Best Mattress 2024: Tried & Tested by GQ Experts | British GQ

Having put more than 30 mattresses to the test, we've selected the top 16 mattresses that are really worth your time. Covering the best hybrid, memory foam and pocket spring mattresses available right now, all selected by experts and editors

All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.

It’s no secret that we Brits don’t sleep particularly well. But it's also no secret that this is a key contributing factor leading to poor physical and mental health. According to a study published by Oxford University Press in 2005 “people with insomnia had greater depression and anxiety levels”, research that was cited in a paper published by Science Direct in 2021. This isn't news to anyone we're sure, but it serves as a useful reminder that investing in your sleep is an investment in your health as a whole. Enter the best mattresses.

Thankfully, we’ve spent the last few years compiling what we believe to be the ultimate guide to mattresses currently available in the UK. We’ve slept on a good few foam, pocket sprung and hybrid pieces, spoken to some of the best sleep experts around and deployed a team of writers and editors onto the case. The result? Well, our team now sleeps soundly.

Whether you’re after the best pocket spring mattress, the best hybrid mattress, the best mattress for side sleepers, the best mattress for back pain or the best memory foam mattress, or just the best cheap mattress, you’ll find our honest reviews on Emma, Simba and Nectar mattress’s top offerings below. (Just make sure you also pair it with the best double bed, best duvet, best pillow, best bed sheets and best duvet cover from the best bedding brands so you’re truly sleeping in bliss). For those that struggle with neck pain, we also have a round up of the best pillows for neck pain worth glancing at, while if you know you want one of the best king mattress options, we have something for that too.

Skip to: How do we test mattresses? GQ's reviewing process | How often should you replace a mattress and how do you know when to change it? | What is the most comfortable mattress? | What are the different types of mattresses? | What mattress is the healthiest to sleep on in 2024? | What is the best mattress to prevent overheating? | Can you change your mind about a mattress?| How do I know the right mattress size for my bed frame?

GQ: How we test mattresses

To ensure we’re confident in every product featured in our best mattress guide, we’ve individually put each mattress to the test. Not just for a few night's sleep, but for at least 30 days so that we can see how well a mattress lives up to everything that's been claimed about it. If one of GQ's mattress testing team likes what they're sleeping on, they'll tend to use it for the long haul allowing us to update our guidance over the next year or so.

When a member of the GQ team takes a mattress home, they'll rate and review it against several key criteria. As much as we're suckers for aesthetics when it comes to your next linen suit or sweater vest, with mattresses we tend to focus on the fundamentals which span across everything from firmness to comfort and durability. All of this adds up to the real test of any decent mattress: whether or not they wanted to keep it or not.

Emma NextGen Cooling mattress

Emma Elite Mattress

Firmness

While some of us might naturally suit softer mattresses and prefer a firmer feel, we compare how firm each mattress was to what the mattress brand was claiming to make sure you were shopping with all of the correct information. Look for firmer mattresses if you tend to suffer from back or muscle pain and want extra support, while medium mattresses can be good if you alternate positions, and soft ones work for those who sleep on their side and need better alignment.

Comfort

As with our assessing a mattress's firmness, we're looking to see how each model felt throughout the night. While you want your mattress to feel comfortable and almost cloud-like, any softness needs to be balanced with a good level of support so that you don't wake up with aches and pains in the morning. Hybrid mattresses tend to have the most advanced support structures, incorporating both adaptive pocket springs and foam, but if you need extra support you should look for something orthopaedic.

Weight transfer

Nothing is more annoying than when your partner gets up an hour earlier than you for work and instantly wakes you up as they lurch out of bed. Thankfully, the best mattresses incorporate measures to prevent motion transfer, isolating any movement to prevent you from waking up anytime someone else moves.

Overall sleep quality

Throughout the testing period we were really taking note of how our sleep changed or improved thanks to the new mattress. This included whether we were sleeping through the night and how refreshed we felt the next day.

Logistics

Mattress deliveries aren't always the most seamless of events, so we take into account the way in which our mattress arrived as part of the review. This included the delivery options, how heavy it was, how it was packaged, whether or not it had a smell (some memory foam mattresses tend to have this), and whether or not the brands also removed our existing mattresses as part of the service.

