While you're pregnant, it can be difficult to get comfortable while you’re asleep. Then, when your baby arrives, night feeds mean many a sleepless or disturbed night. It's important to consider the best mattresses, so that you can curl up - when you finally get the chance, that is.
To improve your quality of sleep, it might be time to consider buying a new mattress. Popular mattress designs at the moment include memory foam, cooling layers made from breathable materials, or a combination of the two. All kinds of mattress are available in various price ranges and have different lengths of guarantees.
How important is getting the best mattress for a good night's sleep?
The Sleep Council, an organisation of sleep experts based in the UK, recommends getting the best possible mattress to ensure you wake less frequently and move around less during the night.
Obviously having a newborn means even a good mattress can’t stop you from waking a lot in the night, but they can help you have better-quality sleep when you do settle back in bed. Any new parent knows how much better everything seems after a good amount of sleep – so we’re grateful for any help we can get.
There’s now a new generation of mattresses, alongside the traditional sprung style we’re all used to. You can call them bed-in-a-box mattresses, and they're foldable without losing anything in quality. In fact, they’re often of a higher quality than old generation mattresses.
Purchasing a new mattress is easier than you think as you can find many options online. All you need to do is to decide which one suits your needs best. You obviously won’t be able to try before you buy with an online retailer, but many offer money-back guarantees if you’re not happy, so check out the T&Cs before you buy.
9 best mattresses in the UK 2022
Best mattress for
Description
If your looking for a happy medium of softness and hardness in a mattress, then this is a great pick. This mattress combines soft memory foam to reduce pressure and traditional coil springs to support a good nights sleep. This is perfect for kids' bedrooms or as a treat for yourself.
Pros:
• Designed for all sleeping positions
• Breathable fabric
• Offers soft support
**
Cons:**
• May have to wait overnight after it's unpacked for it to retain shape**
Review:** "Extremely comfortable and supportive: I was quite sceptical about purchasing a mattress in a box that I had not seen or tried but I'm so happy I did. The mattress arrived very neatly packaged and was easy to unwrap. I left it for 24 hours to regain its full shape and size before using. After my first night’s sleep on my new mattress I woke up feeling well rested and refreshed. It is the perfect comfort feel and SO supportive, a great buy!"
Best mattress with three zones
Description
Silentnight’s three-zoned support system promises to alleviate pressure across shoulders, hips, and lower back. This double mattress is topped with high-density memory foam. All Silentnight's mattresses come with a full three-year guarantee.
Pros:
• Allergy UK approved
• Three zones alleviate pressure across shoulders, hips and back
• Offers medium support
**
Cons:**
• Have to wait 24 hours after it's unpacked for it to retain shape**
Review:** "I purchased this mattress a few months ago, it arrived rolled up and vacuum packed and I was concerned as it looked so thin! Finally got round to putting it on my bed this weekend, once unpacked it began to take shape and I was surprised how thick it is. It’s so comfortable it seems to mould to your body shape, I can’t believe it’s only topped with memory foam. I can’t praise this mattress enough, I’m so pleased with it."
Best mattress for breathability
www.evesleep.co.uk
Description
Eve Sleep claims to treat “every mattress as a sanctuary”. Online reviewers say you feel like you're floating, but also it's really supportive where it needs to be with it's foam layer that works for a correct alignment of the spine. Moisture wicking technology works a dream for regulating temperature and offering breathability through the night.
Pros:
• Three memory foam layers
• Evecomfort® memory foam for spinal support
• Temperature regulating technology
**
Cons:**
• May take a few weeks to adapt to your body**
Review:** "Really pleased with this mattress. Was worried it would be warm in the night but no issue there. When you sit on the bed it has a strangely comforting feel to it and moulds to your body shape."
Best mattress for sustainability
www.nectarsleep.co.uk
Description
Nectar gives you 365 nights to try your mattress and if you’re not happy, you can return it for free. The company also offers you a lifetime warranty. Its mattresses come with an adaptive cooling cover, smart pressure-relieving memory foam, seven zones supported base and positioning base material which will keep your mattress in the correct place. Nectar Sleep is the first and only mattress company in the UK to be climate neutral, so perfect if you are concerned about the environment.
Pros:
• Quilted cooling cover
• Regulate body temperature
• Pressure relieving memory foam
Cons:
• Firmer than medium support as listed
Review: "So comfortable and supportive I can’t ever remember sleeping so well and waking up refreshed! I can’t recommend it highly enough!"
