5 Tips To Keep In Mind When Buying A Mattress

Consumer Reports writes that the longevity and comfort of a mattress are hugely impacted by how often and well you clean it. If your bed has become a home to craters, bugs, and dust mites, now may be the best time to replace your mattress so you don't wind up with excessive sneezing, coughing, and a running nose, per Amerisleep. Another sign that you should replace your mattress is when it has become saggy and overused. Sleep Foundation confirms that people who sleep on sagging beds often experience backaches and sleep difficulties. 

When shopping for a new mattress, it is advisable to opt for a comfortable and long-lasting one to secure a pleasant sleeping experience for years to come. Unfortunately, picking out a quality mattress from the hundreds of varieties available on the market can be a tricky task. This is why we at House Digest have compiled some important tips to keep in mind when buying a mattress, which should save you from a subpar negotiation and guarantee an easy-peasy purchase of quality. 

The first thing to consider is budgeting. Budgeting involves strategic planning in strict accordance with your finances. However, according to an interview with Forbes, financial expert Patrice Washington said "budgeting is not about deprivation at all... we think it's going to deprive us, but it's about discipline." As you carefully consider a variety of models within your budget, also bear in mind that your ultimate reward for a good bargain is a good night's sleep. And while Chatelaine confirms that most people would impulsively splash a huge amount of money on a cozy mattress all for a comfortable night, we opine that almost every budget can suffice for a comfortable mattress.

Essentially, a mattress's cost is defined by its size, materials, manufacturer, and warranty, explains CNET. The price of certain brands like Allswell and Casper Elements can be negotiated to $600 or less. Brands such as Purple and Leesa cost around $600 to $1200, whereas, if your budget is between $1200 and $1600, you should be opting for luxury mattresses that offer extra features.

Just like every other product with several manufacturers, mattress models are multifaceted. This gives an overwhelming experience to almost every shopper. However, you could avoid that by primarily choosing your preferred type beforehand.

Innerspring mattresses are the most traditional mattress types, often surrounded by layers of coils. They offer solid back support and cushioning effects to users and are available in a variety of firmnesses. The Sleep Foundation recommends the five best innerspring mattress brands to consider. On the other hand, latex mattresses provide more responsiveness and bounce quality. The memory foam model, invented by NASA, helps to ease body pressure. 

Nowadays, the hype is also on hybrid mattresses, which are a mix of both latex and memory foam layers to provide a combination of support and softness. According to Forbes, this is a good pick for couples who prefer different firmness levels. Another option is air mattresses, which have air pumps on each bedside with which you can configure the mattress to a preferred firmness degree. There are also pillowtop options that come in various versions and have more layers of cushioning.

Healthline asserts that your sleeping position is a major consideration when choosing a suitable mattress. It's what you need to decide how soft or hard your bed should be, according to CNET. But how would you know your sleeping position considering that it changes from one night to the next? Easy: find out what position you slept in on the nights you had the most pleasant sleep. If you turn out to be a back-sleeper, firmer beds like hybrid mattresses combined with coils and foam are better than softer ones because they provide better support and alignment for the back and spine. The same goes for stomach sleepers, who are susceptible to back pain, per Sleep Advisor.

As a side sleeper, you may need a softer mattress such as memory foam or pillow top to provide optimal ease to your shoulders, neck, and hips. Verywell Health confirms that side sleeping can cause muscle imbalance in those areas, so you need all the tenderness and cushioning effects that memory foam has to offer. For combination sleepers (those who change positions occasionally), medium-firm-rated mattresses may be just the perfect option to offer bliss and support. These are often latex or hybrid mattresses.

Your body type is an essential factor of consideration when picking out a mattress. Ely Mattress claims that while mattresses are designed essentially for comfort, each model has a different weight support capacity. In other words, the body-weight-to-bed-capacity ratio influences your sleeping experience and, as such, affects your overall health.

For a person with a BMI (body mass index) of 25 and above, it is better to opt for firmer mattresses like hybrids, which offer more support and durability when combined with the coils of innerspring mattresses. Ely Mattress suggests sizes of around 12 inches if you weigh between 250 and 400 pounds, and up to 14 inches if you weigh more than that. But if you have a lighter body weight, Each Night recommends mattresses that fill in the spot for pressure relief and spinal alignment. In that case, a medium-firm or softer mattress is ideal.

We all know that the traditional approach to shopping physically for mattresses is to try out different models, one after the other, until you find the most comfortable one. However, most of us now prefer online shopping, in which case we have to consistently swipe through the catalogs of multiple online stores. But while we do get to enjoy the luxury of shipping our preferences directly to our homes with online shopping, it is more complicated in terms of negotiations and price-haggling. 

To shop online effectively, look out for warranties, trial periods, and return policies of the stores you're considering patronizing. Most stores offer a return period of about 100 days, according to Good Housekeeping. Also, you should read reviews and recommendations from existing customers on the manufacturer's website and other eCommerce platforms. Spine Health says to read a mix of constructive, adverse, and impartial reviews. Finally, consider your room's size before opting for a mattress online — the mattress' description on the seller's platform should serve as a guide.