May mattress sales – make the most of early Memorial Day mattress deals

Whether you're shopping for a high-tech hybrid or a memory foam model, I can help you get it for less in the mattress sales. I've spent hours shopping at major mattress merchants to bring you the lowest prices on our favorite tested mattresses. I've also thrown in a few of the lowest prices on toppers and protectors.

Out of all the months in the year, May is one of the best times to buy a mattress. April was pretty quiet, but that's because the big mattress brands are holding back their best prices for Memorial Day on the last Monday in May. If you're savvy, you can beat the crowds with early access sales throughout the month.

Before I specialized as Homes & Gardens' Sleep Editor, I was a price tracker. I spent eight hours a day scouring the sites of major mattress brands, waiting for deals to drop. Together with my team of expert testers, I've learned what makes the best mattress and I know where – and when − to get it for the best price.

Where are the best places to buy a mattress in May?

The best places to buy a mattress are specialist sleep stores, including Saatva, Siena, and Sleep Number (and that's just the S's). Scroll through to shop from my shortlist and save yourself time and money. Every mattress you see below is tried and tested by an H&G expert for pressure relief, thermoregulation, motion isolation, and edge support.

• Avocado: 10% off all mattresses
• Bear: 35% off site-wide + 2 free pillows with MEMORIALDAY
• Birch: 25% off site-wide + 2 free pillows with MEMDAY25
• DreamCloud: up to 60% off select mattresses
• Helix: 25% off site-wide + free bedding bundle with MEMDAY25
• Layla: save an extra $10 with Future10Off
• Leesa: 25% off select mattresses
• Nectar: up to 50% off site-wide
• Nolah: 30% off site-wide + 2 free pillows
• Saatva: $300 off orders over $1K
• Sleep Number: 30% off select smart beds
• Tempur-Pedic: save 40% on top-rated toppers

Mattress deals

After months and years of rigorous testing, we've concluded that these are the very best mattresses on the market. Make the most of the early discounts to bag a bargain bed in the mattress sales. To take a peek behind the scenes, learn about how we test mattresses.

Saatva Classic Mattress | Was $2,099, now $1,799 at Saatva

Sitting pretty at the top of our 'best mattress' buying guide for the past four years, the Saatva Classic Mattress gets top scores for pressure relief, thermoregulation, motion isolation, and edge support. In the words of our expert tester, Jaclyn Turner, 'I can't wait to climb into this bed at the end of the day, and I expect this hand-made mattress to hold up for many years to come.'

Read the full review: Saatva Classic Mattress

View Deal

Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress | Was $2,265, now $1,698.75 at Brooklyn Bedding

I've personally sampled more than 40 mattresses as the resident Sleep Editor for Homes & Gardens. The Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress makes my top 3: unlike a lot of so-called cooling mattresses, the gel memory foam layer actually feels cool to the touch and keeps my night sweats under control.

Read the full review: Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress

View Deal

Woolroom Hebridean 3000 Mattress | Was $1,626.45, now $1,219.84 at Woolroom

This is a luxury innerspring, founded on 3,000 coils, strategically arranged for ergonomic support, and topped with organic wool and cotton for breathability. I'd recommend this mattress for hot sleepers, eco-conscious shoppers, and anyone with back pain. According to our tester Sophie Edwards, 'The biggest drawback is the weight, which makes it difficult to flip and rotate the mattress.'

Read the full review: Hebridean 3000 Mattress

View Deal

DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid Mattress | Was $1,531, now $599 at DreamCloud

'The DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid Mattress surpassed my expectations,' admits expert tester Camryn Rabideau. 'This box mattress is more than a thick slab of foam, plastic-wrapped and vacuum-packed then dumped at your door. This is a premium bed, lined with supportive springs.' The edge support is excellent, though the motion isolation could be better.

Read more below: DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid Mattress

View Deal

PlushBeds Botanical Bliss Mattress | Was $3,349, now $1,849 at PlushBeds

Springy and responsive, this organic mattress comes highly recommended by orthopedic specialists and chiropractors. You can get it in nine sizes, three heights, and two firmnesses to meet your sleep needs and room size. Filled with GOLS latex, topped with GOTS wool and cotton, and handcrafted in California, we think it's the best organic mattress on the market. This isn't the deepest discount I've seen on the Botanical Bliss (there was another $100 off for Presidents' Day), but it's still worth a look.

Read the full review: PlushBeds Botanical Bliss Organic Latex Mattress

View Deal

Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid Mattress | Was $1,332, now $999 at Brooklyn Bedding

Your average hybrid mattress costs at least $1,500, but this one from Brooklyn Bedding comes in under $1,000 for a Queen. 'For that price, I can forgive some motion transfer,' says expert tester Alex Frost. 'I tried the Medium mattress, which felt super supportive on my back and side, if a little soft on my stomach.'

