Sleep PicksChoosing a mattress by sleep position
Firmness is the one decision that matters most, and it depends on how you sleep, not on what felt nice in a showroom.
Side: softer to medium. Back: medium-firm. Front: firmer. Sharing: go by the heavier or sorer partner. Then buy from someone with a long home trial. More on timing and trials on the mattress page.
Our pick
A mattress with a long home trial
Emma (current range varies by country)
Why: A long home trial matters more than any review, including ours: only your own back can tell you, over weeks. Emma won a Good Housekeeping award in the UK in 2026 and has a strong on-site rating.
How to use it: Side sleepers: softer to medium. Back: medium-firm. Front: firmer. If two share, go by whoever is heavier or has the sorer back.
The honest downside: Emma's Trustpilot score is middling (around 3.5 in Ireland), mostly complaints about delivery and after-sales service rather than the mattress. Put the trial end date in your calendar the day it arrives.
Emma doesn't list New Zealand as a delivery country. Check their site before ordering.