If you've slept on the same mattress for the last decade — or you're moving out of a parents' house, finishing college, getting your first place — you probably haven't thought hard about what a mattress actually is. This is for you. Here's the short version of what matters.
Firmness is personal. Don't take anyone else's word for it.
Mattress firmness ratings are not standardized across brands. A Beautyrest "Medium" feels different from a Serta "Medium." The only way to know what feels right to you is to lie on a few. Plan to spend 10 minutes on a mattress — not 30 seconds — to know if you like it. The first thirty seconds always feels fine.
Side sleepers want softer. Back and stomach sleepers want firmer.
Generally — your hips and shoulders need to sink in if you sleep on your side, or you'll wake up with pressure point pain. If you sleep on your back or stomach, you want the mattress to hold your spine straight, so you want it firmer. If you sleep with a partner and they're a different style, look for a hybrid mattress with pocketed coils, which isolate motion and let one side feel slightly different from the other.
Coils, foam, or hybrid?
Innerspring (coil) mattresses are responsive, sleep cool, and last forever — but they don't conform to your body. All-foam (memory foam) mattresses contour beautifully but sleep warmer and don't have as much bounce. Hybrid mattresses combine pocketed coils with comfort foam on top — they're the most popular choice for a reason. Almost every mattress we carry is a hybrid.
Don't skip the foundation.
A mattress is only as good as what it sits on. A sagging boxspring will ruin a $3,000 mattress in 18 months. Either buy a quality foundation when you buy the mattress, or look at an adjustable base — they're not just for older folks. Adjustable bases change how a mattress feels in real life.
You probably want a Queen.
If you're single, a Queen still gives you room to spread out. If you're a couple, a King is much better than a Queen — the difference is dramatic. Skip the Twin and Full unless it's for a kids' or guest room.
Budget.
A real mattress that lasts 10 years should cost between $700 and $3,500 in a Queen. Anything cheaper is usually polyurethane foam that compresses in 18 months. Anything way more expensive is paying for branding. With our 48-month 0% APR financing, a $2,000 Queen is $42 a month.
Come into the showroom. Lie down on five or six different mattresses. Tell us how you sleep and what hurts in the morning. We'll narrow it down with you.
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