Choosing a Mattress: Top Mistakes to Avoid

Are you searching for a brand new mattress? If so, then you should know the basics of how to choose a mattress. That includes what steps to take and which ones to skip. Avoiding some common mistakes can be the difference between getting a good night’s sleep or tossing and turning all night.

Here’s some food for thought: People who get a good night’s sleep are catching Z’s one-third of their entire life. So it’s critical to avoid some big blunders, including these:

Don’t Always Go With “More Is Better”

There’s no question that sometimes this old-school saying holds true. However, in other situations, you might not get the best deal.

Price

A higher price typically means factors like better materials, superior design, and good support. However, that’s not always the case when choosing a mattress. Make sure to consider other factors. For example, if most customers have given a particular mattress brand a thumbs-down, then it’s generally a red flag to shop around. Always consider other issues like value, comfort, and support.

Layers

This is another area where more isn’t always better. Memory foam mattresses usually have two or three layers. The heaviest layer helps to maintain the mattress shape. Meanwhile, the top layer helps to boost comfort.

Does this mean you should never consider a 3-layer memory foam mattress? No, but many experts recommend focusing on the quality of the top and bottom layer instead of assuming a 3-layer mattress means more comfort. If you’re getting top-notch quality, then a third layer isn’t really necessary in terms of how to choose a mattress.

Focus on Mattress Components

This can include different components that can boost the overall comfort/support of the mattress. Some of the main items to consider include:

Materials

The mattress materials can vary greatly and include a wide range of options, including:

• Cotton
• Foam
• Polyester
• Steel (coils)
• Wool

Each material provides pros and cons, so you should certainly consider both. For example, cotton would be ideal for warm climates, while wool is better suited for cool climates.

Design

This is easily a key issue to take up besides just the price or comfort, for example. There are many design factors to weigh, including the number/type of coins, number of layers, and mattress material. Even factors like craftsmanship are related to the overall value you’re getting from a mattress.

Coils

Does the number of coils matter? It’s related to mattress quality, but it shouldn’t be the main factor when weighing the quality of different mattresses. For example, a mattress’ durability is based on the coil’s form, thickness, and number, as well as the coil wires. In other words, coils are just one of several different factors.

Not Considering Factors besides Brand/Price

This certainly doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider such factors. If you prefer a certain mattress brand, then consider it in your search. If you’re on a shoestring budget or the sky’s the limit–then these are certainly issues to take up.

However, never consider that you’re going to get a certain amount of luxury just based on a particular name brand or price point. It depends! Focus more on the best mattress for you instead of just considering high-end brands or high price tags.

In fact, some industry experts have pointed out certain mattress brands with higher price tags also have some of the highest rates of customer dissatisfaction. Making this mistake certainly won’t help you sleep well at night.

Not Considering Your Sleeping Style

Everyone has a unique sleeping style. It starts with basics like whether you sleep on your back, side, or stomach. However, that’s just the beginning, so you should consider other issues as well.

Make sure to know your sleeping style. This can help the salesperson to pick the right mattress for your needs. In fact, there are likely several multiple items that can suit your sleep type, so you can narrow down your choice.

Go with Unique, Not Ordinary

You should definitely inform the salesperson about your particular sleeping style in order to get the best results. Don’t go with an “ordinary mattress” even it’s a trending top model.

Not Testing before Buying

This is somewhat related to your sleep style, although it takes it to the next level. There’s no way to be 100% sure you’ll sleep like a bug in a rug unless you actually take the mattress for a spin.

Since we spend about one-third of our lives sleeping (minus sleep deprivation), it’s important to take the time to test out a mattress model before buying it. This can help verify whether or not the mattress seems right on paper AND under your body. The problem is like many other things, there’s no “one size fits all” solution. Even if a mattress is an Amazon bestseller, there’s still a chance it might not be right for you.

Not Considering Price AND Value

These are both important yet complex issues that include the following issues:

Bargaining

This will be a lot tougher when buying from online retailers. They tend to have sales now and then, which can reduce the need to bargain. However, in some situations a company might claim a sale price can only be claimed during certain times of the year. You could try to claim the price anytime if there’s no fine print about when the sale price is offered.

Sales

If you can find a great mattress for a low price, then, by all means, consider shelling out some hard-earned dough. That said, watch out for rock-bottom mattress prices. This could be the result of rock-bottom quality that could affect how to choose a mattress.

Summary

In case you are browsing for a new mattress, make sure you know what to look for in terms of comfort, support, and price. Learning how to choose a mattress is about more than looking for a certain brand or lowest price.