A simple Google search asking 'which mattress should I buy?' yields more than 83 million results in less than half a second. Many of the top results are sponsored posts, with big-name brands vying for your attention, urging you to buy their mattress without knowing anything about you, your budget, or your sleep needs.
With so much on the market, it's easy to feel spoiled for choice. That's where I come in. As H&G's resident sleep writer, I've sampled some of the world's best mattresses from all the specialist sleep stores, including Saatva, Tempur, and Nectar. I've learned that there's no such thing as one mattress to suit every sleeper: which mattress is best varies from person to person.
There are lots of different ways to buy a mattress. You could shop based on sleep position to find the best mattress for front, back, or side sleepers. If you're a hot sleeper, or you live in a warm climate, you could shop for a cooling mattress. Eco-conscious shoppers will want to shop sustainably, while buyers on a budget might be more concerned by the price tag.
Which mattress should I buy?
However you want to shop for a mattress, I've got you covered. I've explained why particular mattress types might work for certain sleepers and rounded up a few of my favorite models to help you make an informed decision. Each of these mattresses is tried, tested, and highly recommended by an H&G sleep expert. For the sake of a fair fight, we assess each mattress against the same criteria: comfort; thermoregulation; weight bearing; motion isolation; and edge support. We also consider the cost to show you how to choose a mattress you can actually afford.
Buy a mattress based on sleep position
Everyone you know is either a front sleeper, a back sleeper, a side sleeper, or a combination of the three. How you lie on the bed says something about you: it indicates where you feel aches and pains and dictates where you put pressure on your body. It follows that different sorts of sleepers need different styles of mattress to sleep comfortably.
If you sleep on your stomach, you should look for a firm mattress: I recommend a hybrid model with reinforced steel springs, or else a natural latex mattress. You need a firm surface that allows your chest to sink a little, while lifting your lumbar region to maintain the natural alignment of your spine.
If you sleep on your back, you should look for a medium-firm mattress: you could consider a hybrid model, a latex number, or a firmer sort of foam. You need something with a little bit of give to cushion your neck and shoulders, while supporting your spine. You could also do with the best pillow to rest your head.
If you sleep on your side, you could consider a medium-soft mattress: you could consider a memory foam model or a particularly plush hybrid. You need something with plenty of give to take the pressure off your joints. The best mattresses for side sleepers are designed to alleviate pressure and relieve pain.
Made from AirFoam, this mattress is springy and responsive. It's got just enough give to cushion your neck and shoulders while lifting your lumbar region to lengthen your spine. I recommend this mattress for side sleepers, and anyone who tends to sleep hot: the AirFoam is perforated to boost breathability.
You can find more detail in our Nolah Original Mattress review.
This firm mattress is filled with individually wrapped stainless steel support coils to absorb pressure and alleviate aches and pains. It's sufficiently solid to keep front sleepers from sinking and features impeccable motion isolation so that you won't move when your pet or partner does.
You can find more detail in our Naturepedic Chorus Mattress review.
This isn't just the best mattress for back sleepers. For our money, it's the best mattress of all time. The Saatva Classic Mattress combines the plush comfort of memory foam with the response of an innerspring to cushion your joints and support your spine.
You can find more detail in our Saatva Classic Mattress review.
Buy a mattress based on your temperature
If you suffer from night sweats or hot flushes, or you simply tend to run a little warm, you might be a hot sleeper. You need one of the best cooling mattresses to dissipate heat and wick moisture so that you can stay cool and comfortable. You could look for a mattress that incorporates cooling technology or keep an eye out for models with cooling covers.
If you live in a cooler climate, or you tend to wake up in a cold sweat, you might be a cold sleeper. Since you need all the heat you can get, you could consider one of the best memory foam mattresses: all that thick foam retains and releases heat to keep you comfortable and cozy. You could top it all off with the best warm comforter.
If you tend to run warm in the winter and cool for the summer, then you're what I like to call a temperate sleeper. Your best bet is a breathable mattress that allows air to flow into and out of the bed, rather than something actively cooling. I recommend a hybrid mattress: all those steel coils compress and depress to boost breathability.
As a general rule, hybrid mattresses are more breathable than memory foam models: all those steel coils boost breathability. The Tempur-Pedic ProAdapt Medium Hybrid Mattress is wrapped in a cooling cover to dissipate heat and wick moisture, keeping you just the right side of cool and comfortable.
You can find more detail in our Tempur-Pedic ProAdapt Medium Hybrid Mattress review.
One of our expert testers just wrapped up her review of the Layla Hybrid Mattress. She was seriously impressed with the lack of heat retention in the memory foam. She puts it down to the copper infusion, which conducts heat away from the body and releases it again when temperatures start to cool.
You can find more detail in our Layla Hybrid Mattress review.
If you live in a colder climate, and you tend to sleep cool, you might not want a mattress that dissipates heat: you need all the warmth you can get. In that case, you should consider a memory foam model, such as the Emma Original. What this mattress lacks in breathability, it more than makes up for in softness and support.
You can find more detail in our Emma Original Mattress review.