Best mattress overall
simbasleep.com
Description
With this mattress, you can experience the support of 2,500 specially designed pocket springs and memory foam. Each mattress from Simba is produced with five layers of support for perfect comfort. It also has a hybrid system which means cooling airflow and no motion transfer, so you won’t feel your partner wriggling around.
Pros:
• Highly rated award winning mattress
• Designed with scientific data at the forefront
• Simbatex® open cell foam regulates temperature
Cons:
• Too soft for some
Review: "I bought this mattress around a month ago. It's the perfect level of firmness and comfort for me and I've been sleeping so well with this mattress so far."
Best mattress for adapting to you
www.silentnight.co.uk
Description
A medium-firm mattress, that thanks to its memory foam layer, offers soothing pressure relief and ultimate comfort. The mirapocket layer inside uses 1,000 pocket springs to individually respond to movement and deliver individually tailored support. The sink-in feeling is perfect for side-sleepers, and with pregnancy and ideal support.
Pros:
• Three memory foam layers
• Miracoil® and Mirapocket® zoned systems for spinal support
• Hypoallergenic fabric
Cons:
• Firmer than expected
Review: "I bought this mattress around a month ago. It's the perfect level of firmness and comfort for me and I've been sleeping so well with this mattress so far."
Bestselling mattress in the UK
www.emma-sleep.co.uk
Description
The Emma Original Mattress features German technology in the form of a three-layer foam. Emma wants to stand out in the market by promising a longer-lasting mattress and an exclusive, exceptionally breathable top layer. It stands as the UK's most awarded and bestselling mattress.
Pros:
• Designed for all sleeping positions
• Halo memory foam for spinal support
• Temperature regulating technology
**
Cons:**
• Too firm for some**
Review:** "It's on the expensive side but considering you spend a third of your life in bed it's worth it! Very comfortable and excellent customer service to boot!"
Best mattress for softness
www.wayfair.co.uk
Description
A handmade mattress with orthopaedic qualities, the Cooling Open Coil Mattress combines a spring system with traditional fillings and a breathable fabric cover to keep you fresh and comfortable all night. It’s an affordable option for an expensive technology.
Pros:
• Free 100 night trial
• Cooling fabric
• Offers soft support
**
Cons:**
• Too soft for some**
Review:** "Absolutely delighted with the mattress, great size for the bed and very comfortable also... great value for the excellent price it was. Would highly recommend to others."
Best mattress for affordability
Description
If you're looking for a mattress with medium to soft support, Starlight Beds offer this budget double mattress at an affordable price. Made with a hybrid of memory foam and open coil springs, in just two hours, the mattress can be unpacked and will have fully expanded.
Pros:
• Made from memory foam
• Hypoallergenic and anti-dust mite
• Offers medium soft support
**
Cons:**
• One sided only, it is non turn**
Review:** "This mattress, although I was sceptical on possible quality due to its low pricing (around £50 I believe) when purchased, is honestly amazing. It is being used for my 7 year old son to sleep on and he is now having the most comfortable and restful night's sleep ever and he loves having a thick mattress to flop on when he goes to bed.
I will be purchasing a double for myself (hopefully they do one) when my own needs replacing. All in all: Great value for money and a fantastic product that arrived quickly after placing my order. Definitely recommend."
Our verdict
Overall, we have to choose The Simba Memory Foam Hybrid Mattress as our choice for the best mattress. While it's a more expensive option, you get what you pay for, and nothing can put a price on quality sleep. With over 80,000 reviews and most of them overwhelming positive, the Simba Memory Foam mattress is unmatched.
FAQs
Can your mattress cause back, neck or hip pain?
Absolutely - the quality of your mattress can have a huge impact, with low quality mattresses even having the ability to cause back, neck and hip pain when you wake. This means it can also worsen any joint problems that you have. More often than not, low quality mattresses do not support the correct alignment of your spine and hips. That's why it's so important to invest in a good quality mattress - so you aren't waking up feeling stiff with sore joints.
How often should you replace your mattress?
According to The Sleep Foundation, you should look to replace your mattress every 6-8 years, and flip your mattress a couple of times every year. There are few conditions on replacing and rotating your mattress you may want to consider.
For memory foam, latex and newer innerspring mattresses, flipping around one or two times a year should be enough. However, older innerspring mattresses should be flipped anywhere between two and five times a year. This protects your mattress from damage, meaning you'll get an extra year or so out of it.
Replacing your mattress every 6-8 years is the general rule of thumb, but if you find that your mattress is causing you discomfort, it's becoming damaged in certain areas, or making noise - you should look to replace your mattress sooner.