Our mission at NCOA is to improve the lives of millions of older adults. That’s why we test and recommend products we believe can help you live a healthier life. We want to make it easier to find exceptional, reliable, and affordable mattresses and other sleep products to help you get the rest you need.

We started our mattress testing process by reviewing all the relevant research around older adults and sleep. We rely on our regular consultations with gerontologists, sleep experts, physical therapists, and our many in-house aging care experts to make sure we’re interpreting the research correctly. We also interview these experts to gain firsthand information on how we can help older adults get restful sleep, what features help reduce nighttime pain, and which mattress brands and types are higher quality.

We combed through thousands of verified customer reviews on trusted, impartial sites like Better Business Bureau (BBB) and Trustpilot to help us understand customers’ experiences. Then, we launched a survey to hear directly from older adults—learning what they love about their mattresses, what they hate, and how quality sleep has improved their lives.

We believe sleep is just as important for good health as nutrition and exercise. That’s why we focused on mattresses that are:

• Affordable
• Widely available
• Offer a variety of features
• Suitable for a range of pains and positions that are common to older adults

How we rank and review mattresses

To know how to test mattresses, we first have to understand what features are most important. So we went straight to the source: our surveys of older adults. Many of our survey participants have chronic pain that disrupts their sleep.

Based on our survey findings, we created a series of 19 tests. Each test results in a score, which is weighted according to the following factors:

• Customer service (15% of score): All new mattresses come with an adjustment period. You want to feel confident that if the mattress isn’t right for you, a brand’s reliable customer service team will help you return or exchange it. We mystery-shop the customer service experience (calling a brand and pretending to be an average customer) of every brand we recommend. We give extra points to brands with customer service open every day for normal working hours, and brands offering multiple ways to get help (phone, email, contact form, and instant messaging).
• Brand reputation (10% of score): We’re advocates for older adults, including calling out disreputable mattress companies selling a shoddy product to make a quick buck. To find bad actors, we read reviews on third-party websites, confirm how long each brand has been in business, and examine each brand’s legal history to ensure every company we recommend is trustworthy and reliable.
• Performance (20% of score): We unbox mattresses, set them up, and assess how they feel just like the average buyer would. We test things like whether mattresses relieve pressure (using a pressure map pad), keep sleepers cool (with a temperature gun), help isolate motion to limit disruption to your sleeping partner, and more. This process takes a long time because we want to be thorough. And each test is performed alongside older adults who can let us know how the mattresses feel. That information is just as important as the data we can get from the mattress pros.
• Features (15% of score): Based on survey findings and expert interviews, we learned what features are most important to users. We test things like weight capacity, firmness, and more. We give extra points to brands offering higher weight capacities, more size options, different firmness levels, free sleep accessories (like pillows), and more.
• Affordability (25% of score): As part of our mission to get products into the hands of older adults who need them, we want to recommend mattresses that are not only high quality but affordable. We compare cost and features data to decide whether a mattresses’ price justifies its value. We record things like cost ranges, warranty length, free trial periods, and whether the brand offers regular discounts.
• User experience (20% of score): We want to understand how easy it will be to buy these mattresses, have them delivered, and take advantage of their trial periods. So we research things like whether the brand offers white-glove delivery (removal of old mattress and installation of new mattress), length of the brands’ risk-free trial periods, whether they have any natural or organic certifications, and more.