Buying a new mattress is an important investment, with the quality of our sleep linked closely to our overall health. With the Memorial Day mattress sales now in full swing, there’s never been a better time to buy a new mattress. Buying online has made mattress shopping easier than ever too, but there are some things to be aware of.
As a sleep and mattress editor, a large part of my job is not only reviewing the best mattresses of 2024 for all sleepers but tracking their prices too. And right now there are some very good discounts on many of this year's top-rated hybrid and memory foam beds, with the cheapest prices found online.
However, price alone shouldn’t influence what mattress you buy. Sleep trials, comfort, support and pressure relief are important too. Here are my top tips for how to buy a mattress online in the Memorial Day sales and get it right the first time...
How to buy a mattress online in the Memorial Day sales
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 in, you can determine how firm your mattress should be. Firmness is subjective and largely depends on your sleep position, but your body weight also plays a large part in how firm a mattress will feel.
Lighter than average bodies (people who weigh under 150lbs) will find that medium-firm and firm mattresses will feel 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.
A cooling mattress will harness the naturally 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 you need a mattress with better motion isolation.
If you currently feel like your mattress dips and sink 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 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.
Trusted mattress brands 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.
