How to buy a mattress online — 5 pro tips

A woman with long dark hair smiles as she buys a mattress online via her laptop during memorial day sales while lying on her current bed which needs replacing
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Buying a new mattress is an important investment, with the quality of our sleep linked closely to our overall health. The development of boxed mattresses has made it easier than ever to shop for a new bed, but when buying a mattress online there are some things to be aware of.

As a sleep and mattress editor, a large part of my job is keeping up with the best mattresses of this year. That means testing and sleeping on this year's top-rated hybrid and memory foam beds, as well as tracking their prices. And right now, many of the best deals can be found online.

However, price shouldn't be the only determining factor when buying a mattress online. Sleep trials, comfort, support and pressure relief are all important considerations when finding the perfect bed. With regular mattress sales to shop, here are my top tips for how to buy a mattress online and get it right the first time...

How to buy a mattress online

1. Consider your sleep position

Before adding anything to cart, think carefully about the position that you (and anyone who you share a bed with) sleep in. For example, the best mattresses for side sleepers will provide a plush top layer that weightlessly cradles the shoulders, hips and knees. Meanwhile, mattresses designed for back and stomach sleepers will be firmer, helping to keep the spine in correct alignment with the rest of the body.

Most side sleepers of an average build will require a mattress with a medium to medium-firm rating, while back and stomach sleepers will generally require a medium-firm. However, your body weight can affect these firmness ratings — more on that below.

2. Pick the right firmness

Once you've established which position you spend most time sleeping in, you can determine how firm your mattress should be. Firmness is subjective and partly depends on your sleep position, but your body weight also plays a large role in how firm a mattress will feel.

Lighter than average bodies (people who weigh under 130lbs) will perceive medium-firm and firm mattresses as much harder. Heavier than average bodies (people who weigh over 250 lbs) will find that medium-firm mattresses will feel much softer.

Other factors that influence how firm a mattress should be include whether you share a bed, and what material the mattress is constructed from (memory foam beds can provide more of a 'sink in' sleep surface, while latex can feel more responsive).

3. Think about your sleep needs

Our sleep features editor Nicola Appleton sits on the edge of the Helix Midnight Luxe hybrid mattress during testing

(Image credit: Future)

When shopping for a new bed, think about what works and what irks about your current sleep set-up. For example, waking up hot is an indication that your new mattress should be one that regulates temperature well.

The best cooling mattresses harness the cooling properties of natural materials or boast the latest in cooling technology. Or, perhaps you're tired of being jolted awake every time your partner shifts positions, in which case you need a mattress with better motion isolation.

And if you currently feel like your mattress dips and sinks every time your sit or roll too close to the beds edge, then look for a mattress with strong edge support.

4. Choose the right mattress type 

Mattresses vary in their materials and construction, and which mattress type you opt for can have a bearing on how it feels to sleep on. Choose between an innerspring, which contains a coil based system for support or a foam mattress, which uses foams of varying densities to provide support.

The best hybrid mattresses combine the responsiveness of the coils of an innerspring mattress with the contouring, pressure relieving benefits of foams, memory foam or latex. Pure latex mattresses are constructed entirely from latex, and are more durable than even the best memory foam mattresses.

5. Does the mattress have a sleep trial? 

As we've now established, comfort and firmness are subjective. A mattress that sounds perfect on paper might still might not be right for you, which is why sleep trials are important. When buying a mattress online vs in store, you don't have the chance to test the bed first.

All the best mattresses in a box offer sleep trials that typically range between 100 and 365 nights. Mattress trials are usually only valid when shopping directly from the manufacturer, which is why we mostly recommend buying direct when shopping online.

Two women sit on the Saatva Classic mattress in a bedroom. they're looking at the mattress trying to decide if this is the right one for their sleep needs

(Image credit: Future)

A trial period gives you the reassurance that if your mattress doesn't quite suit your sleep needs after all, you can change it for another one. However, most brands require that you sleep on a bed for a minimum of 30 nights before requesting an exchange, which is referred to as a 'break in period.' Definitely invest in a good mattress protector to safeguard your new bed from spills and stains during the trial period (and beyond).

My top 3 mattress deals to shop today

1. Helix Midnight Luxe mattress: was from $1,373.33$1,099 at Helix Sleep

1. Helix Midnight Luxe mattress: was from $1,373.33 $1,099 at Helix Sleep
This is one of our favorite mattresses for side sleepers, earning high praise across the board in our Helix Midnight Luxe mattress review. A queen is just $1,899 (was $2,373.75) in the Helix mattress sale, but this is the standard discount – if you aren't in a rush to buy, Helix tends to increase the discount around major holidays.

2. Amerisleep AS3 mattress:was from $1,499$999 at Amerisleep

2. Amerisleep AS3 mattress: was from $1,499 $999 at Amerisleep
The AS3 impressed us with its excellent temperature and motion isolation during our Amerisleep AS3 mattress review, and while sales aren't unusual at Amerisleep, they're rarely this good. There's currently $500 off all sizes of the AS3 (both all-foam and hybrid models), bringing a queen memory foam to just $1,249. There's a 100-night trial period, so you can see how you get on with the mattress and a 20-year warranty.

3. Dream Cloud Luxury Hybrid:was from $1,130$419 at DreamCloud Sleep

3. Dream Cloud Luxury Hybrid: was from $1,130 $419 at DreamCloud Sleep
There's up to 50% off the DreamCloud Hybrid Mattress right now. Granted, this is a sale we've seen a lot from DreamCloud, but it's still excellent value for money. Our DreamCloud Mattress review panel found this mattress to have outstanding comfort with luxurious details creating a hotel-like feel. On top of a hefty discount, you'll also get some premium extras like a 365-night sleep trial and a lifetime warranty. A queen costs just $665 (was $1,613).

Nicola Appleton
Sleep Editor

Nicola is the Sleep Editor at Tom’s Guide, where she helps steer the mattress and sleep content published on Tom’s Guide, including our Best Mattress for Back Pain buying guide. With a career in journalism spanning the best part of two decades, Nicola brings experience to the team and the knowledge of what makes a great article, whether that’s a how-to mattress cleaning feature, a deep dive into melatonin gummies, or an in-depth mattress review. As a sleep editor, few better understand how important a decent mattress is to the overall quality of our sleep, and precisely how our sleep impacts our physical and mental health. As well as tackling the vast topic of sleep, Nicola joins the raft of expert mattress specialists at Tom’s Guide, who test and compare a wide range of mattresses in order to guide readers towards the very best options on the market. 

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