Mattress Buying Guide
Quick Answer: Two questions settle most of this. How do you sleep, and do you sleep hot? Side sleepers want plush or medium, back sleepers medium to firm, stomach sleepers firm. If you sleep hot, choose a hybrid or one of the cooling models. Answer those two and the floor narrows from 56 mattresses to about six.
Everything else, the coil counts, the foam names, the marketing words on the label, is detail that only matters after those two are decided.
Here is the short version of how to work through it, and where to start once you have.
In This Guide
- Start with how you sleep
- What we actually carry
- What does plush, medium and firm actually mean?
- Foam, innerspring or hybrid?
- Do you sleep hot?
- What size do you need?
- Where should you start?
- How do you test one in fifteen minutes?
- Frequently Asked Questions
Start with how you sleep
Your sleeping position decides how firm the mattress should be. It is the single most useful thing you know about yourself walking in.
Side sleepers need the mattress to give at the shoulder and hip. Those two points carry your weight on a narrow surface. A mattress that will not yield there leaves you sore by morning, so plush or medium is usually the right range.
Back sleepers want the small of the back supported while the hips stay level. Too soft and the hips sink, which is the most common cause of morning back pain, so medium to firm is where back sleepers generally land.
Stomach sleepers need firm, with no real exceptions, because anything soft lets the hips drop below the shoulders and bends the spine the wrong way for the whole night.
If you switch position all night, medium is the honest answer, and while it is a compromise it is the right one for most people who move.
What we actually carry
Five brands, and they are not interchangeable. This matters more than most guides admit, because each one is good at something different.
| Brand | How many we carry | What it is for |
| Serta | 19 | The widest range of firmness options, from extra firm to plush pillow top |
| Sealy | 14 | Traditional innerspring, the most choice if you want coils |
| Ashley | 11 | Entry and mid range, including boxed mattresses |
| Tempur-Pedic | 6 | Pressure relief and cooling, foam or hybrid |
| Stearns and Foster | 6 | The top tier, hand-built with heavier materials |
If you already know you want coils under you, Sealy is where to look first. If you want the mattress to shape itself around you, start with Tempur-Pedic. If you are not sure yet, Serta gives you the most to compare side by side in one place.
Serta iComfort Aveda Plush. Shop mattresses.
What does plush, medium and firm actually mean?
Less than you would hope, between brands. Within one brand it is consistent, which is why it is worth comparing inside a line rather than across them.
A Serta plush and a Sealy plush will not feel identical. What is reliable is the direction: inside the same brand, firm supports more and gives less, plush gives more and supports less, medium sits between them.
So pick your firmness by sleeping position, then compare models at that firmness within one or two brands. Comparing a plush from one brand against a firm from another tells you almost nothing.
One thing worth knowing: firmness is usually a choice, not a model. Our Sealy Royal Park comes in firm or soft, and in tight top or euro pillow top, which is four different beds under one name.
Foam, innerspring or hybrid?
Three constructions, and the difference you feel is mostly about motion and bounce.
Innerspring uses steel coils, so it is bouncier, it sleeps cooler because air moves through the structure, and it is the feel most people grew up with. The trade-off is that you notice your partner moving.
Foam has no coils at all, so it contours closely, absorbs motion almost completely, and holds more heat than coils do. If someone in the house gets in and out of bed at odd hours, this is the construction that hides it best.
Hybrid puts foam comfort layers over a coil base. It is the compromise most people end up happy with. Several of our Tempur-Pedic models come in both a foam and a hybrid version of the same mattress.
Tempur-ProBreeze, available as foam or hybrid. See the ProBreeze.
Do you sleep hot?
If you do, say so out loud when you walk in, because it changes the shortlist immediately.
Heat is the most common reason people end up disliking a mattress they otherwise chose correctly. Foam holds body heat while coils let air move through, and cooling covers and gel layers do help, though they work at the surface rather than through the whole mattress.
Tempur-Pedic builds a specific line for this, the Breeze models, and we carry ProBreeze, LuxeBreeze and ActiveBreeze. If heat is your problem, those are built for it rather than adapted for it. A hybrid is the cheaper route to the same improvement.
What size do you need?
