Supportive
The most important feature of any mattress is the support it provides. No matter your size or the way you like to sleep, the mattress that is best for you will keep your spine properly aligned.
Research shows that proper alignment of the spine is the most important factor determining the quality of your sleep. A sagging mattress or one that does not provide enough support for your weight and preferred sleep position will not provide you with the restorative sleep you need to wake up to the best version of yourself.
But what is proper alignment?
- For back sleepers, proper alignment allows for the natural curve of the spine. The mattress should yield to the extra weight of hips and shoulders while supporting the lower back and neck.
- For side sleepers, a fully supportive mattress will keep your spine straight while still accommodating the extra width at the shoulders and the hips.
- For stomach sleepers, a firmer mattress will keep your spine from arching unnaturally, which can cause lower back pain and headaches.
You really won’t know if a mattress is going to offer you the right support until you sleep on it for at least a few weeks. So while you can research things like support and spinal alignment, you and your sleeping partner might respond differently to different types of mattresses.
If you’re unsure, our best recommendation is to choose a mattress that has a generous trial period and hassle-free returns.
Motion Isolation
You love your partner dearly, but night after night they toss and turn and sleep right through it. You? You wake up feeling every move all… night… long.
That’s probably because your current mattress doesn’t absorb movements; it merely transfers the motion from the other side of the bed to your side, disturbing your sleep. A mattress for couples should isolate motion so each of you can sleep soundly regardless of how much activity there is on the other side of the bed.
Foam mattresses and mattresses filled with individually wrapped coils are the best bets for motion isolation.
Durability
A mattress for two people is going to wear more than one with a single sleeper. As a couple, you may find you spend more time in bed, which means there’s more weight for the mattress to support and more activity to sustain.
A mattress that may be durable for one person may not be the best for couples. Couples need mattresses that are able to withstand the additional wear and tear that comes from couples’ activities and sleep habits.
A good mattress will retain its original shape and support over its lifetime – about 7 to 10 years.
Sagging in the center will draw both of you into the middle of the mattress and make it difficult to get out of the swale. Poor support will result in back pain, headaches, and stiff necks for both of you. And that’s a good recipe for relationship rifts.
Sex
Yeah, we went there. For most couples, sleeping is not the only activity that happens on your mattress. (And we’re not talking about pillow fights.) So, when you’re shopping for a mattress, you’ll want to consider all the ways you plan to use your mattress.
Here are some of the features you should look for when considering the best mattress for sex:
- Mattresses with too much hug will make it difficult to change positions and move around. You may find your amorous activities rather sluggish and less energetic because you are expending so much energy simply trying to change positions.
- Can you say “mother-in-law visits”? Sometimes, you’re not the only ones in the house, and no one else needs to know what you are doing in the bedroom. A mattress well-suited for couples to share will absorb motion and vibrations to minimize noise no matter what you are doing in bed.
- Edge support. You’ll want to make sure that the mattress edge doesn’t collapse under the weight of one or both of you. Activity near the edge of a collapsed edge could land both of you on the floor. After that, you’d be inclined to restrict your activity to the center of the bed, limiting your space.
Size
Remember, you’re not sleeping alone anymore. A full-size mattress is simply not big enough for a couple.
In fact, sharing a full-size mattress gives each of you about as much space as sleeping in a crib would. Your mattress needs to be big enough for both of you.
Right now, you feel certain that you will snuggle and spoon every night, but after 23 years of marriage, I’m here to tell you that you will not. Fact of life. Sorry kids. So make sure you leave enough room for personal space when you need it. Split king mattresses work great for couples who have different needs in a mattress, and they work especially well with adjustable bases.
Read More: Best Mattresses for Adjustable Beds
Return Policy
When buying online, you’ll want the assurance of a generous return policy — after all, you’re making a big investment without ever having touched the item you will be entrusting with your sleep.
Industry experts claim it takes your body about 30 days to adjust fully to a new mattress, so a 30-day trial period is a minimum requirement. Many companies offer 100 days or more, which is even better.
Summary
As a reminder, here’s a recap of our top picks for mattresses that you and your significant other will love sharing:
| Mattress |
Type |
Best for |
Firmness |
| Helix |
Hybrid |
Most couples |
4.5-8/10 |
| Leesa |
Memory foam |
Value |
6/10 |
| Saatva |
Hybrid |
Support |
4.5-8/10 |
| Purple |
Hybrid |
Cooling |
6.5/10 |
| Amore Hybrid |
Hybrid |
Budget shoppers |
4.5-8/10 |
Buying a mattress for the two of you is a big decision. The quality of your sleep affects every aspect of your life, so it’s worth taking the time to talk with your partner about their sleep preferences and finding a mattress that’s going to meet both of your needs, without breaking the bank.
Drop us a line in the comments below if you still have questions, or let us know about a mattress that you and your sleeping partner find particularly dreamy.
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