How to Make Mattress Shopping Fun

Think about the last time you purchased a mattress. What feelings do you associate with that experience? Perhaps the terms stressful, time consuming, and expensive come to mind? Well, what about fun? Yes, I said fun. According to a recent BedTimes Magazine survey, 70 percent of people find enjoyment in mattress shopping, with a third of people saying it’s very enjoyable.

Maybe you’re part of this giddy bed-buying crowd or maybe you belong to the 27 percent of respondents who dislike the process. Either way, I’m a mattress expert and I totally agree it can be an enjoyable experience if you know how to navigate it. I’m here to tell you my best tips for making the mattress buying process more fun – yes, really.

Step 1: Picture Better Sleep

To start off your mattress buying journey, picture everything you dislike about your sleep and your current bed. Then, picture it improving. Finding the right mattress is something to get excited about because it can lead to cozy nights and restful mornings. A new bed can equate to better sleep, more energy, and less aches or pains.

Just as you may get enthusiastic about a new appliance or a new outfit, do so about a new bed! You do spend about a third of your life on them after all.

Step 2: Identify Your Sleep Style

What’s more fun than answering easy questions about yourself? Think about your sleeping position(s), whether you sleep hot or cold, if you sleep near the edge of the bed, have any pains or medical conditions, and whether you sleep with a partner or pet.

Step 3: Find the Best Bed for You

Your answers will help lead you to the type of mattress you need. You can learn more about this in our mattress buying guide, but in part:

Side sleepers tend to want a soft bed and can do well on memory foam, hybrid, or pillow top mattresses.
Back sleepers do well on most beds, but especially medium-firm beds, like innerspring mattresses, latex beds, and hybrid beds.
Stomach sleepers like a firm mattress, such as an innerspring or hybrid bed.
Couples may benefit from cooling materials, strong edge support, and solid motion isolation — which a lot of mattress types offer!

Step 4: Set Your Budget

Mattresses can range from a couple hundred dollars to thousands. We typically recommend spending at least $1,000 on a bed (for a queen size) in order to ensure quality comfort, but everyone has their own budget. Once you set yours, it’s a lot easier to narrow in on your future mattress.

If you need help setting your budget, you can also see our guide on how much you should spend on a new mattress.

Step 5: Let Others Do the Heavy Lifting

One major beauty of the internet is a lot of people have already done the research for you. Here at Sleepopolis, we want to make your mattress buying experience as easy as possible, so we’ve compiled lists of the best beds for certain types of sleepers. You can skim some popular ones below and also look at the others we have on our site. We’re always straightforward with what we do and do not like about each mattress.

Ahhh, it’s getting easier already, right?

Step 6: Look at Beds (From the Comfort of Your Own Home)

Another great thing about the internet? You can cut your workload in half when it comes to making big purchases because you don’t have to physically go anywhere.

Curious how a mattress feels or what it’s made of? Check out a review where you can not only see pictures of the mattress and read detailed descriptions, but you can also view a video of a mattress reviewer (like myself) testing and interacting with the bed. This keeps you from having to deal with pushy salespeople or trying to decide on a new mattress after 30 seconds of lying on it in a store. No impulse buys necessary! (It takes about 30 days for your body to get used to a new bed anyways.)

You can also order your mattress online with the click of a button. It will be delivered to your front door and depending on the company, they’ll set it up for you. Mattress shopping is easier than ever these days.

Step 7: Get the Best Deal

If you’re able to, we recommend waiting for sales when mattress shopping and being strategic with your purchase. You can read our article on the best time to buy a mattress and think about the money you’ll save when buying around holidays or certain seasons. Brands often throw in free accessories or bundles during their sales as well. If saving money and getting a great deal isn’t considered fun, then I don’t know what is.

Step 8: Take Comfort in Trial Periods

A mattress is a big purchase, but it doesn’t have to be a big commitment if you don’t want it to be. Brands usually offer trial periods where you can test out your new bed and if you don’t like it, you can return or exchange it within that time frame. In fact, some brands will let you try yours out for an entire year. (That said, we always recommend reading the fine print so you have a clear idea of the company policies and what you’re getting.)

Read more about the mattress return process here.

Step 9: Achieve Quality Sleep

The most fun part of mattress shopping is getting better sleep. A new bed can not only increase the quality of your sleep, but it can also bring you more support, pressure relief, and overall comfort. If you’re not happy or having fun yet, your future self sure will be.

Bridget Chapman

Bridget is a Certified Sleep Science Coach and the former senior commerce editor at Sleepopolis, where she did everything from test out mattresses to writing about how to fall asleep fast. You can also find her in videos on our YouTube channel. Bridget graduated magna cum laude from San Diego State University with a degree in journalism and a minor in English. Before joining the Sleepopolis team, she was a TV news reporter and worked in cities across the country. She loves spending time outdoors, checking out new restaurants, snuggling with her pets, and of course, getting some quality Zzz’s.