Best mattress 2024 − 9 tried and tested favorites

The best mattress can make a big difference to your life. If you can find a mattress that suits your sleep style, supports your body type, and comes in under budget, then you can sleep better at night and wake up feeling well-rested. Still, with so many mattress makes and models, it's easy to feel spoiled for choice.

That's where I come in. As H&G's resident sleep editor and in-house expert, I lead a team of mattress testers across America. Together, we represent a wide range of sleep needs and body types, so we know the pros and cons of different mattress types for different sleepers. We've spent years in the mattress industry, testing a total of 30 innersprings, hybrids, memory foam and latex models in the search to find the world's best mattress.

We sleep on each mattress for eight hours a night, seven nights a week, for at least a month before we write our mattress reviews. That's hundreds of hours of testing for pressure relief, thermoregulation, edge support, and motion isolation. We also consider the practical side of buying a mattress, including delivery, sleep trials, and the all-important price. Our reigning champion is the Saatva Classic Mattress, which combines the airflow and support of an innerspring with the plush comfort of a pillow-top to suit all sleep styles. Still, you might find that another one of our top-rated mattresses is a better match for you.

Best mattress 2024 − 9 tested options at a glance

Below, you'll find a bite-size summary of each mattress, outlining who it suits and the most important pros and cons. To learn more about a particular mattress, keep scrolling, or shortcut to that section by pressing 'read more below'. There, I've listed the need-to-know specs, including the price, height, and size of each mattress, before diving deep into the details of our testing experience.

The best mattress overall

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The Saatva Classic Mattress is our reigning champion for the title of 'best mattress', four years running. This luxury innerspring mattress combines the airflow and support of a coil core with the pressure-relieving properties of a plush pillow-top. I'd recommend the Saatva Classic for front, back, and side sleepers alike, as well as anyone who runs hot or lives in a warm climate.

'I've spent more than four years sleeping with my Saatva Classic in Luxury Firm,' says Jaclyn Turner, a former H&G Sleep Editor and an essential part of our mattress testing team. 'It's a true medium that gives you a touch of softness without that sinking feeling. It's like bringing a luxury hotel bed back home with you.'

The Saatva Classic Mattress strikes a careful balance between comfort and support: subtle crests and troughs on the pillow top create ergonomic zones to give each area of your body the specific support it needs. Full disclosure: it took Jaclyn a few sleeps to get used to the feeling of the foam, but 'now, [she] wouldn't want to sleep on anything other than the Saatva Classic.'

Just a few things to note about the Saatva Classic Mattress before you buy it: first, there's a 600lb maximum weight capacity. If you share a bed, and you're both on the heavier side, then you should consider the WinkBeds Luxury Hybrid Mattress, instead, which comes in 'Plus' for plus-sized sleepers. You'll find it more supportive than the Saatva Classic, albeit not quite as luxurious. Also, if you change your mind about the Saatva Classic Mattress within the first year of purchase and you decide to refund or exchange it, you'll need to pay a $99 return fee.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Jaclyn Turner

Jaclyn is our former sleep expert. Now, she's the Senior Home Editor at Business Insider, overseeing tests for mattresses and bedding. Jaclyn is a combination sleeper, who switches between her back and her side, so she needs a mattress that strikes just the right balance between comfort and support. She can't recommend the Saatva Classic highly enough. Read the full review: Saatva Classic Mattress

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The best mattress for back pain

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According to chiropractor Dr. Kevin Lees, 'the best mattress for back pain must be supportive, which doesn't necessarily mean firm or soft. It needs to hold the spine and pelvis in a neutral position without creating pressure points or allowing any one part of the body to sink too far into the mattress.' Out of all the mattresses we've tried, the Nectar Memory Foam Mattress offers the best balance of sinkage versus support to keep your spine straight.