Durability

We don't think anyone is going to want to replace their mattress every year or so, so we made sure to take note of the guarantees and trial periods available for each mattress so that you have a sense of security with your purchase. Case in point, many top brands such as Simba and Emma offer a 200 night trial and 10-year warranty so you can rest when purchasing their products.

Daphne Bugler, Senior Commerce Writer

All of GQ’s interiors guides are written by our in-house team of contributing testers and experts, and are edited by Daphne Bugler, British GQ’s Senior Commerce Writer, who has been working at GQ for the past four years, and has written extensively about interiors since 2020. The team regularly talks to experts in a variety of interiors categories to better understand the products we write about and what we should be looking for. Having tested mattresses for the past three years, we also have a good insight into how different brands perform, having tried and tested an expansive range. We know what kind of designs work for which sleepers, how they’ll perform in different climates, and whether or not they’re going to hold up and last.

The quality of your sleep plays a huge role in defining your health so here at GQ our experts have put in a huge amount of work to determine which mattresses can help you make the most of whatever time you do have in bed. Having slept on our share of bad mattresses, we know it's worth testing each one we recommend for a good period of time to make sure it's actually an investment you should be making in your overall health.

We've included more information on what to look for in a mattress below, but to make sure we get our recommendations to you as quickly as possible, these are the best mattresses you should be shopping this year.

Emma Sleep

Emma

Suffering from cold sweats has made me pretty sensitive to how much a mattress can actually impact my sleep, and it’s safe to say Emma’s NextGen Cooling might be the first time I’ve felt like one has made a difference to how I feel overnight, something which it still does after multiple months spent sleeping on it. Thanks to Emma’s Thermosync technology, the mattress helps to keep your temperature consistent, preventing the weather and conditions outside of your bed from overheating you or making you feel too cold. And given the changeable situation with the London weather, it has helped me from being too hot in the summer or from shivering even more on a cold winter night.

In terms of firmness, this mattress feels slightly softer than most hybrids, coming in at a medium rating. The sturdy base offers enough full-body support while maintaining a degree of snug cosiness so that you don’t feel like you’re sinking deeper and deeper into bed the second you climb in. My favourite feature is that it's also designed to absorb motion and isolate any movements to ensure deep and uninterrupted sleep throughout the night, which is ideal if you’re sharing a bed.

Having long believed that a mattress couldn’t be comfortable without a mattress topper, this is the first time I’ve bid farewell to it in years. The mattress is actually better without it, and we’d say that’s a pretty good sign this mattress has got it covered. Tested by Zinya Salfiti, GQ Research Associate.

Read GQ's Emma NextGen Cooling in-depth review

Simba

Simba

Simba's range of hybrid mattresses extends from the most basic Hybrid Essential all the way to the Hybrid Luxe, each benefitting from the brand's expertise in crafting high-quality, premium mattresses, while also adding in increasingly more luxurious features as you work your way between them. The Luxe is the most enhanced of them all, but here at GQ we're big fans of the Hybrid Pro (the brand's second-generation Hybrid) which goes above and beyond the classic iteration for the ideal balance between price points and what you're getting in return.

Having now spent more than a year sleeping on this mattress, we've consistently had better sleep, probably than ever before, and we'd have to say it's hands down one of the best premium mattresses available. All the usual cliches apply: it cradles us in the right places, makes us feel light and cool during the hotter months, and has just the right balance of springiness and firmness to help us drift off quicker.

How does it do this? It’s actually quite a complex mattress, with two layers of aluminium springs that support your body while allowing air to escape beneath you to keep you cool, working in tandem with a graphite-infused layer of memory foam to coax heat away from your body. Oh, and it’s 100 per cent recyclable and a bonafide British-made mattress to boot, making it just as kind to the environment as it is to your sleep schedule. Tested by Owen Gough, GQ Senior Commerce Writer.

