Mattress Buying Guide
Read our guide to sleep tight at night.
Mattresses are a crucial part of getting the rest and rejuvenation your body needs. Choosing from all the different types of mattresses available can be a tough decision – read our guide to learn how to pick a mattress for a perfect night's sleep. If you need help choosing the mattress dimensions that best suit you, take a look at the mattress size chart we provide below.
In This Guide
When to Buy a New Mattress
How to Choose a Mattress
Choose a Firmness
Understand Types of Mattresses
Choose a Foundation
Choose a Mattress Size
Wayfair's 100-Night Trial
When to Buy a New Mattress
- Your mattress is more than eight years old.
- You wake up with aches and pains in your back or joints.
- Your sleep is restless; you toss and turn or wake up frequently at night.
- Your mattress shows visible signs of wear and tear (i.e. sagging).
- You feel the coils when lying on your bed.
- Your mattress doesn't support your body in the places you need support.
- You hear noises/creaks when moving around.
- You roll toward the middle of the bed or you easily roll off the edge of the bed.
- You’ve outgrown your current mattress size or want to upgrade.
- Your body or sleeping position has changed recently.
- You're moving and would like a fresh start for your bed.
How to Choose a Mattress
(Shop this image: blue area rugs, metal-and-upholstered beds, bedside lamps, bed pillows, metal nightstands, and decorative boxes)
Choose a Firmness
Firmness is a crucial aspect of a mattress. Depending on your desired comfort level, you can choose from ultra-plush to extra-firm. For the best sleeping results, you want the mattress to contour to the curves of your body while providing enough support to maintain neutral alignment. We recommend choosing the firmness based on your personal sleeping habits.
Side Sleepers: If you sleep on your side, choose a mattress that has a plush to medium comfort level. This will allow your body to sink into the mattress and align your hips and shoulders, preventing pressure points.
Back Sleepers: Medium comfort level is best for back sleepers. The mattress will contour to the curve of your lower back, while providing enough support to keep your body aligned and your legs from sinking.
Stomach Sleepers: Stomach sleepers need mattresses with a firm or extra-firm comfort level to keep their torsos from sinking in throughout the night.
Tip!
Read more about the mattress and pillow options recommended for side sleepers in our Discover the Best Pillows & Mattresses for Side Sleepers guide.
Understand Types of Mattresses
Take a look at the chart below for a quick look at how the mattress types stack up against each other and read on for a more in-depth look at each one.
Innerspring
These mattresses are constructed with steel coils for traditional support. Mattress coils are described by two measurements: gauge and count. Coil gauge describes the thickness of the coil. High coil gauges correspond with thin coils, while low coil gauges correspond with thick coils. The lower the coil gauge, the firmer the mattress. Coil count describes how many coils are in the mattress. The higher the coil count, the more supportive the mattress. Innerspring mattresses tend to have between 400 and 900 coils, with 700–800 being the average.
There are often two different forms of coils – continuous coils and pocket coils.
Continuous coil models are made up of one interlocking coil system and designed for support and durability. They offer a classic bounciness, making it effortless to change positions during the night – though your partner may feel that motion transfer.
Pocket coil models are made up of individually wrapped coils that provide targeted support and limit motion transfer.
Tip!
It's a common myth that mattresses with exceptionally high coil counts are significantly better than mattresses with average coil counts. As long as you choose a mattress with a coil count of at least 400, you should be perfectly fine. Plus, you'll save money – mattresses with very high coil counts tend to cost more!
Non-Spring Mattresses
Memory Foam
Foam mattresses mold to your shape in varying degrees and allow you to move around without bothering your partner. The stacked layers of foam conform to the body by reacting to its heat and pressure. They evenly support your entire body and spread your weight across the bed’s surface, relieving aches and pains. Memory foam mattresses are best for side sleepers because they contour well to your hips and shoulders. Memory foam is dust-, mold-, and allergen-resistant, but it does trap heat – gel memory mattresses infuse a cooling gel to improve air flow and reduce the likelihood you'll sweat during the night.
Latex Mattresses
Similar to memory foam, latex mattresses conform to your body's curves. The material is composed of a natural substance which is harvested from rubber trees. Latex mattresses offer a lighter feel and more bounce than memory foam, but are slightly less contouring. The material is breathable and hypoallergenic.
Hybrid
Hybrid represents the best of both worlds – a coil base topped with foam layers. This combines the traditional feel and support of innerspring mattresses and the contouring pressure relief of foam mattresses.
Boxed Mattresses
Here, innerspring, hybrid, or foam mattresses are compressed, rolled, and placed in a box for ease of setup and delivery. Once it arrives, simply expose the mattress to air again, placing it on a flat surface and removing the plastic packaging. Watch it spring back to its usual form.
Tip!
Want to make your sleep retreat even cozier? Try an adjustable base for customized comfort. All foam mattresses and some coil mattresses are compatible with adjustable bases. Look at individual product information to see if your perfect mattress is compatible.
Whether or not you need a box spring depends on your bed, not your mattress. In order to best support your mattress, use any solid foundation like a platform bed or a slatted foundation with slats less than 4” apart.
Choose a Mattress Size
Take a look at standard mattress dimensions of U.S. mattresses using the following mattress size chart.
Twin/Twin XL: If you're searching for a mattress for a single person, a twin or twin XL is the one for you. Twin XL mattresses are slightly longer than twin mattresses and are standard in college dorm rooms – they're great if you are on the taller side or if you want more legroom while you sleep.
Full: If you're an individual sleeper but need a lot of space to sleep comfortably, opt for a full mattress. You'll be able to stretch out without hanging off the bed.
Queen: Cozy queen-size mattresses comfortably fit two people without too much extra room left over. This mattress option is very popular for couples as a less expensive alternative to king-size mattresses.
King/California King: Sleep lavishly on a king- or California king-size mattress. With enough space to fit you, a partner, and even a pet, these mattresses almost guarantee your limbs won't hang off in the middle of the night.
Additional Mattress Size Considerations
Crib Mattresses: Shopping for mattresses for a baby's crib comes with its own set of unique challenges. Read our Baby Crib Mattress Buying Guide to learn all you need to know about buying a mattress for a crib.
Trundle Mattresses: When choosing a mattress for a trundle bed, keep in mind that it must fit easily under the daybed – choose a mattress that isn't too thick or too long.
Bunk Bed Mattresses: To ensure top-bunk safety, be sure not to choose a mattress that is particularly thick – if the top-bunk mattress is taller than the safety rail, the risk of falling from the top bunk is much greater.
Wayfair's 100-Night Trial
We know that buying a mattress online can be daunting. To ease your decision-making, all Wayfair mattresses come with a 100-night trial. If you aren't satisfied with your new mattress after you sleep on it 100 times, you can exchange it for a different one or return it for free. Ensure you get your best night's sleep possible, but keep in mind that this trial is only available once per mattress order.