I assigned mattress tester Casey Clark to sleep on the Nectar Memory Foam Mattress. 'Between my chronic pain and my insomnia, I often struggle to sleep,' explains Casey. 'I think the Nectar Memory Foam Mattress hits the sweet spot. When I lay on my back, I feel like my body is in perfect alignment. Due to my fibromyalgia, I do wake up with sore bones every once in a while, but for the most part, there's no pain I can directly relate to the mattress.' Your back pain might not feel exactly like Casey's, but it's a ringing endorsement for the pressure-relieving properties of the Nectar Memory Foam Mattress.

All that dense foam makes for solid support, but it doesn't leave much room for air to flow through the mattress. Casey is a hot sleeper and she sometimes woke up in a sweat on the Nectar Memory Foam Mattress. Although the mattress is super-supportive in the center, it's a little soft around the edges. You'd struggle to sit on the side of the bed to nurse a baby or get dressed in the morning. The SweetNight Prime Memory Foam Mattress has much better edge support, although it's not quite as comfortable.

We've just finished testing the Saatva Contour5 Mattress, which also scored highly for pressure relief and spinal support. Still, the Saatva Contour5 costs more than four times as much as the Nectar Memory Foam Mattress, and it doesn't perform four times as well.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Casey Clark

Casey is a freelance journalist whose reviews feature in Forbes, TODAY, HuffPost, and more. Casey suffers from chronic pain and a heat intolerance, so she needs a mattress with plentiful pressure relief and cooling properties. This Nectar mattress ticks (almost) all her boxes. Read the full review: Nectar Memory Foam Mattress

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The best mattress for side sleepers

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I could have selected the Tempur-Pedic ProAdapt Mattress for several superlatives in this buying guide. The combination of memory foam and steel springs puts the Tempur-Pedic ProAdapt in the running for 'best hybrid mattress', while the thermoregulating mattress cover and supportive coils makes a good case for the 'best cooling mattress'. Ultimately, I opted for 'best mattress for side sleepers,' in light of the Tempur-Pedic ProAdapt's specialist support.

If you sleep on your side, you should look for a mattress that's soft enough to cushion your joints yet sufficiently supportive to lift and lengthen your spine. The Tempur-Pedic ProAdapt Mattress fits the bill. Mattress tester Jaclyn Turner still remembers her first night on the Tempur-Pedic ProAdapt: 'I felt a slight sinking feeling as the mattress conformed to my shape, but I always felt supported, and I find it easy to move from one side to the other.' Jaclyn set a kettlebell in the center of the mattress to show how well the memory foam responds to weight: the foam contours around your body to bear your weight, then springs back into shape as soon as your weight is removed − no unsightly indents or impressions here.

Out of all the mattresses on this list, the Tempur-Pedic ProAdapt performed best in our motion isolation test. Jaclyn filled a glass with water, set it in the center of the mattress, then jumped around beside it, just like they used to do in those Tempur-Pedic TV ads of old. The glass barely moved, and not a drop of water spilled, indicating excellent motion isolation. I'd happily recommend the Tempur-Pedic ProAdapt Mattress for couples or light sleepers.

There are only two things I don't like about the Tempur-Pedic ProAdapt Mattress: the weight and the price. This mattress is very heavy and proved difficult to maneuver around the room. I suggest you opt for white glove delivery and in-room set-up. Then, there's the cost to consider. Outside of sales season, the Tempur-Pedic ProAdapt Mattress goes for $3,399 for a Queen. That's $3,000 more expensive than the best affordable mattress. Then again, you get what you pay for, and the motion isolation on the Tempur-Pedic ProAdapt is second to none.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Jaclyn Turner

Jaclyn is our former sleep specialist. Now, she is the Senior Home Editor at Business Insider. Jaclyn sleeps in Atlanta, Georgia, in a heat bubble of a bedroom, so she needs a mattress that can keep her cool and dry. The Tempur-Pedic ProAdapt fits the bill. Read the full review: Tempur-Pedic ProAdapt Mattress

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The best memory foam mattress

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Out of all the memory foam mattresses we've tested, the Emma Original Mattress offers the best balance of quality and cost. It's far more affordable than the Saatva Contour5 and offers comparable pressure relief. It isn't quite as breathable as the Nolah Original Mattress, but that's par for the course with memory foam, and the support on the Emma is far superior.

