Best Mattresses Overall

It’s an exciting time to look for mattresses today but that doesn’t mean that finding the best mattress for you will be easy, especially with all the different mattress companies vying for your attention. You don’t even need to visit retail stores in order to shop; a simple online search will give you a wide array of mattress models to choose from.

The question now is, which mattress should you get? Of course, your decision should be based on your needs and preferences as well as your budget. Because it’s your sleeping comfort – and general well-being – that’s at stake, the rule is to get the best mattress that your budget allows.

We understand that the choosing one from many can be a bit overwhelming, so we’ve come up with a handy guide to help you select the best mattress for you. Let’s start things off with a look at what’s available.

Different Types of Mattresses

If you’re looking for the best mattress for you, you’ll be glad to know that you’re not limited to just one option. There are several different kinds of mattresses available today, each one with its own special qualities and benefits.

Memory Foam Mattress

Memory foam is designed to adjust to the contours of the body, providing sleepers with pressure-point relief and promoting proper spine alignment. It also makes memory foam mattresses versatile no matter what position you sleep in, plus it wins in the motion isolation department. This means that if you share the bed – say, with your partner or a big four-legged ball of fur – you won’t be jostled about when they move.

However, memory foam has taken some flak for its heat retention, so “hot sleepers” are often advised to use a memory foam mattress with cooling technology or a gel-infused mattress topper to keep the hot and sticky feeling away.

Innerspring Mattress

Innerspring mattresses have steel coils that give the bed that bouncy feel. If you’ve tried jumping on your bed as a child, that was a spring mattress. These kinds of mattresses have evolved over the years however, with many improving in terms of support, ease of motion, durability and coil technology. Motion transfer has also been decreased, thanks to the incorporation of foam layers for added cushioning.

Latex Foam Mattress

Latex mattresses are similar to memory foam mattresses but with added support and with a more springy feel. The material is also breathable, so it doesn’t retain heat and allows you to sleep cool. The latex used in mattresses may be sourced from natural sources, manufactured or combined together to come up with a natural-synthetic blend.

Air Mattress

Air mattresses have also evolved from simple air-filled beds to something with more structure and support. It’s the bed of choice for people who want to be able to adjust the firmness of their mattress as well as for those who are looking for a portable yet comfortable bed for guests, camping trips, sleepovers and the like. There are air mattresses designed for everyday use, self-inflating mattresses for outdoor use and even mattresses that come with extra features such as remote controls and USB ports.

Waterbed

Like memory foam mattresses, waterbeds are able to conform to the shape of the body and provide even support to relieve pressure points. And like air mattresses, waterbed design has changed over the years to provide sleepers with a more firm support and less wavy feel. The popularity of waterbeds went into decline when the novelty wore off but these fluid-filled mattresses are making a comeback, thanks to new innovations that promote the beds’ therapeutic benefits, such as better design and construction as well as built-in heating technology.

Hybrid Mattress

Hybrid mattresses are a combination of two types of mattress materials. There are innerspring and memory foam hybrids, which have the contouring comfort of memory foam and the support of innerspring. There are also innerspring mattresses that have layers of latex for added comfort. You can also find hybrid beds that have springs, memory foam and latex foam all together. If you like a bit of bounce but also want the contouring feel that you can get from memory foam, there’s sure to be a hybrid mattress out there for you.

The Best Mattresses for Popular Brands

In your search for the best mattress, you will no doubt encounter different brands. Some brands are more popular over others because their products have been rated highly by both product reviewers and consumers, so it would be worth it to check them all out to see what they have for you.

These brands are considered to be some of the best in the mattress industry:

• Nectar Sleep
• Amerisleep
• Layla
• Nest Bedding
• Casper
• Loom & Leaf
• Zenhaven
• Dreamfoam
• Saatva
• Bear
• Brooklyn Bedding
• Nolah
• Sleep Innovations
• Helix
• Winkbeds
• Tuft & Needle
• Perfect Cloud
• DreamCloud
• Tomorrow Sleep
• Serta
• Plushbeds
• Ultimate Dreams
• Lucid
• Sleep Number
• Sealy
• BedInABox
• Purple
• 4Sleep
• Leesa
• Pangeabed
• Allswell
• Aviya
• GhostBed
• Yogabed

Buying a Top Mattress Online or Instore: Key Considerations

You don’t have to leave the comfort of your home or office to go look for a new mattress. Shopping for your next mattress can be done online. There are some mattress brands that only sell online, so keep that in mind when doing your research. Here are other factors to consider when choosing to buy online or in a store.

