Our Methodology: How We Test Mattresses and Sleep Products

As part of our ongoing quest to get better sleep, we’ve tried everything: trackers galore, weed gummies, booze, complicated breathing techniques, and the list goes on. But the change that’s had the biggest impact on our overnight habits is creating an optimized sleep space with supportive mattresses, cushy pillows, and cooling sheets. Now, turning in for the night has become more than a biological necessity—we look forward to it all day.

To take the WTF out of getting solid REM, we aim to simplify the buying process by reading between the lines on technical jargon and putting “wonder” products to the test. We tap sleep experts with a zero-BS policy to help make shopping for sleep products a lot less frustrating and time-consuming. Through objective, first-person mattress testing on hundreds of new mattresses and sleep products, we’ll tell you which beds work best for each type of sleeper.

Here’s a look at our review process and how we rank a mattress’s feel, firmness, quality, and more.

Our Hands-On Testing: How It Works

Our writers and testing team have tried more than 500 mattresses and sleep products. These subject matter experts work in tandem with actual experts—a team of certified sleep science coaches and sleep health experts—who score each item you’ll see along a range of qualitative and quantitative comfort and performance metrics. First, they give the mattress a “rest test” that involves napping on it to see how it feels. Then, the team uses tools like a pressure map and thermal gun to put numbers to otherwise intangible factors like how well the mattress relieves pressure, controls temperature, supports a range of sleep styles, and beyond.

These pros have designed their testing measures to help identify which types of mattresses and products will best support sleepers of different body types in different sleep positions. Throughout the analysis, they assess not just the comfort of a mattress but also factors like pressure relief (critical for side sleepers), lumbar reinforcement and spine alignment (vital for back sleepers), and optimal firmness for all positions. They also dig into how a mattress’s support level best meets your needs.

After testing and sharing our insights about each mattress, we’ll confirm claims with the latest peer-reviewed research and check in with a network of physical therapists, doctors, psychologists, neurologists, registered dieticians, and other medical reviewers to verify any and all medical claims. That means if we say a mattress has pressure relief features to help ease back and neck pain, we run our text by a physical therapist for confirmation.

Once this testing and medical review is buttoned up, we’ll present our reviews clearly and concisely to help make your decision process quicker and easier. Read on for more details at every step of our testing and how we score all the sleep products in our labs.

• Research and test all products independently
• Verify any medical claims with experts in the field
• Remain objective about our findings

• Accept payment from brands for positive reviews or inclusion in best-of list
• Recommend products we wouldn’t use ourselves
• Repeat brand claims about products without testing

Performance Factors for Mattresses

Our experts test all types of mattresses, including mattresses made from memory foam, innerspring coils, latex foam, and a hybrid combination of these materials. Throughout their review process, we’ll unpack their findings about how a bed was constructed and its overall quality as well as the pros and cons of each material that make it more or less suitable for different types of sleepers.

For example, memory foam mattresses tend to stand out when it comes to supplying the type of body-contouring pressure relief that side sleepers need—but they often fall short when it comes to cooling. Innerspring mattresses provide a sense of responsiveness and bounce, but they might not isolate motion as well as a foam mattress. Latex mattresses tend to be durable, responsive, and breathable but can also be more costly. A hybrid mattress aims to be the best of all worlds, but it can also end up disappointing both fans of memory foam and innersprings, alike.

To understand how mattress materials affect a bed's feel more fully, testers also break the mattress down layer by layer to analyze brand claims and see what materials are included to influence the mattress’s support, pressure relief, cooling, and more. In many cases, they’ll literally cut open the mattress to examine the layers inside.

Firmness plays a major role in a sleeper’s sense of how comfortable and supportive the mattress feels. To test firmness, a tester will lie down on every mattress to understand how hard it feels on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being essentially a hardwood floor. Because a sense of firmness depends on a sleeper’s weight, size, and personal preferences, more than one tester will try a mattress’s firmness. Then, we average multiple scores.