'As someone who suffers from recurring backache, I'm pleased to report that the Emma Original Mattress really took the weight off my body,' says Chiana Dickson, who writes for our Solved column. 'Although it sank to shape around my body, I never felt like I was disappearing into the mattress. It easily contoured around my hips, knees, neck, and shoulders, so that I never felt crushed.'

On a firmness scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is super-soft and 10 is ultra-supportive, Emma rates their Original Mattress around a 5, and Chiana concurs. There's plenty of give for side sleepers and sufficient support to keep your spine in line. Memory foam is made to absorb motion, and Chiana found that she could barely feel it when her partner tossed and turned in the night.

Like any memory foam mattress, the Emma Original tends to trap heat. Chiana wouldn't recommend this mattress to anyone who suffers from night sweats or hot flushes. As she unboxed the Emma Original Mattress, Chiana noticed an chemical sort of smell emanating from the memory foam. That was the mattress off-gassing. The smell itself is totally harmless, just a product of compressing the mattress into a box, but it is unpleasant. The smell should dissipate after a few hours, but Chiana recommends cracking open a window and closing the door to your bedroom to accelerate the process.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Chiana Dickson

Chiana writes for our Solved column, specializing in cleaning and organizing tips. Chiana suffers from recurring backache, so she needs a mattress that can take the weight off her joints and keep her spine straight. Read the full review: Emma Original Mattress

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The best box mattress

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When I assigned prolific product tester Camryn Rabideau to test yet another box mattress, she was skeptical. Your average box mattress is a thick slab of foam, compressed into a cardboard package and dumped outside your door. She was pleasantly surprised to find that 'this is a premium bed, lined with supportive springs to withstand the wear and tear of nightly use.' There was no unpleasant smell from mattress off-gassing, nor were there any idents or impressions in the foam − that's why the DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid Mattress is the best box mattress around.

Where your average box mattress is made from cheap foam that goes soft around the sides, the DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid Mattress features a row of reinforced steel coils around the edges. Camryn could comfortably sleep at the edge of the bed or sit on the side of the mattress. Plus, for a self-appointed 'luxury' mattress, it's seriously affordable. The DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid Mattress is almost always discounted in the mattress sales, so you can bag a Queen-sized bed for just $665.

Any hybrid mattress is liable to have a bit of bounce. A coil core makes it much easier to get into and out of bed, especially if you struggle with mobility, but it does make for a bit of motion transfer. When her partner tossed and turned on his side of the bed, Camryn could feel the vibrations over on hers. Although Camryn loved the medium-firm feel of the DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid Mattress, her partner wasn't so keen: he might have preferred something softer, like the Layla Hybrid Mattress.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Camryn Rabideau

Camryn is a freelance writer and product reviewer. Since she shares a bed with her partner and their dog, and often gets shunted to the side, she needs a mattress with excellent edge support. As a side sleeper, she needs a bit of give to cushion her hips and shoulders. Read the full review: DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid Mattress

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The best cooling mattress

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If you suffer from night sweats or hot flashes, or you simply tend to run a little warm, then you're what's known as a hot sleeper. You need one of the best cooling mattresses to dissipate heat, wick moisture, and block odors so that you can sleep cool and feel fresh. This hybrid mattress combines the natural breathability of latex with the enhanced airflow of a coil core to create a thermoregulating mattress for hot sleepers and warm climates.

Over the years, we've tested a healthy handful of specialist cooling mattress. The Saatva Latex Hybrid Mattress delivers the best performance at the fairest price. In place of memory foam, which tends to trap heat, you'll find a comfort layer of Talalay latex, arranged in an open-cell structure to promote airflow. Underneath, the coils push air through the bed as they compress and decompress beneath your body weight.

