Alison Barretta

Alison Barretta

Freelance reviewer and writer

Freelance writer and editor Alison is an expert mattress tester for Tom's Guide, and hails from Philadelphia, USA. Alison has reviewed a wide range of mattresses, pillows and other sleep accessories for Tom's Guide, putting the latest hybrid, memory foam and cooling mattresses from Casper, Nectar, Awara, Brooklinen and other leading brands through their paces. Alison has been sharing buying advice and retail news for over a decade. When she isn't reviewing mattresses, other home products or hunting for great deals to save you money, Alison can be found teaching/training in martial arts, fawning over skincare, and indulging in her quarantine-borne hobby: cooking.

Latest articles by Alison Barretta

Best mattress for heavy people: a man in a blue shirt sits on the Helix PLUS mattress

Best mattress for heavy people 2025: Ranked by experts

By Ruth Jones last updated

Our sleep experts have used hands-on testing and review analysis to bring you our top recommended mattresses for heavy people weighing over 250lbs.

Mattresses
A medium-firm Saatva Classic photographed on a white wooden bedframe in a blue bedroom surrounded by tall green house plants and a bookcase shelving unit containing pillows, blankets and books

What's the best medium-firm mattress in 2025? I'm a sleep expert and these are my top picks

By Alison Barretta, Ruth Jones last updated

We've tried and tested all the latest medium-firm mattresses, and I've narrowed them down to the seven best ones to buy in 2025

Mattresses
Best mattress under $1,000: The image shows Tom's Guide's testers unpacking the Siena Memory Foam Mattress

The best mattress under $1,000 in 2025: Queen-size comfort for less than a grand

By Alison Barretta last updated

You may have a queen-size bed but you don't have to spend a royal fortune for a good mattress. These are the best mattresses under $1,000 according to our experts.

Mattresses
The Helix Dusk Luxe Mattress, our top pick for best mattress for stomach sleepers

The best mattress for stomach sleepers 2025: We've tested them all

By Alison Barretta last updated

We've tested a line-up of supportive beds — here's our shortlist of the best mattress for stomach sleepers to buy in 2025

Mattresses
We test the best cheap mattress, the Siena Memory Foam, to find out if its good value

Best cheap mattress 2025: we tested the top budget beds under $500 for a queen

By Claire Davies, Frances Daniels last updated

We've tried and tested 2025's best cheap mattresses for every sleeper on a tight budget, with affordable queen beds under $500.

Mattresses
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

What’s the best hybrid mattress in 2025? I’m a sleep coach and these are my top picks

By Claire Davies last updated

We've tested, and slept on over 20 hybrid mattresses — and I've shortlisted the best ones to buy in 2025 for your sleep and budget

Mattresses
A woman wearing blue and white stripy pyjamas lays on her side on the Helix Midnight Luxe, this year's best mattress for side sleepers

I spent 3,000 hours sleeping on and testing the best mattresses for side sleepers — these are my top picks

By Alison Barretta last updated

We've slept on and tested all the latest mattresses to bring you the best mattresses for side sleepers, chosen by side sleepers and experts.

Mattresses
The Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress placed on a white wooden bedframe in a blue bedroom at our testing facility

What is the best memory foam mattress of 2025? I'm a sleep expert — my top recommendations

By Claire Davies, Ruth Jones last updated

Memory foam is one of the most popular mattress materials. Here’s my recommendations for the best memory foam mattresses, tested by sleep experts.

Mattresses
The Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress in a box placed on a white bedframe and bookended by large black dome bedside lamps

What's the best mattress in a box 2025? Nine top picks from a sleep expert

By Claire Davies last updated

We’ve slept on and tested all the latest mattresses in a box. Here are my top nine recommendations for every sleep style and budget.

Mattresses
Best king size mattresses: image shows the Saatva Classic hybrid mattress placed on a stylish dark wood bedframe placed in front of a log fire in a cabin

What's the best king size mattress in 2025? I’m a mattress tester — these are my top picks

By Alison Barretta last updated

Thinking of sizing up your bed from a queen to a king? These are the best king size mattresses of the year, according to our expert testing panel.

Mattresses
Our best firm mattress of 2025, the Plank Firm mattress with the Firm side facing upwards, on a wooden bed frame in a bedroom

What's the best firm mattress in 2025? I’m a mattress tester — here are my top picks

By Alison Barretta last updated

Time to upgrade your bed to something more supportive and solid? We've slept on and tested the latest firm mattresses to bring you our guide to the very best options.

Mattresses
Image shows our best mattress for back pain, the Saatva RX placed on a luxury grey mattress in a stylish bedroom

The best mattress for back pain 2025: 10 expert picks to help you sleep comfortably

By Jo Plumridge last updated

Stop letting back pain get in the way of a good night's sleep. We've slept on and tested the latest mattresses for back pain and these are the 10 we recommend.

