Match your mattress to your sleep style

Ed Perratore

Mattresses have probably changed since the last time you shopped for one. Innerspring mattresses, still the biggest sellers, increasingly come in a hybrid form that incorporates one or more layers of foam in addition to springs. And in Consumer Reports’ latest mattress tests we found that you can get a great mattress for the $800 to $1,200 that most people spend. Among adjustable air mattresses, you can pay as little as $700 for a model that delivers impressive side and back support.

How does Consumer Reports determine what makes an excellent mattress? Body support is important; we graph the spine’s natural curves for a range of adults, then we record how thoroughly each mattress maintains that curve for back sleeping. We also check how well each mattress does at keeping the spine relatively horizontal when a person is lying on his or her side.

To figure out how a mattress would hold up over eight years of use, we push a 308-pound roller over the bedding 30,000 times to see whether it maintains its original shape, height, firmness, and body support. For mattresses meant for couples, we measure how much vibration is transferred from a restless sleeper to another person in the bed—a problem more typical for traditional innersprings. And we assess how easy it is to change position, a problem for some softer foams, and to move around in general.

What we found is that there is no exact relationship between price and performance. You can spend $2,000 or more and still not get impressive spine support. Shifman’s Anniversary Collection Cushion Firm costs a cool $3,025 at Bloomingdale’s, yet it sagged and delivered mediocre back and side support. The Serta iComfort Directions Acumen, $2,220, foam mattress delivered less back support than one model priced nearly $2,000 less, and even its side support wasn’t as good as you would expect for the price.

Top mattresses from our tests

If you don’t want to lose sleep over your next mattress purchase, check our top mattress picks.

Best for couples

Best for back sleepers

Best for side sleepers

—Ed Perratore (@EdPerratore on Twitter)



More from Consumer Reports:
Top performing kitchen gear at rock bottom prices
The best washing machines for $800 or less
Kitchen floors that stand up to foot traffic

Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers or sponsors on this website. Copyright © 2006-2014 Consumers Union of U.S.