Memory foam has this conception about it being extra soft and comfortable. But is it comfortable enough to offer long-term, high-quality sleep? Sleep technology innovations have brought about a grid mattress concept that takes after a memory foam mattress's plushness. But memory foam and grid mattresses are not the same thing or even offer a similar experience. Memory foam is a high-density and small pore polyurethane-based foam, whereas the grid concept is an effort to simulate the same. If you're looking for a comfortable bed mattress, there is more to it than the material properties.

Read on to find out more:

Features and benefits of Memory foam mattresses:
When you look at both memory foam mattresses and a smart grid mattress, it is better to get into individual features before anything else. Here is a look at the properties and features of memory foam as a material and in a memory foam mattress:

1. Comfort level: Memory foam is the undebatable winner when gouging comfort level in a mattress. People choose a memory foam mattress because it feels blissful and incredibly soothing. Sleeping in a memory foam mattress feels like the mattress is hugging you and taking pressure from your body. This is because memory foam has a slow response rate, and high-density memory foam is an excellent pressure relief option. Memory foam sinks to give your body that pressure-neutral sleeping experience and is an excellent anti-inflammation option. By allowing you to sleep and taking pressure from shoulders, pelvic area, knees, and other areas, you can slip into deep-sleep seemingly effortlessly.
    
2. Density variation: Memory foam's density is configurable, which means that you can use high-density options in mattresses and others in comfort layers or quilting. This density variation property also makes it easy to customize memory foam into mattresses that need different plushness and support levels. For example, high-density memory foam is used in pure memory foam mattresses to last long and retain its advantages. In contrast, low-density memory foam is used in quilting and comfort layers of hybrid and innerspring mattresses. This density variation allows the usage and customization of memory foam for a wide range of preferences.
    
3. Thermal properties: High-density memory foam or memory foam, in general, has small pores that do not allow heat to escape efficiently. It traps air, heat and is hypoallergenic for this reason too. High-density memory foam retains heat and is the right choice for usually colder areas. However, low-density memory foam can be used with PU foam in quilting to regulate air and temperature. If you have a healthy or average bodyweight and prefer to keep warm in sleep, high-density memory foam mattresses are for you.
    
4. Pain relief: Soft mattresses are usually not the right choice for body pain because pain starts in the affected area's muscles. However, softer mattresses like memory foam can help pain relief from inflammation issues affecting the joints and muscles. A high-density memory foam mattress allows the area to offload its physical strain and relieve pressure, thereby comforting it. However, for body ache issues like lower back pain, back pain, or other chronic issues, supportive mattresses are necessary. And high-density memory foam mattresses may sink to some extent but still maintain their form factor. As a result, it makes for the right choice in patients with joint pain (memory foam layers in a supportive mattress) and helps relieve strain. People with excessive physical activity or strenuous standing hours can use memory foam comfort layers as long as there is support to help with the posture.
    
5. High-quality sleep: Since memory foam relieves pressure effectively, people are more likely to feel relaxed with that ultra-plush sleeping experience. The body feels more at ease, as every uneven part of your body feels at rest after a long day. This makes memory foam mattresses a good option for people that prefer softer mattresses and want a more delicate experience. The heat-trapping property further helps keep you warm, promotes a restful environment, and decreases restlessness, improving sleep quality.
    
6. Hypoallergenic: High-density memory foam is hypoallergenic because of its small pores, which doesn't let external agents accumulate or enter. So, keeping away from dust, mites, bed bugs, and other allergens is easier because of this property. Moreover, memory foam as a material is such that it inhibits the growth of pests, mold, or other allergens and external factors that could be bad for your health.
    
7. Sleeping position friendly: Memory foam mattresses allow your body to 'sink' slightly, making sleeping on both side and back positions easier. You can also sleep in the fetal position (more like a side position) and experience the relief you get from its plushness. It takes off pressure from major pressure points like shoulders, lower back, pelvic area, and joints, helping you feel asleep quicker and deeper. However, sleeping on the stomach wouldn't be a good idea in a memory foam mattress because your spine could be unevenly aligned due to different sinking levels of your abdomen.
    
8. Suitable for children: High-density memory foam would be the right choice for school-going children or teenagers as long as there's adequate support present in the mattress. For lightweight use, memory foam is one of the best personal care items to choose from for years of deep sleep. Even young adults with an average body weight would find memory foam mattresses a pleasure to sleep into. However, overweight children, teens, or young adults should opt for a supportive mattress with a memory foam comfort layer in place.
    

