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Our sleep experts have been testing mattresses, beds and sleep technology for years, dedicating thousands of hours to honing our craft of honestly and accurately reviewing beds and sleep products. We have tested more than 300 beds from dozens of brands such as Casper, Helix, Nectar, Purple, Read and much more.
Our bed testers have body weights and types, heights, genders and sleep preferences, which allow us to provide an overall assessment of each mattress from several points of view. We pride ourselves on our mattress testing methodology, which includes analysis of features such as firmness, feel, temperature regulation, motion isolation, edge support and special features.
Firmness
One of the primary features we look for when selecting the best mattresses for side sleepers is firmnesswhich involves the amount of pressure relief the bed offers. During our testing process, our experts of various weights and body types took turns on the bed in each sleeping position to determine how well they would collect our primary pressure points – mainly shoulders, hips and knees. When you lie on your side, the mattress should offer some “give” around these areas. It’s also a mattress stopYou can push back on these pressure points too much and cause soreness, pain and even numbness.
As I said, firmness is subjective and varies from person to person – the driving force behind the creation of our Mattress Smasher 9000. With the mattress placed on the platform, we activate the device, which presses its arm into the half of the bed. . Our corresponding software then provides the level of objective firmness on a scale of 1 to 10, being the softest and 10 being the firmest.
We never recommend a mattress with a high firmness point for side sleepers. The sweet spot for side sleepers is typically around medium-soft, give or take, depending on your weight, body type and personal preferences.
Listen
The feel of a mattress is another important element that we analyze and review. Influenced by the types of foams and coils used in its construction, the feel of a bed is exactly what it sounds like – what does it feel like when you lie on it? Is it bouncy and responsive? Is it easy to change positions? Or the dense memory foam conforms around your body and keeps your shape for a while? Does the mattress have a soft and plush pillowy feel, or is it more neutral? Are coils or zoned supports noticeable? We do our best to describe exactly what it feels like to lie on each bed to help you determine if it’s right for you without having to try them all yourself.
When possible, remove the mattress pad and cut the fire sock to examine the layers inside.
In determining the best feel for side sleepers, we look for beds with a softer, softer feel that cradles your curves and offers plenty of pressure relief for your hips and back.
Read more: Why the foam in your mattress matters
Temperature regulation
Each individual’s preferences, body type and even health conditions can affect how hot or cold a mattress feels. We also found that mattress brands exaggerate the cooling capacity of their beds. That’s why we detail how hot or cool the mattress sleeps during our testing process so that you have a more accurate understanding of how it feels to lie down. The mattress feels genuinely cool to the touch and gives a satisfying cooling sensation for warm bedrooms? Or sleep more temperature-natural? Do the materials retain body heat and keep you warmer?
Other external factors affect what the temperature of a bed feels like room environmentthe linen you use and the pajamas sleep in At our mattress installation, we test beds in temperature-controlled rooms without sheets or bedding to analyze their construction and materials and explain how they affect the overall temperature of the bed.
Motion isolation
Motion isolation is a simple term for how well the mattress dampens movement on its surface. A bed with good motion isolation is essential for light sleepers or those who share the mattress with a partner or pets. We test the motion isolation capabilities of the bed by having one expert lie on the bed while another stretches and changes positions. Does the person lying down feel the movement through the mattress, or is it subtle and less noticeable?
For the second method, we put a glass of water on the edges, rolling towards and away to see if the glass falls or liquid sloshes. Typically, beds with dense memory foam perform best in this category. More responsive mattresses tend to have worse motion isolation.
Edge support
CNET’s Dillon Payne tests the edge support by lying down and pressing on the edges.
The edge support refers to the strength of the perimeter of the bed, another important factor to keep in mind if you sleep with a partner or domestic animals or tend to sleep on the shore. The edge support test involves the analysis of how well the mattress maintains its shape and structure when we are sitting and lying on the perimeter. Does it collapse and feel like we’re walking, or is it super sturdy and supportive?
We also push on the edges with our fists to observe how compressed under pressure. Many mattress brands add reinforcements around the edges – either coils or firmer foams – to enhance the support of the edge. Having solid edge supports helps create a stable and consistent sleeping surface throughout the mattress.
Special functions
Mattress brands often offer beds with special features, such as covers with cooling technology for warm sleeping or zoned support specifically for people with back problems such as sciatica. We always test and review these additional features to determine if they live up to the brands claims and to let you know which type of sleeper would benefit the most.
Learn more: : How We Test Mattresses