Read GQ's Simba Hybrid Pro review

Nectar

Nectar

As much as we'd love to tell you a thousand-pound mattress is the kind of extravagance no person of sound mind could ever justify, we're afraid to report that Nectar's Premier Hybrid is that most dangerous of luxuries. Like stepping down to prosecco after a night spent caning the Veuve Cliquot, it's the kind of decadence that ruins all inferior rivals by way of comparison. We've now slept on it for over a year, and everything we'd hoped for from a mattress has been proved true.

What's so good about it? As a hybrid mattress, it combines both springs and memory foam for the utmost comfort and performance. So you get that initial, glorious sinking feeling when you first lay down without the fear that you're about to be moulded to your bed for the next millennium. If you're the type to typically roll over at least four times before finding the right position to doze off in, multiple support layers do their best to allay that faff so that you can skip straight to a restive state. Those who've doubled down on duvets to escape the winter chill (and alternatively resort to the opposite when summer hits) will find the expertly curated airflow here an absolute blessing too.

Of course, other mattresses – especially those from Simba and Emma – can provide better value for money if you don't have the funds to simply spend your way to serenity. Those who have no such qualms will quickly find Nectar's Premier Hybrid offers a rarefied calibre of refinement they simply can't do without. Tested by Robert Leedham, GQ Senior Commerce Editor.

Read GQ's Nectar Premier Hybrid review

Eve Sleep

Eve

At first glance, the main selling point of Eve Sleep’s Wunderflip seems to be its verging-on-gimmicky flippable nature: one side is soft, one side is medium-firm, meaning you can choose between them. In reality, it doubles your chance of online shopping success, with its main benefits coming from the actual design.

As with all hybrids, pressure relief is a crucial part of what makes the Wunderflip such a solid choice. The structure spans 28cm of depth (meaning there’s a combination of latex layers to help mould around your body), memory foam, a dual spring system and a reactive spring system, all of which take the stress off your muscles while you sleep. What we really benefited from was the edge support, keeping us firmly in place overnight, and we also really liked the extra breathability you get from the memory foam thanks to its open-cell structure.

If you are a bit concerned about how well you can choose firmness online, or just hate making decisions and want an extra option, the Wunderflip takes the stress out of online shopping, and offers oh so much more. Tested by Emily Peck, GQ Contributing Writer and Mattress writer.

Read GQ's full review of the Eve Wunderflip Ultimate Hybrid

Emma Sleep

Emma

Have you ever classed yourself as sceptical about how life-changing a good mattress can be? We've been there. A few more springs here and there, a few extra layers of memory foam… what difference could it really make? After trying out Emma’s top-of-the-line mattress the Elite, though, it's safe to say we’re now converts. Finally giving into the fact a new mattress is almost definitely the right call when you can literally feel the bed frame through the old one, we came to the conclusion that going all out was better than just dabbling. We were right.

Designed with new sleep innovation AirGrid technology — which uses a grid-like structure (bet you didn’t see that one coming) to encourage airflow — one of the biggest takeaways here is that the mattress is not just comfortable, not just supportive, but also temperature-regulating. Comfort is of course taken care of too with a seven-zone infinity spring base, which really helped us feel supported overnight as it actively works to reduce pressure on the body. It might be quite a big investment at just under a grand, but if you’re ready to finally accept a good mattress is indeed an adult life essential, we’d say go all out. Tested by Lela London, GQ Contributing Writer and Editor.

Read GQ's Emma Elite Mattress review

Origin

Origin Hybrid Pro

One of the best mattresses for pressure relief, Origin’s Hybrid has near-revolutionised our sleep experience, creating one of the most comfortable environments we’ve found to date through a combination of natural latex, memory foam and pocket springs. The key here is Origin’s Hexagrid structure, an orthopaedic layer that focuses support in the centre third of the mattress (where body weight is most concentrated) and combines it with a soft top to make sure these pressure points are relaxed. In fact, it’s so good for support that it was even a real winner for a family member who’s had two hips replaced and found it to be a perfect fit. Do keep in mind though, it does have a particular firm feel that might be too much for certain types of sleepers.

