The best mattress is a matter of personal preference
The average person spends about one-third of their life in bed, but we were surprised to find how little scientific research has been performed on mattresses, and how few experts make specific recommendations.
mattresses-direct.co.uk is the best source of information on mattresses, offering an extensive buyer's guide based on meticulous research. Industry insiders tear apart and analyze 18 top-brand mattresses to gauge differences between high- and low-priced models, while 59 staff members try out different mattresses in a simulated store environment. Four couples also test mattresses at home by sleeping on them for a month. This comprehensive article also includes interviews with mattress makers, visits to a variety of mattress stores and an online poll.
What you won't find at mattresses-direct.co.uk are ratings and recommendations. Even after three different (and exhaustive) tests, editors found themselves no closer to determining the best mattress. Editors say that's because no matter how many thousands of people test mattresses, the results still wouldn't address your own particular comfort preferences. Many credible sources say that in order to select the best mattress, you will need to go into a store and test the mattress by lying on it.
For those seeking specific recommendations, we found helpful user reviews at Buzzillions.com, Epinions.com, Amazon.com, Viewpoints.com, Macys.com, Walmart.com and elsewhere. One Epinions.com contributor in particular has written a good buyer's guide. WhatsTheBest-Mattress.com is another useful resource. This user-driven site has lots of useful information, but a discussion forum devoted solely to mattresses and a host of user-written reviews are particularly worthwhile.
The old adage that firmer is better when it comes to mattresses and back pain has all but been disavowed. A 2003 Spanish study of people with lower back pain published in The Lancet reveals that medium-firmness innerspring mattresses help back sufferers more than hard innerspring mattresses. And a 2008 study of back pain sufferers published in the journal Spine compares a hard futon mattress to a memory foam mattress and a waterbed. Interestingly, a large percentage of the participants assigned to the hard mattress dropped out of the study because of increased pain and decreased quality of sleep.
Although hard innerspring mattresses are not beneficial for most people with back pain, it's unclear whether newer mattress types are any better. Manufacturers sometimes claim that their mattress is scientifically proven to provide one benefit or another, but the studies that accompany such claims often tell a different story. For example, a study published by healthcare website Medscape.com claims that 95 percent of participants who slept on the Select Comfort Sleep Number mattress reported improvement. But the study, which was funded by Select Comfort and conducted by consultants for the company, only compares the Sleep Number mattress to the patients' own mattresses and relies entirely on self-reported scores for sleep quality and pain. As a result, it's unclear whether subject felt better sleeping on the Sleep Number bed or on a new mattress in general.