Excellent matress buying tips and tricks today? When Casper first launched as a bed-in-a-box mattress company seven years ago, it did so with the Casper Original. This bed has undergone upgrades since then and, in addition to the all-foam Original, is also available as the Original Hybrid (which places 13th in our ratings). One of the biggest ways the Original Foam has improved from the first Casper mattress is with its AirScape foam. This top layer in the mattress has small holes across the entire surface to increase airflow. It’s designed to combat one of the major drawbacks of a foam mattress: overheating. Underneath this is a foam layer that has a section of firmer foam under your hips and lower back for more support. This zoned support relieved neck and back pain for some professional reviewers.

It’s certainly one of the cooler mattress experiences our testers have tried, aided by a cover that has temperature-regulating fibres, comparing well with the Original for minimising restlessness from overheating. Below the springs is a layer of pressure relieving foam, which in turn lies on a base of cold foam with cut-out technology to provide support where it’s needed most. Our testers found it quite a firm sleep, but in a supportive rather than rock hard way. It definitely took our side sleeper a few more days to get use to the fact it had less give than their usual mattress, so not the best choice for those that prefer something more cloud-like, while the back sleeper preferred it, declaring afterwards that the old mattress now felt ‘too soft, too giving’. There’s a 200-night trial period, a 10-year guarantee and hassle-free returns promise.

There are also eight layers of traceable British wool, which help with temperature regulation. We always felt nicely warm on the mattress and didn’t overheat at all, not even on warmer nights. The wool is also naturally fire retardant and antimicrobial, to keep you free of nasties and sweat all night long. This mattress is perfect for even the fussiest of sleepers. We love that every Hypnos is handmade by craftspeople in the UK – this is a truly British mattress right here. It’s no surprise the Queen plumps for Hypnos herself.

According to The Sleep Charity, the average person spends about a third of their lives asleep. If the average life of a mattress is seven years (we’ll come on to that in a minute), then that’s 20,000 hours you’ll spend on one. How do I know when I need a new mattress? If you’re sleeping well on your mattress with no aches or pains then you don’t need to change it. But it’s important to notice if that’s not the case and to take action. Simon Williams from the National Bed Federation advises you to look for changes in how well you’re sleeping [and] sleeping better in other beds when away from home. Other things to look out for are back ache, stiffness in the morning, lumps and bumps in the mattress, squeaks and creaks during the night when you move, rolling into the middle, discolouration of the mattress fabric or wearing away of fabric. See additional information on mattressly.com.

Made in the UK, the Emma uses a different kind of chemical foam to most other bed-in-box mattresses, which the makers say is more durable. While we tried it for just a week or so, we’re not able to comment on whether it’s long-lasting or not but customer reviews seem to confirm that claim. Underneath the soft breathable outer cover is a three layer construction that includes an Airgocell® foam layer for ventilation to keep you cool. A 25mm memory foam layer giving general pressure relief for joints while the thicker foam base targets areas such as the shoulders and lower back to give optimum support. It’s a combination that provided a super comfortable sleep on whatever our chosen night-time position, even though our testers found it sat on the fairly firm side of medium our side sleeper still experienced a restful night without any tossing and turning. Unlike some memory foam mattresses, there was little or no odour and it rose quickly to its 25cm depth once released from its packaging. We’re fond of handles on mattresses, even if they don’t require turning as it means making the bed is a tad easier. It has a returns policy of 100 nights and a 10-year warranty.