Best Rated Mattress - Your Guide
Mattress Comparisons
Do you need to know the best rated mattress because it is time to buy a new one? What is the best mattress according to consumer reports mattresses? Are top rated mattresses expensive?
You'll know it's time for a new mattress if you wake up tired or aching; sleep better away from home; your mattress is sagging or your mattress is more than seven years old.
You need a bed size that allows you to shift positions during the nights, as most people do, allowing you to move freely.
Types of mattress
An inner spring mattress is the most popular option and often the cheapest. Other best rated mattress options include memory foam, which was developed for the special needs of astronauts provides extra warmth and adapts to your body shape. Another option is an air or inflatable mattress, that allows you to choose the firmness you want, even allowing each half of the bed to be different.
Decide where to buy
Make sure you physically test the mattress before you buy. Online customers who have not tried the identical mattress in-store, frequently return them dissatisfied.
Department stores often have sales and sell many brands, but can be busy and hard to get expert mattress comparisons. Specialist bedding stores offer good variety and can be less crowded. Salespeople are likely to be more focussed on you and may be willing to negotiate on price.
Firmness
Model names are not always a reliable indicator of firmness. Orthopedists used to recommend sleeping on a very firm mattress, but there is now little support for that idea. Comfort is entirely subjective.
A 2003 study in a prominent British medical journal suggested that people suffering from back pain, are best with a medium-firm mattress and this view is reinforced by experts. If the mattress is too firm, the body does not get uniform support and can cause problems at the heaviest areas such as shoulders and hips. A mattress that is too soft can cause the sleeper to drop into the mattress, making it hard to move. It could even cause numbness or pain.
Cornell University professor of ergonomics, Alan Hedge, believes that the best mattress supports the spine, preserving its natural curve. From age 40 years, our skin loses its elasticity and is more sensitive to pressure, so we need a softer, cushioned surface to be comfortable.
In-store testing
You may feel a bit self-conscious lying down on lots of mattresses in-store, but salespeople expect you to. You want to lie on a bed for a minimum of five minutes each side and on your back – that’s 15 minutes per bed. If this suggestion seems excessive, consider that this is an important purchase for your wallet and your wellbeing. Getting a good night sleep is crucial for daily functioning. Wear loose clothes to the store and shoes you can easily slide off and on. Trust your 15-minute impressions – if the bed is not comfortable, it is unlikely to improve after continued use.
Foundations
Some mattress foundations can cost as much as the mattress, although in general they are only a wooden frame enclosing stiff wire, with a fabric covering to match the mattress.
Companies often pair the same foundation with mattresses of different prices, so you can save by buying a more expensive mattress and a cheaper foundation. Once you have covered the foundation with a valance or other trimming, no one will know. If you already own a foundation in good condition (no tears, creaks or warps), you might want to use it with the new mattress, but if the old box has springs instead of stiff wire, it is worth replacing.
If your new mattress is very thick, you may want to combine it with a “low profile” base, that’s about 4-6 cm thick.
Here are consumer reviews for the best rated mattress brands and types. You may be surprised to learn what is the best mattress.
Consumer Reports Mattresses
Recent Brand Ratings
In 2009, The Consumer Reports
National Research Center surveyed over 17,000 online subscribers who bought a bed in the last few years.
Consumer Reports Mattresses has more information, including alternative research findings.
Top rated mattresses - best innerspring mattresses
These are the popular classics. Leading brands include Sealy, Serta, Simmons, and Spring Air. Innerspring mattresses are often more affordable, however, Consumer Reports found in an informal poll, that only about half the owners of innerspring beds were satisfied with them.
Consumer Search website determined the six best rated mattress models according to a variety of mattress comparisons and mattress reviews including consumer organizations and the New York Times.
They are:
Simmons Beautyrest Mattresses are considered the best innerspring option for couples.
Sealy Posturepedic Mattresses are reviewed as the best rated mattress for singles and heavier people.
The top rated budget innerspring mattress is the Simmons Deep Sleep mattress.
Best rated mattress - memory foam mattresses:
Memory foam mattresses are made of viscoelastic, which was originally used by NASA in space ship seats to absorb G-forces. Now used in beds, many people find it a good choice and some health professionals recommend memory foam for people with back pain or arthritis.
According to consumer reviews:
The top rated viscoelastic foam (memory foam) option is Tempur Pedic Mattresses.
The best budget-priced memory foam mattress is the Bergad Isoform Mattress.
The top rated air mattresses are the Sleep Number Beds, by Select Comfort.
Source: Consumer Search; Consumer Reports 2009
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