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Our team of sleep experts has tested hundreds of mattresses. We have created a variety of tests and ratings that we subject each mattress to during the process. During testing, we look at firmness, feel, motion isolation, durability, and edge support.
Firmness and feel
Think of firmness as how hard or soft a mattress is. Our experience testing mattresses has given us a wide range to compare a new bed to, helping us determine where it falls on the firmness scale.
Feel is where we get hands-on with the bed. We roll around on it and describe how it feels. We also pay close attention to how materials react to weight and pressure. We note how quickly a bed bounces back when weight is lifted off it.
Sustainability
No mattress lasts forever, but you do want to choose one that will last you the expected seven to ten years. We assume how long a mattress will last based on its construction. Coil beds stand the test of time better than foam, which can sag over the years.
Motion isolation
Motion isolation may not seem like a big deal at first, but it is important if you have a partner or pet that moves around a lot. The last thing you want is someone tossing and turning to wake you up.
To test motion isolation, two team members move around on the bed and measure how well each bed dampens motion. We also place a glass of water on the edge of the bed and move around. The bed does not have good motion isolation if the glass falls over.
Edge support
Edge support is how strong the edge of the bed is. It is an important factor if you sleep on the edge of the bed. We test this by sitting and lying along the edge. If we feel like we are falling off because the mattress folds under the weight, it does not have good edge support.
Our CNET Sleep editors select the beds and other products we write about based on editorial merit. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about how we test mattresses.