There’s significant research to support that most of us sleep best on a medium-firm mattress, or what you’d consider a 6 to 7 on our firmness scale, which helps to keep back and side sleepers’ spines in neutral alignment. That said, this can also vary depending on body weight. Sleepers over 230 pounds and exclusive stomach sleepers often get the best support from a firmer bed, while sleepers under 130 pounds often prefer one that’s softer due to gravity, causing your body to compress the top layers of the mattress to different degrees.

Some mattresses vary in firmness due to “zoning,” which bolsters the parts of your body (for example, the lumbar region) that need the most support. In the case of these features, we’ll also break down the effectiveness of this zoned support—and how it can potentially help you sleep better.

Pressure relief is one of the first things you’ll want to know about a new mattress. Side sleepers tend to experience a buildup of tension in the shoulders and hips, where their weight impacts the mattress. Pain can build up in the joints and spine if a mattress doesn't disperse that pressure. Likewise, back sleepers can struggle with accruing tension in the lumbar region or lower back, while stomach sleepers might feel it at the front of the hips.

To test whether a mattress absorbs pressure well, we cycle through different sleep positions on the mattress to get a subjective take. Then, to get more objective data, we use a pressure-mapping device that displays a map to show where there’s an abundance of pressure. Testers lie on the mattress in the three main sleep positions—back, side, and stomach—and review the orange and red signals display to see where pressure is high. This allows testers to put numbers and visuals to how and where tension could create an issue for different types of sleepers. Once they’ve assessed the mattress’s overall abilities in this department, they’ll assign it a score for pressure relief from 1 to 5—1 meaning the mattress is firm on joints and pressure points without much give, and 5 meaning it has enough softness and cushion to allow for joints like hips and shoulder to sink in and avoid extra pressure building up.

If your partner’s (or dog’s) tossing and turning causes you to jolt awake throughout the night, you’ll want to pay attention to what’s known as motion transfer. Motion transfer, also called “motion isolation,” is a measure of how well a mattress confines movement to one region of the bed, which is especially important for couples and those who co-sleep with kids or pets. It can also be a good thing if you want to move around more easily while shifting positions or want a bouncy feel for sex.

The sleep team uses several tests to measure motion isolation and rank each mattress on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 meaning the bed is very bouncy and you can easily feel movement from a partner, and 5 meaning you won’t feel a thing when someone moves around).

First, one tester rolls around on the mattress while another tester ascertains how much of that movement they can feel. Then, testers put a glass of water on one side of the bed and repeatedly compress the mattress on the other side. If the water remains still, the mattress isolates motion well and scores a 4 or 5 for motion transfer; if the mattress is transferring more motion and scores a lower number if the water spills.

Last, testers conduct a more scientific test, bringing in a 10-pound ball and setting up a seismograph on the bed. They drop the ball from three different heights—four, eight, and 12 inches—to measure the effects of each bounce on the mattress based on how its frequency charts onto a line graph.

A mattress that gets a high score in this department is a mattress that should prevent a light sleeper from awakening for every disruption on the other side of the bed. Memory foam mattresses tend to do best in this category, though some innerspring mattresses and hybrids have also wowed us.

If you like the feel of a slow-moving mattress that contours to the body and gives you a feeling of sleeping “in” the bed, you might consider a memory foam mattress. On the other hand, some prefer a mattress with more responsiveness or bounce, which can make it easier to move around or get in and out of the bed. This can help you feel like you’re resting “on” the mattress instead of “in” it—and it can be a huge perk for combination sleepers who like to reposition throughout the night and anyone who likes a bouncy, responsive mattress for having sex (yep, we thought of everything).

To measure responsiveness, testers bounce on the mattress, lie down on it, and move through all three sleep positions while noting how easy or difficult it is. Then, they score the mattress from 1 to 5 based on how well it responds to movement. The mattresses that tend to excel in this category often score poorer in motion transfer and are typically made from traditional innerspring coils or bouncy, resilient latex.

Edge support is another factor that couples should consider when shopping for a bed because it helps determine the amount of usable space on the mattress. It’s also a measure of how easy it might be to get in and out of the bed and a good overall indicator of durability. A mattress with solid edge support tends to be one that won’t begin sagging too early and should maintain its support level for longer.

