesn't feature a floor filled with springs or a metal grid, which mattresses without a box spring base should you consider?
Foam Mattresses
As the name suggests, foam mattresses are made of a foam construction. Today's foam mattresses contain different foam layers, each designed to provide comfort and support.
An advantage of foam mattresses is that if you share your bed with a partner or pet, they won't disrupt your sleep when they move around at night.
Memory foam mattresses, also contour your body shape and sleeping position, providing optimal nighttime comfort.
Latex Mattresses
Latex typically has more elasticity than conventional or memory foam. When you have a latex mattress, you can enjoy a quicker response time and additional bounce. Latex mattresses typically get constructed with foam support and upper latex layers.
Foam and latex mattresses don't need a box spring base; you can use them with foundation or platform beds.
Hybrid Mattresses
Another type of mattress that doesn't require a box spring is the hybrid mattress. These mattresses combine the best of both worlds: the comfort of foam or latex, and the support of innerspring coils. They are typically designed to work with a variety of bed bases, including platform beds and adjustable bases.
Modern Mattresses Including Mattresses in a Box
Most modern mattresses, including mattresses in a box, do not require a box spring. Traditional box springs were initially designed to provide a solid, flat foundation for innerspring mattresses. However, modern mattresses often incorporate their own supportive layers, making the need for a box spring redundant.
Bed-in-a-Box Mattresses
Bed-in-a-box mattresses, such as the Milliard Memory Foam Mattress, are delivered compactly in a box and expand once opened. These mattresses have been designed to perform optimally without a box spring, providing firm, pressure-relieving support.
Alternatives to a Box Spring
Undoubtedly, most mattresses need something between them and the floor. Yes, you could have your bed on the floor. However, it's seldom recommended as it doesn't provide airflow and leads to hygiene problems.
Many of today's modern mattresses don't need a box spring base. With such beds, what are the alternatives to a box spring? The following are three commonly purchased alternatives:
Foundation Bed
A foundation bed base is a support system that typically uses wooden slats on a wood frame or has a flat, solid frame construction. They might look similar externally to a box spring base, but the main difference is they don't contain any springs.
An advantage of foundation beds is they provide a solid base for mattresses and are ideally suited to foam mattresses. The majority of foundation beds are designed to work with a bed frame.
Platform Bed
A platform bed encapsulates a foundation bed's benefits and a suitable bed frame to keep the mattress off the ground. The vast majority of platform beds have legs made of wood to keep the foundation elevated.
Platform beds can also be practical, as some examples feature storage drawers for clothing, bed linen, or anything else.
Adjustable Bed
An adjustable bed is the third most common alternative to a box spring bed base. It operates similarly to hospital beds in that you can adjust it to various positions.
Adjustable beds are perfect for people who enjoy reading or watching TV in bed or have trouble getting out of bed each morning.
5 Reasons Why Your Mattress Needs a Good Base
One fact you will have in common with everyone else on the planet is the desire to have a good night's sleep and to make sure that happens, your mattress needs a good base. Here are five reasons why this is so important:
- Suitability. You must ensure the bed is a suitable type for your mattress. For example, you wouldn't have a box spring base with a memory foam mattress;
- Support. When you have a suitable bed base, you and your mattress will have the proper support at night;
- Durability. It makes sense to select a high-quality bed base that won't fail or break;
- Practicality. Some bed bases offer convenient storage facilities for clothing and bed linen;
- Style. You want your bed to complement the style and design of your bedroom rather than look out of place.
Conclusion
There was once a time when a box spring bed base was a must for anyone wanting a good night's sleep. Nowadays, the vast choice of non-spring mattresses on the market and even some hybrid examples mean you can use them with foundation or platform beds.
