The truth is, there's no universal "best" mattress. What works perfectly for your neighbor might leave you tossing and turning all night. The right mattress for you depends on your unique combination of sleep position, body type, health considerations, and personal preferences. This guide will help you navigate these four key areas to make an informed decision that leads to years of better sleep. Enjoy!
Your primary sleep position is one of the most important factors in mattress selection, though it's crucial to understand that position determines support needs, not comfort preferences. Everyone needs proper spinal alignment, but how you achieve that varies by sleep position.
Side Sleepers
Approximately 60% of adults are primarily side sleepers. This position creates specific support challenges:
If you share a bed, understanding motion transfer in mattresses can be important.
Back Sleepers
Back sleeping can be ideal for spinal health when properly supported:
Finding the most comfortable mattress for you often requires trying different firmness levels.
Stomach Sleepers
This position presents unique challenges for maintaining proper alignment:
Combination Sleepers
Many people move between multiple positions throughout the night — this is natural and healthy sleep behavior. In fact, the average person changes positions 40-60 times during a single night's sleep:
Remember, there's no such thing as a one-size-fits-all mattress.
Different body types have varying support needs and may experience mattresses differently. Understanding these factors helps ensure your mattress choice provides proper support and longevity.
Individual Support Needs
Every person's body is unique, and several factors influence mattress selection:
What larger people should look for in a mattress can vary greatly depending on height, weight, and proportions.
When two people share a bed, additional considerations come into play:
You may want to reference our Mattress size guide: Which size is right for you?,
The Ultimate Guide to Queen Mattress Sizes, or
The Ultimate Guide to King Mattresses: Standard vs. California King.
Parents might enjoy How to make getting your child's first big kid bed feel special.
Pain and Health Concerns
While we're not medical experts, certain common concerns can influence mattress and sleep system choices. For specific medical conditions, always consult with your healthcare provider.
Many people experience sleep-related discomfort that may be influenced by their sleep surface:
Sleep System Solutions
Sometimes the solution extends beyond just the mattress:
When to Seek Professional Guidance
Certain situations warrant consultation with healthcare professionals:
Understanding how a bad night's sleep can impact your health or even how much sleep you need at every age can help prioritize the right solution.
Material Types and Feel Options
Understanding different mattress constructions and feel options helps you identify what might work best for your preferences and needs.
Innerspring Mattresses — Traditional coil-based systems offer:
Learn what to look for in a supportive innerspring mattress and how it compares in our
Comparing the OMF innerspring vs. standard encased coils guide.
You’ll also find out why we don't use pocketed coils in our builds.
Memory Foam Mattresses — Foam beds that contour using body heat and pressure:
If you're considering this route, here’s what you need to know about memory foams.
Latex Mattresses — Natural or synthetic latex construction:
Hybrid Mattresses — Combination constructions using multiple materials:
For a deeper dive, see what is a hybrid mattress?
One of the biggest misconceptions in mattress shopping is confusing "feel" with "support":
You can explore what gives a mattress its unique feel and
what you need to know about mattress construction.
We also share what you need to know about the foams we use in our mattresses
and foam or innerspring mattresses: which provides the best support?.
For cooling concerns, see Natural Cooling: The Truth About Temperature Regulation in Mattresses and
Do "cooling" mattresses actually work?
Understanding what sets us apart helps explain why our approach to mattress selection differs from industry standards.
Complete Transparency
We cut our mattresses open in our showrooms so you can see exactly what you're buying. Our factory is open to the public because we want you to see how we hand-build our mattresses. This level of transparency is rare in the industry. We're proud of what we do, and we want you to have the chance to make an informed decision and understand exactly what goes into your mattress.
Consistent Pricing
We don't participate in the endless sales cycle. Our prices are consistent, and they stay the same every day. You should buy a mattress when you are ready to, not because of some advertised "sale" trying to create a sense of urgency to buy today.
