Do you ever wonder what you are sleeping on? Mattresses are made up of many different features and choosing the right one that best suits your needs is extremely important! This article will outline some mattress features that you will come across when shopping for the right mattress. Manufacturers usually modify the innerspring of mattresses, change the colour, padding, quilting pattern and so forth. That way, they can manufacture mattresses for different retailers using different names. For example, one company's ultraplush will be another companies supersoft. This makes comparable shopping and price matching nearly impossible. So it's important to look at the nuts and bolts of a mattress as opposed to the name. [caption id="attachment_306" align="alignright" width="300"]Innersprings Innerspring Mattress[/caption] Innersprings This is the most widely purchased mattress. Innersprings are coiled metal springs layered between sheets of foam and padding. They usually last 5 - 10 years and are typically the least expensive option. There are typically 4 main categories, Bonnell Offset, Continuous Coil and Pocket Coils. Pocket Coils followed by Offset are usually the most effective when it comes to "Body Contouring", but Bonnell coils are a good budget alternative. The thickness of the innersprings range from the thickest 12.5 gauge to above 16 gauge which are much thinner and less firm. While the gauge of innerspring wire and the number of coils are the most common among statistics, please note, that they can be the most misleading since all innersprings can be made less or more firm through a variety of different construction methods. [caption id="attachment_299" align="alignright" width="300"]Pocket Coils Pocket Coil Mattress[/caption] Pocket Coils Pocket Coils have the greatest "response range", meaning they can be softer on the initial compression and then firm on the deeper compression. They also have the greatest advantage of providing "point elasticity" which is the ability to form itself around a body profile. When looking for a good quality pocket coil, make note that more is generally better. [caption id="attachment_301" align="alignright" width="300"]Offset Coils Offset Coil Mattress[/caption] Offset Coils Offset coils are hinged together with a helical wire which creates a hinged effect, this effect allows the coil to flex under softer pressure while the main body of the coil provides support with deeper compression, similar to pocket coils. For those looking for softness in an innerspring with a firm support underneath, than this is a good choice. [caption id="attachment_302" align="alignright" width="300"]Bonnell Coils Bonnell Coil Mattress[/caption] Bonnell Coils Bonnell Coils are the original mattress coil, used under seats. They have an hour glass shape and can be made with a wide variety of different gauges for firmness. The hourglass shape allows the spring to compress with softer pressure while providing greater support with more pressure. [caption id="attachment_304" align="alignright" width="300"]Memory Foam Memory Foam Mattress[/caption] Memory Foam Memory Foam is usually a high density foam which is more expensive but provides excellent body support. It is important to be wary though as not all memory foam mattresses are created equally.