Mattress Buying Guide

 

On average, we spend about a third of our lives sleeping. A good night’s sleep is vital to good health and happiness. But too often, our bed isn’t right for us. Maybe it’s too lumpy, hard, soft, and even too hot.

A quality sleeping sanctuary is an investment. The good news is, we have created our Mattress Buying Guide to make sure you start every day on the right side of the bed.

Things to consider:

• Firmness

• Material & Support

• Size

• How to try before you buy

Firmness

Like Goldilocks, it may take two or three times to find the right level of firmness for you. There is no “perfect”, but there is a “just right” for you.

Firmness, surprisingly, has everything to do with your go-to sleeping position. Take a moment to think about how you get comfy at night. Are you a side sleeper? Or maybe stomach, or back?

If you think you’re a side sleeper, then you’re probably best suited to a softer or soft-medium mattress. Most people who sleep on their sides often do so due to discomfort or pain in their back, hips, or shoulders, so it’s advised that you opt for a softer mattress to help distribute your body pressure.

For back sleepers, the most important feature is firmness and support. A mattress that is too soft could cause your body to sink and increase back pain. So, while you need something that’s soft enough to provide relief, you need to preference support. Research suggests about 13% of people sleep on their backs. As a special minority, it’s important you spend the extra time to find the medium-firm mattress that suits you.

Stomach sleepers, you’re in luck, most options on the market support sleepers like you. Opt for a mattress that’s medium or medium-firmer and provides equal weight distribution across your torso. Finding a mattress that isn’t too soft is important to not cause your spine to curve and increase back pain. Remember, no matter what kind of firmness you choose, you can always soften the sleep with mattress toppers.

 

Material

There’s a myriad of mattresses on the market. Here’s a little cheat sheet of mattress materials to help guide you through the sleep section.

Memory foam

Memory foam contours to your body. As a side sleeper this is particularly important as it offers the additional shoulder and hip support you need, contouring to the areas that carry extra pressure while you sleep.

Memory foam is also a great option for couples. Instead of feeling every bump in the night, the foam absorbs movement giving everyone in the bed a sound sleep.

Additionally, because memory foam mattresses contain several layers of foam, they don’t sag in the middle as much as other materials, meaning you don’t need to flip or rotate them as frequently.

Latex foam

The “natural” alternative to memory foam, latex mattresses often use more natural foam and materials compared to their synthetic counterpart. With similar support level, latex has a faster recovery time, less heating, and more bounce as well.

The main difference between latex and memory is the way it conforms to your body. The “bouncier” the material, the less it conforms to your body print, meaning it only takes general impressions rather than moulding to your specific body shape.

High-density foam

High-density foam is a very firm material that’s usually used for the bottom layer of memory foam and spring mattresses to provide extra support. Although mattresses made mostly of high-density foam are available on the market, they aren’t as common as they’re considered too firm for most people. However, if a firm sleep is what you need this may be a great choice for you.

Gel-infused foam

In gel-infused or smart gel mattresses, an extra support system is created by adding gel to the foam mattress. This gel helps to disperse body heat across the bed, meaning it doesn’t absorb heat the same way other materials do – a great idea for some sleepers in the hotter months.

This feature can create a slightly different feel to the mattress compared to other mattresses, so you may need to test it out first.

Innerspring or Coil

There’s a range of innerspring or coil options on the market – continuous coils, bonnell, offset, marshall, or pocket coils – but for the most part they are just what they sound like, springs of some material inside the mattress. As a rule of thumb, the quality of support from the mattress is determined by the number of coils in the design. How many coils and how they’re distributed will also contribute to how the mattress will confirm to your body. Innerspring or coil mattresses are the jack-of-all-trades of mattresses as most people will be able to find a supportive bed no matter which way they sleep.

 

Size

Your mattress size depends on a lot of factors – Who are you buying for? One, two, or more people? What’s the room size? Here in Australia, mattress lengths and depth remain relatively consistent across manufacturers.

Amart Furniture uses the following approximate mattress dimensions:

Single size bed dimensions – 92 cm x 188 cm

King single size bed dimensions – 107 cm x 203 cm

Extra Long Single size bed dimensions – 92 cm x 203cm

Double size bed dimensions – 138 cm x 188 cm

Queen size bed dimensions – 153 cm x 203 cm

King size bed dimensions – 183 cm x 203 cm

Super King size bed dimensions – 203 cm x 203 cm

There’s a lot to consider when choosing a bed size. Luckily, we’ve created our Mattress Size Guide with all the information on every size to help you pick the perfect mattress for you.

Try before you buy

Before you commit to your new mattress, there’s a few things you can do to make sure you choose the right bed.

Firstly, read this guide and the Mattress Size Guide– congratulations on hopefully completing these steps. Now, if you can, head to the store to test drive your future mattress. The aim of the game is to recreate your sleeping habits as much as possible.

When going mattress shopping, wear loose-fitting clothing that will allow you to move around comfortably. Also consider bringing your favourite pillow to replicate your normal sleeping environment.

Don’t forget to reach out to the salespeople for expert advice. If you have specific medical or pain support requirements, your salesperson will be the best person to help you understand each mattress and find a bed that’s best for you.

Shop all Mattresses