You’ve probably noticed that the mattress market has been growing pretty rapidly in recent years.
Never before has there been more choice for consumers looking to upgrade their bed for a restful night’s sleep.
In particular, the memory foam mattress market has grown incredibly quickly, with more and more brands out there promising to deliver a great night’s sleep right to your door.
But what about hybrid mattresses?
These are a newer form of mattress which have become more popular in recent years and claim to offer some significant benefits when compared to their foam or spring only counterparts.
If you’re looking to find out everything there is to know about hybrid mattresses and whether they will be suited to you, then read on.
In this article, we’re going to take a detailed look at hybrid mattresses from all angles to see what they’re all about and the benefits they offer.
We’re also going to take a look at some of the disadvantages and advantages of hybrid mattresses, and compare them to their foam-only counterparts.
We’re going to split this page up into the following sections:
• What is a Hybrid Mattress?
• Hybrid Mattresses – The Pros
• Hybrid Mattresses – The Cons
• Memory Foam vs Hybrid Mattresses
• Anything Else to Consider?
• Our Final Thoughts – Wrapping Things Up
So, with the introductions out of the way, let’s start taking a closer look at hybrid mattresses to see what all the fuss is about.
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What is a Hybrid Mattress?
Simply put, a hybrid mattress usually refers to a type of mattress which combines layers of foam with a layer containing springs.
The foam layers are often a mixture of both memory foam and standard poly foam for a mixed and balanced feel to the mattress.
In case you didn’t know, memory foam mattresses usually use two to four layers of different types of foam to support a restful night’s sleep.
Hybrid mattresses usually feature a single layer of pocket springs or coils in between the layers of foam to offer a distinct feel.
Hybrid mattresses aim to offer a ‘best of both worlds’ alternative to a standard foam or traditional spring mattress.
The exact construction of the hybrid mattress varies from brand to brand.
For example, the Leesa Hybrid Mattress has five layers, the fourth of which is a support layer six inches thick featuring pocketed coils.
The Leesa Hybrid Mattress is made of memory foam and pocketed springs (Photo: Leesa)
The Simba Mattress, meanwhile, is another hybrid option which features a 2cm layer of support foam with springs in a four-layer design.
The Simba Mattress is made from four different layers (Photo: Simba Sleep)
So, the exact specifications of hybrid mattresses varies from brand to brand, but generally speaking, they are memory foam mattresses that use at least one layer of springs or coils.
Hybrid Mattresses – The Pros
• Breathable – One of the main problems with foam-only mattresses is that they tend to feel considerably hotter than their traditional counterparts. Hybrid mattresses tend to have a cooler feel because the springs allow for more airflow throughout the mattress. For that reason, a hybrid mattress would be a great option if you tend to get hot at night.
• Good Support – The benefit of having a layer of coils or springs means that there is strong support throughout the mattress. Springs have a much quicker response time than memory foam, meaning that the support will be immediate and solid.
• Balanced Feel – Hybrid mattresses can have a more balanced feel to them than a foam only alternative. That’s because they combine the benefits of memory foam such as contouring and pressure relief, with the strong support and quick response of a spring layer. It really is the best of both worlds.
Hybrid Mattresses – The Cons
• Price – Generally speaking, Hybrid Mattresses tend to be a bit more expensive than their foam only competitors. Hybrids are also usually a bit more expensive than spring-only mattresses. This is usually because they cost more to assemble, and need a bigger variety of materials to be put together.
• Motion Transfer – One of the upsides of memory foam is that it has low motion transfer, which can reduce the risk of being woken up by your partner moving during the night. Springs and coils tend to lead to more motion transfer, so this may be more of an issue with hybrid mattresses.
Memory Foam vs Hybrid Mattresses
Whether a memory foam or hybrid mattress is for you really depends on your preferences and what you’re looking for from your mattress.
We’ve already mentioned some of the positive things about hybrid mattresses, such as the added layer of support thanks to the springs, and the fact that they often tend to have a more balanced feel to them.
One of the major plus points of a hybrid mattress compared to a memory foam one is the fact that they tend to offer more airflow through the mattress, and that can mean a cooler feel overall.
This is important, because many foam only mattresses have a reputation for getting too hot during the night due to the fact that they retain lots of heat.
That said, memory foam mattresses tend to offer more body contouring, meaning that the product will adapt specifically to certain parts of your body to ensure that you’re supported from all angles.
Some manufacturers such as Casper offer a hybrid option which can be added to their ‘standard’ mattress for an additional fee.
A Memory Foam Mattress (Photo: Adobe Stock)
Anything Else to Consider?
As always, the only way to be sure that you’re going to be happy with your new mattress is to actually sleep on it for a few nights.
That’s why we always advise that you take full advantages of the home trials offered by most manufacturers these days.
The industry standard is a 100 night home trial, during which time you can return the mattress for a full refund if you’re not happy with it.
Some other mattress manufacturers such as Nectar offer longer 365 night trials, which allows you to test it our for a full year!
Our Final Thoughts – Wrapping Things Up
So, that brings us to the end of our look at Hybrid mattresses.
We’ve walked you through how they aim to combine the best of both worlds when it comes to memory foam and springs.
We have explained some of the pros of hybrid mattresses, such as improved cooling and more responsive support.
We also looked at some of the drawbacks, which include a higher price tag and more motion transfer than a foam only mattress.
All in all, a hybrid mattress could be perfectly suited to your needs if you’re looking for the comfort of memory foam, but with added cooling and more responsive support.
