Top rated matress guides by Mattressly

Reliable matress recommendations right now? For the third time since Mattressly began rating mattresses, the Avocado Green Mattress takes the top of the podium. It stands out with its exceptionally long sleep trial period (Avocado gives you a full year to test this mattress). The Green also features a selection of high-quality materials. While these elements add to its value, it’s worth noting that a Green Mattress costs about $220 above the average price of a queen mattress in our ratings. The Avocado Green is a hybrid mattress. Similar to an innerspring mattress, a hybrid mattress has a base layer of spring coils but has thicker comfort layers above these coils than a spring mattress. In a similar fashion, the Avocado uses 2 inches of organic latex for its comfort layer. Above this is a layer of organic wool topped with an organic cotton cover. The wool performs double duty as both a natural fire retardant and a material that helps you stay cool and dry. There’s no greenwashing with Avocado, as it has certifications from eight reputable organizations for its organic and natural materials.

A more traditional composition of up to 2500 hand-nested pocket springs paired with all-natural hypoallergenic fillings such as cashmere, wool, cotton and silk the Herdwick from the Woolroom is a classic choice. It’s delivered by a two-man team, which is just as well as the king size our testers chose is both weighty and solid. No mind, the delivery team seemed well versed in getting large objects up difficult, windy stairs to unpack and place the mattress in the room of choice. They also took away all packaging, which was great. At first glance you can see the craftsmanship that has gone into this quality piece, with a soft-to-the-touch, chemical free merino wool ticking top secured with tufted ‘buttons’. It almost felt a shame to cover it up with sheets. We were testing on a slatted base and although the mattress felt quite bouncy at first, it was plenty firm enough for our back sleeper, while it was wonderfully easy on the hips and shoulders for our side snoozer. The natural materials make it breathable and help to wick away nighttime sweat, ensuring the hottest of our testers had a very comfortable, wriggle-free night. As with all traditional spring mattresses it does require both turning and rotating to keep it at its best and while it’s heavy, the sturdy side handles make it a 5 minute job when changing sheets.

Dusk is relatively new to the mattress game, but that hasn’t stopped the brand creating a seriously decent mattress. It has fantastic edge-to-edge support – it was one of the best hybrids we tested for this. It’s also got a medium-firm tension, which will suit pretty much anyone. Certainly, it impressed both us and our very discerning – ok, fussy – co-tester. It was one of those mattresses that makes it hard to get out of bed, in the right way. The top layer on this mattress is made from cooling gel foam, which is designed to maximise airflow and keep you temperate all night long – great for those liable to night sweats. The support in the Dusk mattress comes from 2,000 springs (in the king size) that are sandwiched between layers of memory foam. These three layers work together to provide dependable support that kept us snuggled all night long, while keeping our spines in optimal alignment. It’s a very decent mattress for the money.

What type of mattress should I get? OK, so you’ve decided you want a new mattress. But you’re blindsided by the different types. Worry no: here’s a quick cheat sheet. Sprung mattress – these are the traditional-style mattresses, which mostly come all ready to sleep on. They often have several thousand springs, which provide support while you sleep. Williams from the National Bed Federation says: “You should probably look for a minimum of 1,000 springs in a king size. Obviously, this needs to be pro rata’d down when buying a double or single. Where mattresses are advertised as having many thousands of springs, this is where layers of micro-springs are placed over the top of the main pocket spring unit as comfort layers. See even more details at mattressly.com.

We tested this mattress through June and part of July, which featured heatwaves. Our reviewer was impressed at how cool the mattress kept her even in 20-degree heat – so impressive, in fact, that she slept all the way through the night. The Ultima features a removable and machine-washable thermic cover aims to reduce body temperature by two degrees. Combined with the mattress’s dynamic airflow design, it’s made to keep you cool as you sleep. The luxury element comes with the huge 10 layers in this hybrid mattress, consisting of premium memory foam and 6,000 nano and pocket springs – plus that aforementioned thermic cover. It’s important to note that this mattress is heavy – it took two pretty strong people to lug it up the stairs – but once in position, it’s easy to manoeuvre. If you want to invest in a mattress and don’t mind dropping a cool £1,000 plus, we’d really recommend this mattress. You’ll also get free premium delivery, a 100-night comfort trial and a 10-year guarantee, so you can rest assured you’re covered in case you change your mind.