How To Shop For a Mattress

Updated January 2, 2023

Did you know that you spend a third of your life on your mattress? Choosing the right one can make a huge difference in your day-to-day activities. Mattress shopping can be confusing and stressful, so let us help you find the perfect mattress!

If you'd like more information, you can always call us at 1-800-455-1052 and speak to one of our friendly mattress experts who will be happy to assist you.

Buying Online Has Many Advantages!

As an Internet Retailer Top 500 company, US-Mattress customers are four times more likely to be satisfied than customers who shop at brick and mortar stores. This is due, in part, to greater access to pertinent information and helpful selection tools like our Comfort Scale and Durability Charts.

By carrying all the major brands, we maintain our unbiased independence - focused solely on getting you the best night's sleep. We also feature great deals year-round, which you can check out on our Sale page.

Choosing the correct mattress online is much easier when you don't feel high-pressure sales tactics. No pressure here, shop at your convenience and your pace. We're here to help!

There Are Several Ways to Shop For a Mattress, Depending on What You Need

• Completely new to mattress shopping or don't know where to start? Try our 1-2-3 Method (below)

• Know what brand you'd like but aren't sure of the exact model? Use our Comparison Charts

• Need a mattress fast? See our Get It Fast selection

• Looking to upgrade to the best sleep science and technology? Shop our Hybrid Section

• Want to know more about the inner workings of a mattress before shopping? Check out our Mattress Research Center

The 1-2-3 Way to Find Your Perfect Mattress

1. Select Size

This is probably the easiest of the decisions you'll need to make before your purchase. If you're comfortable with the size you currently have, then stick with it, but try to account for factors such as growth, sleep movement, and space restrictions.

 

2. Select Comfort

Everyone enjoys a unique level of comfort. Thankfully, we have the only proprietary 10-Point Comfort Scale®. Rather than lying on every mattress until you find the right one, let our Comfort Scale help you recognize your preference. From 1 (super firm) to 10 (super soft), you'll surely find your desired comfort.

Comfort Scale

Extra Firm Firm Medium Plush Extra Plush

  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

3. Choose Your Model

Now, you're only a few clicks away from choosing your model. Remember, you'll be spending a third of your next few years on this mattress. It may be tempting to buy the cheaper "no-name" mattress you saw on sale at your local store, but if you don't recognize the name, you can't know what's actually in the mattress. That's why we only carry time tested name brands.

If you use the links above to find your mattress, you'll be able to refine your search by materials, brands, price, and more so that you can find exactly what you need. If you're still having problems, don't worry! Our mattress experts receive training several times a year from the nation's top mattress brands, and they're ready to help you select the right mattress. Find out more about our guarantees and policies.

Compare The Top Brands

Below is a brief summary of the top six brands that we carry. When you see the brand that fits your needs, you are done with this section and ready to select the model that's right for you. Just click over and start shopping. You can complete your selections online, or you can call one of our mattress experts who will help you select the right mattress.

Stearns and Foster

Stearns & Foster, often sold in the finest furniture and department stores, was established in 1846 and has been this nation's luxury brand for many years. The upholstery materials used in Stearns & Foster products are usually the best available. Durability and comfort have long been the reputation of this brand.

Stearns & Foster sets have the highest average price. They do not produce any low or mid-priced mattresses. Queen sets range from $1,299 to $1,799.

Shop Stearns & Foster

Sealy Posturepedic

Sealy Posturepedic is one of the best selling brands in the United States and has been around since 1881. With their mass distribution and volume, Sealy affords today's mattress shopper the best mid-priced mattress sets available. Sealy offers a wide selection that blends comfort and durability with value to provide the best mid-priced mattresses.

Queen sets range from $579 to $2,299, before any promotions.

Shop Sealy

Simmons Beautyrest

Simmons Beautyrest mattress have been produced with a pocketed coil since 1925. The pocketed coil reduces more motion between partners than any other coil system in the industry today. If your partner's movements are keeping you from sleeping at night, this is the best choice for you.

Built with high quality and luxury materials, a Beautyrest mattress is well worth the price. Queen sets range from $749 to $2,199, before any promotions.

Shop Beautyrest

Serta Perfect Sleeper

Serta Perfect Sleeper is a highly regarded, well-respected brand. The Perfect Sleeper line ranges in price from about $750 to almost $3,000 (queen).

Shop Serta

Spring Air

Spring Air is the smallest of the manufacturers that we carry. Their mattresses are well made and use a coil system similar to the Bassett and Simmons Beautyrest systems. Without disruptions, you will stay in REM sleep longer and increase your quality of sleep. Spring Air Back Supporter mattresses range in price from $729 to $2,549 in queen-size. Spring Air Four Seasons mattresses range in price from $1,049 to $2,149.