Essentially, edge support refers to how well the mattress holds its firmness along the edges of the bed. Solid edge support means you can sit on the edge of a mattress without feeling like you might slide off, giving you full use of all the real estate. Below-average edge support suggests the sides of the mattress tend to dip or sag, leaving you feeling like you’re apt to roll right off.

To check edge support, testers lie on the mattress's sides and corners, noting how much the mattress dips or sags. They then give the mattress a score out of 5. If the mattress feels solid, it’s given a 4 to 5. If they feel like they might slide to the floor while trying to tie their shoes, it’s scored lower.

Hot sleepers know the pain of waking up throughout the night in sweaty, sticky sheets. If this is you, you’ll want a mattress that uses breathable materials and transfers heat instead of trapping it against your body. To test how a mattress performs for “cooling,” the testers does a rest test to see how warm the mattress feels after napping on it.

Then, to discern how else the mattress might be able to help hot sleepers, they do a deep dive into each layer to assess its use of cooling technologies. This might include dedicated cooling covers, technologies like gel- or copper-infused memory foam, or layers that use latex or innersprings for enhanced breathability. They’ll also look for phase-change materials, which studies suggest may help disperse heat buildup within materials.

Finally, to gain a more detailed, subjective measurement of cooling, they’ll use a thermal imaging camera that displays color-coded imaging to show how quickly—and by how much—a mattress warms up after lying down on it. If the mattress heats up by more than 15 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the thermal display, they’ll give the mattress a score of 1-2 for cooling. If the mattress heats up by 10 to 15 degrees, they’ll consider it to have decent cooling, or a score of 3; whereas, a mattress that heats up by less than 5 degrees earns a score of 4-5 in our testing.

Finally, our writers will help you understand what an experience will be like, quantifying how easy or difficult it is to unbox the mattress, assemble it, and move it around your house. They’ll explain what the trial period and warranty include and how costly the shipping will be. Bonus points are assigned to companies that include white-glove delivery, which means the company sets up your new mattress and hauls your old one off upon delivery.

Our writers will also share good or bad experiences with a brand’s customer service, as well as thoughts on overall quality and durability. Ultimately, they’ll bring together a full picture about how easy or frustrating it is to deal with the customer side of the mattress purchase experience and assign that mattress a score from 1 to 5. A score of 1-2 means we experienced poor customer service, while a 4-5 indicates good service.

Each mattress’s final score is an average of our scores for pressure relief, motion transfer, responsiveness, edge support, cooling, and delivery and set-up. Writers will bring you this “at a glance” metric alongside our rating of the bed’s firmness, along with who we think it’s best for and our thoughts on how it feels when you lie on it.

To give even more insight into the mattress, they’ll also share a user review score on other third-party sources, including customer reviews of the mattress and unbiased reviews of each company’s business practices.

Other Factors We Consider Beyond Scoring

You’ll also hear our thoughts on every mattress we test, including relevant factors that don’t receive a numerical score.

This includes, but isn’t limited to:

• Value for the money
• Company ethics
• Durability over time
• Sustainability practices and the use of hypoallergenic and eco-friendly materials

Reviewing Sleep Accessories

Mattress testing isn’t our only game—our team also reviews pillows, sheets, and other sleep products, including bedding, as well as advanced sleep technology like trackers and apps, both in the sleep labs and writers’ home bedrooms.

Every sleep accessory gets marks in five different categories relevant to the product, with a 1 to 5 score on each. We often spend weeks or even months testing each product and bringing the same level of reviewing rigor to a sheet set as we do to a high-end mattress.

Here’s what to know about our accessory scoring.

Pillows are tested for temperature regulation, support, responsiveness, durability, and construction. This helps steer readers toward pillows that sleep cool, provide the right kind of support for their chosen sleep position, have a bouncy or contouring feel, hold up over the long haul, and are made from high-quality, sustainable materials.

• Temperature Regulation: Whether a pillow maintains a cool-on-both-sides feel or traps heat against the face.
• Support: How much support a pillow provides the head and neck.
• Responsiveness: Whether the pillow cradles the head and neck and has a slow-moving feel or whether it’s bouncy and responds quickly to position changes.
• Durability: An estimate of the pillow’s quality and how long it should hold up before the materials break down.
• Construction: Whether the pillow is made from quality materials that are hypoallergenic and non-toxic.