Origin’s mattress also keeps up with the more innovative brands on the market with regards to temperature regulation, something that’s near-essential with any mattresses that include memory foam, with cooling particles that work to keep your body temperature at 18.3 degrees Celsius (an optimal number for sleep). Pair all of this with a sustainable mindset (as many of the materials as possible here are sourced in an eco-friendly way), and the fact you can have a 200-day trial to make sure the mattress is exactly what you need, and we’d say this is a winner. Tested by Michael Christensen, European Lifestyle Editor.

Tempur

Tempur

Bensons for Beds

Dreams

Back pain and sleeping on too-soft mattresses have long gone hand in hand, but does that mean if you have back pain your only choice is to sleep on something rock-hard? Struggling from this exact dilemma ourselves, Tempur posed a rare opportunity to escape our endless back-pain-laden qualms while still falling asleep cradled by a cloud-like surface as the Pro Plus Smartcool mattress is orthopaedic (AKA one that can help with back pain) and soft, promising plenty of support to help alleviate pressure on your joints overnight. Of course, you can still opt for a firmer choice of the same mattress if you prefer, but for me, soft was finally an option.

But how did it actually fare? Well, truth be told, since the Tempur mattress landed on my doorstep around 3 months ago (or bed frame, if you will), I’ve finally been able to start bidding farewell to my fortnightly physio trips, while still being able to drift off easily every night. There can be plenty of reasons for back pain (and we’d recommend you always get it checked out by a medical professional) but for me, it seems pretty clear that my old mattress was to blame. This aside, the cooling features of the mattress managed to prevent any overheating and the removable and washable cover means you’ll always have that extra-clean feel. Tested by Rebecca Dolan, GQ Editorial Associate.

Read GQ's Tempur Pro Air Smart Cool Mattress review

Sleepeezee

Sleepeezee

Why is it that we almost always sleep better when we're away? It could be the hearty, treat-yourself dinner and likely few drinks you have before heading off to the land of nod…or it could be the cotton-fresh scent of fresh sheets and the promise of a pillow chocolate in the morning…or, more simply, we'd put it down to the undeniable quality of a good hotel mattress – and that's where Sleepeezee's 'Hotel Edwardian 2000' comes into play.

Despite sounding a bit like the type of retro-futuristic, anachronistic invention you might have seen in a 1980's time-travel film, this is a mattress that we at GQ can really get behind. Not too firm (but still firm), and not too soft (but still soft), the 'Hotel Edwardian' absolutely delivers on mass appeal, where its squishy, malleable initial feel is supported by a firm layer of those eponymous 2,000 springs of support. But, what is it like to sleep on? Like a marshmallow with a layer of firm, rock candy at its base; like a cloud grounded on a foundation of rubber. While I struggle to describe its duality without turning to absurd imagery, this mattress is simply very comfortable and pretty fuss-free. For the sleeper that loves fluffy pillows and lightweight cosiness, you can hardly go wrong. Plus, with a name like 'Hotel Edwardian', you're bound to feel a little bit posh, a la the hotel suite that it conjures in your mind's eye. This is the mattress move that'll help you get that coveted hotel-night sleep every single night. Tested by Heidi Quill, GQ Senior Commerce Writer.

Read GQ's Sleepeezee Hotel Edwardian mattress review

Simba

Simba

If you’re someone who follows the latest mattress drops as closely as we do, you might be familiar with Simba’s Go mattresses, a now-discontinued range that focused on sustainable resources and production processes. While sadly the Go is no longer with us, what we do now have is a newly-launched range of even more thoughtfully designed and produced mattresses; the Simba Earth collection. Taking quite a different approach to the rest of the Simba Hybrids, the Earth range of three mattresses feels far more traditional. Instead of arriving rolled in a box, the mattress comes ready to sleep on, ditching the classic Simba foam construction for one that is instead made with layers of varying spring formations and soft wool. The base includes up to 750 high carbon steel springs, followed by 2,500 more on top of that for stability, 2,500 conical Aerocoil springs that work to respond to your body weight and relieve pressure, a plush mohair layer for cushioning, contouring hemp and flax to help control moisture and a wool layer on the top for extra breathability. It’s totally different for Simba, but it really works.

