Sleep comfort is often overlooked, but it can have a great impact on our overall health and wellbeing. Choosing the right mattress is vital to ensuring a good night's sleep and a healthy mind and body. Many people swear by memory foam mattresses, but how do you choose the right one for you?
Luckily, we've gathered all the information you'll need to find your perfect mattress. From firmness and thickness to cooling gel and hypoallergenic properties, this article will make the choice simple. Plus, we've compiled a list of the 10 best memory foam mattresses currently available through UK retailers such as Amazon, Argos and John Lewis.
There are two common varieties of memory foam, each one offering its own unique benefits. If you're unsure whether to opt for traditional or gel foam, take a look at the key features below to help narrow down your choice.
Try a Memory Foam Pillow to tackle neck pain.
One of the most important factors pertaining to mattress comfort is firmness. This is generally rated as soft, medium or firm. It can be hard to know which is best for you without trying a mattress out for yourself, but here are a few factors that may help you decide on the right option.
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Memory foam mattresses are usually between 15 and 30 cm thick. However, the memory foam layer only takes up a small percentage of the total depth. Typically, the mattress will be composed of a base layer which provides rigid support, and a comfort layer on top which utilises memory foam to contour to the body.
The ratio of base layer to comfort layer will depend on your chosen mattress, but a good average is 90% base and 10% comfort. For example, a 30 cm mattress should contain around 3 cm of memory foam. If the base layer is thinner than 90%, the mattress is usually softer, and if it takes up more than 90% of the overall depth, the mattress will be more firm.
All memory foam is naturally antimicrobial, but if you're particularly sensitive to dust mites and other common allergens, you may want to opt for a mattress that's hypoallergenic too. Gel and high-density traditional foam are the best options for tackling allergies. However, their effectiveness can be impacted by the materials used for the mattress' outer layers.
Since so many different factors go into making a mattress, it's usually easiest to just look for those explicitly labeled as being hypoallergenic. To help save you time, we've included this information for each of the products in our ranking, but if you want to be sure you're protected, you can always buy a hypoallergenic mattress topper to reduce the risk of reactions.
Choose Bamboo Bedding for a naturally hypoallergenic option.
For those after a quick look, here is our Top 5:
This article's chosen EC site price listings are reflective of its publishing date.
Image | 1 ![]() eve | 2 ![]() Molblly | 3 ![]() Silentnight | 4 ![]() Simba | 5 ![]() Inofia | 6 ![]() naturalex | 7 ![]() Inofia | 8 ![]() Jay-Be | 9 ![]() Emma | 10 ![]() TEMPUR® |
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Name | Sleep Original Mattress | Memory Foam Mattress | Yours & Mine | Cool Foam Mattress | 2 in 1 Soft and Firm Two Sided Flippable | Extrafresh Urban Living Extra Deep Memory Foam Mattress | Tri-fold Mattress with Memory Foam | Benchmark S3 Memory Eco Friendly Mattress | Original Memory Foam Mattress | Sensation Elite Memory Foam Mattress |
Features | Three Layers of Movement-Isolating Foam to Aid Light Sleepers | 20 cm High-Density Foam Mattress With 10% Gel Memory Foam | Tailor-Made Half and Half Mattress Designed With Couples in Mind | Cooling Gel and Air Vents Increase Breathability to Tackle Overheating | 2-In-1 Flippable Mattress That’s Perfect for Guest Rooms | 7 Zones of Support to Cater To Your Body’s Varying Needs | Tri-Fold Guest Mattress With 4 cm of Breathable Memory Foam | Eco-Friendly Mattress Made From Recycled Materials | Don’t Rush Your Decision With a 200-Day Sleep Trail | Firm Support for a Wide Range of Bed Shapes and Sizes |
Price | £343.00 | £109.99 | £880.00 | £159.00 | £102.99 | £168.87 | £135.90 | £175.00 | £309.00 | £1,299.00 |
Traditional / Gel | Traditional | Gel | Traditional, gel | Gel | Traditional | Traditional | Traditional | Traditional | Traditional | Traditional |
Firmness | Medium/firm | Medium | Soft / Medium, Soft / Firm, Medium / Firm | Soft | Medium/firm | Firm | Soft | Medium | Medium | Firm |
Mattress Thickness | 24 cm | 20 cm | 18 cm | 15 cm | 22 cm | 30 cm | 10 cm | 20 cm | 25 cm | 25 cm |
Memory Foam Thickness | - | 2 cm | - | - | - | - | 4 cm | - | - | - |
Hypoallergenic | Yes | Yes | - | - | - | Yes | - | - | - | - |
Sizes Available | Single, double, king | Small double, double, king, super king | King, super king | Single, small double, double | Single, double, king, super king | Single, small double, double, king, super king | Single, small double, double | Single, small double, double, king | Single, small double, double, king, queen, super king | Small single, single, long single, small double, double, king, super king |
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This ranking has been compiled by the writing team at mybest UK via careful evaluation of the points made in the buying guide and thorough research of each product and comparing multiple verified customer reviews across the EC sites used.
£343.00
Traditional / Gel | Traditional |
---|---|
Firmness | Medium/firm |
Mattress Thickness | 24 cm |
Memory Foam Thickness | - |
Hypoallergenic | Yes |
Sizes Available | Single, double, king |
£109.99
Traditional / Gel | Gel |
---|---|
Firmness | Medium |
Mattress Thickness | 20 cm |
Memory Foam Thickness | 2 cm |
Hypoallergenic | Yes |
Sizes Available | Small double, double, king, super king |
£880.00
Traditional / Gel | Traditional, gel |
---|---|
Firmness | Soft / Medium, Soft / Firm, Medium / Firm |
Mattress Thickness | 18 cm |
Memory Foam Thickness | - |
Hypoallergenic | - |
Sizes Available | King, super king |
£159.00
Traditional / Gel | Gel |
---|---|
Firmness | Soft |
Mattress Thickness | 15 cm |
Memory Foam Thickness | - |
Hypoallergenic | - |
Sizes Available | Single, small double, double |
£102.99
Traditional / Gel | Traditional |
---|---|
Firmness | Medium/firm |
Mattress Thickness | 22 cm |
Memory Foam Thickness | - |
Hypoallergenic | - |
Sizes Available | Single, double, king, super king |
£168.87
Traditional / Gel | Traditional |
---|---|
Firmness | Firm |
Mattress Thickness | 30 cm |
Memory Foam Thickness | - |
Hypoallergenic | Yes |
Sizes Available | Single, small double, double, king, super king |
£135.90
Traditional / Gel | Traditional |
---|---|
Firmness | Soft |
Mattress Thickness | 10 cm |
Memory Foam Thickness | 4 cm |
Hypoallergenic | - |
Sizes Available | Single, small double, double |
£175.00
Traditional / Gel | Traditional |
---|---|
Firmness | Medium |
Mattress Thickness | 20 cm |
Memory Foam Thickness | - |
Hypoallergenic | - |
Sizes Available | Single, small double, double, king |
£309.00
Traditional / Gel | Traditional |
---|---|
Firmness | Medium |
Mattress Thickness | 25 cm |
Memory Foam Thickness | - |
Hypoallergenic | - |
Sizes Available | Single, small double, double, king, queen, super king |
£1,299.00
Traditional / Gel | Traditional |
---|---|
Firmness | Firm |
Mattress Thickness | 25 cm |
Memory Foam Thickness | - |
Hypoallergenic | - |
Sizes Available | Small single, single, long single, small double, double, king, super king |
Written and researched by Alicia Byrne
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