Box Spring Mattress Fact Sheet

The bedding industry has grown quite crowded in recent years with the advent of memory foam mattresses, latex mattresses and adjustable air mattresses taking over significant shares of the market. As a result, the once dominant box spring mattress retains fewer and fewer loyal users with each passing year.

The key to the popularity of these mattresses is therapeutic benefits gained from their unique construction that rely on millions of open cells in the case of memory foam and latex foam and independently controlled air chambers in the adjustable mattress. These mattresses are known for eliminating pressure points that can lead to soreness and poor blood circulation.

If box spring mattresses are criticized, it’s usually for discomfort caused by these pressure points that develop where the internal metal springs push against the user’s body – even with one or more comfort layers acting as a buffer.

Facts on Box Spring Mattresses

To help you better understand your bed and why it may be causing you to lose sleep, here is a box spring mattress fact sheet:

• A box spring mattress consists of two stacked components – the box spring (which resides on the bottom) and the innerspring mattress.

• The box spring is a rigid framed set of large gauge metal coils that is sturdy and bears most of the body weight that is applied to the bed.

• Softer innerspring mattresses consist of a network of smaller metal coils that can range from several hundred to nearly 1,000. The coils may differ in size, thickness and height, depending on the size of the mattress and manufacturer.

• The mattress and box spring should be rotated every two to three months to ensure sagging doesn’t develop. The mattress should also be flipped, but the one-sided box spring should not.

• Most box spring mattresses have a functional lifespan that ranges from five to eight years. After that severe sagging may occur and lead to significant discomfort.

• The box spring should match the mattress it is being used with. At the very least, the same size should be used to ensure proper support.

The box spring mattress has enjoyed many years of popularity as it was the first major bedding innovation of the 1900s and it wasn’t until nearly the turn of the century that memory foam, latex foam and adjustable air beds began to gain ground. Now, the metal coil design of box spring mattresses have largely become antiquated in the presence of the superior emerging sleep system technologies.