Pocket spring mattress or cold foam mattress?
Pocket sprung and cold foam mattresses are among the best-known types of mattresses. However, it is not easy to determine which type of mattress is better, as this always depends on your personal preferences and body characteristics. To help you find the right mattress for you, we will show you what you should pay particular attention to if you cannot decide between a pocket sprung mattress and a cold foam mattress.
The differences between a pocket sprung mattress and a cold foam mattress at a glance:
| Pocket Spring Mattress | Cold foam mattress | |
| Construction | Mattress core made of coil springs that have been sewn individually into fabric pockets and are completely enclosed by the fabric. | Mattress made of foamed plastic (cold foam), which is poured into blocks and then hardened at low temperatures. |
| Climate properties | Cool, hygienic sleeping environment that is perfect for people who sweat easily. | Thanks to the thermal insulation, ideally suited for “cold sleepers”. At the same time, it impresses with excellent hygiene properties. |
| Point elasticity | High point elasticity thanks to pocket springs, which contributes to long durability and dimensional stability. | Distinct point elasticity and the resulting high adaptability (provided the cold foam mattress has a high density). |
| Lying zones | Various models with a different number of support zones are available. | Diverse models equipped with a different number of zones. |
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Firmness |
Different models with various firmness levels to choose from. | The right firmness level is easy to find, thanks to the selection of different options. |
Product recommendation:
Have we already convinced you of the advantages of a pocket spring mattress? Then we recommend our 7-zone pocket spring mattress with 480 springs per 2 m². Thanks to its excellent point elasticity, which is achieved by the pocket springs, the mattress is particularly adaptable: This allows the pelvis and shoulders to sink in further, while the surrounding areas are more strongly supported, contributing to a healthy posture. With our best-selling mattress, you can choose from models with different firmness levels and find exactly the model that perfectly suits your weight and personal preferences. Our pocket spring mattress has particularly good ventilation, ensuring a pleasantly cool sleeping environment, which is especially beneficial for allergy sufferers: Due to the dry sleeping environment, neither mold can form nor mites can settle. Take advantage of the offer to sleep on the 7-zone pocket spring mattress for 100 nights and see for yourself why it's our bestseller. If, contrary to expectations, you do not like the mattress, you can of course send it back to us free of charge.
Pocket Spring Mattress vs. Cold Foam Mattress: What are the Differences?
Regardless of whether you choose a pocket spring mattress or a cold foam mattress, a mattress must always conform to the natural curvature of the spine. For the mattress to achieve this, it must allow one part of your body to sink in further while providing more support to the surrounding areas. Your personal sleeping comfort and your body characteristics are also crucial when choosing the right mattress. Important features that you should definitely consider when buying a mattress are the construction, climate properties, point elasticity, support zones, and the appropriate firmness level. With the help of these indicators, you are sure to find the exact mattress that really suits you and ensures a restful sleep.
Construction
The main difference between pocket spring mattresses and cold foam mattresses is their composition: Pocket spring mattresses consist of steel springs that are individually wrapped in fabric pockets and completely enclosed by them. In this way, the springs are separated from each other, because the coil springs cannot touch each other due to the fabric pockets.
With pocket spring mattresses, you don't have to worry about squeaking springs because the springs cannot rub against each other thanks to the fabric. So, if you are particularly sensitive to noise, you can easily choose a pocket spring mattress.
The heavy mattress core of pocket spring mattresses usually consists of about 500 springs. The rule is: The more springs, the better. To protect the springs and prevent them from being felt during sleep, there are various protective layers around the mattress core. However, because of the steel springs, pocket spring mattresses are not as flexible as cold foam mattresses, so a non-adjustable slatted frame is best suited for pocket spring mattresses, while the lightweight, rollable cold foam mattresses are suitable for both adjustable and non-adjustable slatted frames.
Cold foam mattresses consist of a foamed plastic, the so-called cold foam. This is poured into blocks and then – in contrast to other foams – cured at low temperatures. To make the foam breathable, it is crushed using a special press (crushing): In this way, bubbles that formed during foaming burst, creating an air-permeable structure. Due to the manufacturing process, the foam may initially smell a bit strong. However, the smell is harmless and disappears very quickly after the mattress has been aired out for a short time.
Climate properties
Pocket spring mattresses have particularly good ventilation, which is made possible by the construction of the mattress: Since there is enough space between the individual pocket springs and protective layers, heat and moisture can be immediately conducted to the outside. For this reason, pocket spring mattresses are extremely hygienic and ideally suited for allergy sufferers, because thanks to the good air circulation, no mold can form. Mites also cannot settle for this reason. At the same time, the air permeability of pocket spring mattresses leads to a rather cool, dry sleeping environment. A pocket spring mattress is therefore absolutely ideal for people who tend to sweat at night. However, if you get cold quickly at night, this type of mattress is only suitable for you to a limited extent.
