A mattress brand may claim to have the “best” or “most comfortable” bed on the market, but the key to finding the right mattress for your individual needs is focusing on what works best for your sleep position and body type.
That’s because comfort depends on a variety of factors and differs greatly from individual to individual. Instead of getting bogged down in marketing-speak during your mattress search, let our lab testing and surveys of actual mattress owners show you the way.
In this article
- Best Mattresses: Innerspring Mattresses Foam Mattresses Adjustable Air Mattress
- How CR Tests Mattresses
- How CR Picks the Best Mattresses
We evaluate the three most common mattress types—innerspring (including hybrid mattresses, which combine foam with coils), all-foam mattresses, and adjustable air—for multiple features and specifications so that you have the information you need to choose what’s right for you.
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Best Innerspring Mattresses of the Year
What Is a Hybrid Mattress?
Best Mattresses for Hot Sleepers
Whether they’re from established brands (such as Beautyrest and Tempur-Pedic) or popular mattress-in-a-box companies(like Casper and ), we put each mattress through rigorous testing.
Of the batch of 18 we recently tested, including mattresses from popular brands like Denver Mattress, MLily, and Serta, half scored high enough to earn CR Recommended status, and one even clinched a spot in our “best of the year” roundup, below.
To learn more about how to shop for a mattress and determine which one fits your needs the best, check our mattress buying guide or explore our mattress selector. To read about more mattresses we’ve tested, check our comprehensive ratings of more than 250 mattresses.
Best Innerspring Mattresses
Innerspring mattresses are composed of steel coils topped with layers of cushioning made with fiber-filled padding or foam (or both). They’re typically a better choice than foam mattresses if you prefer a bit of bounce.
Best Foam Mattresses
Foam mattresses consist entirely of foam layers. Latex foam mattresses have a somewhat springy feel to them; synthetic foam mattresses (memory foam in particular) tend to lack resilience. You’ll feel as if you’re sleeping “in” the mattress as opposed to on top of it.
Best Adjustable Air Mattress
Adjustable air mattresses can be inflated to your desired firmness level using a remote control or a smartphone app.In some cases, you can opt for separate chambers on each side. So if you’re sleeping with a partner, each of you can select a preferred firmness. Just note that these nice-to-haves often come with an inflated price. (The most popular brand in this category, Sleep Number, has updated its design and is currently being tested in our lab. We will update our ratings once results are reported.)
How CR Tests Mattresses
There are over 250 mattresses in our ratings—each with an Overall Score that’s determined, in large part, by its performance on each test: sleeper support, firmness level, stabilization level, and durability.
To test stability (also known as motion isolation), we drop a 38.5-pound weight onto the mattress and measure the vibrations at the point of impact and across the mattress. This tells us how easily sleepers should be able to shift their weight without disturbing a partner. We also test how well the mattress keeps its shape over time by operating a machine that moves a 300-plus-pound wood roller across the surface of each mattress 30,000 times.
The ratings for mattress comfort and owner satisfaction included in the Overall Score are based on data from survey results on almost 67,000 mattresses. To learn more about how we test and rate mattresses, and how to choose the right one for you, check our mattress buying guide.
We also recently started examining a mattress’s impact on the environment and health, taking into account a range of factors, including materials and construction, durability, owner satisfaction, and shipping footprint. Our Green Choice recommendations are designated with a green leaf icon in our comprehensive mattress ratings.
Looking for a mattress for your specific needs? Explore our mattress selector.
How CR Picks the Best Mattresses
It can be difficult to find the best mattress for a particular person because comfort and feel are so subjective. For the best outcome, we recommend that you lie on a mattress before committing. That said, CR’s engineers and survey teams assess every mattress that comes into CR’s labs for several objective criteria that can define a high-quality mattress.
Support: A great mattress should help keep your spine aligned throughout the night. For this roundup, we chose mattresses that performed well all-around for both side sleepers and back sleepers. (But keep in mind that a mattress with a low score for, say, back-sleeper support may be a good choice for side sleepers. That’s why it’s important to explore our comprehensive mattress ratings and filter specifically for your needs.)
Durability: Mattresses shouldn’t sag, soften, or provide less support after just a few years, so we highlight those that score well in our durability test, which simulates eight to 10 years of use.
Stability: We look for mattresses with high stability scores, meaning they isolate motion well, so your partner’s movement on one side of the mattress won’t jostle you awake on the opposite side.
Positive feedback on CR’s member surveys: Our member survey ratings cover thousands of mattresses purchased in the past decade, allowing us to collect the data needed to determine comfort and owner-satisfaction scores according to brand.
How to Refresh a Mattress
Two words: Baking soda
Tanya A. Christian
Tanya Christian joined Consumer Reports as a multimedia content creator in 2021, bringing with her more than a decade of experience in the home and lifestyle space. As a content manager for small kitchen appliances, home remodeling products, and the sleep category, she’s happy to provide readers with recommendations on great design, helpful cooking tools, and smart ways to achieve better sleep. Follow her on Twitter @tanyaachristian.