'As someone who sleeps almost face-down right on top of the bed, I can testify to the cooling properties of the Saatva Latex Hybrid Mattress,' says Alex Frost, one of our mattress testers and a life-long hot sleeper. She tested the Saatva Latex Hybrid Mattress in her heat bubble of a bedroom during a humid Ohio summer and she couldn't believe how cool it kept her.

It's the lack of edge support that keeps the Saatva Latex Hybrid Mattress from occupying a higher position in our buying guide. 'Although it felt comfortable to lie on the side of the bed, the mattress edge couldn't hold my weight when I sat on it,' says Alex: 'I couldn't even sit on the side of the bed to tie my sneakers.' The DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid Mattress is a breathable bed with better edge support and a much lower price tag, though it isn't quite as cooling as the Saatva Latex Hybrid.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Alex Frost

Living and sleeping in Cincinnati, Ohio, Alex needs a cooling mattress to get her through the humid summers. She's one of our most prolific mattress testers, with 7 reviews under her belt. The Saatva Latex Hybrid Mattress is her favorite. Read the full review: Saatva Latex Hybrid Mattress

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The best hybrid mattress

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A hybrid mattress marries the airflow and support of an innerspring with the contouring comfort and pressure relief of memory foam. Several of the mattresses in this buying guide are hybrids, including the Tempur-Pedic ProAdapt and the DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid. Out of all the hybrids we've tested, the Bear Elite Hybrid Mattress offers the best balance of comfort and support. In terms of price, it's comfortably middle of the pack, with a Queen retailing for $1,499.

The Bear Elite Hybrid Mattress comes in three comfort levels to support different sleep positions. I've sampled all three firmnesses on a trip to the Bear mattress factory in Phoenix, Arizona. While I can't say that I felt a great degree of difference between Soft and Firm, I will say that the Medium firmness proved most popular among the mattress testers, whether we lay on our front, back, or side.

I liked the Bear Elite Hybrid Mattress so much that I asked mattress reviewer Alex Frost to take it home for long-term testing. As someone with recurring backache, Alex particularly appreciated the fact that there are ergonomic zones inside the Bear Elite Hybrid: 'I could tell that the manufacturers knew exactly where you'd want reinforced coils for enhanced lumbar support. It's this sort of attention to detail that sets Bear apart.'

Your average hybrid mattress is more breathable than a dense memory foam model, but not quite as cooling as an airy innerspring. The Bear Elite Hybrid Mattress is better at thermoregulation than most – the memory foam is infused with cooling copper and the mattress cover works to carry excess heat away from your body and out of the bed. Alex is a hot sleeper, but she always managed to sleep comfortably on the Bear Elite Hybrid Mattress.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Alex Frost

Alex is a freelance reviewer, who has tried and tested 7 mattresses for H&G. As someone with recurring backache, Alex needs a mattress with ergonomic support to take the pressure off her hips and keep her spine straight. Read the full review: Bear Elite Hybrid Mattress

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The best affordable mattress

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Collating this buying guide got me thinking − a lot of the best mattresses are seriously expensive. Take the Saatva Classic Mattress, our reigning champion for 'best mattress' – a Queen costs around $1,800. That's not as expensive as some of the other mattresses on this list (a Queen-sized Tempur-Pedic ProAdapt costs almost double that amount), but it's hardly affordable for the average American.

I combed through our back catalog of reviews to see which mattress offered the best performance at the lowest price, and the Siena Memory Foam Mattress came out on top. Technically listed at $769 for a Queen, it's almost always on sale for $399. The best affordable mattress is a great choice for buyers on a budget or anyone shopping for a spare mattress for the guest room.