So far, we’ve had the mattress for around two months and found it far easier to adapt to than a hybrid. While firm, the wool feels more cushioning than foams do, and we found it supportive and great for relieving pressure. The other key here is the care taken in the design process, with Simba opting for farms rather than factories, including more natural materials and sourcing from Yorkshire to reduce carbon footprint. This is a definite winner: especially if pocket springs are your thing. Tested by Daphne Bugler, Senior Commerce Writer.

Emma Sleep

Emma

An upgrade on the soon-to-be discontinued Emma Premium Mattress, the Emma NextGen comes with improved features to make it even more breathable and supportive. Both mattresses have six layers of foam and springs but there are subtle, yet effective, enhancements on the new NextGen design. While both offer targeted support zones for the body including the head, shoulders, lumbar, lower leg and pelvic area, the NextGen gives you extra support around the knees and feet area too, for example. This may not sound much, but I found that those extra zones did make a difference – particularly when laying on my back and sides.

Having tried both mattresses, we think that the NextGen has a more luxurious finish to it, due to the layer of Halo Memory Foam that sits just under the Emma UltraDry cover, which itself is smooth to touch and gives the mattress a streamlined feel. When laying on the NextGen, our body felt suitably supported and we found that the mattress did well to offer pressure relief in all the key areas such as the back and lumbar area. While it's a medium firm mattress, it is marginally softer than the Emma Premium - the Emma NextGen Premium is 5 out of 10 on the firmness scale, while the Emma Premium is 6.5 out of 10. The NextGen also has a little more ‘give’ to it, which is perhaps enhanced by the extra tall 18cm pocket springs inside. The edge support could be improved, but it's worth noting that in a bid to reduce its carbon footprint, Emma has created the NextGen with 79 per cent less foam. So if you’re keen on sourcing eco-conscious homewares, this info alone may just make you sleep sounder. Tested by Emily Peck, Contributing Writer.

Read GQ's Emma Premium NextGen review

Panda

Panda

Memory foam and hybrid mattresses are pretty damn comfortable, but despite their ability to adapt to your body shape, they have a bit of a reputation for being too firm. And most of them are. Which makes the softer feel of Panda's Hybrid mattress so exciting.

While still being highly supportive, we'd say Panda's mattress feels more on the medium end of the firmness spectrum than any other memory foam-incorporating mattress we've tried. Its structure comprises six layers - a zip-off bamboo cover, two foam layers, a spring layer, and two base layers, making for a motion-transfer-free, pressure point targeting and airflow-optimising mattress that has orthopaedic grade support.

What Panda also does well, and what the brand is really known for, is its use of bamboo and sustainable materials to make the mattress more environmentally conscious. Vegan-friendly and combined with foams that can all be recycled, Panda also takes care with its packaging, with boxes that are made from 80 per cent recyclable materials. It’s a refreshing release for an industry that’s often considered to be quite wasteful. Tested by Daphne Bugler, Senior Commerce Writer

Read GQ's Panda Hybrid Bamboo review

Otty

Otty

This well-crafted and luxurious Otty design is the UK’s first bamboo memory foam mattress with charcoal-infused layers. Unique in structure, the combination of sustainable bamboo and hypoallergenic charcoal-infused layers in this mattress are designed to wick away moisture as you sleep and eliminate odours. As well as being suited to those with allergies such as asthma and sensitive skin, the small perforations throughout the mattress layers allow fresh air to circulate through the mattress, which also makes it a good option for those who have a tendency to overheat at night.

Over the course of a month, I slept on the Otty Hybrid mattress to see just how well it could improve my sleep and regulate my temperature. I found sleeping on the Otty very comfortable and even though the mattress is firmer than what I have been used to in the past, my body felt at ease. It kept me feeling relaxed and cool at night too – not too hot and not too cold. I could feel the mattress gently mould to support my body as I moved in the night yet it retained its shape. It is, in fact, designed with materials that ensure there’s hardly any movement transfer between sleeping partners during the night and, snoring aside, I could barely tell my other half was there.

