What Is the Best Mattress Type for Snoring?
Snorers require a mattress that encourages good head and neck alignment while also easing pressure points along the spine. Each mattress type discussed below can help manage snoring if it supports a person’s sleep style and body type.
Foam Mattresses
This type of mattress is known for cradling your body to provide standout pressure relief. Comfort systems commonly use plush memory foam or polyfoam for extra contouring, while support cores often use high-density polyfoam for stability. Foam mattresses usually excel at cushioning the hips and shoulders, which are areas where pressure tends to build when you sleep on your side.
If you find that you snore while sleeping on your back and would like to transition to side sleeping, you may find it easier to make the switch on a conforming foam model.
Hybrid Mattresses
Hybrid mattresses blend pocketed coils with thick comfort layers made from latex, foam, or other plush materials. Designed to balance pressure relief and support, they generally accommodate a range of sleep styles. Sleepers who don’t like the close hug of memory foam often prefer more responsive hybrid mattresses with latex or polyfoam comfort layers.
Hybrids can potentially help with snoring by encouraging good sleep posture and reducing pressure on the neck area, which in turn can help keep airways open.
What About Innerspring Beds?
An innerspring mattress relies on a coil support system like a hybrid, but their similarities typically stop there. To confuse matters, companies sometimes use the labels “innerspring” and “hybrid” interchangeably. Hybrids have much thicker comfort systems than traditional innerspring models. They also generally use pocketed coils to increase breathability and limit motion transfer.
Because innerspring mattresses usually have fairly minimal comfort layers, they might not provide enough pressure relief and cushioning for side sleepers.
Latex Mattresses
Made from either natural or synthetic latex, this type of mattress offers gentle contouring and significant responsiveness. Latex mattresses use latex in both the comfort system and the support core. Latex has a natural springiness, so sleepers can enjoy some bounce even in the absence of a coiled core. Latex is usually quite breathable, making it preferable for sleepers who find that foam models retain too much heat.
Known for their durability, latex mattresses may help prevent airway obstructions by supporting the natural curvature of the neck and spine. These mattresses tend to be expensive, so expect to pay more for an all-latex mattress than you would for a foam, innerspring, or hybrid model.
Airbed Mattresses
Airbeds are designed with rubber air chambers in their support cores. You can control the amount of air in the chambers using a remote or smartphone app, which in turn adjusts the firmness for different areas of your sleep surface. Basic airbeds feature two air chambers — one for each side of the mattress — while more advanced models may contain several chambers to create a zoned feel across the surface.
Airbeds pair nicely with adjustable bed frames due to their dual-sided construction. The ability to sleep on an incline can reduce snoring, and may also alleviate neck or shoulder pain. That said, airbeds tend to be quite expensive compared with other mattress types. Expect to pay at least $2,500 for a queen size airbed.
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