Does your mattress need an overhaul? Can you even tell? Many people are quick to assume the bedding, including the sheets or comforter, is the problem when they wake up sweating or in pain. But would you believe that it may be your mattress? Some signs of a failing mattress are sagging or an asymmetrical mattress and worsened allergies or asthma. Other signs may be a noisy mattress, difficulty falling or staying asleep, visible wear and tear, and if it’s older than 8 years old. Since you spend a surprising amount of time in your bed, don’t you think it ought to be comfortable? Mattress shopping can be quite an ordeal, so it’s important to have all the facts before you look for a new mattress.

What To Look For in a Great Mattress for the Back Sleeper

So, are you a back sleeper? This is going to be an easy one, and most beds will accommodate you. The mattress you choose for back sleeping will need to be either firm or medium-firm for proper support. You need a mattress that will relieve the pressure points in your shoulders, hips, and back. The right bed should provide proper spinal alignment to give you pressure relief. In addition, you may appreciate a more responsive or bouncy feel rather than the firmer feel of a memory foam mattress. Also, for the combination sleeper that flips on all sides throughout the night, this is your setup too. A back sleeper or combination sleeper needs a firm to medium-firm mattress with great body contouring filling. You need a mattress that supports your weight effortlessly with some bounce and aligns your spine to relieve your pressure points. The recommendation for you is a hybrid mattress or an innerspring or coil mattress. You may also find a latex hybrid mattress is a great choice because it prevents you from sinking into the mattress too far.

What To Look For in a Great Mattress for the Side Sleeper

If you’re a side sleeper, you’re in good company! An astounding 74% of Americans sleep on one side or the other. The real question is- which side is best for side sleeping? This popular sleeping position needs a medium-plush to medium-firm firmness, depending on how often you wake up on your back and If you’re sleeping with a wedge pillow between your knees, you’ll likely benefit from a firmer mattress. A medium-firm to firm mattress will alleviate any pressure point pain and keep your spine in a healthy alignment while also cradling your hips, legs, and buttocks. The support you’re looking for can be found in a latex or memory foam mattress. You do not want a firm mattress if you’re a side sleeper or a side and stomach sleeper. A mattress with medium firmness is the goal.

What To Look For in a Great Mattress for the Stomach Sleeper

Sleeping on your stomach is not something everyone can pull off! But if you are, there’s a mattress specially tailored to fit your needs. Our answer is sure to throw you for a loop, but we recommend a medium-firm to a firm mattress. Also, use the softest and lowest loft pillows. A stomach sleeper needs the most support around their midsection and shoulders to prevent them from sinking into the mattress. If you’re sinking into your mattress, you’re bound to wake up grumpy and in a world of pain. You want to strike a good balance of the solid targeted support for pressure relief of a medium-firm mattress, and general support in the capability of the mattress to keep your body on top of the mattress like the best firm mattress should do. A firm hybrid mattress will provide good spinal alignment, pressure relief, and good support. A gel memory foam top is a great feature to add to your hybrid mattress as it can release some body heat if you sleep hot.

A World of Mattresses: How to Choose the Right One

Latex Mattresses

A latex mattress is a great choice for people with allergies. Most people with a latex allergy are already writing this one off the list of choices. However, take a breath and see why you can still use a latex mattress even with a latex allergy. Thank goodness the latex resides inside the mattress in most cases, but even still, the type of latex used is natural latex. Natural latex is not an allergen, it’s the synthetic latex that is used in gloves and condoms that you can blame for allergies. Latex mattresses are incredible for pressure relief, cradling your body, allergy sufferers, joint pain, and they’re eco-friendly to boot. This mattress is suitable for all sleepers and comes in a wide range of firmness. If you’re a back sleeper, you may like a latex and coil spring hybrid. The latex hybrids are bouncier and more responsive than a memory foam hybrid and can last up to 20 years with proper care.

Hybrid Mattresses

We already discussed some of the benefits of a latex and coil spring hybrid mattress, which are pretty impressive. But the other type of hybrid mattress is the memory foam and coil spring, also known as an innerspring. In this mattress, the coils are cushioned by foam offering the utmost in comfort. A hybrid mattress with the right amount of firmness can be amazing to sleep on. The combination sleeper will find this offers well-rounded support and comfort.

Memory Foam Mattresses

Memory foam is perfect for the side sleeper with the way the foam balances your weight across the surface. When the foam is pressed, an imprint of what was pressed in is visible. This feature is great for contouring your body and relieving pressure points in the hips and shoulders. If you are a combination sleeper that ends up on your side a lot or strictly a side sleeper, a memory foam mattress is a wonderful choice for you. Adaptive foam technology is relatively new and turns your regular mattress into a cooling mattress. The adaptive foam ensures your bed is the temperature you prefer.

