Best Mattress for Age and Lifestyle

If you’re in the market for a new mattress, it isn’t just your sleep position and firmness preference that dictate the best mattress for you. Age and lifestyle also present a few unique factors to consider when shopping for a new mattress.

Best Mattress by Age

Your age is a key factor in determining the best mattress for you. Here are some details about what to look for in a mattress at every life stage:

Best Mattress for Kids

When your little one is ready to graduate from a crib to a “big” bed, you can narrow the search by taking their individual sleep habits into consideration.

For instance, kids who move around a lot during the night would benefit from the “hug” of a foam mattress, while kids who sleep hot would do well on a mattress with extra airflow, like an innerspring.

A twin mattress is the best size for toddlers and kids, though if your child is nearing their teens, you may want to consider a full-size mattress.

Best Mattress for Teens

Consistent, high-quality sleep helps promote brain function, school performance, physical health and mood—and the right mattress can help teenagers more easily get the sleep they need during these critical years of brain and body development.

More than anything, the firmness of a mattress contributes to its comfort. Personal preference, sleep position and body weight can all help determine how firm a mattress should be for optimal comfort. For most teens, a medium-soft to medium-firm mattress works best.

Side sleepers tend to prefer a mattress on the softer side, while back and stomach sleepers tend to do better with a firmer mattress.

Whether your teen is drawn to the bounce of an innerspring or the hug of memory foam, be sure to consider temperature regulation and look for a mattress with good airflow or cooling technology if your teen sleeps hot. 

And to ensure your teen gets the best-quality sleep possible, look for the best-quality materials and construction that fits within your budget.

Best Mattress for Adults

Since memory foam, latex and hybrid models all provide a level of contouring and support, they tend to be good options for adults who are likely trying to prevent or manage the aches and pains that come with the wear and tear of everyday life.

But when shopping for a mattress, adults have a lot more than just aches and pains to consider, including: 

• Budget
• Primary sleeping position
• Bodyweight 
• Temperature preference 
• Firmness preference
• Pain type—back, shoulder, hip or neck pain
• Whether or not they sleep with a partner

Since each of these considerations is extremely important, and each depends heavily upon the individual, we’ve created separate guides for many of them.

To get more detail about the best mattress for each sleep position, check out this helpful guide. If you’re interested in learning more about the best mattress for your weight, temperature or firmness preference, you’ll want to consult our article on the Best Mattress Features to Look For. And if you want to learn about the best mattress for your specific pain type, this article has you covered.

For a comprehensive overview of mattress buying basics, check out our Mattress Buying Guide.

Best Mattress for Seniors

Older adults should consider many of the same factors when it comes to choosing a new mattress: Budget, preferred sleep position and other preferences, such as sleeping hot or sharing the bed with a partner. But seniors have a few unique needs to consider, too.

As we age, joint pain can become more prominent, and that makes pressure relief a higher priority. Mattresses made with memory foam are excellent at contouring the body to help alleviate back and joint pain and help reduce pressure points in sensitive areas, like the hips and shoulders.

Another important feature is edge support, especially for anyone with limited mobility. Edge support increases the usable surface area of the bed, helping you get in and out of bed easier and more confidently. It also allows for sitting on the edge of the bed while you get dressed or put your shoes on.

Hybrid mattresses are a great option for seniors, as they are typically constructed with solid edge support as well as layers of memory foam, to provide both support and contouring. The bounce from the springs in a hybrid also allows for greater ease of movement, which can be helpful for seniors with limited mobility.

Best Mattress by Lifestyle

Do you sleep alone or do you snooze with a partner? Are you on the lighter or heavier side when it comes to bodyweight? The answers to these questions are critical when you’re shopping for the best mattress. Here’s a little more detail on the lifestyle factors that should impact your mattress selection:

Best Mattress for Couples

Those who are easily disturbed by their partner’s movements in bed should look for a mattress that delivers excellent motion isolation, so when your partner moves around or gets up during the night, you stay deep in dreamland.an.

For couples who prefer a little extra bounce between the sheets, mattresses with a coil design, such as innerspring or hybrid models, deliver the best in this department. Latex mattresses also have a bit of bounce, falling somewhere between the bounciness of a spring mattress and a foam mattress.

Best Mattress for Heavyweight Sleepers

If you weigh more than 230 pounds, a medium to medium-firm mattress with a strong support system and minimal cushioning layers will probably be the most comfortable for you. Side sleepers typically lean toward the softer end of the spectrum with a medium mattress, while back and stomach sleepers are usually more comfortable on a medium-firm mattress.

Sleepers who prefer a close-conforming feel and more pressure-point relief should opt for a memory foam or polyfoam mattress. Hybrid and innerspring mattresses are better if you’re looking for more support and stability. 

For heavier sleepers, responsiveness is another important factor to consider. On a foam mattress, you’ll experience the feeling of sleeping “in” rather than “on top of” the bed. Mattresses with more bounce, like hybrids and innersprings, allow for better ease of movement and therefore deliver the feeling of sleeping “on top of” the bed.

Best Mattress for Lightweight Sleepers

Sleepers who weigh less than 130 pounds are typically more comfortable on a soft mattress. That’s because they exert less pressure than a heavier person, which means that a firmer mattress won’t compress enough to provide cradling and pressure relief to lightweight sleepers.

Your sleep position will help determine the exact firmness that will be most comfortable for you. Side sleepers tend to prefer a soft to medium mattress. Back and stomach sleepers need a bit more firmness to support proper spinal alignment, and should look for a medium-soft to medium-firm mattress.

Memory foam is an excellent option for lighter sleepers because it contours better than other mattress types. That said, a softer hybrid mattress that’s made with memory foam is also a solid option, especially for those who prefer a little more bounce to their bed.

Thinking about purchasing a new mattress? Check out our Mattress Buying Guide for everything you need to know.