Edge support in a mattress may not be something you immediately factor in when shopping for a new bed, but it can impact your sleep, how you use your mattress and your morning and evening routines. So what exactly is it?
Well, it refers to the perimeter of your mattress and how stable and supportive it is. The best mattresses of the year typically offer good edge support, which is largely down to their superior materials and build, but there are plenty of budget beds that deliver in this area, too.
What is edge support?
Edge support refers to how sturdy the edges of your mattress are, and how usable said edges are for sleeping close to or sitting on.
If your mattress has good edge support, the stability and firmness will feel consistent from the centre right up to the perimeters. That means that if you sit on the edge of your bed, you won't feel it sagging, and you can sleep right up to the edges of the mattress and still feel supported.
In contrast, poor edge support in a mattress is going to reduce the surface area of the mattress you can actually sleep on, and is characterized by a squishy, unsupportive perimeter to your bed.
Top 5 reasons why edge support is important in a mattress
1. Maximizes your available sleep space
A mattress with strong edge support means you can sleep near the edge of the bed without feeling unsupported.
2. Helps you get in and out of bed
A mattress with good edge support will have responsiveness and sturdiness along the edges, helping you get out and into bed.
3. Stops you from rolling out of bed at night
If you've ever slept close to the edge of a bed and felt as though you were sliding off, this may be because the mattress had poor edge support. A mattress with great edge support will keep you firmly supported and prevent you from falling out of bed.
4. Makes sitting and getting dressed easier
A mattress with good edge support will not make you feel as if you're sinking when sitting on the edge of your bed (i.e. when you're putting on your socks and shoes in the morning).
5. Provides a consistent feel
Some mattresses will feel firm and supportive in the middle, but become squidgy and less firm as you near the edge. A mattress with good edge support will feel consistently firm and supportive throughout the surface, which is why the best firm mattresses have good edge support.
Who benefits most from a mattress with strong edge support?
1. Couples and co-sleepers
If you share a bed and your co-sleeper has a tendency to take up some space, then good edge support will allow you to move over towards the edge to give yourself more sleep room.
2. Combination sleepers
Tossing and turning while you sleep will likely lead you to the perimeters of the bed, so a mattress with good edge support will stop you from rolling off or feeling anxious and rigid about changing position.
3. Sleepers with mobility issues
People with mobility issues, such as those with physical disabilities or elderly people, will need good edge support to help them get in and out of bed.
4. Stomach sleepers
The best mattresses for stomach sleepers tend to have sturdy edge support as front sleepers need firmness throughout the bed to keep their hips supported and spine well aligned so to avoid back pain.
5. Heavyweight sleepers
The best mattresses for heavy people will also need strong edge support to keep their frames supported throughout. In fact, alongside increased weight capacity and sturdy coils, it's one of three features we expect to see in a mattress for heavy people.
Can you add edge support to a mattress?
Unless you're a mattress engineer who wants to attempt to dismantle and rebuild your bed with new materials (and chances are, you're not!), there isn't anything you can do to 'fix' the edges of your mattress.
But if you are struggling with unsupportive edges, you don't necessarily need to immediately purchase a new mattress with better edge support (though our signs that it’s time to buy a new mattress guide can help you determine if your bed is simply at the end of it's life and needs replacing).
Adding one of the best mattress toppers to the surface of your bed can help provide a firmer all-round feel. For example, the 4" Viscosoft Active Cooling Mattress Topper is our top pick for adding firmness to your existing mattress.
And, while it won't 'add' edge support to your bed, rotating your mattress regularly will help to evenly distribute the wear that naturally happens over time, and slow down the degradation of your bed.
One final tip from the Sleep Foundation is to ensure that you have the foundation recommended by the manufacturer of for your mattress, as an adequately stable base can help to improve the firmness of your bed — mostly at the center of the mattress, but it may help with the edges to some degree too.
What is the best mattress for edge support?
We conduct our extensive tests as part of our mattress methodology when reviewing a mattress. When it comes to edge support, our panel ensures they sleep up to the edge of the mattress and regularly sit on the sides of the bed during the three-week testing period. We also place a heavy weight on the edge of the mattress to evaluate whether it can be supported there, or not.
Here are three mattresses we rate highly for edge support:
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