Shop Spring Air

More Mattress Information

1. Upholstery layers (the padding)

2. An innerspring coil unit

3. The box spring or foundation

Let's take a look at them:

1. The Upholstery Layers

The upholstery layers account for the major portion of today's mattress cost. Twenty years ago, the average mattress height was nine inches. Today, the average mattress height is fourteen inches. Standing at about six inches, the coil unit itself hasn't gotten much taller. However, the upholstery layers, commonly referred to as padding, are the reason for the thicker mattresses. Through research, the mattress manufacturers have found that adding a greater quantity of high-quality comfort materials provides a more comfortable sleeping surface and contributes to a longer comfort life.

These layers can consist of man-made materials, natural fibers, and a variety of foams. Every bed will have approximately 3-8 layers of padding, with a different material for each layer. Looking at these three major components, the padding alone costs more than the innerspring unit and foundation/box spring combined. Wool, cashmere, silk, memory foam, and latex foam are high-quality comfort materials and usually signal a high-quality mattress. As with most items, these padding layers also come in different grades, so don't expect the wool in a $1,000 mattress to be as good as the wool in a $3,000 model.

2. The Innerspring Coil

The innerspring coil unit is the base of your mattress. It allows for even distribution of your body mass while you are lying down. The innerspring, often called the coil, will hold its strength for many years. The coils offer support to your body where you need it most. Sealy, Serta, and Simmons Beautyrest offer three or four different grades of innerspring coil units in their lines, usually providing more coils in higher priced mattresses. Stearns & Foster does not alter coil count. They use the same high-quality coil count throughout their entire line.

Many people ask if more coils are better. The answer is, it depends. More coils are better when the manufacturer spaces the same size and type of coils closer together, providing more coils in the same size mattress. It is not wise to compare the quality of mattresses between brands based on coil count. For example, of all the major brands we sell, Stearns and Foster mattresses have the fewest number of coils, but they also use the thickest wire. Even with fewer coils, the Stearns & Foster coil unit has more working steel in it than any other mattress we sell. You can be confident that all of the premium mattresses we sell have a strong innerspring unit.

3. Box Spring or Foundation?

Today, the words "box spring" and "foundation" can be used interchangeably. Some manufacturers still use a true box spring that has a coil or modular coil spring system within it. These coils act as little shock absorbers, so when force and weight are applied to the top of the mattress, the box spring will give slightly underneath. In many cases, a good box spring will extend the life of your mattress and help to prolong your investment. A working box spring has long been considered the best way to build a premium mattress set.

Framed in either wood or steel, foundations look like traditional box springs but have no give or shock-absorbing abilities. For example, the Simmons Beautyrest mattress sets are built on a foundation. The non-flexing base makes for the great "do not disturb" sleep that Beautyrest mattresses are known for. The base has no components to wear out and provides a more rigid feel. The true box spring has been around longer, but today, most box springs and foundations perform equally.

Buy Your Mattress Now

We know it can be difficult to shop for a mattress with all the options available today, and it's a big purchase. That's why we want to help make it easy for you by providing as many resources as possible. Check out our mattress reviews, shopping tips, best mattress roundups, and mattress information articles. We also have a team of experts ready to answer your every question.

Improve your quality of sleep today! Call us at 1-800-455-1052, and we'll help you select the right mattress for you. We are so confident we can find the right mattress for you, that we will exchange it for another one if you're not completely satisfied (see guarantee for details.)

Have more questions? Check out the FAQs

Done with your research?

Shop Mattresses

Mattress Shopping Guide

At US-Mattress, we have a number of tools that make it easy for you to identify which type of mattress is best for you without having to physically test one out, but we know that many of our customers feel more comfortable making a purchase after they've had a chance to see (and feel) for themselves what a mattress is like. If this is how you prefer to shop, then don't go to any store without printing our Smart Shopping Mattress Guide. This free download has all of the information you need to simplify your shopping experience. After you've tried out some mattresses and found one or more that suit your preferences, refer to the easy-to-fill-in guide, and give us a call so we can find a match on our website. If we can't find the exact mattress you tested, we'll be able to recommend one that we sell that will provide the same comfort and support, but with a much better price. With our 110% Low Price Guarantee, you can shop with confidence and keep more money in your wallet.

Leasing a New Mattress

With Katapult you can lease to own your US-Mattress purchase with no credit check and no credit is required. These are options for customers with low and evolving credit or even those with credit that want to take advantage of a 90 day buy-out. Katapult requires an upfront payment of $45 to start your lease and, included with this, you have the option to pay off your item within the first 90 days or lease for up to 12 to 18 months. For more information, visit Katapult.com.

No Credit Required

With Katapult, you get a cutting-edge lease-to-own option built for you, with no credit required. You can apply using their intuitive online process while shopping online. Their flexible pay-over-time options coordinate with your pay dates. So, you can make payments when you have the cash.

About the Author, Juliana Huhta, Mattress Expert

Juliana has spent several years in the mattress industry, writing about and reviewing sleep products. She has a deep understanding of how mattresses work for different people and affect sleep.