Sleep PicksIs it your mattress?
Honest answers by age, how to choose, and how to buy without the risk.
Under 3 years old
It's almost certainly not the problem, unless it was wrong for you from the start. Look at the pillow, the room and your evening habits first. Make it last: rotate it every few months and use a protector.
3 to 7 years old
Usually still fine. If it feels a bit tired, a topper can buy you a few more years for a fraction of the price. Replace only if you wake sore or there's a visible dip.
Over 7 years old
Worth a hard look. It's probably done if: there's a dip where you sleep, you wake stiff and it eases by mid-morning, you sleep better in hotels, or you feel springs or your partner's every move. If none of that applies, keep it.
No idea how old it is
Then use the signs above instead of the age. And check the label on the side: most have a manufacture date.
If it's time: how to choose
Side sleepers: softer to medium, so shoulder and hip can sink in. Back: medium-firm. Front: firmer, so your hips don't sag. Sharing: go by whoever is heavier or has the sorer back, and look for low motion transfer.
A 2009 Oklahoma State study found people reported better sleep and less back stiffness on new medium-firm beds than on their own, which averaged 9.5 years old. It was funded by the mattress industry's Better Sleep Council, so take it with a pinch of salt.
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.
Trials, returns and the fine print
- US: home trial 365 nights · read the Trustpilot reviews
- Canada: home trial 365 nights · read the Trustpilot reviews
- UK: home trial 200 nights · read the Trustpilot reviews
- Ireland: home trial 200 nights · read the Trustpilot reviews
- Australia: home trial 150 nights · read the Trustpilot reviews
- New Zealand: check Emma's site for delivery.
Before you order: is there a minimum number of nights before you can return it? Who collects it, and does that cost anything? Refund or exchange only? And put the trial end date in your calendar the day it arrives.
When to buy
Mattress prices swing a lot. The biggest sale week is Black Friday (27 November 2026), with smaller ones around public holidays. If yours is tired but usable, waiting a few weeks is reasonable. If you're waking in pain every day, don't wait for a discount. And don't buy on showroom feel: two minutes in a shop tells you almost nothing.