Advantages and features of grid mattress:
The grid mattress is a soft-rubber grid and acts like an ultra-soft piece of rubber. This, in a way, simulates the properties of a latex foam mattress and the sinking properties of the memory foam mattress. The grid is soft, bouncy, and of course, is an open grid form that promotes air regulation and its sinking and other properties. Here are the features of a grid mattress:

1. Air regulation: One of the primary and apparent features of the grid mattress is good air regulation because of the design. The mattress doesn't trap heat because the grid boxes are open and expansive, not allowing any heat insulation. So, if you prefer to sleep cool, a grid mattress can be the right choice. However, the boxes might trap moisture depending upon environmental and body perspiration rate, leading to a bad experience. Although air regulation is a useful feature, just like air trapping, it has good and bad sides. Some people may prefer sleeping in a warmer environment, and vice versa. The gel material in the grid layer keeps its temperature neutral for the most part.
    
2. Flexibility: The smart grid mattress relies on the rubber-like flexibility and material of the grid layer. The grid layer is usually medium-firm to soft and is good at motion isolation. Moving on one part disturbs the cells around the pressure area and not throughout the mattress. Moreover, the grid mattress sinks and bounces like a rubber allowing your pelvic area and shoulders to rest and sink in. You can usually find a grid mattress with an innerspring system, but the support factor paired with this bounce might not be a common preference. The flexibility of the grid layer helps keep it free from sagging or body shape impressions. This feature gives it a relatively long lifetime, as the mattress stays in shape for the most part. However, this also means that the grid flexibility could go down when individual cells are damaged or ruptured.
    
3. Support: The grid layer is either of soft or firm density levels, and if you're looking for a comfortable bed mattress, you can find variety here. However, this doesn't mean that the grid mattress is right for orthopedic use or pain relief. Foam mattresses have uniform material distribution throughout, and grid mattresses have empty spaces and ridges due to cells in the grid layer. This means if the grid mattress is firm, your body could find it inconvenient to relax in an uneven space. That is, sleeping on a firm grid mattress might feel like sleeping on a rubber grid that is uneven and uncomfortable in the long-run. Individual vertebrae and parts of your body wouldn't get the uniform or dedicated support they need, as they would get from an ortho foam mattress.
    
4. Sleeping position: Because of the flexibility of the grid mattress, the sleeping position comes down to the density or the variant of the grid layer. If the grid layer is soft, you can sleep in either the back or side sleeping position with adequate support. However, if the mattress is firm, the grid mattress would be a little unforgiving for support and comfort. The grid cells would maintain their form and wouldn't bend easily, rendering the support from below useless by enhancing irregular support. Moreover, the sleeping position on a firm grid mattress would favor the back-sleeping position. It is best to go for an ortho foam mattress if you have back or body pain and not rely on the grid mattress's uneven surface.
    
5. Bounce: The grid mattress is a rubber-like material or behaves the same way as a latex mattress. Thus, the mattress has a lot of bounce but still allows objects to sink in (depends on grid firmness). So, if you sat or lay on a firm grid mattress, the bounce factor could or could not be your cup of tea. In the same way, in a softer grid mattress configuration, the grid mattress would be better suited to allow your body to sink. This could again be comfortable or uncomfortable, depending upon your body type, and results would be highly variable. The bounce in a grid mattress is on a higher side (in denser version) and moderate (in low-density version).
    
6. Age influence: The grid mattress might be a good option for young adults or people with an average body weight with no existing or chronic pains. However, older adults and children could find different (or all) configurations of this mattress unsuitable. The uneven surface support and the overall design could be an odd experience for most people and even lead to body pains as a result. The blood circulation would be impacted in the parts where the grid cell walls raise and increase where they don't. This issue would make sleeping on the grid mattress a bad experience for overweight, old, or young school-going children.
    

Advantages of Memory foam over Smart Grid:
Memory foam is a traditional material and design that has lasted for ages and satisfied countless people worldwide. However, memory foam leads the way when it comes to comfort and general edge over a grid mattress. This is both because of memory foam as a sleep-grade material that helps comfort your body but positive aspects of a memory foam mattress.

Here are the reasons why a memory foam mattress offers a better sleeping experience than a grid mattress:

1. Compatibility: Now that memory foam is a household name, it is easier to pair customers with memory foam mattresses. That is, manufacturers develop memory foam mattresses with customer comfort and body in mind. More people have tried memory foam in their mattresses, and manufacturers are able to tune density, thickness, and other construction features accordingly. In contrast, a grid mattress isn't present widely to tune it to customer preference, and the sleeping experience could be hit-or-miss. SleepID can help recommend memory foam, ortho foam mattresses, and the best foam mattress variants in general. That is why memory foam mattresses are suitable for a broader range of people compared to a grid mattress.
    
2. Density benefits: Memory foam maintains and boosts its side-benefits like hypoallergenic properties, thermal insulation, and support when the density is high. In contrast, a grid mattress offers no assurance of a better sleeping experience or maintaining its properties with high-density or firm variants. High-density memory foam also contributes to the overall support a foam ortho mattress offers. However, a high-density grid layer wouldn't be as comfortable or offer uniform or even focused support. This high-density memory foam an excellent choice when using in an ortho foam mattress in comfort layers.
    