• Time – Work or chores at home can keep you from visiting a store in person to check out mattresses during business hours. If your schedule is tight or if going to a store would be a hassle, you can save time and shop online.
• Price – Many brands sell products at a lower price online, so compare prices to see which option would be better for your budget. Coupon codes can also give you instant savings when you shop online. On the other hand, when you buy in a store, you can negotiate mattress prices to see if they would be willing to match the online price.
• Options – When you visit a store, your choices may be limited to what’s currently in stock. Online, you have more models to choose from and sites to check out. You can visit manufacturer sites and even retailer sites to see which one offers the best deal.
• Product reviews – Mattress reviews can help you decide if a particular model is for you or not. These reviews may prove invaluable to consumers buying online. In a store, you only have the word of a salesperson and your own few minutes of experience trying the bed out.
• Independence – If you’re the type of person who gets annoyed when a salesperson keeps hounding you and giving you all sorts of offers you don’t want or need – if you just want to shop in peace – then going online would be best. Sales personnel can be pushy and it can be hard to make a wise decision when you’ve got salespeople following you around.
• Feel – If you want to test a mattress before buying it, you can do this best in a store so you can get a good feel of its comfort and support and determine if it would be the best mattress for you. It can be a bit awkward to lie down on a bed in full view of other shoppers, so it would be a good idea to bring your partner or a friend along when mattress shopping.

Mattress Softness/Feel

How a mattress feels in terms of softness and firmness varies from person to person. There are people who, like the fairytale princess, are hypersensitive to how their sleeping surface feels. There are others who manage to doze off on any surface regardless of whether it’s made of the plushest memory foam or a slab of granite.

Most people, however, are fine with a mattress designed to provide universal comfort. Calling to mind another tale, universal comfort is what you can call the Goldilocks standard of mattress feel – not too firm and not too soft.

The feel or comfort of a mattress depends not only on what it’s made from or the type of mattress but also the individual’s physical condition (weight, injury or disorder, stage of pregnancy and the like), sleeping position and personal preferences.

Quality of Materials and Construction

Use of quality materials and the way a mattress is constructed have an impact on its durability and longevity. It’s recommended to invest in a mattress that’s made from good quality materials and manufactured according to top standards to make sure you get a mattress that will serve you well for the years to come.

Mattress Features

Cooling technology in memory foam and latex mattresses, pocket coils in spring mattresses, adjustable bases, built-in pumps for air mattresses and other features can make a difference in your sleep experience. These can also factor in to how much a mattress costs, so consider them carefully when shopping.

Extra Offerings

Many retailers entice customers to purchase from them by offering freebies such as pillows and bedsheets. Some give discounts when you buy another product. If a freebie or discount is not offered outright, you can try negotiating for free add-ons.

Trial Period

Mattress brands, especially those operating online, offer a trial period to allow customers to see if their mattress is a good fit. This is especially helpful for online shoppers who cannot test the bed first in a showroom or for a long period. Trial periods vary, with some companies offering up to a year of risk-free trial and easy return and exchange policy just in case the mattress you bought doesn’t work out for you.

Customer Service

If there’s a problem with your mattress purchase, you’ll need the skills of a good customer service representative to sort things out. Companies should do their best to see that your concerns are addressed and that you’re happy with your purchase. How brands prioritize customer satisfaction has often been a deciding factor when shopping for a mattress, so take a look at what others are saying about how they were treated by a company’s customer service team.

Mattress Reviews

As previously mentioned, mattress reviews can provide you with insights on whether a particular mattress model would work for you or not. Reviews can come from people who specialize in dissecting everything about a mattress, from its construction, materials, firmness level and so on.

Reviews can also come from customers who purchased the mattress and would often include comments about how quickly the product was delivered as well as their experiences with customer service, return policies and whether the mattress met or fell short of their expectations.

Major Brand Return/Exchange Policies

If you find the mattress you purchased doesn’t feel quite right to you or gives you pain, you should be able to return it or have it exchanged for a different model. Mattress companies shouldn’t give you a hard time returning or exchanging your mattress, either.

The return and exchange policies vary among different brands, so check the fine print. Return periods range from 15 days to 120 days. Some retailers offer a full refund when you return the mattress within the specified period, while others will give customers store credit instead. Some stores charge a pickup and restocking fee, some provide free pickup and delivery.

Mattress Warranty

Mattress warranties cover manufacturing defects such as torn handles, protruding wires or coils, torn seams on first use and other defects that may be attributed to error on the part of the manufacturer. Mattresses may come with 10-year, 20-year and even a lifetime warranty.

Note, however, that the warranty doesn’t mean the mattress will last that long, especially if you use it regularly. Nor does it indicate how long you should keep using the mattress. The warranty doesn’t cover normal wear and tear after all. This means that even with the best of care, your mattress will still wear out long before the decades-long warranty expires.

Value for Money

The best mattress you can buy is something that will give you more than your money’s worth. It doesn’t have to be the most expensive; there are plenty of budget-friendly mattress models that have been given high ratings because of their reasonable cost, construction, quality, comfort, durability and overall value for money.