For your money, you get eight inches of high-density foam, which forms a solid support core to keep your spine straight. Up top, you'll find two inches of gel memory foam to enhance airflow through the mattress. Mattress tester Tonya Pendleton slept on the Siena Memory Foam Mattress through the spring into the start of summer and she managed to keep cool. She was particularly impressed with the motion isolation of the memory foam. 'My cat jumps on my bed every morning and every evening for feeding reminders and cuddles,' Tonya explains, 'and I don't even feel it when she lands on the mattress.'

Tonya is under no illusions that the Siena Memory Foam Mattress can compete with the top contenders for the title of 'best mattress'. '$399 gets you sturdy central support and optimal motion isolation, but it's not enough to afford proper edge support,' she says. This seems to be a common pitfall with cheaper foam beds. When Tonya tried to sit on the side of the bed to apply lotion, she had to brace herself against the ground to keep from falling off.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Tonya Pendleton

Tonya is a freelance reviewer, who has been testing mattresses for the past six years. As a hot sleeper, Tonya needs a mattress to keep her cool. Since her cat likes to jump on and off the bed in the middle of the night, she needs a mattress with excellent motion isolation. Read the full review: Siena Memory Foam Mattress

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The best mattress for stomach sleepers

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According to chiropractor Dr. Kevin Lees, stomach sleepers should steer clear of soft surfaces. 'A mattress that feels too soft can add stress to the natural curve in the lower back of a stomach sleeper as the hips and pelvis start to sink beneath the chest and shoulders,' he explains. 'That's when the spine gets thrown out of alignment, putting extra pressure on the neck and shoulders.' To avoid back ache and neck strain, stomach sleepers should opt for the best firm mattress − that's the Naturepedic Chorus.

This is a natural innerspring mattress, lined with supportive steel springs and topped with organic wool and cotton. There's plenty of room for air to move through the coils and the natural breathability of wool and cotton enhances the airflow: good news for anyone who lies almost face down on their mattress. Tester Courtney Irwin still remembers her first night on the Naturepedic Chorus Mattress, more than two years ago: 'I could physically feel less pressure on my hips and lower spine. I put that sense of relief down to the micro-coils, which compress and depress beneath your body to bear your weight, then spring back into shape once the weight is removed. It cradles the hips perfectly but feels a touch too firm for my shoulders.'

Normally, with an innerspring mattress, I'd expect a high level of motion transfer, which is particularly troublesome for stomach sleepers who lie so close to the mattress. Turns out, the Naturepedic Chorus Mattress is a special sort of innerspring: a pocket sprung mattress, where each coil is individually wrapped in fabric to minimize motion transfer from one spring to the next. 'The motion isolation on this thing is even better than a memory foam mattress,' says Courtney. When she filled a cup with water, set it in the center of the bed, and applied pressure around it, the cup didn't budge and not a drop of water spilled.

Disappointingly, the Naturepedic Chorus Mattress underperformed in our edge support test. 'I weigh around 120 lbs, and sitting on the side of the bed still requires effort,' says Courtney: 'I could have slid right off.' That's bad news for stomach sleepers who like to lie on the side of the bed to create breathing space. The Woolroom Hebridean 3000 Mattress is another natural innerspring with superior edge support, although it's several hundred dollars more expensive than the Naturepedic Chorus.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Courtney Irwin

Courtney is a freelance writer and product tester based in the Midwest. Since she shares a bed with her partner, who tosses and turns in his sleep, she needs a mattress with minimal motion transfer and medium-firm support to align her spine. Read the full review: Naturepedic Chorus Mattress

Naturepedic Chorus Mattress | $1,999 at Naturepedic

View Deal

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Best mattress 2024 – side by side

Honorable mentions

Over the years, our expert team has tested 30 mattresses. Our top 9 represents the best of the best for comfort, cooling, and cost. Still, I wanted to shout out a few more mattresses that performed well in our tests for your consideration.

Mattresses to avoid

In our search to find the world's best mattress, we've come across a few duds. Some of these mattresses are extremely affordable, and they might feel fine if you aren't too picky. Others overpromised with a high price tag and underperformed in our tests.

