Having a good bed setup is beneficial in more ways than one. It helps you get a good sleep night after night, which has a positive effect on your overall heath. Sleeping well allows your energy to recharge overnight and it keeps your body and mind functioning optimally.
One unsung hero of a proper, well-functioning bed is the box spring. Some people may nix this important component when they are considering what kind of bed they want, and while it’s not one hundred percent necessary to have a boxspring, it does help your mattress do its job. And that job is to help you sleep well. So, do you need a box spring? Perhaps not, but it’s not a bad idea to have one.
First of all, a bit of background. Box springs are made of sturdy wooden or metal frames, are covered in cloth and filled with springs — not hard to see why they are called box springs. Although these days they are usually made without the springs, making the structure basically just a box. I guess calling it a box doesn’t have quite the same ring to it. Nonetheless, they are still just as functional.
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Box springs are used for a few reasons. First, they absorb some of the shock from any kind of bouncing that might go on (like kids jumping on the bed, of course!). They also create a flat surface for the mattress to sit upon, making your mattress sturdy and level. Finally, they raise the mattress up off the ground.
Let’s go over the reasons in some detail. Mattresses absorb a lot of shock — the activity that comes from a sleeper tossing and turning throughout the night to simply crawling into bed each every day. All that movement causes the mattress to break down over time, and in some spots, more quickly than others. Having a box spring will help your mattress last longer because the pressure from everyday use is distributed throughout the two structures instead of just on the mattress itself.
Box springs are also important for your physical health because they provide a flat and even surface for your mattress and therefore your body. Most people have experienced the unpleasant feeling of waking up after sleeping on a sloped or sagging mattress. It can lead to aching joints or a sore back, and can start the whole day on the wrong foot. If you really don’t want to have a box spring as part of your bed, putting the mattress directly on the ground will provide good and even support for your mattress, and in turn, your body.
However, having a mattress on the floor is not ideal for everyone, which leads us to the third reason for a box spring — raising the mattress off the ground. The lower the mattress, the more difficult it is to get in and out of bed. If you have any kind of mobility issues, you will find that having your mattress on a box spring makes the end of the day and the beginning of the morning a much more pleasant experience. Finally, it is also more hygienic to raise the mattress off the ground, providing some air flow underneath and not being close to the dust and dirt that is found in the carpet or flooring.
So, do you need a box spring? It depends on how you define the word need. But, the benefits of having one are easy to see.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss what your ideal bed could look like, come into our showroom at WR Mattress. Our helpful and knowledgeable staff are happy to help.