Many people ask us how we choose the mattresses we include in our reviews. Transparency and honesty are essential when providing the type of information we include in our reviews. We test every mattress provided to us by manufacturers for review and apply the same tests to each to ensure that comparisons are fair and true. We test many different products connected to sleep, such as mattresses, pillows, toppers, and entire beds.
Here is how we choose the products to test and review, and how we carry out the research and testing necessary to provide our readers with the information
How We Choose Products to Review
We review many different products in each category, and only the best of these are mentioned on our website. Even the last item listed in our reviews is of high quality. Many others will have been chosen for review but will not have been considered good enough to have been listed. It is possible, and it happens, that a mattress, or other bedding items, may be considered worthy of appearing in one category (e.g. Best Mattress for Couples) but not in others (e.g. Best Mattress for Back Pain.)
If a specific product has been designed for a specific purpose, such as for those who suffer from arthritis, scoliosis, or some other medical or orthopedic condition, then we go about this in two ways. First, where possible, we will seek out people we know who have that condition and will ask them to try sleeping on the mattress and report their results, including any pros and cons of the product(s) they are testing.
We will then test and then try the same mattress out ourselves to confirm that it is comfortable to sleep on and that the manufacturer’s claims for it are genuine. Here at InsideBedroom.com, we do not publish our findings of any mattress unless we are sure that they genuinely describe the pros and cons of that mattress.
We also provide information regarding beds and mattresses and also about sleep. Check out our Sleep Category with information ranging from how to get to sleep faster and the best sleeping position for scoliosis. Sometimes it is not the fault of the mattress that you cannot sleep well, but of yourself. There are certain things you should not eat or drink just before bedtime, and perhaps reading our recommended relaxing bedtime rituals might help you sleep better than relying totally on your mattress and pillow.
Note: Please note that we test every mattress or other sleep-related product sent to us by the manufacturer for review. In the event of us not receiving a product to review, we carry out intensive online research of the product for the data and information required.
Affiliate Relationships
We have formed affiliate relationships with many manufacturers and sales outlets (such as Amazon – check out our Amazon disclosure here.) By reviewing and listing products sold online by such outlets, we can maintain our website and pay those who work with us. Accuracy and honesty are essential to us since our readers expect it, and they can accept our reviews as being scientifically factual and correct after genuine and accurate scrutiny of each product.
For each product included in our reviews, there may be several which have been excluded for one reason or another. Readers can be assured that those we do list are high-quality products, and the best of the countless others we have checked out. Here is how we test the mattresses provided to us by manufacturers or sales outlets.
Researching the Literature
We spend a lot of time researching the existing literature regarding specific bedding and sleep-related products: mattresses, types of bed bases, mattress protectors, mattress toppers, headphones and earbuds for sleeping, sleep disorder statistics, obstructive sleep apnea, how to stop nightmares, and other topics such as best mattresses for kids.
We can establish which online consumer reviews are genuine and which are not. A large proportion of our literature research involves checking up on buyer reviews. Just as much time is spent on finding new products and new sleep-related science and technology. We believe that literature searches and online reviews can provide a great deal of useful information regarding certain types of mattresses and other bedding products.
Product Testing In House
It pays manufacturers to send us a new mattress once it has been developed. Our reviews can result in increased sales and income for both manufacturers and retailers. We carry out our comfort testing on these mattresses – in fact, we test a large number of properties. With mattresses, we test comfort and identify any medical conditions that the mattress may help by providing a comfortable sleep for people with conditions such as arthritis, scoliosis, and back pain. Our testing processes have been developed over years of experience and with the help of experienced sleep experts who are part of our team.
Other properties we test are how luxurious the mattress feels, how durable it is, and also properties such as motion isolation between couples, edge support, its eco-rating for those that prefer ecologically friendly products, and any toxicity standards such as OEKO-Tex and CertiPUR certification to indicate the purity of textiles and foams respectively. Such certification indicates whether or not the mattress is certified free from toxic or environmentally unfriendly substances.
The same types of research and tests are carried out on pillows, mattress toppers and pads, mattress protectors, and other products as they are sent to us for review by the manufacturer. Such testing may not require the stringency of mattress testing, but they are tested for the functions they carry out. For example, we look for mattress toppers, pads, and protectors to be antibacterial and hypoallergenic, and also resist dust mites and bedbugs. They must also not reduce the comfort of a mattress. Incidentally, the term ‘hypoallergenic’ means ‘less allergenic’ and such products are claimed to produce fewer allergic reactions than other products
Best Mattresses For ……
We also test mattresses for specific properties as indicated above. We use heavy balls dropped onto a mattress to test its motion separation. This is a property that is important to many couples, particularly if one or both has a painful condition that movement in the bed may exacerbate. Edge support is also an important property to many, particularly if they have to sit on the edge of the mattress to get into and/or out of the bed. Good motion separation can reduce sleep disturbance between partners.
