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Motion Transfer / Isolation --
Based on Data From Over 8,300 Actual Owners
"Motion
transfer" or "movement isolation" has to do with
how the mattress localizes or absorbs motion. In other words,
a bed that has little or no motion transfer absorbs the movement
of one person on the bed so that the other person does not feel
it.
The chart below shows how mattress types compare on this issue
based on owner / user experiences. Keep in mind that this represents
what is often, but not always, the case; a particular brand,
model or individual mattress may go against these findings.
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Air
Airbeds with two or more air chambers, such as the Sleep Number / Select Comfort and Comfortaire bed, generally have little motion transfer. Their separate air chambers help to dampen movement from spreading across the bed.
Memory foam
Memory foam mattresses, especially those with higher density, provide excellent movement isolation. You have probably seen the commercials of the person walking on the bed without disturbing the glass of water that's also on the bed.
Water
Waterbeds do not generally provide good motion isolation. However, some are better than others on this issue depending on their level of advancement, specifically whether or not they have multiple water chambers.
Latex
They generally provide good motion isolation because of the independent cell construction of natural latex.
Innerspring / coil
Innerspring beds are capable of providing good motion isolation if they have pocket coils and or a layer of memory foam and or latex.
Futons
Futons generally provide average at best motion isolation.