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Emma, Otty and Nectar mattresses - which is best?
Get a better night's sleep this Sleeptember with a Best Buy mattress.
September is Sleeptember, the Sleep Charity's annual awareness campaign promoting the benefits of getting a good night's sleep.
A decent night's kip may seem like a fairytale to many of us. A third of us sleep for just five to six hours a night, according to the Sleep Charity: far fewer than the six to nine recommended by the NHS.
If you have a duff mattress, it's going to impact on the quality of your sleep. While mattresses can be a big purchase, it's an invaluable investment for your long-term health. You should expect to replace your mattress about every eight years.
In our latest batch of testing, we've found big differences between the best and worst mattresses we've tested. Read on to find out more about some of the most popular ones on test.
Emma's latest offering, the Smart Hybrid, is the brand's first mattress that's available in the shops.
It's constructed from a number of layers including a 13cm spring core sandwiched between layers of foam and fabric, on top of which you'll find a 3.5cm layer foam and another 2cm layer of aqua gel foam. It's available as medium or firm.
Despite the foam layers, it doesn't feel like it envelopes you, and it's not too warm to sleep on.
Is this the perfect mattress for you? Read our full Emma Smart Hybrid to find out.
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Nectar Sleep Memory Foam mattress, £449
This memory foam mattress from Nectar comes with some great extras: a jaw-droppingly long 365-day sleep trial combined with a lifetime warranty makes this an attractive offer. If you've wanted a memory foam mattress but weren't sure if it would be right for you, this could be a good one to try out.
The large 15.3cm foam core is topped with 3cm memory foam layer, 2cm of foam and a quilted cover. Nectar says that this mattress is 'just about right' in terms of firmness. In our independent firmness test, we rated it as a seven, which is towards the softer end of the scale.
You may have seen this Otty mattress splashed about social media. This hybrid mattress mixes pocket springs and foam, which should give you comfort and support while you sleep.
Otty also says the temperature-regulating memory foam on top will stop you overheating.
We classed this as an average warmth mattress, which means it's suitable for most people, and it doesn't feel too hot or cool to lie on, either.
Will this Otty Hybrid mattress be just right for you? Read our full review to find out.
Dreams Holman pocket spring mattress, £629
If you're not a fan or foam mattresses, the Dreams Holman mattress could be worth adding to your list. Dreams says that this mattress provides independent support for every area of your body and absorbs any partner motion.
This Dreams own-brand mattress is made from an 18cm core of pocket springs, sandwiched between various layers of fibres.
Marketed as firm, our independent tests rated it as more of a medium mattress, so should suit most people, and we class this as a cold mattress to sleep on, so Ideal if you tend to get hot during the night.
Memory Foam Warehouse Coolmax Superior mattress, £329.99
This memory foam mattress is one of the cheapest we've recently tested and currently on offer for £269.99. It's designed for side sleepers, according to the manufacturer. It's made from a 12cm foam base with 7.2cm of memory foam on top and has a cooling cover to prevent overheating.
We classed this as a cool mattress, and despite the layers of foam it won't feel like it will suck you into the surface. And our experts rated this as medium firmness in our tests.
If the double mattresses above aren't what you're, here are 15 of the latest mattress we've tested. Click on the links below to see how the mattresses fared in our tough tests.
Once you've sorted out your mattress, or if you feel your mattress isn't the problem, we've got five top tips on how to sleep better from the Sleep Charity's Sleeptember campaign:
Wind down Experiment with new ways to relax such as a warm bath, calming scents, quiet soothing music, reading or gentle stretching and yoga.
Ditch the technology Avoid using technology before bed as it stimulates the brain and makes it harder for you to switch off.
Establish a regular sleep pattern Try, as much as possible, to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.
Avoid caffeine and alcohol Avoid caffeine four to five hours before bed and cut out alcohol until your sleep patterns are under control. Both play havoc with your sleep.
Check your bed Keep your bedroom for rest and sleep; it shouldn't be too hot or too cold, and it should be as quiet and dark as possible, Make sure your bed is comfortable and that it's not too soft, hard, small or too old.