Many of the results of such tests are used in our Mattress Comparisons Chart where you can compare two or three mattresses from our list of 23 different brands against each other for several different properties or features. You can compare them for edge support, motion isolation, cooling properties, comfort level, and 16 other properties.
Benefits and Reasons For Buying
Many people buy a mattress for its benefits or for a specific reason. That reason could be to help mitigate the effect of certain medical conditions or allergies, lack of off-gassing, assembly time, and any other specific reason for using a particular seller or a particular product.
For these purposes, we test all that we can or that is reasonable to test. For example, we check on how long a vacuum-packed mattress takes to expand to its correct dimensions. Some mattresses we have tested never reach their stated dimensions in a reasonable time! We check the certifications, as stated earlier, to make sure that the mattress is safe for people with certain allergies. We also consider the comfort provided by a mattress, pillow, or mattress topper.
Due to all of this testing and our approach to what customers should expect concerning quality, safety, and meeting the advertised claims for the product, we believe that we are doing our best to recommend only the best products for their needs
It’s More Than Just the Mattress. . .
It’s not just the mattress that counts with us. There are many more factors involved in a quality bed than just the mattress, pillow, or topper – or the bed base! There is also the return policy, the sleep test period, and the warranty. Is delivery free, or is that added to the price? Are returns free, and how long does the warranty last. A 7-day sleep test might not be enough for you to decide – how about 30 days?
There is more to buying a mattress, or any other sleep-related item, than just the comfort of the mattress itself. Does it smell of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) or do you have to pay for its return if your mattress develops a fault during the warranty period? We at InsideBedroom.com take note of such potential issues and point them out to you in our review. We don’t just focus on the positives, but also the negatives.
We consider the ratio of the price of a mattress (or another product) to its quality and highlight where the quality does not support the price of the item. There is more than just functionality involved. Does the price reflect the overall package: the quality, warranty period, and sleep trial – and don’t forget any payment charged for returning the item to the supplier. Sometimes low cost doesn’t mean ‘bargain’! Sometimes it may mean something you may regret later!
Major Mattress Properties
Arguably the most important factor for many individuals, the firmness or comfort level impacts how people experience a mattress. We understand how a person’s sleep position, weight, and other factors play a significant role in how a product is experienced, and we address each of these aspects in our reviews. For example, a soft mattress will often be too cushioning to support heavier individuals, and firmer beds are often preferred for back or stomach sleepers to support their spine.
Pressure Relief and Support
While the level of firmness of a mattress you can measure pressure relief and support with more accuracy. The pressure points of your shoulders, hips, and lower back can commonly cause pain and discomfort which can keep you awake for a large part of the night. We consider various factors of a product to determine how well it can support and relieve pressure. For example, memory foam often will not provide the same level of support as pocketed coils on a hybrid mattress but will provide more comfort. Check out our best mattresses for back pain.
Cooling
The temperature control properties of a mattress can be very important to many people who tend to heat up when in bed. While latex mattresses and hybrids tend to provide superior cooling properties to memory foam, there are many new types of cooling technology entering the market. You can check out our best cooling mattresses here and our 10 best latex mattresses here.
Edge Support
Edge support is important, particularly when sharing a bed with a partner. A mattress with poor edge support will reduce the space available to spread out comfortably without feeling like you’ll fall off.
Strong edge-to-edge support maximizes the space available for couples.
Motion Isolation
If your partner tends to move about on the bed or gets up frequently, you will likely need a mattress with good motion isolation. The Nectar Mattress would meet this need. It has excellent motion isolation so you are less likely to be disturbed when your partner moves about on the mattress.
Average Mattress Cost
The average good quality mattress cost is around $1,000 – $1,500. You can sometimes find cheaper mattresses, but be careful that the lower price does not involve a reduction in quality, which is often the case. You can often find high-quality mattresses at a reduced price such as an Amerisleep AS2 reduced from $1,339 down to $979. Check it out Here.
These are just a few of the more important mattress properties we investigate. Apart from mattresses, we test other items of bedding as explained earlier. Sure, the mattress may be the most important item of bedding on your bed, but if you are seeking mattress toppers, pads, or pillows, you will also want to read our reviews and receive our expert help to enable you to purchase the best item of bedding available.
Finally …
Finally, it is you who has to decide on which mattress or other items of bedding you need. We have presented our findings with total integrity, and if you need to discuss anything with us then please Contact us Here.