3. Comfort: Memory foam is a better and widely known material and is associated with the word 'comfort' itself. This is because of its material properties, which distribute pressure evenly, making your body seemingly float in the air. A memory foam mattress takes away all pressure from your body and sinks to allow minimum reactive pressure. Whereas in a high-density or firm grid mattress, the pressure distribution wouldn't be even because of the dense walls of individual cells and could affect your ability to stay asleep.
   People with high blood pressure would find a dense grid mattress counterproductive for their health. However, memory foam allows your body to sink in a focused and individual fashion, thereby regulating blood circulation. The high walls of a grid mattress coupled with any form of innerspring could enhance the discomfort by rubbing those walls against your body's uneven contours. Whereas, in a memory foam mattress, your body feels uniform comfort and support throughout irrespective of uneven contours or regions.
    
4. Temperature regulation: High-density memory foam mattresses are usually an excellent temperature insulator and not good at regulating it. However, a grid mattress is both a poor and excellent temperature depending upon grid density and construction. Memory foam sinks and cushions your body and traps heat, giving you a snug and comfortable sleeping experience.
   On the other hand, the grid mattress (depending upon the grid layer's firmness) might or might not compress uniformly. However, it is an excellent temperature regulator and is a better option for people looking for a slightly cooler and dry environment. A humid and hot environment could result in the moisture seeping down into layers beneath or collecting in the grid cells. This isn't the case with memory foam, as any moisture would stick to the first few inches and not pile up quickly. However, people living in hot and humid environments should avoid both mattresses options.
    
5. Orthopedic comfort: Medium-firm or firm (very high-density) memory foam is an excellent option for use in ortho foam mattresses. If you're looking for a medium firm ortho mattress in the orthopedic foam mattress variants, look for one with a memory foam comfort layer. This is both because memory foam offers uniform support and plushness that hugs your body. Whereas, in a grid mattress, the uneven support from a high-density variant wouldn't be suitable for a patient suffering from, say, lower back pain, inflammation, or other issues. It would help if you had a delicate soft, and comforting touch that supports and aligns posture. The same case would apply in a soft variant of the grid mattress as the flexibility and compression properties would render it useless for ortho foam mattresses.
    
6. Heavy: As memory foam is a polyurethane-based material and porous (although small depending upon density), a rubber-based grid mattress. This makes a grid mattress heavier than a traditional foam mattress and would be a pain in the back (pun intended) when lifting it for maintenance. Where lifting memory foam would be more comfortable, lifting and maintain a grid mattress would be uncomfortable.
    
7. Bedsheets: Memory foam maintains its shape and doesn't lose its edge form when compressed. Only one particular area of the mattress is compressed, and the same scenario is valid for a grid mattress. However, a grid mattress's edge would align or compress towards the area where you apply pressure. As a result, grid mattress manufacturers recommend custom-made stretchable bedsheets. However, you can use your old or usual bedsheets with a memory foam mattress. Your bed and room beauty wouldn't lose their charm every time you sit or sleep on a memory foam mattress. Additionally, the covers you get with a grid mattress wouldn't be washable as per manufacturer instructions, which is another red flag. This brings us to our next point:
    
8. Sanitization: A memory foam mattress is hypoallergenic and doesn't allow pests, dust, or other agents like moisture to seep in easily. They stay within the first few inches of the mattress, which depends on the memory foam density. However, in the case of a grid mattress, the open cells allow things to settle down, and dust, moisture, and other materials could enter your mattress, creating poor sanitation. And removing the layer and washing it isn't possible in most grid mattresses, leading to poor hygiene. So even if both mattresses are made from hypoallergenic materials, the construction and determine also rue their hygiene factors.
    
9. Price issues: Memory foam mattresses are affordable both because of the widespread manufacturing but supply-and-demand factors too. Even a grid mattress is affordable; however, a large and high-density grid mattress would be a burden on your finances and your back. It is essential to weigh out your options and read customer reviews online if you're looking for a comfortable bed mattress.
    

Conclusion:
As the best mattress brand in India, King Koil focuses on each mattress's luxury and overall aspects suitable for your body. There is no experimentation, and all mattresses are trustworthy with high-quality and long-life assurance. If you're looking for a comfortable mattress, memory foam is the better option when comparing it with a grid mattress. Comfort relies on construction and how your body reacts to it, and a grid mattress is an arrow in the dark.

You can use SleepID to choose the best memory foam or ortho foam mattress for yourself with near-perfect compatibility assurance. Moreover, memory foam is widely available, and you can try it in our stores with a long warranty period. If you are looking to upgrade from your current mattress, the KingKoil warranty and customer assurance with mattress quality can help you look forward to high-quality, comfortable sleep.