Are Emma Mattresses Any Good? Ultimate Guide

The lifespan of an Emma Mattress

There is always a debate with these one-sided mattresses that relates to the longevity of the Emma Mattress. Given that traditional mattresses are always two-sided, so you can turn and rotate them, one-sided box mattresses mean you’re always sleeping on the same side each night. This leads to issues of faster settlement in a one-sided mattress, as one side is getting all the wear and tear.

What is the best bed base for an Emma Mattress?

The Emma Mattress is suitable for most bases, but we would advise that you board over the slats before putting the Emma Mattress (or another foam mattress) on such a base. The reason for this is that slatted bases with gaps of over 2 inches can cause dips and sags with Emma Mattresses. This is because the gaps are too far apart and the synthetic foam can then start to bulge between the gaps, causing undulations on the top sleeping surface. We always advise boarding over the slats for this reason.

Should I rotate my Emma Mattress?

As the Emma Mattress is one-sided, you cannot turn it over. Memory foam is notorious for compressing and settling really quickly, which is why rotating it monthly is key. Ideally, a two-sided mattress should always be chosen to avoid this drawback. This affects 99% of all boxed and rolled mattresses.

High end pocket springs cannot be crushed and rolled, meaning these boxed mattresses are all reliant on foams and micro springs, which in turn leads them to be a one-sided mattress. So, whilst they’re really convenient, it does limit your mattress choices and quality options significantly.

How to manage back or neck pain with an Emma Mattress

Emma Mattresses are made from dense memory foam and other synthetic foams that can be too firm for some sleepers. They can cause back and shoulder pain in bed during the night. This is because bed-in-a-box bed companies like Emma all use foams that are super slow to react: great for that slow sink feeling, but not so great when you need to turn and move in the night! This can lead the Emma Mattress to hold you in uncomfortable positions during the night or, in some cases, offer too much support. This can result in your body being held in an awkward position.

Memory foams are also the same density across the mattress, meaning that pressure points like hips, shoulders and backs are having to force the most pressure on the bed to sink in, whereas other body parts sit on the surface. This is fine for heavier sleepers, but for lighter sleepers and side sleepers it can lead to bad backs and sore shoulders each morning.

These synthetic foam boxed mattresses are also usually only one-sided, so the foams and materials in them are usually firmer to help prevent settlement. However, this settlement actually occurs far faster in one-sided mattresses as they can’t be turned to even it out.

If you are a front sleeper, it is more than likely that such a mattress doesn’t have enough of an initial sink to accommodate your shoulders and chest. This means you’re sleeping with your chest being pushed back and out of alignment with your neck. This can cause thoracic pain: the type of back pain which is usually caused by slouching, especially at office-seated desk jobs. 

Why is the Emma Mattress so warm?

The Emma mattress is made entirely of synthetic foam. Memory foam and synthetic foam are incredibly heat retentive and often retain far more heat than their natural fibre counterparts.

Mouldable foams like memory foam are vasco elastic, meaning they respond to, retain and build up heat to work properly. This is why they feel cold at first and then warm up during the night as you sink into them. Great for cold sleepers, but they can cause issues with warmer sleepers or generate excess heat during the night. This hot sleeping can lead to discomfort and constant movement during the night. All that restless wiggling can also cause a bad back.

If you’re a warm sleeper you should try and avoid any of these foam boxed mattresses. They may claim that their covers remove heat, but in reality they do very little to remove the intrinsic heat build up. For a cooler night’s sleep, a mattress made from natural fibres is best.

Alternatives to the Emma Mattress

If you want to look at one of the coolest natural fibre mattresses then take a look at our Artisan Naturals mattress. It’s 85% natural and, unlike all foam or memory foam boxed mattresses, is two-sided and uses calico-encased pocket springs.

Artisan Naturals Mattress

1: 1200GSM BLENDED BRITISH FLEECE WOOL AND COTTON
2: HAIRPROOF CAMBRIC COVER
3: 1250GSM REBOUND POLY COTTON
4: 1500GSM 100% PURE MOHAIR
5: 1600 CALICO ENCASED POCKET SPRINGS [49MM ] [1.28MM ]
TOTAL: 3950GSM
DEPTH:: 27-30CM
CHEMICAL FREE COVER

The next alternative for a price point of sub £1000 would be our Origins Pocket 1500 mattress. Again, it’s another hand made 2 sided mattress, and is a true medium feel in the upholstery layers. It’s available either as a 1.4 medium 1500 pocket spring support or a 1.6 2000 firm pocket spring support.

Origins Pocket 1500 Mattress

1: 300GSM WOOL
2: 750GSM VERY SOFT POLYESTER
3: 500GSM POLYESTER PAD
4: ONE INCH FOAM INSULATOR LAYER
5: 1500 SPUN BOND POCKET SPRINGS
TOTAL: 1550GSM
DEPTH: 30-33CM

If you’re looking for a softer feel yet supportive mattress model without the heat or one-sided issues, you could also take a look at our Origins Comfort 1000 mattress. This is a two-sided hand made pocket spring mattress. It has a softer feel in the top upholstery layers and features 1000 medium 1.4 gauge steel pocket springs in a spunbond case. It has 1250GSM of fibres, including polyester and soft white fibre.

A secondary benefit is also the depth of our mattress. The Origins Comfort mattress is 30cm deep, which is 5cm deeper than the Emma mattress. This means there’s significantly more bang for your buck, which helps reduce settlement. You can and should turn the Origins Comfort each month to help far extend its life when compared to a memory foam one-sided mattress.

Origins Comfort 1000

1: 750GSM VERY SOFT POLYESTER
2: 500GSM POLYESTER PAD
3: ONE INCH FOAM INSULATOR LAYER
4: 1000 SPUN BOND POCKET SPRINGS
TOTAL: 1250GSM
DEPTH:: 30-33CM

Summary

If you have any more questions about Emma mattresses, or need any more help concerning the alternatives to them that may suit you better, then please let us know.

You can call us on 0161 437 4419 or email [email protected] and we’ll be happy to give you more tailored guidance.