Buy a mattress based on its eco-credentials
As an eco-conscious shopper, I've struggled to find a mattress that's made sustainably with organic materials. One of our expert testers prefers to purchase vegan products and she's found it even harder to find a vegan mattress that meets her sleep needs and comes in under budget.
The best organic mattresses are undeniably expensive, but that's the price you have to pay for ethically made fabric and fill. You should prepare to spend at least $2,000 on an organic mattress, though you might be able to save a few hundred dollars when you shop the sales.
If you're new to shopping sustainably, here are some buzzwords to look out for. Natural latex is free from petroleum and harvested straight from the rubber tree. Organic materials, such as wool and cashmere, are free from chemicals and toxins, so that you can breathe cleaner, healthier air while you sleep. Vegan mattresses are free from animal products of any kind so that you can sleep easy.
This luxury mattress is filled with natural latex. It feels a lot like memory foam, only without the heat retention, and with far superior eco-credentials. The Saatva Zenhaven Latex Mattress is suitable for front, back, and side sleepers, and anyone who sleeps hot. The only thing I don't like about it is the size: this mattress is heavy and proves hard to flip.
You can find more detail in our Saatva Zenhaven Natural Latex Mattress review.
Filled with organic wool and cashmere for comfort, the Birch Luxe Mattress offers sustainable plush comfort. Zoned lumbar support targets each area of your body to absorb pressure and alleviate pain. I'd recommend this organic mattress for anyone who suffers from a latex allergy and still wants to shop sustainably.
You can find more detail in our Birch Luxe Mattress review.
If you prefer to purchase vegan products, you might have given up on finding a good mattress: that's how hard it is to find an organic model that doesn't incorporate animal products. The Avocado Green Mattress might just tick your boxes. When you select the vegan option, you'll find a luxury mattress, filled with organic latex and supported by pocketed coils.
You can find more detail in our Avocado Green Mattress review.
Buy a mattress based on budget
A lot of the best mattresses are seriously expensive. We're talking thousands of dollars for premium fabric and fill and expert craftsmanship. But I am also of the mindset you shouldn't have to spend a small fortune to get a good night's sleep.
If you're working with a tight budget, I suggest narrowing your search from the best mattress, bar none, to the best affordable mattress. It's possible to get plush foam, supportive springs, and water-tight warranties for under $1,000: less, when you shop the sales.
If you've got some cash to spare, and you want to spend it on a brand new bed, you could consider the best luxury mattress. These mattresses might seem expensive, but you should think of them as an investment. You're dropping a few thousand dollars now on a durable mattress to save spending more on multiple, cheaper models over the years.
I recommend the Nectar Memory Foam Mattress for buyers on a budget who refuse to compromise on comfort. This soft yet supportive mattress is ideal for back and side sleepers, as well as anyone who suffers from chronic pain: it really helped one of our expert testers, who lives with fibromyalgia. The edge support is pretty poor, but you get what you pay for.
You can find more detail in our Nectar Memory Foam Mattress review.
A queen-sized SweetNight retails for a little more than $1,300, though it's regularly discounted for federal holidays and sitewide sales. At any rate, it's not a bad price to pay for one of the best mattresses, especially when you consider that you're getting four mattresses in one: the SweetNight Prime features four sections of varying firmness to please everyone.
You can find more detail in our SweetNight Prime Memory Foam Mattress review.
For an organic mattress, the Botanical Bliss is pretty reasonably priced. The core is formed from organic latex then wrapped in organic wool and cotton. For a little less than $2.000, you can choose your mattress height and firmness, and select any size from Twin to California King, including Split options for couples who share a bed, but not a sleep style.
You can find more detail in our PlushBeds Botanical Bliss Mattress review.
Which mattress should I buy FAQs
Where can I buy mattresses?
While you could probably pick up a mattress from your local home retailer, I always recommend shopping at a specialist sleep store. That way, you can take advantage of site-specific sales and special offers: plus, you get access to risk-free sleep trials, and you're protected by water-tight warranties.
Saatva makes the world's best mattress, the Saatva Classic, and a few more of our favorites, including natural latex options to suit sustainable shoppers. Whether you sleep on your front, back, or side, and whatever your sleep needs, Saatva is a good place to start.
Why are mattresses so expensive?
Short answer: because that's the price you pay for premium materials, cooling technologies, and expert craftsmanship. You should expect to spend at least $500 on a mattress to get something durable and breathable that supports your sleep needs.
With that said, you could always shop the mattress sales to get a brand new bed for less. Federal holidays tend to bring big mattress discounts, but you could still save hundreds throughout the year with site-specific sales. To save you time and money, I've sorted through the mattress sales and put the best beds at the lowest prices in one place.
Final thoughts
Once you've invested in the mattress that meets your needs, it's important to take good care of it. I recommend picking up one of the best mattress protectors while you're at it. These lightweight layers act as a barrier between your body and your bed, absorbing sweat and preventing spills and stains from reaching your mattress.
If you don't have the budget for a brand new bed, but you're keen to upgrade your sleep, you could always buy one of the best mattress toppers, instead. There are plush options to soften up an old bed, as well as firmer toppers to keep you from sinking into a soft, sagging mattress: all that for a fraction of the price of a new bed.
