Mattress Brands and Links

Trying out mattresses

If you need a guest bed but don't have the space for a full-size mattress, experts recommend an inflatable air mattress, and ConsumerSearch offers a full report about this type of bed. However, chiropractors don't recommend sleeping on these mattresses regularly due to their lack of support.

If you want to test a bed out for a night or two, you can stay in a hotel that offers luxurious bedding and feather pillows. Sheraton Hotels offer the Sweet Sleeper (equivalent to an 11.5-inch Sealy Posturepedic with a plush top), which can be purchased online directly from Sheraton (*Est. $1,450 queen size).

The Westin hotel chain offers the Heavenly Bed from Simmons, which can be purchased online as a complete set that includes the box spring and bedding (*Est. $2,670, queen-size set).

Tempur-Pedic beds (*Est. $1,700, queen size) can be found in a variety of hotels, bed and breakfasts, resorts and inns across Canada. A number of hotels in the U.S. also feature these mattresses.

Radisson offers the Sleep Number bed by Select Comfort at some locations.

Duxiana, a high-end Swedish chain, doesn't have an in-home trial period but lets shoppers test their mattresses in private nap rooms in their stores. These beds have multiple layers of innersprings, are backed by a 20-year warranty and cost anywhere from $4,000 to $12,000.

Sleep research and mattresses

The Better Sleep Council, an organization funded by the mattress industry, provides a wide variety of material on sleep and mattresses.

The Sleep Foundation is a nonprofit research and advocacy organization that is dedicated to the study of sleep disorders.

Spine-Health.com features peer-reviewed articles and information on spinal health.

HealthAndAge.com offers a variety of articles on sleep and aging.

Futon Life magazine features a buyer's guide for consumers as well as a forum for owners.

Epinions.com has a mattress buying advice forum written by users.

In 2008, a class-action lawsuit was filed in California against the makers of the Select Comfort Sleep Number bed, alleging that the beds promoted mold growth. This case is still outstanding. ConsumerAffairs.com lists many owner complaints about mold in these mattresses.

Sites with some mattress reviews

Buzzillions.com compiles owner reviews from various online retailers, but users can also post reviews directly to Buzzillions.com. This site is particularly helpful for finding information on products -- like mattresses -- that tend to receive only a few reviews spread across several retailer websites.

Amazon.com sells foam, inflatable and innerspring mattresses as well as mattress pads and other related items.

At Macys.com, customers can browse by price range, brand, size and firmness. However, there are few user comments on mattresses, even those listed as customer favorites.

Walmart.com sells more than 200 mattresses, mostly from the low end of the price range (under $1,000), and the site has a large number of user comments.

Viewpoints.com contrasts the most positive review of any given product with the most critical review, making it easier to compare pros and cons.

ReviewCentre.com is based in Britain, but some of the mattresses reviewed here are available in the United States.

AllergyBuyersClub.com provides ratings for the mattresses it sells, but the methodology for creating those ratings is not explained, and all the ratings are relatively high. However, the site does have some useful information, such as a comparison chart that lists pluses, minuses and a typical user profile for each type of mattress.

Mattress brands

BedInABox.com

Bergad Isoform

Bragada

Comfortaire

Duxiana

Dynasty Mattress

Ergoflex

Ikea

King Koil

Leggett & Platt

Magniflex

OMI

Royal Pedic

Sealy/Stearns & Foster

Select Comfort

Serta

Simmons

Sleep Revolution

Tempur-Pedic