5 mattress myths debunked

Buying a new mattress can be a nightmare. Prices and discounts vary widely and different brands offer an astonishing range of features that all promise the best night’s sleep. 

But which claims stand true and which ones ring false? Does an expensive bed always guarantee a superior sleep? Do more springs equal more comfort? 

To find the answers, our lab experts scientifically test and review dozens of mattresses a year from popular brands including Koala, Sleeping Duck, A.H. Beard, Ikea and plenty more. See our mattress reviews for the full results.

We asked them to sort the mattress facts the fiction so you can rest easier when you’re buying a new bed. 

Myth 1. Cost = comfort

We have great news – you don’t need to spend a fortune to get a good night’s sleep.

In fact, our testers regularly find more affordable mattresses that score as well as or even better for comfort than ones that cost thousands of dollars. 

That’s not to say all expensive mattresses are uncomfortable. But our experts have found some very pricey mattresses with borderline comfort scores – one even costs $3999.

To bust this expensive myth, our lab tests assess comfort extensively in multiple ways. First, using lasers, experts conduct body support tests for both back and side sleeping positions. 

Then, to see how comfort changes over time, they evaluate each mattress when it’s brand new and again after a simulated eight years’ use, using a huge roller machine which passes over it 30,000 times!

Our experts also test for stability and sagging resistance. CHOICE members can check and compare individual scores for each of these tests in our mattress reviews.

But don’t get as hung up on those initial comfort scores – one person’s bed of roses is another’s bed of nails. You could be better off checking the support over time scores.

“If you like the mattress now and its support and sagging resistance scores don’t decrease much in our tests, then you can rest easy knowing that you’ll likely be comfortable in eight years’ time,” says CHOICE mattress master Peter Zaluzny.

Myth 2. Foam mattresses provide more stability

Foam mattress manufacturers often say that their beds have better stability so they won’t bounce as much when you or your partner move in bed.

This claim basically comes down to the idea that a giant piece of foam is more consistent than a series of springs.

It sounds like it could be feasible – but our testing continually shows this isn’t the case. Most of the mattresses that score 70% or more in our stability test use a spring build, as do many of the ones that score highest overall.

That’s why we run our own lab tests to let you know which models will feel like a jumping castle and which could help keep the peace if your partner is a restless sleeper. Find out which mattresses are the most stable in our mattress reviews.

Myth 3. ‘Cooling’ mattresses = a cooler night’s sleep

Many mattress manufacturers like to talk up their special ‘cooling technology’ that supposedly extracts body heat or stops the bed from warming up at night. Though we’ve tested some mattresses that live up to these claims, many others don’t.

Instead our tests show that they’re actually medium-warm or warm, which can be an issue if you live in a warm climate, tend to run hot, or you’re a particularly sweaty sleeper.

In the latter case, you’re probably better off looking for a mattress with a higher breathability score in our test (this assesses mattresses’ permeability and water intake).

Humans are generally pretty grubby animals: when we sleep, we release sweat, bodily fluids, dead skin cells and other delightful substances. The more permeable a mattress, the less it retains this gunk, which means less damage to the mattress (and less sleeping on gross stuff).

Spring mattresses tend to come out ahead in this area, as they have plenty of space to let the gloop through – unlike foam mattresses, which are basically giant sponges.

Look for models with a high breathability score in our mattress reviews to find which are the most permeable.

Myth 4. More springs = a better night’s sleep

There’s no correlation between spring count and comfort. It’s as simple as that.

One of the higher-performing mattresses in our tests, the Dusk & Dawn Essential MK2, has 184 springs per square metre. The Original Mattress Factory’s Refresh, which is the lowest-scoring mattress overall, has 286. 

The Sleep Firm double mattress has a huge 411 springs per square metre, and while it scores better than the Refresh, it still falls in the bottom third of our test. We’ve tested many other mattresses that have similar spring counts but varied comfort results.

“You can ignore salespeople and marketing claims that a mattress with more springs will be more comfortable – our testing shows that this isn’t necessarily the case at all,” says Peter.

Myth 5. Sticker price = the best price

Our 2017 investigation into mattress pricing found that bricks-and-mortar retailers can add mark-ups as high as 200%, and they also like to rename mattresses so that you can’t easily compare one mattress with the same model from a different retailer.

Nine years on and things haven’t changed much, which disadvantages consumers by taking away our bargaining power.

Yet we were still able save as much as $2800 on one mattress and hundreds on others, either by haggling or waiting for a sale. This illustrates just how much traditional retailers pad their profit margins.

“There’s no reason to pay the RRP for a mattress. If you’re buying from a bricks-and-mortar store, you should always push for a lower price,” says Peter.

Just remember, it’s much harder to bargain with online retailers – they usually have more fixed prices and a limited range of mattresses, so discounts will be harder to come by. But you can pick up good discounts in sales periods, so keep an eye on prices so you can jump on good deals when you see them.

Don’t pay full RRP for a mattress from a traditional retailer. Unless you have specific needs, you may be better off opting for a great deal on a high-scoring mattress. Take a look at our detailed mattress reviews to find out how to get more bang for your buck.

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Alice Richard

Alice Richard is a Content creator and marketer. Alice writes on a range of topics, from health insurance to heaters and BBQs to bargain-hunting, always with the aim to help consumers find the best products to buy, and which to avoid. Alice can take vast amounts of data from CHOICE product tests and turn it into content that is easily digestible and fun for readers.  Alice has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland.

Alice Richard is a Content creator and marketer. Alice writes on a range of topics, from health insurance to heaters and BBQs to bargain-hunting, always with the aim to help consumers find the best products to buy, and which to avoid. Alice can take vast amounts of data from CHOICE product tests and turn it into content that is easily digestible and fun for readers.  Alice has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland.

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Jason Treuen

Jason is a Content Editor and journalist at CHOICE. He writes about a diverse range of subjects, from solar to robot vacuums to why Easter eggs are a rip-off. He's previously written for Sydney Morning Herald, Rolling Stone and many other publications.

Jason is a Content Editor and journalist at CHOICE. He writes about a diverse range of subjects, from solar to robot vacuums to why Easter eggs are a rip-off. He's previously written for Sydney Morning Herald, Rolling Stone and many other publications.