Gel Memory Foam Mattresses

A gel memory foam mattress offers great pressure relief and body contouring plus has a cooling effect. and is great to offset the body heat that memory foam likes to keep trapped inside of it. Many great memory foam mattresses are topped off with a layer of gel memory foam. If you get hot while sleeping, but need the benefits a memory foam mattress provides, you may thoroughly enjoy a mattress with gel memory foam. If you choose a hybrid mattress with a gel memory foam, the disruption of the coils may enhance the performance of the cooling gel.

Pocket-Coil Mattresses VS. Innerspring Mattresses

The last two types of mattresses are often compared to one another because of the similarities between them. To start, the two spring beds are comprised of, you guessed it, metal springs, but they differ in their design. The innerspring mattress can be made of one of three spring designs: the Bonnel or offset springs. The two are designed in an hourglass shape, wherein they are broader at the tops and bottoms of each spring, but the Bonnel is open-faced with a long metal piece that goes up the length of each spring. The offset design is an hourglass with flat tops and bottoms of each spring or coil. The offset design is the best of the two for durability. Then we have the continuous coil, that isolates movement, making it the better choice for couples. A pocket coil is exactly what it implies; coils that are individually wrapped with fabric. These are great firm mattresses and are the best for targeted support of the whole body. The pocket coil and innerspring are used for the hybrid mattresses.

Featured Mattresses: The Top 4

Of course, this is what we’ve all been patiently stewing about until this point, so let’s bring it on! We very carefully and meticulously curated this top 4 list from at least 30 incredible mattress options. We are happy to offer you this shortcut in your search for the perfect mattress. Here are the official top 4 mattresses on Amazon.

Amazon Basics Cooling Gel Memory Foam Mattress

The Amazon Basics cooling gel memory foam mattress is proudly constructed in the USA from domestic and imported parts. Amazon boasts that the LuraCOR latex-free latex alternative takes out the allergens but retains all the perks of latex, creating the best mattress with a latex alternative. LuraCOR is a hyperCOR high resiliency polyurethane foam that behaves identically to natural latex. This LuraCOR latex will give the bounce you want in a firm mattress especially in the need for isolation of movement when sleeping with your partner. Kids, or pets. Another latex-like perk is the mattress resists the “sink” that you typically get with a foam mattress which is great for back sleepers! The latex feel is great for all types of sleepers. This mattress will contour your body, but not hug your body as memory foam does. So, you will always be in perfect spinal alignment, and your pressure points will get the relief they need to have you feeling brand new every morning. The Amazon Basics mattress is firm and 12 inches deep. This all-foam hybrid mattress has a super-luxe quilted top for extraordinary comfort and starts at $307.49 for the twin. The Amazon Basics latex-feel, mattress in a box, will require up to 72 hours to completely fluff up as it is vacuum-sealed for shipping.

Nectar Gel Memory Foam Mattress

The best mattress that is made with sustainable materials is the Nectar adaptive memory foam mattress. This baby comes in a perfect medium-firm that’s 12 inches of pure heaven if heaven were topped with Tencel. Tencel is a rayon material that undergoes a viscose treatment to be made into a yarn and then a weave. This weave is the best cooling option as it naturally keeps the hot sleeper cool. Underneath the quilted layer of Tencel is a gel memory foam that evenly distributes your weight across the span of the mattress. Additionally, you’ll find the adaptive memory foam keeps your spine aligned and your pressure points supported, as though you’re sleeping on a cloud. The pressure relief system and the adaptation keep you from the “quicksand” of memory foam. If you forgot, memory foam is known for getting you stuck in the mattress. The foam typically makes changing positions difficult and can interrupt your sleep. You’ll stay above the sand, or foam in this case, with the adaptive gel memory foam. The mattress is 4 layers of pure adaptive and gel memory foam to ensure that the layers work together to bring you the pressure relief and comfort you need. But don’t forget way at the bottom, the Nectar mattress has you covered from slippage of the mattress with a built-in mattress topper (but on the bottom of the mattress). That equals 5 layers to ensure you are well-rested and bright-eyed and bushy-tailed each time you wake up. The adaptive action and the Tencel are worth every penny. The luxurious queen size is priced at $721.39 and will require up to 48 hours to expand before initial use. The Nectar adaptive gel foam mattress carries with it a 365-day trial AND a forever warranty! So, if you’re on the fence about this one, there’s no risk in trying it out.

