Five Top Reasons Why You Should Buy A Latex Mattress 
On the hunt for a new mattress? There are more reasons to buy a latex mattress than any other mattress type. You might have only thought about latex being used for gloves and such, but it has been used in high quality bedding (mainly mattresses and pillows) for many years.
There is a general shift towards buying more natural products, and also we are demanding higher quality products that last. A natural latex mattress will tick these boxes and more. In this article, I’ll run you through five compelling reasons why your next mattress should be latex. I’ve also got detailed articles for you to read about my favorite latex mattresses at the end. Enjoy!
First, Some Info On Latex Mattresses
Natural latex is a foam that is made from the sap of the rubber tree. It is a resilient and hypoallergenic product, and makes the perfect mattresss material. There are two ways to turn the rubber sap into latex foam: Dunlop and Talalay. Both processes are used for making latex mattresses, and lend slightly different characteristics to the finished product. You can find more details on the difference between the two here.
Latex mattresses feel quite heavy and floppy compared to other mattresses when you’re shifting them around, but they don’t need to be flipped or rotated that often once they’re in place.
Here is a short video from a rubber plantation, showing you how the sap is collected from the rubber trees to make latex.
1. Latex Is The Most Durable Material You’ll Find In A Mattress
When you start looking at latex mattresses, you’ll find many are backed by warranties of 25 years or more, which is more than twice as long as the ten years which seems to be standard across other mattress fabrications. This is because latex is the most durable material out of all the materials found inside modern mattresses, so you can expect one to last longer.
Latex will soften a little over time, but will not compress as much as a memory foam mattress could across a standard lifespan of 7-8 years. It will also outlast traditional spring mattresses, where the coils tend to wear out. I have heard of people still happy with their latex mattress 20 years after purchasing it, which I would never expect from memory foam or coils. The higher the density of the latex, the longer it will last.
Natural latex is hypoallergenic too, so it won’t attract dust mites, mold, or other nasties that could shorten the life of your mattress.
2. Latex Is Extremely Comfortable To Sleep On
Since latex comes from the sap of a rubber tree, a latex mattress naturally has a bouncy and springy feel. This means that latex is highly responsive to your body weight – you’ll feel pressure relief pretty much instantly – without feeling like you’re sinking into the mattress. Latex does a great job of supporting your spine in all sleep positions, which is important not only for good sleep but for avoiding or mitigating back pain.
Like many mattress types, latex mattresses come in a variety of firmness levels. You will be able to find one that meets your requirements no matter whether you prefer a soft, medium, or firm mattress.
3. Latex Naturally Dissipates Heat
Without getting too technical about how latex foam is made, it basically creates an open cell structure within the latex. In other words, a latex mattress has lots of ventilation channels naturally within it. This allows your body heat to be drawn away from your body and circulated out through the mattress, giving you a cool night’s sleep.
Other mattress types, such as memory foam, need to rely on adding extras such as gel or copper to their foams to try to get anywhere near the heat dissipating properties of latex.
4. You Will Be Able To Find A Latex Mattress That Is 100% Natural (Maybe Even Organic)
If you’re looking for a mattress that is 100% natural, your only choice really is latex. Other types of foam mattresses are usually made of petrochemicals. However, you also need to know that there are latex mattresses out there that are blends of natural and synthetic latex, or made just out of synthetci latex. These will probably be cheaper than an all natural latex but won’t have the same durability as an all natural latex mattress will.
There are also mattresses made with 100% ORGANIC natural latex, but they are few and far between. Rubber trees are sustainably grown to produce latex for natural latex mattresses, but there are few producers who adhere to the strict requirements for their product to be certified as organic. If you want to find out about a great 100% organic latex mattress I’ve linked to a full review of one at the bottom of this article.
5. A Latex Mattress Won’t Break The Bank
With the huge market for online mattresses, we’ve seen the price for a high quality mattress decrease dramatically. Latex mattresses have always been at the higher end of the market, a more luxury item. It is easy to see why given their durability, natural materials, comfort and quality.
However, the days of high prices for latex mattresses are gone too! There are several amazing latex mattresses available for you to purchase online. The reason it is cheaper to buy online is that there is no bricks and mortar store to maintain, and these savings are passed directly along to you, the customer. I would expect you could buy a king size latex mattress of the highest quality for under $2000. That is a fraction of the price of some of their big name competitiors using inferior foams and springs.
Combine this with the durability a latex mattress offers, and you’ll find a latex mattress is a great investment.
Are There Any Drawbacks Of Latex Mattresses?
There is only one small thing where I believe another mattress type has the winning edge over a latex mattress, and that is with motion isolation.
Memory foam will do a better job of isolating motion than a latex mattress will. A latex mattress will still do a reasonable job, but it is one of the few areas where memory foam outperforms latex as a mattress material.
Ready To Find out More About Some Of The Best Latex Mattresses On The Market?
I’ve written detailed reviews and breakdowns of some of the most popular latex mattresses you can buy online. Click on the names to find out all the information you could possibly need about them. Alternatively, click here to read my roundup of the best latex mattresses online for 2020.
- PlushBeds (100% organic latex)
- Pure Green (100% natural latex, in my opinion one of the absolute best mattresses on Amazon)
- Avocado (this is a hybrid for those of you wanting to try out natural latex but retain the familiarity of springs for the support core of the mattress)