American Manufacturing
Every mattress is hand-built in America using domestic materials wherever possible. This gives us complete quality control and protects us from international trade disruptions that affect companies relying on overseas production. We're building mattresses right here in your community, supporting local jobs and the local economy.
Two-Sided Construction
We believe in flippable, two-sided mattresses that last longer and provide better value. This construction method distributes wear evenly and can potentially double the usable life of your mattress. Learn more about the pros and cons of a two-sided, flippable mattress and why we still make them.
Employee Ownership
We're employee-owned and operated, meaning everyone from factory workers to sales staff has a personal stake in quality and customer satisfaction.
By eliminating middlemen and manufacturing locally, we offer higher quality mattresses at lower prices than traditional retail, while providing mattresses that last significantly longer.
The Importance of Personal Testing
While online shopping has become popular for its convenience, there's no substitute for testing a mattress in person. You must try mattresses in your actual sleep positions — you can't determine comfort from an image on a screen or from a review.
Testing Best Practices:
Why Reviews Can't Replace Personal Experience:
You might find a mattress with thousands of positive reviews, but if it's not right for your body, those reviews are meaningless to you. Reviews tell you that many people liked a particular mattress, but they can't tell you if it will work for your unique needs and preferences.
Common Mattress Buying Mistakes
Avoiding these pitfalls can save you time, money, and sleep quality. Be aware that new technology like sleep quizzes and mattress selectors claim to tell you what bed to buy based on answering just a few questions — but there's no substitute for personal testing.
Pressure Tactics and Fake Sales
Be cautious of high-pressure sales environments and "limited time" offers that seem to appear every weekend. If there's always a sale, that's just disguised regular pricing.
Online-Only Shopping
Buying a mattress without testing it first is like buying shoes without trying them on. Your body's response is the only reliable indicator of comfort and support. They may advertise "free returns," but those are built into the price and often come with a lot of time and hassle to actually return.
Focusing Only on Price
The cheapest option often costs more in the long run when you factor in replacement frequency and sleep quality. Consider total cost of ownership over the mattress's lifetime.
Ignoring Construction Quality
Not all mattresses are built the same. Understanding materials, construction methods, and durability factors helps ensure you're making a wise investment.
Assuming One Size Fits All
What works for others may not work for you. Avoid making decisions based on generalizations about sleep positions, body types, or popular trends. Even trusting the sales associate 100% based on what they tell you can be a mistake.
Forgetting How Important the Mattress Is
One-third of your life is spent in bed. Your mattress is one of your most used and most important purchases, not to mention the significant impact that good sleep has on your health and well-being. Don't just buy anything — spend some time trying different products, do some research online, and ultimately buy a product that fits your unique needs from a company you can trust.
Prioritize Your Needs
Consider these factors in order of importance to you:
Focus on Value and Quality
Consider total cost of ownership rather than just initial price. A higher-quality mattress lasting 12-15 years provides better value than cheaper options requiring replacement every 5-6 years.
Trust Your Body
The most important advice we can give is to trust your own experience over industry assumptions or generalizations. The right mattress for you provides proper support and feels comfortable to your unique body.
Your Path to Better Sleep
Choosing the right mattress requires understanding your unique needs across sleep position, body type, health considerations, and personal preferences, testing options properly, and making informed decisions based on quality and value rather than marketing pressure.
Remember that your mattress is a foundational investment in your health. Quality sleep affects every aspect of your life — physical health, mental clarity, emotional resilience, and daily performance.
At The Original Mattress Factory, we're committed to helping you navigate this important decision with complete transparency. We invite you to visit our showrooms to see our cut-open displays, tour our factory, and experience the difference that comes from working with people genuinely invested in your sleep quality.
Your perfect mattress is out there — it's just a matter of understanding your needs across these key areas and taking the time to find what works specifically for you. Sweet dreams start with making an informed choice.
Written by: Chris Gardner, OMF Marketing