There is a long list of things that I usually tell people to go through to find the right mattress. I will try to condense this information for the sake of this blog, but if you have any other specific questions feel free to ask away.
1. Finding the right mattress is at minimum a two week process.
2. I am a fan of Memory Foam and Gel Mattresses
3. You will need a note book on hand.
4. Have in mind whether you are a side, back or hopefully not a stomach sleeper
- If you are a back sleeper I recommend a firm mattress
- If you are a side sleeper I recommend a medium- semi firm mattress
- If you are a stomach sleep a recommend a soft mattress
- If you sleep like a wild animal (ie. in every position) I recommend a semi firm mattress.
Keep #4 in mind so that when you go to the store you can tell the shop clerk what firmness you are ideally looking for.
So, the process is to find a mattress store, ie, healthy back, mattress warehouse etc and:
1. Go in there at least 4-5 days out of the week in the evening at the same time of day.
2. You are going to lay on each mattress for about 10-15 mins. The shop clerk hopefully would have pointed about around 4 different mattresses based on the firmness you indicated to them.
3. Write a note and a score of how much you like the mattress before you lay on the next one.
4. At the end of 4-5 visits you will go through and compile and see which one was the most consistent for you each day that you went in and laid down, and from there you can make a decision.
This is a cumbersome process I know, but, our bodies are different everyday, and what your body may require one day it may hate the next, this is why its important to test it out multiple times with consistency to make sure that on more days than not your body can appreciate the support that is given to it.
The only other caveats I have, is to also make sure you lay in the bed in the position which you generally fall a sleep in. IE, don't test the mattress laying in on your back if you are a side sleeper and 2. pay attention to the type of pillow which you are testing each mattress on, sometimes give the neck more support also provides the back with more stability and its not even that you need a new mattress, but that you need the right pillow.
In case you were wondering I recommend the same process when trying to find the right pillow.
This is a great time of year with Black Friday etc to get a new mattress, you can find some great sales. So if you have time and its in the budget, get to looking! Oh, and my favorite line is Tempurpedic, I also like Serta and Ikea actually has some nice foam mattress but keep in mind it wont last you as long as the Tempurpedic.
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