Mattresses
Tom's Guide's sleep editor and mattress tester stand either side of a tall pile of mattresses that we have tested and recommend as the best choices for all sleepers, including the Nectar Classic mattress, the Helix Midnight Luxe and the Siena Mattress

What's the best mattress in 2025? My top picks as a certified sleep coach

By Claire Davies last updated

Simply the best mattresses you can buy in 2025 based on our rigorous testing, with recommendations for all sleep positions and budgets.

Mattresses
Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe navy and white mattress on wooden bed base in bedroom with grey wooden floor and Tom's Guide price drop badge

Hurry! One of our favorite cooling mattresses is up to $800 off in the after Christmas sales for a limited time

By Alison Barretta published

Brooklyn Bedding's after Christmas sale is a repeat of its Black Friday sale, cutting 30% off sitewide. That includes an all-time low for the Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress.

Mattresses
The Purple Plus Mattress on a bed frame with pillows on top, in a bedroom. To the right is a Tom's Guide Price Drop deals graphic 'price drop' for the after Christmas mattress sales

Better than Black Friday! The Purple Plus Mattress is $400 off during Purple's after Christmas sale

By Alison Barretta published

A flat $400 off the Purple Plus in the after Christmas mattress sales yields better-than-Black Friday prices — but don't wait too long to buy.

Mattresses
Saatva Organic Quilted Mattress Topper on top of a Saatva mattress with a green sheet draped over it and a pillow on top; it's discounted in the after Christmas mattress sales

Saatva's after Christmas mattress sale offers a rare chance to save 15% on its organic bed topper

By Alison Barretta published

Saatva's after Christmas mattress sale shaves 15% off the Saatva Organic Quilted Mattress Topper in select sizes — but act fast, because this offer won't be around for long.

Mattresses
The Casper Wave Hybrid Snow in blue bedroom with Lowest Price tag in lower left corner, as it's at the lowest price we've ever tracked for it in the 2024 after Christmas mattress sales

Casper’s after Christmas sale delivers 50% off clearance mattresses and 30% off bundles

By Alison Barretta last updated

The Casper after Christmas sale cuts 30% off bundles — or shop its clearance section for 50% off discontinued mattresses.

Mattresses
Sleep tester Alison resting on her side on the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt ProAdjust Pillow with her back toward the camera

Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt ProAdjust Pillow review 2025

By Alison Barretta published

Our tester slept on a Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt ProAdjust Pillow for two weeks. Here's how it helped her neck and shoulder pain...

Mattresses
The Eight Sleep Pod 4 Ultra cover and base on a bed in a bedroom, with a slight elevation at the head of the mattress

Don't let your FSA dollars expire! Buy a smart bed in the after Christmas mattress sales instead

By Alison Barretta published

With FSA funds, you have to use them before you lose them at the end of the year. Consider spending them on a new smart bed in the after Christmas sales.

Mattresses
The Tempur Cloud Mattress on a white bedroom in a white bedroom, with a price drop tag in the lower right corner for 2024 after Christmas mattress sales

Hurry! Get Tempur-Pedic's bed-in-a-box at 30% off in this year's after Christmas mattress sales before it's too late

By Alison Barretta published

No sweat if you missed Tempur-Pedic's Black Friday offer for its Tempur-Cloud bed-in-a-box. It's returned as an after Christmas mattress deal for a limited time.

Mattresses
The Bryte Balance smart mattress on a bed frame in a warmly lit room

This AI-powered smart bed is $500 off in the after Christmas sales — but this deal won't be around for long

By Alison Barretta last updated

Bryte is back with another discount, with $500 off its AI-powered smart bed during its after Christmas sale.

Mattresses
The dreamcloud mattress on a bed frame in a spacious bedroom

This DreamCloud Hybrid Mattress is one of the best deals in the after Christmas sales

By Jack Ridsdale published

DreamCloud's after Christmas sale is no different than what we normally see, but with prices for its luxury hybrid mattress starting at $419, it still sets a high bar for overall value.

Mattresses
Mattress cover being machine stitched in a factory

What are mattress covers made from? Everything you need to know

By Alison Barretta published

An easy guide to the different types of mattress covers and how they affect your sleep comfort.

Mattresses
The image shows the Saatva Classic mattress on the left and the Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid on the right in a side by side comparison

Saatva Classic vs Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid: Which pillow top mattress should you buy

By Rachael Penn published

In our Saatva Classic vs Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid showdown, we compare these two popular mattresses to help you find the right fit for your needs and budget.

Mattresses
The image shows the Nectar Classic on the left hand side of the image and the Nectar Luxe Mattress on the right in a side by side comparison

Nectar Classic vs Nectar Luxe: Which mattress in a box should you buy for aches and pains?

By Alison Barretta published

Our Nectar Classic vs Nectar Luxe showdown compares the design and performance of these memory foam mattresses based on our hands-on testing.

Mattresses
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