Like many luxury mattresses – such as the Simba Hybrid Luxe – the Otty has a sumptuous 25cm thickness to it. The only downside? Combine this with its medium firmness and I found lifting the corners of the mattress to ensure a fitted sheet encompassed the underside a bit tricky. Tested by Emily Peck, GQ Contributing Writer

Read GQ's Otty Pure+ Hybrid Mattress review

Simba

Simba

Simba’s latest addition to its Hybrid range of mattresses combines the latest in sleep tech and sustainability, boasting an impressive 13 layers of natural materials, 8,500 springs and a staggering depth of 34 centimetres. Every detail has been considered, from the blend of Kapok, wool and bamboo for a thermoregulating top layer to the brand’s highest-ever spring count to mould to each individual, offering ergonomic support and pressure relief, with a double layer of performance foam to optimise airflow and provide cushioning. It might seem OTT, which it definitely is if you’re on a tighter budget and not looking for the most premium, luxurious option on the market, but if you are looking for something that’s really above and beyond everything else you can find, it fits the bill nicely.

The luxury feel of the mattress extends to the VIP delivery service, so you won’t even need to worry about unpacking it yourself, (Plus, it comes with a free mattress protector) while Simba will also remove your old mattress free of charge for recycling. It’s really a hard piece to go wrong with, and if you have the money to spare, it’s worth the investment. When we say our sleep has never been better (think hotel quality and then times it by 100), we mean it. Tested by Jennifer Barton, GQ Contributing Writer.

Read GQ's Simba Hybrid Ultra review

The Little Green Sheep

The Little Green Sheep

While we’ve spent a good few years writing about the likes of Emma, Simba and Nectar, we have to admit that we hadn’t actually heard of The Little Green Sheep… until an email arrived in our inbox asking us if we wanted to review its latest release. Unless you have children, chances are you haven’t heard of it either, because until now, this brand has been a major player in the world of kids' mattresses and kids' mattresses only.

Besides the fact you can’t really customise the firmness of this mattress, we have to say we’ve been nothing but impressed by The Little Green Sheep's adult edition since we started testing it in early August. We slept on it through heatwaves and found it stayed cool with plenty of airflow, we’ve found our backs and necks felt less painful and cranky when we woke up, and in general, we’ve just been sleeping better. If you’re after good pressure relief and a pocket spring design, this is your ticket to sleeping like a baby. Tested by Aaron Toumazou, GQ Contributing Writer.

Read GQ's full review of The Little Green Sheep adult mattress

Zoma

Zoma

First things first: don’t panic if your Zoma Hybrid initially looks like a desiccated grey prune sitting on your bed frame. Like many memory foam mattresses, it arrives in a very heavy, vacuum-packed tight plastic package that requires opening with a knife or scissors, and will expand over the course of about 24 hours. This involves an alarming sucking sound, and it can emit an odd “new mattress” smell while unfurling – but ignore these and sit tight safe in the knowledge that 30 centimetres of bliss are inflating in front of your very eyes.

Those 30 centimetres, as with any hybrid mattress, are divided into several layers. The top is five centimetres deep and made of form-shaping memory foam that fixed problems with our backs we had long assumed were simply a painful fact of adulthood. Beneath that lies an open-celled “Reactiv” structure which promotes airflow through the mattress, designed to wick moisture and take heat out of the top layer (by extension, to keep the body cool – which it does). The springs come next, spreading the weight of the sleeper’s body evenly across the mattress, and then the final layer, a foam base.

The Zoma looks and feels very solid on the bed – it’s not a mattress you’ll wake to find half-hanging off a divan base – but is perfectly soft to lie on, giving good support to a side-sleeping person of about 70kg. After three weeks of testing, I honestly can’t come up with any real faults; you’ll be shouting about it from the rooftops, assuming you can ever be bothered to get out of bed again. Tested by Thomas Barrie, GQ Contributing Writer.

Read GQ's Zoma Hybrid mattress review

Simba

Simba

While the Hybrid Pro took Simba's mattress design to new heights, the brand didn't stop there in its quest to make one of the most luxuriously crafted mattresses on the market. And the result? A game-changing, new-generation mattress that harnesses state-of-the-art technology to encourage deeper and more restorative sleep. Dynamically designed to adjust to every body type, the Luxe has ten layers of ultimate support and cooling comfort, from the soft, breathable, cloud-like surface all the way to the 40mm high carbon-steel springs on top of the base, which guarantee real longevity. We've now slept on it for two years and have found not only does it hold up, but it's one of the most comfortable mattresses we've ever slept on.

