Health's Mattress Testing Methodology

Your mom was right: Getting enough sleep is crucial for your overall health. Seven to nine hours of restful sleep a night is helpful in all kinds of ways, from boosting your mental health, to keeping a healthy weight, and even regulating your blood pressure—and a good night’s sleep often starts with your mattress. 

Mattresses can help manage and improve back and other body pain, reduce the negative effects of sleep conditions (such as trouble falling asleep and staying asleep) and help regulate sleep temperature. Of course, if you are experiencing a sleep condition or managing frequent pain, it’s best to talk to your doctor and determine what changes suit your needs.

For all of these reasons and for your general comfort and enjoyment, we take our mattress reviews very seriously, which is why we’ve developed this thorough methodology for how to test them. To date, we’ve tested 55 mattresses and spent nearly 14,000 hours testing mattresses at home and in the lab, and we’re constantly tweaking our process along the way.

How We Select Mattresses for Testing

When considering mattresses, we look for options that suit all types of sleepers and sleep conditions, and ones from various brands, including classic brands like Beautyrest and newer options like Saatva and Helix. When choosing mattresses to test, we consider the features they offer, user reviews (i.e., if a mattress has overwhelmingly positive or negative reviews), and brand reputation. We also consider new releases and mattresses geared toward specific shoppers, such as kids’ mattresses or mattresses designed for larger bodies.

To provide readers with the best mattress recommendations, the Health team carefully researches mattresses before testing, including interviewing experts for their product recommendations and what elements make up a good mattress. 

How We Test Mattresses

We test mattresses in two places: at home and in our testing lab. While we conduct most of our mattress testing at home, we complete additional, special tests in the lab to provide a fuller picture.

Home Testing

During our pre-testing process, we interview medical experts to give testers a better idea of how their mattresses should feel and, more specifically, how their spines and bodies should be positioned to reduce pain while sleeping.

Before we start each test, we ask testers to share information about their sleep style, any pain they experience, sleep conditions, and how each tester sleeps (alone or with a partner) to give context to our results. Testers also review their current mattresses and remark on their level of comfort, any pain they experience, and issues they have with the quality of their mattress.

To get a better picture of each mattress, we begin at-home testing by monitoring how long it takes each mattress to expand, if it comes boxed, or about the general delivery process if the mattress brand uses white glove delivery. We note these processes not only to let shoppers know what to expect but also because the delivery method can impact things like firmness and support. 

After offering delivery insights and noting how quickly their mattresses expanded, our testers complete the most important part of testing: sleeping on their mattress. Testers sleep on their mattresses for at least four weeks during initial testing, and we follow up six months later to see how well the mattresses are holding up.

While testing the categories outlined below, our team also notes how well their mattress handles motion transfer—whether sleeping alone or with a partner—and partner disturbance. We also note the perceived temperature and how much each mattress felt like it trapped heat, which is particularly important for hot sleepers.

Each home testing category is graded out of five and then averaged for a total score. 

Lab Testing

We choose several top-performing mattresses from home testing and complete additional, special tests in our lab.

• Heat retention/breathability: We test each mattress using infrared thermometers and provide insights on overall temperature feel. 
• Motion transfer: We also use a water glass test—similar to the wine glass test you might remember from old mattress commercials—to visualize motion transfer. We place a glass of water on one end of the mattress and move around on the other end of the mattress. If the glass remains stable and doesn’t tip over or wobble, it’s a good sign of low motion transfer. While we test for motion transfer during at-home testing, the water movement inside a glass gives us an easy way to see how well a mattress isolates movement.
• Edge support: We place a 15-pound kettlebell along the edge of the mattress. A mattress with good edge support shouldn’t dramatically sink or deform under that weight.
• Layers/mattress interior: Finally, we cut open each mattress with industrial scissors to see its interior. We determine if the layers of the mattress correspond to the manufacturer's claims and note each of the layers and whether they are made of coils, foam, or latex. 

