Presidents’ Day is here and with it, some of the biggest discounts of the year, making it a great time to invest in a new mattress. But it’s easy to get carried away in a sale and buy something based on a cheap deal, rather than considering what you actually need from your bed.
Before you put your hand in your pocket (particularly if you're shopping for your first mattress), it’s important to consider your sleeping preferences and requirements, and to make sure you pick the best mattress for your needs.
Once you’ve decided on the perfect fit, our Presidents’ Day mattress sales page that we're updating with the best deals we find will help you get the best price available today. In the meantime, here’s are our top tips for finding the perfect mattress in today’s sales.
5 top tips to buying your first mattress in today's Presidents' Day sales
1. Be clear on your sleep needs
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When we talk about your sleep needs, we’re referring to what you require from a mattress in order to sleep comfortably through the night. This, of course, will vary from person to person.
As a starting point we’d recommend thinking about your current mattress and what works and what doesn’t. If you’re waking up with back pain, for example, there's a strong chance your mattress is the cause. Investing in one of the best mattresses for back pain will give you a bed that will support your lumbar region and relieve pressure from your joints.
Another common complaint is overheating while you sleep, even the best memory foam mattresses can be known to trap heat. The best cooling mattresses will help to prevent overheating, wicking away heat from the body and preventing night sweats. Or you might suffer with allergies and need an organic mattress to create a non-toxic sleep environment.
2. Have a budget in mind before you shop
We’d always recommend that you spend as much as you are able to when purchasing a new mattress – we spend around a third of our lives either asleep, or trying to reach slumber, so it's likely much of that time is in our beds. Which makes your mattress an investment in both your sleep and overall health and wellbeing.
However, you should never spend more than you can afford, so establishing your budget is key. Particularly as it can be tempting to throw caution to the wind during a sale, and buy something you’ll have trouble paying off.
But you don’t have to spend a fortune on a mattress – our guide to the best cheap mattresses gives a range of comfortable beds priced at $500 and under for a queen. If you can afford to spend between $500-$1,000 for a queen, you will get a mid-range mattress that’s more durable and better suited to specific sleeping styles.
Shopping today also gives you the option to make greater savings on mattresses that may usually be out of your budget, with some discounts bringing premium mattresses down to mid-range prices.
3. Think about the mattress type you need
Mattress terminology can be confusing, but knowing how to choose a mattress that’s best suited to your sleeping style is vital for a good night’s sleep. Mattresses come in different types, but not all of them will suit you.
The two most popular mattress types are hybrids and all-foam. The best hybrid mattresses are made from a combination of coils and foams, giving them a bouncier feel and promoting airflow through the spring layer. They offer a good mixture of support and comfort. All-foam mattresses generally hug the body but can be prone to retaining heat, so aren’t always a good choice for hot sleepers. However, high-quality and high-density foam offers superb pressure relief and motion isolation.
You’ll also find traditional innerspring mattresses, which use springs and often a layer of dense foam above, to create a bouncy, responsive feel. These are generally more affordable than a hybrid. Latex mattresses offer excellent pressure relief and natural cooling but are more expensive than other options, since the production cost of this natural material is higher.
More recently, smart beds featuring the latest in sleep technology have become more popular. These are often app controlled, track sleep duration and quality and can offer a host of innovative comfort and cooling features.
4. Buy the right firmness for your sleep position
- Soft or plush mattresses – around 4 to 5 out of 10 on the firmness scale
- Medium-firm mattresses – around 6 out of 10 on the firmness scale
- Firm mattresses – around 8 out of 10 or higher on the firmness scale
In addition to choosing a mattress type, you also need to think about mattress firmness. The firmness you choose should be guided by both body weight and sleeping position.
The best mattresses for side sleepers and those of a lighter or average weight will generally be softer to avoid pressure building up around the hips and shoulders, while those who sleep on their back along with heavier weight sleepers will be happiest on a the best medium firm mattresses that offer a good balance of comfort and support.
Stomach sleepers, will also fare best with a medium-firm mattress to keep their hips lifted and spines aligned. Though it is worth keeping in mind that those of a heavier weight will generally need a firmer mattress to ensure they get the best support.
5. Avoid shopping on price alone
It’s easy to be swept away by excitement during a sale, buying a mattress just because it’s heavily discounted. But shopping on price alone means you could end up with a mattress that isn’t suited to your sleeping needs or sleeping style. Even if you save hundreds of dollars, a bed that you can't actually get a comfortable night's sleep on is ultimately a waste of your money.
Instead, we suggest taking the above points into consideration and making sure the mattress you choose meets all of your requirements. That doesn’t mean you won’t be able to grab a bargain, of course. The President's Day sales include discounts across so many brands and models that you're bound to find the mattress of your dreams.
