How to choose the best mattress for you
3The best mattresses can help you to wake up each morning well-rested and refreshed, but how do you know which one to pick?
In this guide, we’ll cover the key mattress features to look out for so that you can make a well-informed buying decision.
Our tried and tested roundup of the best mattresses on the market today: https://www.expertreviews.co.uk/health-and-grooming/1405586/best-mattress-the-best-pocket-sprung-memory-foam-and-budget-mattresses
Springs vs Foam
Broadly speaking, mattresses can be split into those that do or don’t have springs. The latter, usually made from foam, have become very popular in recent years. Foam does a great job of cushioning your bony protrusions and soaking up movement, but it can often feel warmer than a sprung mattress and can get softer still as the bed warms up.
When it comes to sprung mattress models, you’ll likely think of traditional pocket sprung mattresses, topped with natural fillings such as wool, cotton or hemp. These usually offer better temperature regulation than foam models but can suffer from body impressions over time.
Finally, you’ll find plenty of manufacturers now offer “hybrid” mattresses, which use a combination of pocket springs and foam, or other synthetic materials. These aim to give you the superior airflow of springs coupled with the excellent cushioning properties of foam, but on the whole, these can still feel warmer than a traditional pocket sprung mattress.
Whether you opt for foam, springs, or a combination of the two, the best mattresses deliver ample support and cushioning, so your choice will ultimately come down to personal preference.
What’s a bed-in-a-box?
You may well find that your decision is swayed by the fact that many foam and hybrid mattresses now arrive vacuum-packed in a box, promise short delivery times and offer lengthy money-back guarantees. These bed-in-a-box mattresses are priced similarly to more traditional rivals, so you can assume you’re paying a little extra for the benefit of the convenience and trial period.
With the exception of a few models, the downside to more traditional mattresses is that you won’t be able to get your money back if you eventually decide it’s not the one for you.
Firmness
Once you’ve settled on a type of mattress you can start to hone in on your ideal bed by searching by firmness.
We believe a good approach when deciding what firmness rating to choose is to think about how you sleep. If you lie mainly on your back or front, you’ll likely be happy with a medium-firm to firm level of support. If you sleep on your side, or a combination of all three positions, it’s important to have something that has enough give to accommodate your hips when you’re laying on your side.
Larger individuals may want to opt for a firmer level of support than smaller people and bear in mind that a mattress may feel different depending on the type of base you use. On a solid base it’ll likely feel firmer than on a sprung slatted base.
What else do you need to consider?
Trial periods
Before you take the plunge, make sure you double check the small print for any trial period offered with the mattress. The mattress may only come with a money-back guarantee when it’s bought directly from the retailer, and you might also need to jump through other hoops such as using a mattress protector for the guarantee to be valid.