7 Questions to Help You Find the Perfect New Mattress

Are you looking to buy your very first mattress or upgrade your old one? Between the different brands, designs, materials, sizes, and price points, the options for a new mattress can get dizzying – and you definitely don’t want to get drowsy when choosing one. Ironic, isn’t it, given that mattresses are synonymous with sleep?

The mattress makes the bedroom and choosing the right one will ensure that your escape pod to dreamland is as comfy as should be. And given that the average mattress’s life span is 8-10 years, you want to get your choice right the first time and every time after that, to ensure quality sleep for years to come.

But choosing the right mattress isn’t hard. In the rest of this guide, we give you all the help you need with factors you should consider and qualities to look out for in a mattress before you make an investment. With these, whether you are buying a mattress online or in-store, you can get into the market with laser-eyed focus and zero in on your perfect sleep mate.

What Type of Mattress Do You Want?

Before you buy a new mattress, you need to know what type of mattress you want to go for. In general, mattresses are classified based on their designs and material compositions. Let’s have a look at some of the most common types of mattresses.

Memory Foam Mattresses

Memory foam mattresses, such as Nectar, are made from viscoelastic foam that has come a long way from when it was first developed in the 1970s by NASA for protecting aircraft crew. These mattresses conform to your body shape to give the most support. This is the best type of mattress for someone who wants to feel enveloped. They also give excellent pressure point relief.

Innerspring Mattresses

Innerspring mattresses are easily the most conventional types of mattresses. They come with springs or coils arranged in different configurations at the base of the mattress on which the softer layers rest to give support. Innerspring mattresses are the best types of mattresses for people on a budget and give the most support – the more the springs, the better the support.

Gel Mattresses

Gel mattresses come with a similar construction to memory foam mattresses. However, they feature a cooling gel-infused upper layer and help dissipate heat better than memory foam mattresses.

Latex Mattresses

Prefer natural or even organic materials? Think natural latex mattresses. They come with a latex foam upper layer that gives a similar feel to memory foam and are great for people who want more back support. Search for latex mattresses that are GOLS organic-certified.

Air and Water Mattresses

Air and water mattresses are designed to be filled with air and water respectively to distribute your weight. They give fluid support and conform the most with your body shape. If you want a bed that rocks you to sleep, an air or water mattress may be great for you. These kinds of mattresses, however, don’t give as much support as traditional mattresses.

Hybrid Mattresses

Hybrid mattresses, like those offered by Simba Sleep, are the most popular mattresses today. They combine the different mattress types into one to give the best of many worlds. Some hybrids come as innerspring-memory foam mattresses, innerspring-latex mattresses, and so on. Pillow top mattresses are also a type of hybrid mattress.

How Firm Do You Like Your Mattress?

Another factor consider is the firmness of the new mattress you want to go for. Mattress firmness levels will typically be rated on a scale of 1-10 with one being the softest and 10 being the firmest. The best mattress should the best balance between firmness and comfort. How firm your mattress should be will also depend on other factors like your sleeping position and the material it is made from.

Which Position Do You Sleep In?

What position do you sleep in? Are you a side sleeper, a front or stomach sleeper, or a back sleeper? Or do you sleep in all three positions? Different mattresses are great for different sleeping positions. Even though most of us sleep in different positions, we tend to favour or spend the most time in one.

Back Sleepers

For back sleepers, hybrid mattresses like the DreamCloud Mattress with medium-firmness that combine the sinking feeling of a memory or latex top layer with the support of an innerspring mattress are recommended. Think firmness between 5-7 on the firmness scale.

Side Sleepers

Side sleepers will benefit the most from full-foam memory foam mattresses. Sleeping on your side gives the smallest area to support your weight and puts the most pressure on the joints, hence a mattress that emphasizes pressure-point relief - and memory foam mattresses like the Nectar Mattress are the best at this. Side sleepers should go for mattresses with low firmness, say between 4-6 on the firmness scale.

Stomach Sleepers

For front or stomach sleepers, a mattress with firmness on the high side but still provides the comfort of a plush top layer is recommended. Pillow top mattresses are the best choice for front sleepers. Also, think 7-8.5 on the firmness scale.

Do You Want a Warm or Cool Mattress?

The best mattresses boast excellent temperature control. If you are a hot sleeper, you want to go for a mattress that’s designed to dissipate heat and allow you to sleep cool. Gel-infused mattresses at keeping sleepers cool.

Memory foam mattresses tend to trap heat and may just be what you need if you want a warm mattress.

Do you Have a Sleep Partner?

Whether you sleep alone or with a partner will also affect your choice of a new mattress. The best mattresses for couples boast minimal motion transfer.

Except you’ll be cuddling throughout the night, chances are one of you will move or get up earlier, and making your way across the bed is a surefire way to disturb your sleeping partner as they’re bounced around.

Mattresses that minimise motion transfer isolate your movement and prevent it from being transferred to your sleeping partner and vice versa. Hybrids of plush or soft upper layers and pocketed spring supports shine in motion transfer cancellation. The more the springs in the mattress the better it is at preventing motion transfer.

If you are sharing a mattress you may also enjoy the adjustability of air and water mattresses. The firmness of different sections of these mattresses can be adjusted to suit different sleeping positions.

How Much Do You Want to Spend?

Your budget will also be a key factor in determining the mattress you get. Like with any product, mattresses sit over a wide price range. You can get a budget-friendly mattress for as low as $300 and a luxury-emphasized sleep fortress for as high as $4000.

The price of a mattress will also depend on its material composition, its design, and its size. Budget-friendly mattresses will usually be all-foam or innerspring mattresses and will sit between $300-1000. Luxury mattresses or condition-specific mattresses are usually hybrids or latex mattresses and will sit around $1300-3500. Mid-range mattresses sit somewhere in between.

Keep in mind that you can often save more if you buy a mattress online. Brands that specifically market online instead of in physical stores are able to save costs, which are then passed on to the consumer. Many online mattress brands also offer financing options for as little at 0% APR, so check that out if you prefer to make payments over time.

What Size Mattress is Right for You?

You also need to take the size of the mattress into consideration. You need to know the different mattress sizes and choose one accordingly. If you are going for a mattress that’s the same size as your former mattress, then it should merge easily with your bed frame. If you, however, want to upgrade to a larger mattress, you will need a larger bed frame and be ready to spend extra.

What Benefits Come with the Mattress?

The extra benefits that come with buying a mattress from one brand over another should also be considered.

• What is the return policy on the mattress?
• What is the length of the trial period? DreamCloud and Nectar both come with 365 day trial periods!
• When you buy a mattress online, does it come with in-home setup and old mattress removal? Is it free or is there a fee for this service?
• How responsive is the customer support?
• What discounts are available? Check out our homepage for the latest mattress sales on recommended brands. Some brands, such as Simba, also offer additional discounts when you bundle your mattress with another product.
• Does your new mattress come with any free accessories like pillows or sheets? For example, at the time of writing this article, Nectar is offering 5 free gifts with each mattress purchase.

This will further help you in your search and help you get the most value for your money.

Final Thoughts

No bedroom is complete without a mattress. Our faithful sleeping pads bear the brunt of our weights for a third of our lives and choosing the right mattress directly translates into a healthier life. Before you make an investment as important as a new mattress, you want to consider the factors we outlined above – the type of mattress, how firm it is, the kind of sleeper you are, whether you sleep solo or with a partner, the size, and all the extra goodies you get.

For even more guidance on which mattress is best for you, check out the mattresses we recommend you buy.

Now, go shop with confidence!