Bigger than people buy, usually, and the constraint is the room rather than the bed.
| Size | Width | Suits |
| Twin | 38 inches | One child, a bunk, a small guest room |
| Twin XL | 38 inches, 5 longer | A taller single sleeper, or two side by side as a split king |
| Full | 54 inches | One adult with room, or two who do not mind being close |
| Queen | 60 inches | Two adults, the size most people should buy |
| King | 76 inches | Two adults with space, or a dog that thinks it is an adult |
| California King | 72 inches, 4 longer | Tall sleepers who will trade width for length |
Measure the room before you fall in love with a king, because what you actually need is walking room on both sides and a door that still opens all the way.
Where should you start?
Six starting points. Not recommendations for everyone, just the sensible first thing to lie on if this describes you.
- Side sleeper with shoulder or hip pain. Serta iComfort Aveda Plush. Built to give where you need it to.
- You sleep hot. Tempur-ProBreeze, in the hybrid version. Cooling line, coils underneath.
- Couple, one of you moves. TEMPUR-Adapt. Comes as foam or hybrid, so you can pick how much bounce you want back.
- Back or stomach sleeper who wants real support. Serta iComfortPro Granby Extra Firm. As firm as the floor gets.
- You want coils and a traditional feel. Sealy Royal Park. Firm or soft, tight top or euro pillow top.
- Guest room or a first apartment. 8 Inch Chime Innerspring in a Box. Ships compressed, fits in a car.
Sealy Royal Park, in firm or soft and tight top or euro pillow top. See the Royal Park.
If you are furnishing more than the bedroom, the bundle builder lets you pick a mattress set alongside the rooms you are filling.
How do you test one in fifteen minutes?
Lie on it properly, which is the whole method and the thing almost nobody actually does.
- Lie in your actual sleeping position. Not sitting on the edge. If you sleep on your side, get on your side.
- Stay there five minutes. The first thirty seconds tell you nothing except whether it is softer or firmer than your current bed.
- Slide a hand under the small of your back. If it slips in easily, the mattress is too firm for you. If you cannot get it in, too soft.
- Bring whoever shares the bed. Two people need one mattress that works for both, and that is a conversation to have lying down.
- Roll over. Getting from side to back should take no effort. If you have to push, it is too soft.
Wear roughly what you would normally sleep in, within reason, and take your shoes off before you get on. It feels odd for about a minute, and after that it starts to feel like useful information.
Frequently Asked Questions
How firm should my mattress be?
Side sleepers do best on plush or medium, back sleepers on medium to firm, and stomach sleepers on firm. If you change position through the night, medium is the right compromise.
What is the difference between a hybrid and a foam mattress?
A hybrid puts foam comfort layers over a coil base, so you get contouring with some bounce and better airflow. An all-foam mattress has no coils, contours more closely, absorbs motion almost completely, and holds more heat.
Which mattress is best if I sleep hot?
Coils move air, so an innerspring or a hybrid runs cooler than all-foam. Tempur-Pedic also builds a cooling line, and we carry the ProBreeze, LuxeBreeze and ActiveBreeze models.
Is plush the same at every brand?
No. Firmness labels are consistent within a brand and not between them, which is why it is worth comparing models inside one line rather than jumping between brands.
What size mattress should two adults buy?
A queen suits most couples, at 60 inches wide. A king gives each person about as much width as a twin, which is worth it if the room takes it and either of you moves a lot.
How long should I spend trying a mattress?
At least five minutes in your real sleeping position, and bring whoever shares the bed. Thirty seconds sitting on the edge tells you nothing useful.
Try Them at Detroit Furniture
We have been at this since 2006, family-operated, with the showroom at 6060 Miller Road in Dearborn. Open Monday to Saturday 10am to 6pm and Sunday 12pm to 4pm, and you can reach us on 313-582-9601.
Come in knowing two things: how you sleep, and whether you sleep hot. We will take it from there, and you are welcome to lie on as many as you like.
Browse all mattresses and beds and bedroom sets online first if you want a shortlist before you arrive. Financing is available, and there is a customer pickup warehouse on Haggerty Street if you would rather collect than wait for a delivery slot. Questions first? Message us.