The Luxe is the brand's most intelligent offering yet and pays impressive attention to detail, including the sustainable and thermoregulating bamboo wool top layer and the open-cell Simba-Pure foam layer, specially developed to encourage airflow through the mattress while using graphite particles to filter heat away from the body. All these special features make this sound complicated, but GQ has put the Luxe to the test and can confirm that from the moment you slide on, you're carried comfortably off to sleep without a care in the world. Luxe by name, luxe by nature – this is an investment that really packs a punch. Kathleen Johnston, Contributing Writer

Mattresses are really individual, so the best mattress for you specifically depends on a whole range of factors and varies based on your individual needs. We’ve run through each type of mattress in more details below, but in short summary, memory foam mattresses tend to be best suited to those looking for extra support and pressure relief while innerspring (or pocket spring) mattresses have a more traditional feel and feel more structured. Both of these benefits are combined in hybrid mattresses, giving you the best of both worlds. If you fancy delving further afield as well, latex mattresses can be a good choice for durability.

Emma Sleep

Emma

As we’ve mentioned above, choosing the “best mattress” is completely subjective and really varies based on what you need as an individual. In terms of which is best, we’re currently loving Emma’s NextGen Cooling, but we’d also recommend the Simba Hybrid range which includes plenty of different mattresses, all at different price points to suit most individuals, We also love Nectar’s hybrids, specifically the Premier Hybrid which we think has all of the elements that those looking for the best mattress on the market will need.

The best mattress for you is going to be the one that not only helps you sleep comfortably through the night, but leaves you waking up feeling refreshed and ready for the day. You’ll want to prioritise pressure relief and support, preventing you from having any random aches and pains that can be triggered by your mattress. Memory foam mattresses, such as those sold at Nectar, are particularly good for pressure relief, while hybrid mattresses are also renowned for this as they combine innersprings with memory foam to help you feel balanced overnight. The best mattress to sleep on will be different for everyone, but we’ve broken down below the pros and cons of each of our favourites.

Knowing when to replace your mattress is a question that gets asked regularly, so we put this one to Sealy's Sleep Expert, Alison Jones, as well. “It depends on the mattress, but as a general rule; your mattress should be replaced every eight years, but different factors can indicate that it may be time for a replacement. Common signs can include sagging, damage, noticeable noise or squeaking sounds. If you're consistently experiencing poor quality sleep, with no noticeable cause, your mattress could also be to blame”.

While you can always extend the life of your mattress a little bit by chucking on a mattress protector, it’s still worth replacing every few years, even if it’s just to keep the shape of the mattress to its best. Most top covers will be antimicrobial, antibacterial and sweat-wicking to extend the life as much as possible without sacrificing the levels of support you expect.

Replacing your mattress that frequently might raise some eyebrows, especially given the price you may have noticed almost across the board on the below mattresses, but there is some salvation for your bank balance with the mattress sales. One of the best times of year to shop for those pricey items, it’s also an excellent chance to get a mattress for a much more affordable price.

Different people suit different types of mattresses, so to find the most comfortable mattress for you, you need to take into account a few factors. Firstly, your sleeping position will have a big impact on which one is right and which firmness level and how many comfort layers you need, as front sleepers might prefer a firmer mattress, while a medium-firmness may be better suited to someone who sleeps on their side most of the time. After that, you'll want to think about things like temperature regulation, and then it comes down to your personal preferences about the style of mattress you find most comfortable. At the end of the day, there isn't one elite mattress that will rule them all, but we've listed above all of the best options that work for different people to help you get started.

In general, there are three main types of mattresses - pocket spring, hybrid and memory foam. Each one is catered towards slightly different types of sleepers, with their own unique feeling and comfort levels, but all of them have their advantages and disadvantages. To make matters even more complicated when trying to navigate the sleep world, there’s plenty of variation within each category too. Some mattresses focus almost entirely on pressure relief or back pain, while others incorporate temperature-regulating features, are designed to limit motion transfer, or are just layered with unique materials like bamboo, charcoal or cooling gels. In the same way, they’ll also vary on matters like firmness, with some pocket spring mattresses being quite soft, and others being very firm, making your choice all the more difficult.