Read the full review: Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid Mattress

View Deal

Nectar Memory Foam Mattress | Was $1,563, now $649 at Nectar

This is our best mattress for back pain. One of our expert testers, Casey Clark, suffers from fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition that extends across her body. 'I tend to wake up with sore bones, so I need a mattress that's firm enough to support my body but soft enough to take some pressure off my joints,' says Casey. 'I think this memory foam mattress hits the sweet spot for comfort and support.'

Read the full review: Nectar Memory Foam Mattress

View Deal

Bear Natural Mattress | Was $2,427, now $1,578 at Bear

Out of the 43 mattresses I sampled at the 3Z factory, this one was my favorite: so much so that I placed an order and brought it home for long-term testing. Breathable and bouncy, I recommend the Bear Natural Mattress for hot sleepers, anyone in need of pressure relief, and anyone who likes a little more support getting into and out of bed.

Read more below: Bear Natural Mattress

View Deal

Siena Memory Foam Mattress | Was $769, now $359 at Siena

Expert tester Tonya Pendleton acknowledges that 'the Siena Memory Foam Mattress isn't the best mattress we've ever tested, but it's still one of the best budget-friendly beds on the market. If you're looking for an affordable mattress for a guest room or short-term rental, you've come to the right place.' For a memory foam mattress, the cooling is impressive, but the edge support leaves a lot to be desired.

Read the full review: Siena Memory Foam Mattress

View Deal

Mattress topper and protector deals

You might not want, need, or feel able to afford a brand-new bed. Not to worry: you can transform the feel of your bed with one thick layer of foam. The best mattress topper could soften up your sleeping surface and reinforce support for a fraction of the price. The best mattress protector should elongate the life of your mattress, minimizing the effect of sweat, spills, and stains.

Tempur-Adapt Tempur-Topper | Was $419.00, now $251.40 at Tempur-Pedic

'The Tempur-Adapt Tempur-Topper ticks all my boxes,' says expert tester Alexandra Pamias. 'It's thermoregulating, pressure-relieving, and highly supportive, especially around the edges. If this topper came with a trial period, I'd give it the full five stars.' You can save 40% on the world's best mattress topper when you shop with our code TOPPERS40.

Read the full review: Tempur-Adapt Tempur-Topper

View Deal

Sijo TempTune Mattress Pad | Was $175, now $148.75 at Sijo

This thermoregulating mattress pad is designed to meet the needs of hot and cold sleepers living in warm, cool, or temperate climates. The TempTune Mattress Pad is woven from Supima cotton for supple strength and filled with Sijo's secret blend of fibers for heat distribution.

View Deal

SureGuard Mattress Encasement | Was $79.95, now $69.97 at Amazon

A mattress encasement is a special kind of mattress protector that wraps all the way around the six sides of your mattress. It's the best way to protect your bed and your body against bed bugs, bacteria, and water damage.

View Deal

FAQs

Are mattresses always on sale?

Not every mattress is always on sale, but I take your point: it would seem that you can always get a good deal on a mattress. Be warned that not every mattress sale is real: a few of the biggest names in bedding list never-changing 'sales prices' throughout the year in a practice known as price anchoring.

If you're keen to spot a good deal from a real fake, it might be worth downloading a reputable price tracker, such as CamelCamelCamel, which works on Amazon.

When is the best time to buy a mattress?

November is the best time to buy a mattress because of Black Friday. That's when you'll see the greatest breadth of deals and depth of discounts. Since a lot of brands open up Early Access sales at the start of November and extend them into the first week of December, you've got plenty of time to shop.

With that said, there are so many mattress sales throughout the year that it's almost always a good time to buy a mattress. Presidents' Day in February is known for offering particularly deep discounts, while Amazon Prime Days in July and October are the best time to buy from Amazon storefronts, including Nectar, DreamCloud, and Zinus.

What is a good price for a mattress?

As the resident Sleep Editor at Homes & Gardens, I'm often asked: 'how much should you spend on a mattress?' Short answer: somewhere between $500 and $1,000. That should be enough to edge out the cheaper models made with toxic foams and fiberglass, without spending unnecessarily on bells and whistles, including luxury fabrics or cooling covers.

My long answer varies depending on the mattress type. As a general rule, hybrids and latex mattresses tend to be more expensive than memory foam models, which in turn are more expensive than innerspring mattresses. You'd be lucky to get a Queen-sized hybrid mattress for less than $1,500, due to the combination of technologies and mattress materials. I'd expect to spend at least $1,500 on a latex mattress, especially an organic one, to compensate for the time and energy it takes to produce natural latex.

Memory foam mattresses are the most variable: you see highly affordable models, such as the Zinus Cooling Green Tea Mattress, which retails for a little less than $500, beside much more expensive mattresses, such as the Saatva Contour5 Mattress, which goes for more than $2,500. Your average innerspring mattress comes in under $1,000 because it's so simple to make, but you'll find a few more expensive models: the Saatva Classic Mattress comes to mind at just under $2,000.

Once you've bought the best bed, it's time to dress it. When you shop the bedding sales, you can save hundreds of dollars on sheets, shams, quilts, comforters, and everything in between.