How To Choose A Mattress

It’s finally come time to replace your mattress and the mattress industry may look a little different than the last time you shopped. You may be wondering how to choose the best mattress when the online market alone offers hundreds of options. When it comes to choosing a bed, you should consider your particular circumstances and prefrences that need accommodated.

That’s why we’ve put together a helpful mattress quiz, to identify important buying considerations and match you with the perfect bed based on your answers. We know you may not know how to pick the right mattress, so we’ve done the mattress finder work for you!

Use our Mattress selector tool above and read below to answer any questions you might have about the mattress finder quiz and finding the perfect mattress.

What Type Of Mattress Is Best For Me?

There are different types of mattresses to choose from, from memory foam, to latex foam, to hybrid mattresses mixing both types of foam and pocketed coils. To answer the question what kind of mattress should I buy, you should think about what kind of material you like and dislike.

If you like slow responding, conforming, hugging type of foam, you may love a memory foam bed. A latex foam bed, on the other hand, feels bouncy and pressure relieving without that “sink in” feel that you get from memory foam.

Poly foam is for the sleepers who want a safe pick, as it’s a generally comfortable foam that’s more responsive than memory foam but softer and more plush than latex foam.

What Firmness Level Is Perfect For Me?

We often get the question, what is the best mattress for me, soft or firm? In return, we like to ask you a couple of questions. Do you prefer a bed that offers more support than plushness? If the answer is yes, you might benefit from a firm mattress that’ll keep your spine in neutral alignment. A soft mattress, on the contrary, is usually best for people who need ample pressure relief along their sides, especially in their hips and shoulders.

A medium mattress, a firmness right in the middle of the scale, is great for sleepers or couples who want to find a compromise between support and pressure relief. The truth is, the most comfortable mattress won’t be the same for everyone, and your sleeper type has a lot to do with the kind of mattress you should purchase, along with mattress thickness and construction.

Sleeper And Body Type Matters 

Other factors you should be taking into consideration when finding the perfect mattress is body and sleeper type. The best mattress for side sleepers are usually the ones with a softer profile, because side sleepers typically require pressure relieving beds that conform to the side of their body.

The best mattress for stomach sleepers tends to look the same as the best mattress for back sleepers; firm with a supportive profile. Firm beds promote a straight alignment in your spine, and prevent your lower back from sagging into the mattress. Back sleepers and stomach sleepers should opt for a bed in the medium to firm range (5-10 on the scale).

The best mattress for combo sleepers are beds that land in the middle of the scale, because they offer enough pressure relief when they’re on their side, and decent support when they’re on their back (especially hybrid beds).

Body Type 

If you have a petite to average body type, you’ll be able to sleep on an all-foam or hybrid mattress. Heavy sleepers, though, benefit from beds made with innersprings or coils because they offer more long lasting support and durability.

Health Issues Can Affect Your Mattress Choice

Many adults suffer from hip, joint, or back pain and this can have a large impact on the quality of your sleep if the pain isn’t kept at a minimum.

You should consult with your doctor to see if they have any recommendations to help relieve your pain, but hybrid beds with medium to firm profiles tend to help with back pain because they keep the back properly supported. For joint pain, on the other hand, softer beds that offer pressure relief can help soothe the pain around sore joints.

Additionally, hot sleepers may want to consider a bed with temperature regulating properties to help cool them down at night.

Think About Your Budget When Choosing A New Bed

Of course, you should find a mattress that is within your budget — you usually don’t have to go far outside your means to find a quality mattress.

If you’re looking to save a maximum amount of money, opt for a budget mattress around $750 or lower. You can even find a cheap mattress for under $300 if you’re looking for a full or twin size. We suggest you check out Amazon, who sells some pretty affordable mattresses at decent quality.

The average mattress tends to around $1,300 or so before discounts, but you can easily find one under $1,000 after applying promo codes (mattress sites offer them pretty often). We think there are great value beds in this price range!

For those who want to invest in your perfect mattress, there are plenty of high-end luxury mattresses that we know and love that will give you long lasting durability, with a five-star hotel look and feel.

How Do I Purchase A Mattress?

We’ve put together a guide containing helpful mattress shopping tips to help our readers through the process of buying a mattress. While we can’t answer what is the best mattress to buy, we can lead you to a few great options depending on the kind of sleeper you are.

We recommend checking out our deals page to maximize savings on your next purchase, and use one of our promo links to navigate you to the mattress you’re interested in buying.

What Size Bed Is Good For Me?

In order to determine the most ideal mattress size, take a look at our guide explaining the most popular mattress dimensions, from twin to Cal king.

We suggest a twin mattress for kids, teenagers, or those who want to save room in a small apartment or dorm room. A full size bed is ideal for sleepers who want a bit more sleeping space than a twin, but smaller than a queen. This may include single sleeping adults, teenagers, or couples who really like to cuddle.

A queen mattress and king size bed are best for couples who want ample sleeping space, or single sleepers who are tall and take up a lot of room on a mattress. 

Compare And Contrast The Best Mattress For You

Oftentimes our readers narrow their choices down to their top two contenders, so we’ve made it easier to break down the major differences between beds with our mattress comparisons. For example, if you’re having trouble picking between Casper Mattress or Purple Mattress, you can see how the popular online mattress brands Purple vs Casper match up against each other in terms of price, construction, feel, firmness, etc.. Or gain insights on how Tuft and Needle measures up compared to Nectar, Puffy vs Leesa, and countless other mattress comparisons.

Great question that we commend you for asking. We’ve been helping people choose the best mattress for them for years now, reviewed hundreds of mattresses, and have looked to our sleep experts to give thousands of people sleeping tips. Take a look at our About Us page to find out more about our team, and our methods behind the madness!

Hopefully the piece above helped you understand how to choose a mattress, and our extensive research made it less complex. Make sure to try the mattress finder quiz above if you haven’t yet!