What are adjustable mattresses and do you need one?

Mattress firmness is usually set during manufacturing, so you normally need to figure out whether you like a soft, medium or firmer feel before buying.

But adjustable, or customisable, mattresses allow a degree of firmness flexibility at home. They give you the freedom to alter the feel after the fact. You could, for example, turn a medium-firm mattress into a soft sleeper.

Though beds like these might have been a huge timesaver for Goldilocks, most consumers already have a good understanding of their preferred firmness before buying. So, are they the secret to a super night’s sleep or a mattress solution in search of a problem?

How do adjustable mattresses work?

Right now these beds appear to be limited to bed-in-a-box and online retailers, like Sleeping Duck, Ecosa and Koala. Traditional bricks and mortar stores don’t seem to be selling adjustable mattresses just yet.

Adjustable mattresses come in four configurations:

Double-sided mattress

Each side of the mattress has a different firmness – one side may be firm while the other is medium, for example. If one side doesn’t seem right, just flip it over for a different feel. These are limited to two firmness options.

This is a relatively convenient design if you have the space and strength to flip a mattress. Otherwise, you may need to enlist a second set of hands and clear some stuff out of your bedroom before starting, which is time consuming.

Double-sided firmness layer

These include a foam layer (or similar material) that you can remove and flip to adjust firmness. They follow the same principle as a double-sided mattress, but you don’t need to flip the whole bed.

These are the easiest and most convenient mattresses to adjust. It should only take one person to unzip the cover and flip the cover. But like double-sided beds, a flippable layer is limited to two firmness options.

Multiple, swappable firmness layers

These mattresses come with two or three foam layers that you can add, remove and swap around to find the ideal firmness. These are the most versatile, typically allowing for soft, medium and firm configurations.

But this approach can be a bit fiddly to adjust. You may also need space to store the foam pads when they’re not in use, depending on the brand of bed. This might not be suitable for smaller spaces like studio apartments and compact bedrooms.

Adjustable firmness zones

With these mattresses, double, queen and king-sized mattresses are split down the middle, allowing you to customise the firmness on each side of the bed individually. You could, for example, set one side to medium while the other is firm.

A full-sized foam pad sits at the top to cover the small between zones. It’s a useful design for people with different firmness preferences who share a bed.

This is a relatively new type of mattress and each manufacturer approaches things a little differently. Sleeping Duck uses doubled sided firmness layers to flip for a medium or firm feel, for example, while other brands supply multiple layers for each side of the bed.

Are adjustable mattresses more comfortable?

We test adjustable mattresses in the firm configuration (where available) using the same method as standard, non-adjustable models. This includes foam, spring, latex and hybrid models.

So far, our performance tests have found that adjustable beds are neither better or worse than standard options. There’s an equal number of good and average beds, before and after we simulate eight years of use to assess long term comfort, support, sagging and damage.

This makes sense as the basic design is almost identical to a typical mattress. For example, non-adjustable spring mattresses have a foam comfort layer to protect your bones from the solid metal coils. The only real difference is you can’t remove and flip or adjust this part of the bed.

Do adjustable mattresses come with a trial period?

Yes, these beds are included in the 100-night trial period offered by bed-in-a-box brands.

This means that you can return it to the manufacturer for a full refund if it doesn’t feel comfortable or firm enough. Some brands do charge a return fee, so be sure to check before buying

Should you buy an adjustable bed?

Versatility is a nice feature, but are you really going to take advantage of it? If you already know whether you like a soft, medium or firm mattress and that hasn’t changed much over time, then you probably don’t need an adjustable bed.

However, an adjustable mattress can come in handy if:

• Your partner prefers a different firmness (specifically a zoned mattress).
• You’re unsure of your preferred firmness and want to try a few options at home.
• You’re buying a bed for someone that’s unsure of their firmness preferences – like a child, relative, housemate and so on.
• You’re buying a bed for a guest room. This gives visitors the freedom to pick their preferred firmness.

The most important thing is to find a good quality mattress that feels right for you and fits your budget, regardless of the bells and whistles. Check out our test results for the top performing and most affordable mattresses to help you get a good night’s sleep.

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Peter Zaluzny

Peter Zaluzny is a Content producer in the Digital home team. He covers everything from home entertainment and personal safety devices to tech for your car and mattresses. Peter enjoys cutting through the nonsense to help people understand the products they’re considering to buy. He helps consumers make educated, informed decisions. Peter has a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wollongong.

Peter Zaluzny is a Content producer in the Digital home team. He covers everything from home entertainment and personal safety devices to tech for your car and mattresses. Peter enjoys cutting through the nonsense to help people understand the products they’re considering to buy. He helps consumers make educated, informed decisions. Peter has a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wollongong.