I’ve done a lot of reading on this particular issue and found that there’s not much that separates these two amazing mattresses. Here, you can’t say that one mattress will help seniors sleep better than the other. However, I’ve come across evidence showing that older adults will choose either memory foam or innerspring mattresses depending on specific medical or physical conditions.

So, while some may prefer the contouring support of a memory foam mattress to relax sensitive muscle regions, others like the springy effect of innerspring beds for firmer support. Today, I’ll take you through some of the differences between these two types of mattresses to help you choose the best.

For Support and Comfort

I’ve talked to a lot of seniors while doing this study and noticed that most of them prefer the contouring feel of a memory foam mattress. They say that they love the feeling of just melting into the bed or floating on its surface. They go on to add that it helps them feel relaxed and fall into restful and deep sleep!

For those who still share a bed with their partners, memory foam provides fantastic motion separation. This means that they hardly feel the movements of a restless partner. I discovered that because it offers each person with individual movements and shape, there are fewer disturbances when one wakes up or moves during the night.

Memory Foam Beds Are Too Warm!

Those who preferred innerspring mattresses felt that memory foam heats up a lot during the night. Of course, this is entirely true making the bed quite unbearable as you sleep. Why? Well, this is because of the quicksand type of response which changes its physical and surface structure causing it to compress depending on the kind of pressure that it gets.

Like I’ve mentioned earlier, this provides you with adequate pressure relief, but on the other hand, it increases temperature to an extreme level. I met one older adult who told me that when it’s too cold, the surface ends up becoming somewhat hard and entirely unresponsive. In warmer conditions, you wake up feeling hot and sweaty in between the night!

I decided to investigate and realized that this was especially true when it comes to the first generation of memory foam beds. Most of them come with closed cell structures that prevent proper flow of air.

So, if you choose to use innerspring mattresses, you’ll get proper breathability and heat retention. These beds respond differently to various body temperatures and will never retain any heat from the body. Even so, you should take care before making any purchase because some manufacturers sell hybrid mattresses with springs at the base and foam as the support layer. While this may sound amazing, they are hotter than the ‘normal’ innerspring beds.

What About The Firmness?

I tried to make a direct comparison of the firmness of memory foam and spring mattresses but later found out that it’s quite tricky. The main reason is that memory foam is just a soft material which provides pressure or comfort relief with minimal effect on the overall firmness of the bed.

When it comes to the spring material, this is a support system which determines the firmness of the complete product. In simpler terms, as a senior, you’ll have to compare the support layer of the foam mattresses and the springs of the support core in the innerspring beds. Eventually, you’ll realize that this is quite a challenging process that’s almost impossible!

As you can see, there’s very little that separates the two. In any case, while choosing between innerspring or memory foam beds, your needs should always come first! For instance, I would recommend you to buy a memory foam bed if you’re suffering from back problems or any other sensitive muscle region. If your body heats up and sweats a lot during the night, then innerspring mattresses are your best choice!