Product Research Process - How We Choose & Review Sleep Products
At The Sleep Shop Inc., we're deeply committed to giving our readers the best quality, unbiased reviews of the most popular sleep products on the market. Our reviews and buyer's guides are created after extensive hands-on testing from our team, which in turn influences which products we include for our readers.
Our Unique 2 Stage Review Process
All of our tests are done in two stages - the "evaluation" stage and the "practical" test stage.
The Evaluation Stage
During the evaluation stage, we test things like firmness, mattress build quality, motion responsiveness, edge support, off gassing and any unique features from the manufacturer. The goal of this stage is to make sure the mattress is what it's advertised to be. If the manufacturer says it's a soft mattress, we verify this by comparing it to other mattresses with the same distinction.
The Practical Stage
During the practical stage, we sleep on these mattresses and use the toppers, pillows, and sheets we get for product testing. That's right. These mattresses get delivered to our product testers home. Each product tester has a space dedicated to practical product reviews. Rather than review mattresses in a lab, we like to review them in a way that most reflects how you're going to use a mattress - to sleep on all night.
Our Product Testing Team
Product Research Manager
Courtney Floyd
Junior Editor
Gabe Lazare
Head of Product testing
Chloe Nzuve
Why Trust Us?
Our team tests and reviews sleep products as a full time job. Since starting The Sleep Shop Inc., we've gathered an in-depth knowledge of the sleep industry through experience. Members of our team are trained on the process of testing mattresses, how mattresses are designed, and how they're manufactured and sold to the public. This gives us a well rounded and transparent approach to content creation and product reviews.
We've toured mattress stores and manufacturing warehouses to get a hands-on look at the mattress build process from start to finish. We're familiar with what parts of the mattress build process influences build quality, and what parts of it are marketing jargon. We use this knowledge to help filter out what's important to the end consumer.
3 Product Data Sources
We review our products based on multiple data sources to give our readers the most well-rounded take on each product we test.
- Hands on testing
- Industry expert analysis
- Manufacturer information
This combination of data gives readers a look into how the products will perform in their home, as well as how they compare against other products based on information from industry experts and the product manufacturer.
Product Performance Rating Factors
For mattresses, we use a set list of rating factors to consistently analyze each mattress we test.
Overall Score
We give each mattress an overall rating on a scale of 1-5 to give our readers an overview of it's overall performance and quality.
- 1Low
- 2Medium - Low
- 3Medium
- 4Medium - High
- 5Premium
Firmness
Mattress firmness is measured on a scale from 1-10, with 1 being the softest and 10 being the firmest. Firmness is provided by the mattress manufacturer then verified by our product testing team.
- 1Soft: 1-3
- 2Medium Soft: 4
- 3Medium: 5
- 4Medium Firm: 6
- 5Firm: 7-1
- 6Extra Firm: 8-10
Motion Isolation
Motion isolation is how much you can feel when someone moves on a mattress. This factor is important if you sleep with a partner, but isn't as important if you sleep alone. If you're prone to waking up easily by motion, opting for a mattress with excellent motion isolation is ideal.
Durability
The average mattress should last about 8 years, but build quality and mattress type have a huge impact on this. We look at the overall durability of a mattress to give you an idea of how long you can expect your mattress to last. At most, you should expect a premium-level mattress to last up to 10 years, while a budget mattress may only last 2.
Temperature Control
Most decent quality mattresses nowadays offer some level of temperature regulation. This is generally done with temperature regulating fabrics, but not all fabrics are created equally. If you struggle with night sweats, this factor is critical to consider.
Pressure Relief
Pressure relief is one of the most important factors when it comes to sleeping comfortable. When you lay down on a mattress, your body will create natural pressure points along the surface. We test to see how each mattress helps relieve this pressure around your hips, shoulders, and back.
Edge Support
Whether you use the edge of your bed to sit when getting ready, or you sleep with a partner who pushes you to the side of the bed, you should know how well a mattresses' edges hold up before finalizing your purchase decision. Some mattress companies skimp on edge support, making them a risky purchase for couples or those with a smaller mattress size.
Sleep Positions
There's 4 main sleep positions, back, stomach, side and combination. We test our mattresses for each sleep position so you can decide if its a good fit for how you sleep
- 1Side sleeper
- 2Stomach sleeper
- 3Back sleeper
- 4Combination sleeper
We frequently update our process as the industry changes. Check back here often to see how we judge each product we test, including mattresses, mattress toppers, pillows, sheets, weighted blankets and more. If you have questions about our process, feel free to reach out to us and we'd be happy to share more.