Mattresses & Sleep
Mattress marketing is built on adjectives. The four numbers that actually predict whether you will still like it in year three are foam density, coil gauge, impression-depth warranty cover, and who pays the return shipping.
Guides in this category are in progress
We publish a category only when we can rank it properly. Until the first ranked guide lands here, the primer below covers the specifications that decide whether you will still be happy in three years. Tell us what to test first.
Four constructions, four different feels
| Type | Feels like | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memory foam | Slow, contouring, “hugged” | Side sleepers, couples who hate motion transfer | Can sleep warm; harder to move around on |
| Hybrid | Foam comfort over a coil base | Most people, most of the time | Heavy; quality varies enormously by coil count and gauge |
| Innerspring | Bouncy, responsive, cooler | Back and stomach sleepers, hot sleepers | More motion transfer; thinner comfort layer |
| Latex | Buoyant, springy, very durable | Allergy concerns, longevity, eco priorities | Expensive and very heavy |
Firmness is a function of position and weight, not preference
Firmness scales run 1–10, and most mattresses sold are 5–7. The right number for you depends less on what feels nice in a showroom for ninety seconds and more on how your spine sits for eight hours:
- Side sleepers need the shoulder and hip to sink so the spine stays level — usually 4–6.
- Back sleepers need lumbar support without a gap under the lower back — usually 5–7.
- Stomach sleepers need to stop the hips dropping, which arches the lower back — usually 6–8.
- Body weight shifts everything. Under roughly 60 kg, go one step softer than the guidance above. Over roughly 105 kg, go one step firmer and prioritise a hybrid with a robust coil unit.
The four specs that actually predict satisfaction
Motion isolation matters if you share a bed with a restless partner or a dog; foam wins, innersprings lose, pocketed coils sit between. Edge support decides whether you can sit on the side to put your socks on and whether a double really sleeps two. Temperature is mostly about the comfort layer — open-cell or gel-infused foam, or coils that let air move. Density is the durability number nobody prints in the headline spec: comfort-layer foam under about 1.5 lb/ft³ tends to develop body impressions within a couple of years.
Read the trial period and the warranty as one document
A 100-night trial is now standard and largely meaningless on its own — what matters is who pays return shipping, whether there is a restocking fee, and whether the mattress must be unstained (buy a protector on day one). On warranties, the useful clause is the impression depth: a warranty that only covers sagging beyond 3 cm is far weaker than one covering 2 cm, and that single number tells you more about a manufacturer's confidence than the “25 year” headline.
Bed-in-a-box practicalities
Compressed mattresses need 24–72 hours to reach full loft, and most have a detectable new-foam smell for the first few days — normal, and faster to clear with the windows open. Check the foundation requirement before it arrives: many all-foam mattresses void the warranty on slats spaced more than about 7 cm apart, which quietly rules out a lot of older bed frames.
Common questions
How firm should my mattress be?
Side sleepers usually want 4–6 on the 1–10 scale, back sleepers 5–7 and stomach sleepers 6–8. Adjust one step softer under roughly 60 kg and one step firmer over roughly 105 kg.
How long should a mattress last?
Seven to ten years for a good hybrid or latex mattress, and often less for a budget all-foam one. Comfort-layer foam density below about 1.5 lb/ft³ is the usual reason a mattress develops permanent body impressions early.
Do I need a new bed frame?
Check the slat spacing. Many all-foam mattresses require slats no more than about 7 cm apart and will void the warranty on a wider-spaced frame. Solid platforms and sprung slatted bases are usually fine.
Every ranking, one method
The same published checklist decides every ranking on this site — including what we say we do not know. Read it, then judge our recommendations against it.