Mattress selection

How do you decide which mattress to buy?

Choosing a new mattress can be tricky. There are so many different types and varieties that it's easy to become confused about what might be right for you. It's worth taking the time to research the mattresses available and to try as wide a range as you can.

You spend at least one third of your life in bed. Old and sagging mattresses are one of the main causes of back and general muscle pain and, if you fail to get a good night's sleep, your irritability and lack of concentration the following day can cause problems at home, work or school. It's essential that you do everything you can to buy a mattress that's going to provide you with the support and comfort you need to get quality sleep when you need it most.

Research

There's no substitute for a bit of reading and consulting the experts. If you have some time to spare, take a look on the internet for websites that give you a range of information. You don't just want to know about which mattresses retailers have in stock and how much they cost - you need to know about the differences in construction - sprung or non-sprung? Memory foam or waterbed? What is memory foam anyway? All these questions can be answered either by spending a little time online or by visiting a showroom and asking a mattress specialist. The more information you have, the more informed your final decision will be.

Testing

Like all procedures, the initial research needs to be followed by some serious testing. Would you buy a car without driving it? Almost certainly not - and yet many people buy a mattress without lying on it at all, so they have no idea whether it is going to be comfortable for them or cause nights of lost sleep. That's why all the advice you'll read encourages you to try out a variety of mattresses before you buy. If you can, try one of each type - open coil, continuous spring, pocket sprung, memory foam and latex. You'll be able to tell the differences between them and that puts you in a much better position when it comes to making a choice between them:

• If you share your bed, take your partner
• Take off your shoes and coat
• Lie on the bed in your usual sleeping position
• Take at least 5-10 minutes to test each mattress

Once you've read up about the different types of mattress available and tested them out, you'll be able to look online for the best deals and discounts and, if you use Mattress Next Day, you could have your new mattress delivered within 24 hours!

Mattress Next Day is probably the largest mattress superstore on the internet. Selling a wide range of mattresses from leading manufacturers, we can offer quality mattresses at fantastic prices. Our next day delivery service is free or, if you prefer, you can select your own delivery date. We can even guarantee delivery before 9.30am on request. Take a look at our range of mattresses now at www.mattressnextday.co.uk, or call us on 0844 3911 222 for more information.