• Leesa Original Mattress: this is the entry-level model at Leesa and it shows. The comfort level of cooling foam is only two inches thick and you sink through it all too quickly. I could feel the high-density support foam like a hard block beneath my body. The Leesa Original Mattress is solid in the center but soft around the edges – I couldn't sit on the side of the bed to apply lotion or tie my sneakers, and I certainly wouldn't want to sleep at the edge of the mattress. Leesa makes so many better (albeit more expensive) mattresses − we're currently testing the Leesa Legend Chill Hybrid Mattress and loving it so far.
• Sleep Number c1 Smart Bed: one of our mattress testers had to abort mission halfway through testing the c1 Smart Bed. No matter how much she adjusted the settings and switched up her sleep position, she just couldn't get comfortable. This is by far the most affordable mattress at Sleep Number and perhaps proof that you get what you pay for: some of their other, more expensive models get a much better write-up.

How we test mattresses

I lead a team of seasoned product testers across America to rank and review mattresses. We test each mattress for at least four weeks before we publish our initial review. This accounts for the time it takes to get used to a new mattress and gives a good indication of future performance. As H&G's resident sleep writer, it's my job to check in with my reviewers after publication and continue to monitor each mattress. If I hear that a mattress is starting to sag, squeak, or lose its quality in any way, I'll remove it from our best mattress buying guide and edit the mattress review to reflect our findings.

For the sake of a fair fight, we assess each mattress against the same criteria: pressure relief; thermoregulation; motion isolation; and edge support. The Homes & Gardens mattress review process is editorially independent and not influenced by third parties. To learn more about how we test mattresses, consult our expert guide.

We evaluate pressure relief by flipping between our front, back, and side. We consider which position feels most comfortable, scoring each out of five. We assess thermoregulation by paying attention to how our body temperature changes overnight, taking into consideration the time of year and the temperature of the bedroom. To measure motion isolation, we fill a glass with water and set it in the center of the mattress. We apply pressure across the mattress, getting closer to the glass. The more the glass moves, and the more the water spills, the worse the motion isolation, and the less suitable that mattress would be for couples and light sleepers. To assess edge support, we sit on the side of the bed and measure how far we sink into the mattress. The further we fall, the worse the edge support, and the harder it might be to get into and out of bed.

As part of our mattress testing process, we spend hours reading verified customer reviews. It's the best way to find out about recurring concerns or problems with a particular mattress. We consider our findings against the cost of the mattress to help you determine value for money.

How to choose a mattress

A mattress is a major investment, so you want to make sure you get it right first time. Here are the most important things to bear in mind while shopping.

Your sleep position

In our mattress reviews, we talk a lot about sleep positions. Whether you lie on your stomach, back or side makes a big difference to your spinal alignment and informs which mattress you'll find most comfortable.

This is where mattress firmness comes into play. Some mattress manufacturers rate firmness on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is super-soft and 10 is ultra-firm. Others categorize their mattresses as soft, medium-soft, medium, medium-firm, or firm. Firmness is such a subjective thing, so it's no surprise that there isn't an industry-wide standard.

Side sleepers tend to prefer a medium mattress to cushion their hips, knees, and shoulders while supporting their waist to keep their spine straight. This might look like a hybrid mattress with supportive springs beneath a comfort layer of memory foam or latex.

Back sleepers generally appreciate a medium-firm mattress to keep their pelvis from sinking too far into the mattress, while stomach sleepers need a firm surface to lift their hips in line with their chest. To maintain natural spinal alignment, opt for a sprung mattress over an all-foam model.

Your body weight

Like I said, mattress firmness is subjective. Your body weight impacts how soft or firm a mattress might feel to you. Heavier people (250 lbs and up) need a firmer mattress to support their weight, while lighter people might sleep more comfortably on a softer mattress that allows them to sink into the surface.

