A lot of times, the mattress can make or break a good night’s sleep. You’re essentially throwing your money down the drain if you buy a high-end bed but go with a cheap mattress. So, a good quality mattress is pretty important.
They provide comfort, support, and also structural support for your bed. But you may have noticed or heard that some beds have two mattresses. What’s the deal with that? Is that a medical requirement for some people? Or just a personal preference?
Well, in this in-depth guide, we’ll talk about everything there is to know about it. So, let’s check out why do beds have two mattresses.
Why Do Some Beds Have Two Mattresses?
Right off the bat, we want to settle one thing. No bed is designed to have two mattresses. It’s just something some people or families do. This can be for various reasons.
They might just not have the space for the second one or something else. Let’s check out some of the common effects of sleeping on two mattresses.
For Raising the Bed Higher
A very common reason for having two mattresses is to raise the bed height. You can also call this a personal preference. Many people don’t like their bed being too low to the ground. And they’ll use a second mattress of the same size to increase the height of the bed.
Sometimes it can give you better support. Platform beds are pretty common for using two mattresses. This can be a low-budget hack to increase the height of the bed if you don’t want to buy a new bed altogether.
For More Comfort
This might differ from person to person. While some might feel more support and comfort by sleeping on sleeping on two mattresses, not everyone enjoys it. There are some major downsides to using two mattresses. We’ll check those out a bit later in the article.
Well, anyway, yes, comfort could be a reason. For example, if you have an old mattress, you might buy a new one to put on top of it. That’ll make it feel better when you’re sleeping on it. Alternatively, if you don’t like the feel of your current mattress, then you might buy a softer one to change how it feels.
This begs the question, why not throw away the older one? Well, maybe the older one was brought fairly recently and is still pretty usable. Or they just don’t have the extra space to place the mattress somewhere.
For Kids That Love to Bounce
Ah, kids. We’re sure every parent had to scold their kids at one point in time not to jump on the bed. But kids will, kid. They love to bounce on the bed. And you know what’s better for bouncing than one mattress? Two mattresses.
That being said, no family uses two mattresses to let their kids bounce on the bed. But it’s something kids love to do.
Spare Mattress
Another common reason could be having a spare mattress. If you bought a new mattress recently and don’t have space to store the old mattress yet, you might want to put the new one on top of the old one.
Later, when you can find a better way to get rid of the old mattress, you will do that. And have a single mattress on the bed. It just makes your bedroom less cluttered. If you have guests over, you can use the old one and make an ad hoc bed for them as well.
Should You Have Two Mattresses?
There can be a lot of reasons why someone would have two mattresses on their beds stacked up together.
But it isn’t the best idea, even from a medical and comfortable standpoint. In most cases, it’s better to get rid of the old mattress if you buy a new one.
Makes You Hotter
Most sleep researchers agree that temperature is a key factor. It helps give you a good night’s sleep. If you double stack mattresses, you don’t get that comfortable temperature. It’ll make you hotter and generally degrade the quality of your sleep.
Especially if your mattress is memory foam, they are known to retain heat. And if you put one on top of another, you’re essentially doubling the heat retention. You might wake up in the middle of the night because you were too hot.
Mattresses Need to Breathe
Stacking two mattresses on top of each other will stop it from ‘breathing.’ Now, what do we mean by this? Mattresses are designed to let air flow through them naturally. This is essential for durability and also structural integrity.
Using double mattresses isn’t good for their longevity. Heat and moisture will build up. This will cause damage to it over time and also allow for fungal growth, which is just disgusting. Plus, you’ll have a harder time maintaining and cleaning it.
Instability
This one’s just annoying. A mattress is designed to be put on a bed. And the bed’s design is also responsible for holding the mattress in place. By putting one over another, you’re causing instability.
The top one won’t have a bed frame to support it. And if you move around in bed, the mattress will wobble. Or it may slip as well. This can be quite annoying when you’re sleeping. It isn’t secure. Plain and simple.
This problem will be exaggerated when you have kids. They may be bouncing on the bed or scrambling around in the bedroom, and they could bump the bed. Or pull the sheets. Since the topmost mattress isn’t supported properly, it can topple over.
Damaged Slats
Then there’s the damage to the bed. Beds aren’t particularly designed to have two mattresses on them. Well, not most beds, at least. Using two mattresses can increase the weight. And that can damage your bed’s frame and slats.
All beds are designed with slats that account for a single mattress. Two mattresses are extra weight and cause the slats to cave in due to this extra pressure. Apart from the damaged slats, you might also see your bedding is sagging.
This is due to the distance between the slats. When you have a heavy object on top of them, the extra weight pushing down on it causes it to sag. The sag can be so severe that you’ll be visibly able to tell it.
It Can Trigger Your Allergies
Yep, you read that right. Mattresses are pretty much allergen heaven if they aren’t well-maintained and ventilated. High-quality mattresses are designed to reduce allergens like dust mites. You can use covers for this.
But here’s the deal, when you’re stacking two on top of each other, you’re making it easy for the allergens. The bottom of the top mattress and the top of the bottom mattress are essentially trapped.
So, you’ll have more moisture getting stuck; it’ll get hotter and will generally be a hotspot for allergens. Not the best idea at all.
It Can Void the Warranty
Last but not least, it can void your warranty. A high-quality mattress can be expensive. Plus, there’s all the time you put into researching which one to buy. Stacking two mattresses on top can void your warranty.
And that can sting if something were to go wrong and you want to make a warranty claim. All warranties are voided if you use them differently from the intended use. And using one on top of another one counts as unintended use.
What to Do Instead of Using Two Mattresses
Of course, people don’t stack mattresses just because they want to. There is a reason behind it. Maybe they want to make it firmer. Or they have an old mattress that became way too soft.
There are other ways, better ways, than stacking them. One thing you can try is using a mattress topper. Instead of stacking them, a mattress topper may give you better results if you want your bed to feel firmer.
Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and buy a new one. If your old ones are out of life, avoid stacking them to make them more comfortable. Getting a new one will be much better for your sleep and overall health.
Well, buying a new mattress means you’ll have your old one. How do you get rid of that? Well, you can give it to charity. There are some free mattress recycling programs as well. Some brands will even take your old mattress off your hands.
There are plenty of perfectly good recycling options for your old mattress. Using two mattresses simply isn’t worth it.
Wrap Up
Hopefully, now you know why do beds have two mattresses. And more importantly, you know why you shouldn’t have two mattresses on one bed. There are much better ways of increasing comfort or getting rid of your old one.