Our Testers

Our testers are Health editors and sometimes their families. Testers must complete tester training before testing mattresses at home. They provide us with thorough insights and photos, with feedback on our home testing categories. They offer unbiased opinions on what they liked, what they disliked, and what they would change about the products they tested.

What We Test For

Comfort

Comfort is one of the major points of our testing. When providing insights for comfort, testers note how each mattress feels; are they sinking in—which could lead to back pain—or are they supported? They also consider how the mattress conforms to their bodies: It should conform to pressure points but not so much that sleepers feel all cushion and no firm support.

Testers also identify any aches or pains they experience after sleeping on the mattress, noting if they stayed over time or went away as they got used to the mattress. Additionally, testers note any improvements in their sleep.

Throughout the process, we’re constantly comparing these mattresses to previous mattresses we’ve tested and slept on and are describing any positive or negative differences. 

Support

While comfort and support are similar—and a supportive mattress will provide the most comfort long term—comfort refers to how you feel while lying on the mattress and is typically an immediate sensation; support refers to how well the spine and body are aligned on the mattress. 

You can think of a mattress’ support level as how far into a mattress a sleeper sinks; it mainly comes down to mattress structure. Supportive mattresses, whether soft or firm, often have a layer of dense foam or sturdy springs under a layer of memory foam or pillowtop to keep sleepers from sinking into the mattress. Softness and firmness often come down to how sturdy the foam or coils are. Comfort, on the other hand, is more comprehensive and depends on both the top layers and the lower foam or coils for an overall feel.

When it comes to support, testers consider whether they feel a mattress provides too much, not enough, or just the right amount of support; when reviewing these insights, the Health team also considers each sleeper’s position and pain history.

Testers also describe the position of their spine and whether it’s aligned in their preferred sleep position—a sign of a supportive mattress. Testers note how well their mattress relieves pressure in pressure point areas—the areas where their body makes the most contact with the mattress (think shoulders and hips for side sleepers).

Finally, the team observes the mattress surface after the testing period and notes whether there are any dents or irregularities that indicate the mattress isn’t holding up and would not be as supportive over time.

Temperature

As we sleep on each mattress, we’re noting if they feel like they retain heat or cause sweating. We also occasionally test mattresses touted as having cooling properties, and testers judge whether they actually work or are simply marketing gimmicks.

Sleep Quality

Sleep quality is another of the most important aspects of testing at Health, as sleep quality should improve with the right mattress. To gauge this, we measure how the mattress has changed a tester’s sleep, including pain relief, tossing and turning, and trouble staying asleep. Testers also provide feedback on how their joints feel after sleeping on the mattresses, as joint pain can lead to trouble sleeping.

Price and Value

Mattresses range widely in price, and we have tested budget mattresses that are just a couple hundred dollars to splurge mattresses that cost closer to $10,000. 

The final testing question asks testers to look at their mattress online and decide if they believe it was priced correctly according to their experience sleeping on it during the testing period. We use the value test to determine if the mattress performed as advertised and expected. They consider if they would pay full price, sale price, or not purchase their mattress at all.

Summary and Final Thoughts

If you’re not sure about your mattress preferences, remember to consider how it will perform over time: the soft mattress that feels so comfortable on the showroom floor might give you back pain after a few nights. (Another good reason to consult your healthcare provider before shopping for mattresses if you suffer from back pain or other health issues.)

Mattresses aren’t a one-size-fits-all product. So, while we identify product recommendations for certain sleep positions, conditions, and even temperatures, buying a mattress comes down to personal preference. For example, while most side sleepers prefer a medium firm mattress, you might prefer one that’s firmer—and that’s perfectly fine. The bottom line is that the best mattress is the one that will give you restful sleep.

As always, we aim to be thorough, unbiased, and thoughtful, so you can make the best choices with your hard-earned money. We hope you sleep well with our recommendations.