Our sleep experts have been testing mattresses, bedding and sleep techniques for years, spending thousands of hours honing our tips on honesty, thoroughly reviewing beds and sleep-related products. We have tested over 300 beds from dozens of brands including Casper, Spiral, Nectar, Purple, Lisha and more.
Our bed testers have different weight and type, height, gender and sleep preferences, allowing us to conduct overall assessments of each mattress from multiple angles. We pride ourselves on the mattress testing method, which involves analyzing features such as firmness, sensation, temperature regulation, motion isolation, edge support and special features.
firm
One of the main features we are looking for when choosing the best mattress for the best side sleeper is the firmness, which means the pressure relief provided by the bed. During our testing, our experts with different weight and size took turns lying on the bed at each sleeping position to determine that they were shaking our main stress points (mainly shoulders, hips, and knees). When lying next to you, the mattress must provide some “dedication” around these areas. If the mattress is too firm, it can push these pressure points too much and cause soreness, pain and even numbness.
As I mentioned, firmness is subjective and varies from person to person, which is the driving force behind our mattress Smasher 9000. As the mattress was placed on the platform, we activated the device, which pressed its arms into the middle of the bed. Our corresponding software then provides an objective firm level in a ratio of 1 to 10, the softest and the most sturdy.
We never recommend that the mattresses on the side sleeper bench bench benches benches are high and firm. The best location for side sleepers is usually within a medium soft range, depending on your weight, body type and personal preferences.
Feel
The feeling of a mattress is another important element of our analysis and review. Influenced by the type of foam and coil of the bed, the bed feels exactly what it sounds like – how does it feel when lying on it? Is it elastic and responsive? Is it easy to switch positions? Or is the dense memory foam fit your body and stays in shape for a while? Does the mattress have a soft plush pillow top feel, or is it more neutral? Is the coil or partition support worth noting? We will do our best to accurately describe the feeling of lying on each bed to help you determine if it is right for you without having to test it yourself.
When possible, we remove the mattress cover and cut the fire socks to check the layers inside.
When determining the best feel for the side sleeper, we look for beds with a softer and plush feel that can shake your curves and provide a lot of stress relief to your hips and shoulders.
Read more: Why is foam in mattresses important
Temperature regulation
Everyone’s preferences, body shape and even health can affect the heat feeling of the mattress. We also found that mattress brands exaggerate the cooling capacity of their beds. That’s why we detail the heat or coolness of the mattress during testing so that you have a more accurate understanding of how it feels to lie on it. Do the mattresses sincerely feel the touch and give a shocking feeling to popular sleepers? Or will you sleep more naturally? Will the material retain heat in the body and keep it warm?
Other external factors can affect how your bed temperature feels to you, such as the bedroom environment, the bedding you use, and the pajamas you sleep in. In our mattress facility, we test beds in a temperature controlled room without sheets or bedding to analyze their construction and materials and explain how the overall temperature of the bed is affected.
Sports isolation
Movement isolation is a simple term that illustrates how well a mattress is moving on its surface. A bed with good sports isolation is essential for a light sleeper or a bed that shares a mattress with a partner or pet. We tested the bed’s motion isolation by having one expert lie on the bed while the other looked around and switched positions. Will lie feel the movement through the mattress? Or is it subtle and not very obvious?
For the second method, we set a glass of water on the edge and rolled out to see if the glass fell or the liquid slosed. Generally, beds with dense memory foam perform best in this category. Responsive mattresses tend to have poor motion isolation.
Edge support
CNET’s Dillon Payne tests edge support by lying down and pressing down on the edge.
Edge support refers to the strength of the periphery of the bed, and if you sleep with a partner or pet or tend to sleep on the edge, remember another important factor. Testing edge support involves analyzing how the mattress is in shape and structure when it sits on the perimeter. Will it get stuck and give us a feeling, or is it super solid and supportive?
We also pushed the edge down with our fist to observe the degree of compression under pressure. Many mattress brands have added reinforcements around the edges (whether it’s coils or stronger foam) to enhance edge support. Having solid edge support helps create a stable and consistent sleeping surface throughout the mattress.
Special features
Mattress brands often offer beds with special features, such as covers for popular sleepers that provide cooling technology or zoning support specifically for people with problems like sciatic nerves. We always test and review these other characteristics to determine if they fit the brand’s claim and let you know which sleeper type is the largest.
learn more:How do we test mattresses