Heavier sleepers should steer clear of memory foam in favor of a sprung mattress. Scour the specifications in search of high spring counts (2,000 and up) and thicker coils for extra support. Remember to flip or rotate your mattress once a quarter to distribute weight evenly across the surface and prevent excessive sagging in certain areas of the mattress.

Your aches and pains

Whether you suffer from a chronic pain condition or everyday aches, you'll appreciate a mattress with pressure-relieving properties. That might look like a comfort layer of foam to cushion your joints or ergonomic zoning to target support to different areas of your body. Pressure relief becomes especially important as you age and it becomes that much harder to get into and out of bed.

Your sleep temperature

If you're a hot sleeper, or you live in a warm climate, then you need the best cooling mattress to dissipate heat, wick moisture, and block odors. I'd recommend a latex mattress, which is naturally breathable, or a hybrid mattress with plenty of air between the coils.

Your partner and their preferences

If you sleep alone, then you get to pick the mattress that best meets your sleep needs – no compromises. If you share a bed with a partner, then it's only right to take their preferences into account. If one of you sleeps on your side, and the other sleeps on their back, then you might reach a compromise on a medium-firm mattress. If you've got radically different sleep styles, but you still want to share a bed, then you could consider creating a Split King mattress − that's just two Twin beds, pushed together, so each of you can pick your ideal mattress.

When you're shopping for a mattress with a partner, you should pay special attention to motion isolation. You want to find a mattress with minimal motion transfer so that you aren't disturbed by your partner tossing and turning or getting into and out of bed. Your best bet is a memory foam mattress or a hybrid with a thick layer of foam – coils carry too much bounce.

Your budget

I'm often asked 'how much should you spend on a mattress?'. My answer largely depends on your chosen mattress type. As a general rule, hybrid and latex mattresses are more expensive than memory foam mattresses or innersprings. To get the best mattress in a Queen size, I'd expect to spend anywhere between $600 and $1,800. Before you start mattress shopping, I suggest you set your own lower and upper limit to your budget.

Mattress types

There are four major mattress types: innerspring, memory foam, hybrid, and latex.

An innerspring mattress is lined with metal coils and topped with wool or cotton for comfort. This is the firmest mattress type, so it's a good option for back or stomach sleepers. The gaps in the coils promote airflow through the mattress, so it's a safe bet for hot sleepers. A pocket sprung mattress is a special sort of innerspring, in which each coil is individually wrapped in fabric to minimize motion transfer. I wouldn't recommend an innerspring mattress for a side sleeper or anyone who suffers from chronic pain: you need something softer for pressure relief.

Your average memory foam mattress features two types of foam. There's a high-density support core to bear your weight and a lower-density comfort layer to take some pressure off your joints. Memory foam is made to absorb motion, so it's a good option for couples and light sleepers. However, I often find that memory foam mattresses lack edge support: you'll sink into the side of the bed, instead of sitting on it. Old iterations of memory foam tended to trap heat, but gel memory foam is specially formulated to keep you cool, so it's a better option for hot sleepers.

A hybrid mattress combines the airflow and support of an innerspring with the pressure relief of foam. It's the perfect middle road for front, back, and side sleepers, and it's cool enough to suit hot sleepers. The mixture of materials and comparative complexity of manufacture means that hybrid mattresses tend to be more expensive than all-foam or innerspring models. Also, the combined weight of springs and foam makes for a heavier mattress, which you might struggle to flip or rotate on your own.

A latex mattress might feature a few different types of latex. There's Dunlop latex, which is solid and supportive, as well as Talalay latex, which feels springy and responsive. Most latex mattresses feature a mixture of the two. Latex has an open-cell structure, so there's plenty of airflow for hot sleepers. Out of all the mattress materials, latex is the most durable, built to last for as long as 20 years if you take good care of it. Natural latex is derived from rubber sap, so it's a great option for eco-conscious shoppers. Just make sure you're not buying synthetic latex, which is derived from petroleum products.

