Buying a new mattress can be a minefield. 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 Sealy, Sleeping Duck, A.H. Beard, Koala, Ikea and plenty more (see our mattress reviews).
We asked them to sort the facts from the fiction when it comes to the common mattress myths you hear when shopping. We hope you can rest easier now.
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 rate as good as, or 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 more than $8000.
Testers regularly find cheaper mattresses that rate as good as or better than ones that cost thousands
To bust this expensive myth, our lab tests assess comfort extensively in multiple ways. First, using lasers, experts conduct body support tests for both male and female body types in 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 separately for sagging and stabilisation. CHOICE members can check and compare individual scores for each of these tests in our mattress reviews.
"If you like the mattress now and its comfort and sagging scores don't decrease much in the eight-year's use test, then you can rest easy knowing that you'll likely be comfortable in eight years' time," says CHOICE mattress master Peter Zaluzny.
CHOICE verdict: Myth sprung! Cash doesn't always equal comfort.
Our experts use mannequins to assess spinal position during the comfort test.
Myth 2. Foam mattresses provide greater stability
Foam mattress manufacturers often say that their beds have better stability. This claim basically comes down to the idea that a giant piece of foam is more consistent than a series of springs.
Except our testing continually shows this isn't the case. Most of the models that score 70% or more in our stabilisation test use a spring build – as do the highest rated models.
That's why we run our own stabilisation lab tests to let you know which models feel like a jumping castle all night long. Find out which mattresses are the most stable in our mattress reviews.
CHOICE verdict: Myth sprung! Don't rely on the claims of foam mattress manufacturers – try them out for yourself and check our reviews to see how firm the mattress really is.
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 models that live up to these claims, the majority do not.
Instead they tend to run 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 sweat repellent score in our test (this assesses a mattresses' permeability and water intake).
Many mattresses tend to run medium-warm or warm, which can be an issue if you tend to run hot
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.
CHOICE verdict: Myth (partially) sprung! Mattress manufacturers' cooling claims are often full of hot air. Sweaty sleepers and people in the tropics are better off with a more permeable mattress.
Look for models with a high sweat repellent 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 our top performing mattresses, the Dusk & Dawn Essential MK2 (queen), has 184 springs per square metre, while Original Mattress Factory's Refresh (queen), which sits towards the bottom of our test, has 286.
The Sleep Firm (double) mattress fares a bit better but still falls in the bottom third of our test, despite having 411 springs per square metre. 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 the case at all," says Peter.
CHOICE verdict: Myth sprung! Don't get duped into paying more for a mattress with more springs. It doesn't mean it's more comfortable.
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. Eight 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 $2600 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.
Bricks-and-mortar retailers can add mark-ups as high as 200%
"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.
CHOICE verdict: Myth sprung! The recommended retail price is rarely the best price a retailer can offer.
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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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