When reviewing sheets and blankets, five key comfort factors are considered: temperature regulation, softness, washing capabilities, durability, and breathability. Testers give the products a score from 1 to 5 on these factors, in addition to writing our full qualitative review.

• Temperature Regulation: Testers sleep with the products but also look at the mattress materials and use of cooling technology to determine how well they think the bedding cools.
• Softness: The texture of sheets and blankets and whether they feel cozy to the touch.
• Washing Capabilities: Whether the bedding can be machine-washed and whether it is generally easy to clean.
• Durability: A product’s longevity, the quality of the materials used, and the estimated lifespan of each material.
• Breathability: How well the materials transfer heat, vent air, and generally allow a sense of airiness and breathability.

When testing mattress toppers and pads, writers look at responsiveness, support, motion transfer, durability, and breathability. They always consider different sleep positions and body types when conducting these tests. Ultimately, they rank each of the factors from 1 to 5 and average them for an overall score.

• Responsiveness: How quickly and easily a mattress topper or pad adapts to changes in sleep position.
• Support: A mattress topper’s level of support, its thickness, pressure relief, and spine alignment, how well it will support sleepers of all body types in different sleep positions.
• Motion Transfer: How much a sleeper can move around on the topper without disturbing their sleeping partner on the other side.
• Durability: How long the mattress topper or pad will hold up before sagging or losing some of its comfort and support.
• Breathability: If a mattress topper allows for good breathability and airflow or if it feels hot and stuffy.

A bad mattress protector might protect your bed from liquids but also ruin your mattress’s comfort level. Testers assess the best ones based on protection performance, responsiveness (or whether it makes movements more difficult and squeaky), ease of washing, durability, and fit, scoring each of these factors from 1 to 5 and average the five scores to produce one overall score.

• Protection: Determine how well a protector holds off stains, sweat, odors, and liquids from reaching the mattress.
• Responsiveness: Measure how seamlessly you can change positions on your mattress without the protector creating too much noise or difficulty for you.
• Washing Capabilities: Whether the protector is machine-washable and assess how easy it is to clean and dry.
• Durability: To estimate how long a mattress protector will hold up, testers score it based on its materials, solid construction, and how high- or low-quality it feels.
• Fit: Testers wrestle every protector on and off of our mattresses repeatedly so we can review how easy it is to attach, and how well the protector size works for its intended bed size.

There are five factors to consider when assessing mattress foundations, platform bases, and bed frames: ease of assembly, support level, and stability, compatibility with a range of mattresses, durability, and weight limit. After testers score each of these factors and discuss them in-depth, we average them all for an overall score.

• Assembly: Assemble the foundation and rate how easy or difficult the process is for the average user.
• Support: Determine how stable a mattress foundation feels or whether it wobbles and shifts when we lie on it.
• Compatibility: Measure how easily and effectively a foundation supports multiple different types of mattresses.
• Durability: Examine the materials used to craft the foundation and estimate its lifespan based on its construction and sense of quality.
• Weight Limit: Compare the weight limits of multiple foundations to determine where each one stands.

If it’s designed to help you get more or better sleep, we can’t wait to get our hands on it. Testers assess all sleep gear on performance, ease of use, cost, and other features relevant to each product, reviewing everything from basic sleep apps to bed-cooling gadgets, aromatherapy diffusers, and sunrise alarm clocks. By putting them through the paces under real-world conditions (sometimes spending weeks or months tracking our sleep with wearables), they’re able to legitimately communicate if there’s any merit to a brand’s sleep-enhancing claims).

Final Thoughts

Our goal in partnering with rigorous testers is to bring as much thoroughness and rigor as we can to the process—so we can then package all that data into clear, easy-to-read reviews that immediately give you a sense of the product without having to tag in and do any extra research. We want you to rest easier after reading our findings, knowing that they’re unbiased, comprehensive, and accurate—and that we’ve steered you toward the high-value mattresses and sleep gear we stock in our homes.