Mattress sizes

If you want to keep your bed base, then you need to shop for a mattress in the corresponding size. If you're looking to upgrade to a bigger bed, then you should consider a larger mattress to make the most of your floor space. Here's a brief overview of the six standard mattress sizes.

• Twin: 38 x 75 inches (for shorter sleepers in smaller bedrooms)
• Twin XL: 38 x 80 inches (for growing teens or tweens)
• Full: 54 x 75 inches (for solo sleepers or couples in smaller bedrooms)
• Queen: 60 x 80 inches (for couples or solo sleepers who like their space)
• King: 76 x 80 inches (for couples who like space to starfish)
• California King: 72 x 84 inches (for taller sleepers and master bedrooms)

Before you buy a mattress, it's worth double-checking the dimensions of your bed frame against our mattress size chart. As you're measuring up, make sure to factor in an extra few inches to fit your sheets and comforter.

Sleep trials

Not everyone can make it out to a mattress showroom and test out their dream bed before they buy it. Still, that doesn't mean that you should take a product listing at face value. When you take advantage of mattress sleep trials, you get to test your new mattress from the comfort of your own home before you commit to your purchase.

I've surveyed all the best places to buy a mattress and the standard length of a mattress sleep trial is around 100 days. Some stores, including Saatva and DreamCloud, offer 365-night sleep trials so that you can test your mattress for an entire year. Just make sure to read the fine print of your mattress warranty so that you aren't caught out by an awkward return policy.

Best mattress FAQs

Where are the best places to buy a mattress?

The best place to buy a mattress is direct from the manufacturer. That way, you're protected by a water-tight warranty, and you can head to one of their mattress showrooms and learn how to test a mattress to make sure it meets your needs. Here are a few of my favorite mattress stores and a brief description of what sets them apart.

• Saatva offers free white-glove delivery and every mattress is handmade in the USA.
• Head to PlushBeds to create a custom mattress, selecting your ideal mattress size, depth, and firmness.
• There's always a sale on at Emma, and you could save on bedding and bed frames, too.

When should I buy a mattress?

Financially speaking, the best time to buy a mattress is around a holiday weekend, as stores slash their prices and compete to provide the deepest discounts. As a shopping writer, I reckon you'll find the greatest breadth and depth of mattress deals around Black Friday.

You should replace your mattress roughly every seven years: the exact timeframe varies in accordance with your mattress type. If your mattress shows obvious signs of aging, be it creaking coils or deformed foam, then it's time to think about buying a new mattress.

How should I buy a mattress?

Before you start to shop, take a few moments to stop and think about your sleep style: how you tend to lie on the mattress, whether you run hot or cold, and whether you suffer from any aches and pains. Consider the type and size of your bed base. If you have a partner, ask them about their preferences. Keep this information in mind as you read through our mattress buying guide, ruling out any mattresses that don't meet your needs and making a note of those that do.

Once you've got a mattress in mind, head to the manufacturer's website. Scour the specifications to learn more about the mattress materials and any special features, from ergonomic zones to cooling technology. When you're buying a mattress online, make sure to read the customer reviews, as well as critical reviews from mattress comparison sites. You want to read a real mix, from five-star ratings to more mixed reviews, to get the fullest possible picture of what it might be like to sleep on this mattress.

Increasingly, the mattress world is moving online, but it's still possible to buy a mattress in store. A mattress showroom offers the perfect opportunity to sample several mattresses for direct comparison. Don't just sit on the side of the mattress – take off your shoes, lie down in your preferred sleep position, and get comfy. You might feel a little embarrassed, but it's the only way to replicate a good night's sleep.

So, the verdict is that the Saatva Classic Mattress is the world's best mattress: it ticks every box for pressure relief, thermoregulation, motion isolation, and edge support. With that said, another one of our top-rated mattresses might better suit your sleep needs and budget constraints. As you shop, make sure to consider your sleep position, your sleep temperature, and any aches and pains to find the mattress that's right for you.