LinenSpa Hybrid Mattress

The LinenSpa hybrid mattress consists of a hybrid cover made of one and a half inches of quilted memory foam ensuring a cozy experience! The comfort layer is two and a half inches of foam to further enhance your sleeping experience. The base layer is six inches of tempered steel coils covered with a support foam. The support foam is vital for back pressure relief and offers support to relieve common pressure points. The coils or springs of the mattress will offer a supportive surface while the memory foam will contour your body and support your weight evenly. Although the memory foam is known to be uncomfortable for hot sleepers, the coils are known for being ultra-breathable. The maximum airflow system makes it possible for hot sleepers to experience a great night of sleep on a memory foam mattress. This may not be the best choice for a cooling mattress, but it’s definitely the best mattress for a side sleeper. All sleepers can get superior sleep with the LinenSpa hybrid mattress. This particular mattress comes in a variety of profiles and firmness levels. The medium-firm comes in an 8-inch profile (depth or thickness), the medium-firm mattress profile is 10 inches, but the one we recommend is the twin size, which is a 10-inch profile with medium firmness. With edge support and durability, you really can’t go wrong with the LinenSpa hybrid mattress which starts at $194.61. There is a 10-year warranty if you buy this mattress, but no sleep trial is offered.

Tuft & Needle Adaptive Memory Foam Mattress

One of the more popular mattresses is the Tuft and Needle. It contains the same adaptive memory foam we already learned about that makes it the best cooling option for the hot sleeper in your house. And the T&N adaptive foam is built and engineered by Tuft & Needle. The graphite and gel beads in the mattress are the vital components of the cooling system, so both reinforce one another to offer the best cooling in a foam mattress. A neat thing about this mattress is the option to buy an antimicrobial version of this same full-size mattress, so all the germaphobes can get in on the clean mattress action for the same price as the original. The T&N adaptive gel memory foam is an open-cell foam that allows you to move on the flexible mattress freely as if it were a coil surface. So, you’re getting a memory foam mattress that is not only cooling but doesn’t wake you to change your sleeping position, making the mattress suitable for every kind of sleeper. The gel memory foam mattress will give you the support that is typical of foam by contouring your body and thereby giving the pressure relief and cushioning the pressure points, but with the open-cell structure of the mattress it doesn’t suck you in. this can be the best mattress for a back sleeper as well as the hot sleeper, which is so unlikely in most other memory foam mattresses. The mattress has a GreenGuard Gold certification which is the highest certification a company can receive for having no emissions given off by this mattress and is deemed safe by using natural flame retardants within the mattress. Moreover, the CertiPUR-US certification the mattress carries proudly is indicative of the safe practices used in foam handling and care. A hefty price tag of $795 is certainly counteracted by 95% of all the happy customers, the free shipping and returns, the 100-night sleep trial, and the hassle-free returns and limited warranty. As long as you follow the instructions and allow the full 72 hours to inflate and air off any odors, you’ll be on your way to a great sleep soon enough.

A Great Mattress for Sex, and a Few Worthy Mentions

While we narrowed your search greatly to bring the best of the best mattress options, there are a few others that are worthy of a look on Amazon. These mattresses are ranging from the Zinus Green Tea Mattress which has the antioxidant-rich tea infused into the memory foam mattresses, to the Saatva classic hybrid innerspring mattress, which is the best for easy and smooth position switching with sex. If you can’t get enough cushion in your life, you can check out the Avocado Green mattress with an added pillowtop. Then there are some of the bed-in-a-box brands like Casper, Purple, and Avocado which you can look into more but, they are typically a great option, especially if you need a mattress in a hurry.

Buying a Mattress on Amazon

There are just a few things to point out when you’re purchasing your mattress from Amazon. The main warning is, that the company itself is not always the seller. This means that there is a slew of other authorized dealers with different return policies and warranties than the actual mattress company. To ensure you’ll get the most out of your purchase, you’ll want to check out the perks the original company offers, as opposed to what an authorized dealer may, or may not offer. You will want to search the storefront on Amazon to check out the store’s homepage and buy the product from the company directly if you won’t get all the same perks from the dealer. Also, if you’re not already an Amazon Prime member, it’s a small fee to unlock all that Amazon has to offer. What’s more is you can cancel any time, and with no hassles. Also, even if you do buy from an authorized dealer and you miss out on the sleep trial the real company offers, Amazon has your back. The official rule is that you have 30 days to return your item, so you’re not stuck in limbo with the third-party mattress dealer.

The Importance of a Quality Base for Your Mattress

It’s worth noting that your base is almost as important as your mattress. In fact, there are many options on Amazon that offer you to buy a corresponding base at the same time as the mattress purchase. When you buy a base that is made for the mattress, you really get all the benefits of having a set. A lot of people think that a base doesn’t expire, but like any other item, it is exposed to wear and tear and over time weakens. Moreover, many bases are not universal, so save yourself the potential headache and backache and just go all-in with a complete set.

Here’s to the Best Sleep You’ve Ever Had…

All this information can be a lot to digest, but just remember to stick to the list. This list is a great guide to assist you with finding the best mattress. The mattresses compiled here are certainly the best we found for various needs and sleeping positions. Our work here is done, your work should be a click away. Just don’t overthink it, your gut is usually right. You can thank us later.