Buying a new mattress is an important investment, with the quality of our sleep linked closely to our overall health. The development of boxed mattresses has made it easier than ever to shop for a new bed, but when buying a mattress online there are some things to be aware of.
As a sleep and mattress editor, a large part of my job is keeping up with the best mattresses of 2024. That means testing and sleeping on this year's top-rated hybrid and memory foam beds, as well as tracking their prices. And right now, many of the best deals can be found online.
However, price shouldn't be the only determining factor when buying a mattress online. Sleep trials, comfort, support and pressure relief are all important considerations when finding the perfect bed. With the Black Friday mattress deals in full swing, here are my top tips for how to buy a mattress online and get it right the first time...
How to buy a mattress online
1. Consider your sleep position
Before adding anything to cart, think carefully about the position that you (and anyone who you share a bed with) sleep in. For example, the best mattresses for side sleepers will provide a plush top layer that weightlessly cradles the shoulders, hips and knees. Meanwhile, mattresses designed for back and stomach sleepers will be firmer, helping to keep the spine in correct alignment with the rest of the body.
Most side sleepers of an average build will require a mattress with a medium to medium-firm rating, while back and stomach sleepers will generally require a medium-firm. However, your body weight can affect these firmness ratings — more on that below.
2. Pick the right firmness
Once you've established which position you spend most time sleeping in, you can determine how firm your mattress should be. Firmness is subjective and partly depends on your sleep position, but your body weight also plays a large role in how firm a mattress will feel.
Lighter than average bodies (people who weigh under 130lbs) will perceive medium-firm and firm mattresses as much harder. Heavier than average bodies (people who weigh over 250 lbs) will find that medium-firm mattresses will feel much softer.
Other factors that influence how firm a mattress should be include whether you share a bed, and what material the mattress is constructed from (memory foam beds can provide more of a 'sink in' sleep surface, while latex can feel more responsive).
3. Think about your sleep needs
When shopping for a new bed, think about what works and what irks about your current sleep set-up. For example, waking up hot is an indication that your new mattress should be one that regulates temperature well.
The best cooling mattresses harness the cooling properties of natural materials or boast the latest in cooling technology. Or, perhaps you're tired of being jolted awake every time your partner shifts positions, in which case you need a mattress with better motion isolation.
And if you currently feel like your mattress dips and sinks every time your sit or roll too close to the beds edge, then look for a mattress with strong edge support.
4. Choose the right mattress type
Mattresses vary in their materials and construction, and which mattress type you opt for can have a bearing on how it feels to sleep on. Choose between an innerspring, which contains a coil based system for support or a foam mattress, which uses foams of varying densities to provide support.
The best hybrid mattresses combine the responsiveness of the coils of an innerspring mattress with the contouring, pressure relieving benefits of foams, memory foam or latex. Pure latex mattresses are constructed entirely from latex, and are more durable than even the best memory foam mattresses.
5. Does the mattress have a sleep trial?
As we've now established, comfort and firmness are subjective. A mattress that sounds perfect on paper might still might not be right for you, which is why sleep trials are important. When buying a mattress online vs in store, you don't have the chance to test the bed first.
All the best mattresses in a box offer sleep trials that typically range between 100 and 365 nights. Mattress trials are usually only valid when shopping directly from the manufacturer, which is why we mostly recommend buying direct when shopping online.
A trial period gives you the reassurance that if your mattress doesn't quite suit your sleep needs after all, you can change it for another one. However, most brands require that you sleep on a bed for a minimum of 30 nights before requesting an exchange, which is referred to as a 'break in period.' Definitely invest in a good mattress protector to safeguard your new bed from spills and stains during the trial period (and beyond).
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