Instead, cold foam mattresses are perfect for “cold sleepers”, as they have a rather warm sleeping climate. This is because cold foam or foams in general serve to insulate heat and store heat, so that this type of mattress has only a low thermal conductivity. At the same time, cold foam mattresses are particularly hygienic and are therefore – just like pocket spring mattresses – excellent for allergy sufferers, because thanks to the crushing, the foam is extremely breathable and air-permeable. Due to the dry sleeping climate, mite infestation and mold formation are also prevented, as both only occur in the presence of moisture.
Point elasticity
Thanks to their construction, both mattresses have a high degree of point elasticity. In pocket spring mattresses, this is due to their core of springs: The individual steel springs give way point by point only at the points where pressure is actually exerted. Springs that are not stressed remain in their shape, so that the pressure load does not affect the surrounding areas. The following applies to cold foam mattresses: If a cold foam mattress has a high density (the density of cold foam mattresses should be at least 40), it is also particularly point-elastic.
Since the density refers to the foam used in the production of mattress cores, this indicator is not as important for pocket spring mattresses compared to cold foam mattresses, after all, pocket spring mattresses primarily consist of the spring core. The density of pocket spring mattresses is therefore predominantly determined by the surrounding protective layers made of foam and not by the mattress core. The density therefore says much more about the quality of the mattress in cold foam mattresses than in pocket spring mattresses, because in cold foam mattresses this refers to the entire mattress and not just to one component.
Basically, point-elastic mattresses are particularly adaptable, as they respond precisely to your body shape and provide the best possible relief: Shoulders and hips should sink further into the mattress, while the surrounding body parts are more strongly supported, so that the natural curvature of the spine is maintained. Thanks to the high adaptability, it doesn't matter which sleeping position you prefer, because point-elastic mattresses always react best to pressure and thus enable a healthy posture. Mattresses without point elasticity can lead to back pain or other complaints.
Furthermore, mattresses with a high point elasticity immediately return to their original state as soon as the pressure is removed from the respective point. Above all, active sleepers benefit from the high resilience of such a mattress, as this does not restrict their movement. A point-elastic mattress is therefore also particularly dimensionally stable, which guarantees a longer service life and prevents the formation of sagging.
Lying zones
A good mattress has at least 5 support zones. These are composed in such a way that shoulders and pelvis should always sink in further than the surrounding areas (head, lumbar region and legs). In order to ensure that a mattress can also be rotated, mattresses with 7 support zones have become established on the market. In order to arrive at this number of zones, the leg area is divided into further segments (calves and feet). In the course of this, the mattress is mirrored in the pelvic zone, so that there is always a counterpart to the remaining parts: The head area is the counterpart to the foot zone, the shoulder zone is identical to the calf area and the lumbar area represents the leg zone.
Models with at least 5 and ideally 7 support zones can be found for both pocket spring mattresses and cold foam mattresses. With regard to the zoning and the resulting relief of your body, both types of mattresses are therefore a good choice.
Firmness
Similar to the support zones, most mattress models – regardless of whether they are pocket spring or cold foam mattresses – are equipped with different firmness levels, so that you can choose exactly the model that is neither too hard nor too soft for you. When choosing the right firmness level, you should make sure that it suits both your personal sleeping comfort and your body weight. If the mattress is too soft for you, it is possible that some parts of your body will literally “sag” and sink in too far. If, on the other hand, the mattress is too hard for you, your body may not sink in far enough, which is also detrimental to your posture.
Conclusion: Pocket Spring Mattress vs. Cold Foam Mattress
Pocket spring mattresses and cold foam mattresses differ primarily in their construction, which leads to different climate properties: Pocket spring mattresses consist of countless steel springs that have been sewn individually into fabric pockets, as well as protective layers around them. Cold foam mattresses, on the other hand, are manufactured using a foamed plastic (cold foam), which is poured into blocks and then cured. Since cold foam – like other foams – stores heat, this type of sleeping is perfect for people who tend to freeze at night. In contrast to cold foam mattresses, pocket spring mattresses are particularly suitable for those who get too warm quickly at night, because this type of mattress has very good ventilation and thus a rather cool sleeping climate. This is because there is enough space between the individual springs including the fabric pockets and the protective layers, so that heat and moisture are immediately transported to the outside. As far as indicators such as point elasticity, support zones and firmness level are concerned, you will definitely find a model that suits you and supports you optimally with both types of mattresses.
The main difference between the two mattresses is definitely the sleeping atmosphere. If you ask yourself whether a mattress with a pocket spring core or a mattress made of cold foam is better, you should therefore pay particular attention to whether you prefer a rather cool or a rather warm sleeping climate.
Good to know:
Pocket spring mattresses technically belong to the group of spring mattresses. However, since the terms are often used synonymously, this article also provides information on whether spring mattresses are better than cold foam mattresses or not. In addition, pocket spring mattresses are usually also barrel pocket spring mattresses at the same time, so that this comparison of pocket spring mattresses and cold foam mattresses can also be applied to barrel pocket spring mattresses and cold foam mattresses.
