Understanding the Variables When Choosing Your Next Mattress

If you are like most people, you know that no two mattresses are created alike. You also probably know that no two mattresses have the same strengths and weaknesses, and like most things, you sometimes have to choose what’s most important to you when you purchase a mattress. So, if you are like most people, it is essential that you understand the different variables that may exist with a mattress and what those variables mean to you, as a consumer.

One resource for mattress shoppers, qMattresses.com, outlines each of the variables for you. They explain what each variable means and they even give you easy to understand charts so that you can make a mattress purchasing decision that best suits you.

To give you a clear understanding of what you will find, here is an overview of what they explain on their mattress overview page:

Mattresses are scored according to six different variables:

· Support

· Comfort

· Value

· Motion Transfer

· Quality

· Overall Satisfaction

What is Support?

Support is probably one of the most confusing variables when it comes to buying a mattress because it is a variable that you don’t feel right away. Give yourself a few nights on a new mattress, however, and you will know for certain if a mattress offers you enough support; your body will either feel well-rested and ache free or it will be screaming in pain.

Support, while not the only variable when it comes to purchasing a mattress, is probably one of the most important ones. It is also one of the most commonly overlooked variables by mattress shoppers. They assume that what they feel on the showroom floor is support. Nothing could be further from the truth, however. To properly evaluate the support of a mattress, it is important to check reliable resources to determine if the mattress you are considering offers enough support for your body while it is sleeping.

What is Comfort?

Comfort in a mattress is what you feel while you are awake. It is that soft, pillowy feeling that you get when you try a mattress out on a showroom floor. It is what most consumers think support is. It is also a very important variable when it comes to falling asleep easily. However, as a consumer, it is important for you to know that comfort can only take you so far.

Comfort does not mean support. In other words, a mattress can be extremely comfortable, but you can wake up in the morning with serious aches and pains because your mattress didn’t give you enough support to keep your spine aligned while you were sleeping.

What is Value?

Value is another one of those obscure variables. You can buy the cheapest mattress on the market and get a good sleep and feel like you found a very valuable mattress or you can buy a very expensive mattress and get an okay night’s sleep and feel like you found a mattress with poor value. Often, value is a perception. It is often relative to how much you paid and what your expectations are for that price.

What is Motion Transfer?

To never have seen the bowling ball/wine glass mattress commercials, you would have had to live under a rock because they have been on for longer than most can remember. This commercial is a prime example of motion transfer. Motion transfer is the amount of disturbance that occurs between two sleepers sharing the same mattress. Motion transfer isn’t important to everyone, but to those that are light sleepers, motion transfer qualities can mean the difference between waking up several times a night and a good night’s sleep.

What is Quality?

The quality variable is relatively easy to understand, but it can vary greatly from one consumer to the next. In essence, quality is how well a mattress can withstand the test of time – how long the mattress withstands sagging, how long the outer materials hold up, how well the mattress is built. But, like value, quality expectations may depend on your personal expectations and the price you pay for the mattress to begin with.

What is Overall Satisfaction?

Overall satisfaction is just what it sounds like – it is the overall satisfaction when placing all variables of a mattress together. Often, you can choose a mattress with a high overall satisfaction and be certain that you have selected a good mattress. It is important, however, to understand that overall satisfaction isn’t everything. You can purchase a mattress with a high overall satisfaction and still miss the variables that are most important to you.

For example, say you purchase an Englander mattress. Englander has the highest score when it comes to overall satisfaction. When you take a closer look at Englander’s other scores, however, you quickly discover that it did not score highest in any of the other variables. It falls mid-range when it comes to comfort, high-middle-range for value and motion transfer, and low-middle-range for support. So despite its high overall satisfaction score, Englander may not be the right mattress for many people, especially those that need a lot of sleeping support.

Carefully Comparing Variables

As you can see from the Englander example, it is very important that you only take each variable for what it is worth when choosing a new mattress. You have to know which variables are most important to you. You must also understand which variables can affect your sleeping abilities so that you don’t end up with a mattress that leaves you aching, restless or wakeful at night. This is the best way to ensure that you purchase the best mattress for your needs.

FTC Disclosure: Cathy Givans has a business relationship with qMattresses.com.