To try and help you find a mattress that’s going to ease your journey to a great night’s sleep, we’ve summarised some of the key features and advantages of each style of mattress and bed in a box mattresses below, followed by our individual tried and tested reviews of all the best mattresses around to give you a bit more of an insight into what you can expect before you make the purchase.

Foam mattresses are known for how they adapt and respond to your body shape, offering good support that responds to your weight with the right amount of pressure. Normally, they are made from either memory foam, polyurethane foam or a blend of both. This is the option that people who sleep on their side tend to prefer, as it can help your body relax into that position, while still providing a good level of support. However, these mattresses can trap body heat making it less comfortable for long periods or during the summer months. Our favourites are the Eve Sleep mattresses.

Whereas foam mattresses have a fair amount of give and tend to let you sink into them more, a spring mattress is often firmer and more supportive. Spring mattresses tend to be more comfortable and longer-lasting for anyone with a greater-than-average body weight. Our current favourite is this Hypnos mattress. Choosing between memory foam or pocket-sprung mattresses is the first decision you have to make when shopping for a mattress. However, if you're truly stuck, there are now plenty of “hybrid” mattresses on the market that are made with both foam and springs, such as the Simba mattress.

Different mattresses suit different people, especially when you take into consideration variations between body types, sleeping positions and budgeting. At the end of the day, the main goal of mattress shopping is to buy something that you’re going to feel the most comfortable on and that will help you get a good night’s sleep.

Beyond whether a mattress is made from springs or foam, you need to think about firmness. Firmer mattresses will help you stay in position while you sleep and should help to prevent back pain, making them beneficial for anyone who either weighs more, sleeps on their front or tends to wake up with an aching back. Medium-firm or medium-soft mattresses are good for people who alternate positions or who sleep on their back, while soft mattresses are best for those who sleep on their side. Just make sure to read the recommendations about who each mattress is best for when you start browsing and before you make your purchase.

If you tend to be the kind of sleeper who wakes up nightly in a pool of their own sweat (don’t worry we’ve all been there), there are thankfully a few solutions worth having up your sleeve. And the best place to start? Your mattress. To prevent overheating, you’ll want to focus your attention on cooling mattresses and extra-breathable designs, one of the best of which is the Emma Luxe Cooling (the entire mattress is basically designed to be as temperature-regulating as possible), which uses Thermosync technology to absorb body heat and redistribute it. Most of the other mattresses in our guide also prioritise temperature control, but it’s definitely worth making sure you check on that before making a final purchase.

Once your mattress is in check, it can also be worth taking a look at the rest of your bed set-up to make sure there’s nothing that could be making you overheat. Look for lightweight, breathable duvets (the Simba Hybrid is our favourite), prioritise bedding that wicks away moisture and encourages airflow (we’d suggest looking at linen bedding), and then opt for a cooling pillow as well if you want to make sure you have that cool to the touch feeling against you as you sleep.

One of the beautiful things about mattress shopping, especially when you’re doing it online and can’t just hop from bed to bed in a mattress store until you feel the most comfortable, is that you can actually change your mind about most mattresses with no consequences (except a bit of a logistical challenge). Most of the best mattress stores and brands have pretty good trial periods, many of which go from 100 days to a year, giving you the chance to properly get to grips with how a mattress feels before making that final commitment. It might be a bit annoying to have to return and try out a new mattress, but if the mattress isn’t serving you, don’t be afraid to move on.

If it’s been a good few years since you bought a new mattress or maybe you’ve moved into a new flat and aren’t sure what size will fit on your furnished bed frame, the simple solution is to whip out your tape measure and make some notes. We’ve included some of the standard mattress measurements below, but make sure to triple-check the dimensions of the brand you’re buying from first before you make a call.

Scott A, et al. (2021). Improving sleep quality leads to better mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1087079221001416#bbib24

Taylor D, et al. (2005). Epidemiology of Insomnia, Depression and Anxiety. https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/28/11/1457/2707988