Our mattress testing experts have tested over 200 mattresses and counting. We’re very good at testing beds and assessing whether they fit the needs and values of ordinary people. When testing, we consider a few key factors that help us evaluate each mattress.
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Hardness and feel
Let’s start with the two most important factors of a mattress: firmness and feel. You can think of firmness as how firm or soft your mattress is. I know what you are thinking, who wants a hard mattress? Massive pressure relief isn’t always the best option for everyone, but some people, such as stomach and back sleepers, need a firmer mattress and more support to keep their spine in place during the night Alignment. Side sleepers, on the other hand, do benefit from a softer mattress that takes pressure off the shoulders, hips, and knees. We rate hardness on a scale of 1 to 10, corresponding to terms such as “medium” or “medium hard.”
Feelings are another big sensation that we notice right away. How does it feel when you lie down on a pillow-top mattress? Does it have the feel of sinking memory foam or a neutral foam with quick rebound? Especially with pillow tops, we consider their thickness and how they make the mattress feel. Each review notes the firmness and feel of the mattress.
Performance
When testing the best pillow-top mattresses, we consider several performance factors. The first is edge support, or the structure around the mattress. Testing this is as simple as sitting on the edge of your bed and assessing how supportive it is. If we feel like we’re going to fall off the mattress if we sit on the edge, then it doesn’t have good edge support.
Motion isolation is important if you sleep with a partner who tosses and turns or sleeps on a different schedule than you do. We tested whether the mattress would tip over by placing a glass of water on it and rolling it across the bed. We also know how well mattresses dissipate heat and regulate temperature.
