We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.
You’ll feel as fresh as a daisy after a snooze on one of these
They don’t call it beauty sleep for nothing. If you don’t sleep well, your health and wellbeing suffers, and your mattress is often to blame.
Replacing your saggy old mattress can buy you up to 42 minutes more sleep a night, according to The Sleep Council, which suggests changing yours every seven or so years.
Time for an upgrade? Let’s find the perfect mattress for you.
We’ve tried and tested the best mattresses available, from brands including Silentnight and Simba. Here are our top picks to buy now:
There's a lot to consider when buying a mattress, from the level of firmness and support to its price and environmental impact. There are four main types of mattress: memory foam, pocket spring, hybrid (a combination of foam and spring) and mattresses in a box. The best type for you largely depends on your sleeping style.
Look for mattresses with a soft to medium firmness that let your hips and shoulders gently sink in, taking the pressure off your joints. Memory foam and hybrid models score top marks here, with chiropractors often recommending them for back pain sufferers. You’ll often find them in five-star hotels, too.
Memory foam is hypoallergenic, but it’s not very breathable. If you tend to overheat at night, a hybrid mattress with only a top layer of memory foam might be a better choice. Some even feature a cooling gel to take the heat out.
Sleep on your back? Then it’s all about finding a mattress with a medium firmness. We suggest opting for either a pocket spring or memory foam model.
There’s a simple way to test if your chosen mattress is supportive enough. Slide your hand into the gap between the mattress and your lower back; it’s too firm if there’s a lot of space and too soft if it’s a tight squeeze.
Once again, you want to avoid a big gap between your body and the bed, making firmer pocket spring and hybrid mattresses your best bet. The memory foam will cushion your hips, while each individually wrapped pocket spring will respond to the pressure of your body and offer optimum support.
The term 'mattress in a box' refers to how it's delivered: order the mattress online and it will arrive vacuum-packed, ready to unbox and sleep on. These mattresses tend to be more eco-friendly and affordable, thanks to their improved transportability.
They usually come with long trial periods, giving you plenty of time to decide whether or not you like what you’re sleeping on. You’ll find three of these models on our list; two are filled with memory foam and one is a hybrid.
Caring for your mattress properly will keep you sleeping soundly for longer. For most mattresses, this means rotating it regularly, but check the manufacturer’s instructions, as these can vary. Buying a mattress with handles will make this chore much easier.
Other simple care tips include airing your mattress every morning by folding back the duvet and changing your bedding regularly – at least once a fortnight but ideally weekly. Mattress toppers will help protect it from stains and keep dust mites at bay. In general, you can expect a good mattress to last for about seven years.
With the help of our reader panel, 1,400 people gave us feedback on 29 mattress brands. They told us which mattress they owned and scored it on comfort, support and – most importantly – durability. We've listed their seven favourites below, along with the price for a standard UK double size.
Sweet dreams...
There’s a lot to love about our winning mattress. This planet-friendly pocket spring model is made from sustainable materials, with an impressive 150 recyclable bottles used to create each one.
It feels wonderfully luxurious to sleep on and offers great value for money, especially if you’re looking for medium/firm support that will help to ease back pain. Its supposedly cooling layer didn’t do much, but if you’re not too much of a hot head, you’ll sleep like a baby. Bliss.
Key specifications
Type: Pocket spring
Firmness: Medium
Sizes: Single, double, king, super king
Mattress depth: 29cm
Free trial: 60-night comfort exchange
Guarantee: 3 to 5 years
Given we spend about a third of our lives in bed, splashing some cash on our acclaimed runner-up makes sense. It’s made using a secret material first developed to support NASA astronauts during rocket launches, so you can feel confident on its robust quality.
Over a third of our readers have proudly owned theirs for more than six years, and some for up to 20! It’s comfy, doesn't creak at all and is a fantastic choice if you’re plagued by back problems. It comes in a huge range of sizes too.
Key specifications
Type: TEMPUR® pressure relieving material
Firmness: Medium
Sizes: Small single, long single, single, double, king, super king, four special sizes
Mattress depth: 21cm
Free trial: 100 nights
Guarantee: 10 years
Good things come in small-ish cardboard boxes, so it seems. There's no need to fear Emma’s online-only order process; we loved this memory foam mattress and it comes with a generous 200 night trial for peace of mind.
It’s entirely creak-free, even when you move, meaning a fidgety partner shouldn’t keep you up! It feels substantial, suits all sleeping styles and will help relieve back ache. Take its temperature regulating claim with a pinch of salt, but it still earns our coveted thumbs up.
Key specifications
Type: Memory foam
Firmness: Medium
Sizes: Single, small double, double, king, super king
Mattress depth: 25cm
Free trial: 200 nights
Guarantee: 10 years
Fancy a touch of luxury? Of course you do. Hybrid mattresses are many a hotelier's go-to and this one has green credentials to boot – it’s 100% recyclable! What’s more, it’s quiet and keeps you on your own side, meaning no more 4am bickering.
Just over half our panel say its cooling graphite layer effectively regulates their temperature, but if you’re not convinced, you get to try it for 200 nights before officially making it yours.
Key specifications
Type: Memory foam and pocket spring
Firmness: Medium/firm
Sizes: Kids, single, small double, double, king, super king, EU single, EU double, EU queen
Mattress depth: 25cm
Free trial: 200 nights
Guarantee: 10 years
This second mattress in a box is a supportive steal for its price. Don’t rely on it to keep you cool, but it’s a solid option that will help you slumber in style and comfort.
Side sleepers in particular will love how well its memory foam and gel filling moulds to your shape, making you feel as if you’re floating on a cloud. It’s a shame the cover can’t be removed for washing, but that ‘new mattress smell’ dissipates quickly.
Key specifications
Type: Mattress in a box
Firmness: Medium
Sizes: Single, double, king
Mattress depth: 26cm
Free trial: 60-night comfort exchange
Guarantee: 3 to 5 years
Nod off on this hybrid mattress and you won’t be disappointed, especially if you like to spread out, face down. Sturdy and silent, it works well for couples as it keeps you from rolling into the centre.
You might need something firmer to minimise back pain flare-ups, and it’s certainly not cooling, but we thoroughly enjoyed snuggling into this long-lasting, comfortable mattress. It’s not remotely creaky, either!
Key specifications
Type: Memory foam and pocket spring
Firmness: Medium
Sizes: Single, small double, double, king
Mattress depth: 21cm
Free trial: 40-night comfort guarantee
Guarantee: 1 year
OK, so it’s not exactly fancy, but for reliable comfort at an outstandingly affordable price, this pocket spring mattress is unbeatable. Look elsewhere if you have back complaints to attend to, but it feels surprisingly sturdy and many of our readers say they would buy it again in a flash.
It doesn’t creak or roll you into the middle and it’s roll-packed for carrying home and getting up stairs. Now to create our dream Instagrammable bedroom with all that leftover budget...
Key specifications
Type: Pocket spring
Firmness: Medium/firm
Sizes: Single, double, king, super king, four special sizes
Mattress depth: 24cm
Free trial: 90-day exchange
Guarantee: 25 years
Shop Oliver Bonas’ Sicilian-inspired summer range
3 easy tablescapes to elevate summer entertaining
Striped bedding is the easy-to-live-with trend replacing plain white sheets
Snap up this £40 M&S picnic hamper before it sells out
