The world of mattresses can be a little perplexing, or even frustrating.
Simply laying on a mattress for a few minutes won't necessarily tell you if it will be comfortable to sleep in for an entire night.
It's hard to get an accurate feeling for one mattress, let alone the hundreds of others that are on the market, each of which makes wild claims as to what it can help you achieve.
When you get down to it, it's pretty obvious that the only thing a good mattress should do is help you get a good night's sleep.
While most of the new mattresses today try to do this with fancy new technology and try to sell you on the mattress through slick ad campaigns, they don't seem to work all that well (as evidenced by the constant introduction of newer models that claim to be the best).
That's the problem.
The good news is, you don't need any of those over-engineered, pricey mattresses.
Jettison the fancy for the simple in the form of the futon mattress, and you may realize how much more conducive to a good night's rest simplicity can be.
In this article, we will discuss the single futon mattress, but keep in mind that the discussion will also be applicable to larger futon mattresses.
Just what is a futon mattress, exactly? It is a very simple mattress which could almost be considered a portable padded surface, if we're talking about a traditional Japanese futon.
They are everything hi-tech mattresses are not.
They don't contain springs, coils, wire, or any type of metal.
That means that as long as you're on a good, flat surface, there's nothing to poke you in the back.
Just firm, even support throughout.
If you think about it, we are meant to sleep on firm surfaces.
It maintains a good posture if we are lying on our backs.
What kind of futon mattress should you get? If you get a single futon bed, the frame and mattress will probably come together.
Mattresses sold in Western countries will usually be softer than those found in Japan, but they will still feel firm to people who have slept on soft mattresses all their lives.
Buying a very cheap single futon is a bad idea as the mattress is likely to be somewhat flimsy, as is the frame.
If you're lucky enough to find a store that specializes in selling futon mattresses (and they do exist), do check out their selection.
These stores often carry a wide array of futons with different fillings, with several layers of cotton and foam sandwiched to provide a person's ideal level of support.
The more expensive futons will be thicker and have more filling, but don't assume that bigger is better here.
The thinner ones will likely provide better support and be less expensive as well.