Top mattress brands and retailers

About 75 percent of those who bought a new mattress reported that it helped them sleep better. But paying more didn't always translate into higher satisfaction the morning after. Nor did buying from a major retailer. Lying down on the mattress for at least 10 minutes in the store remains the best way to find the right mattress.

That's what subscribers told us about in more than 17,500 experiences of buying and sleeping on mattresses in a survey by the Consumer Reports National Research Center. Though most were satisfied overall with their purchases, they also gave us an earful on the shopping process, which many manufacturers and retailers make as confusing as possible. Here's what they had to say:

Memory foam and air beds satisfy. Subscribers who bought memory foam and inflatable air beds were more likely to tell us they were sleeping better than those who purchased traditional innersprings. So it's not surprising that Tempur-Pedic memory foam and Sleep Number air beds were most cited as improving sleep.

Price-matching offers are meaningless. If you want value as well as comfort, you'll run into a long-standing business practice that makes it almost impossible to comparison shop. Mattress makers offer some lines nationally, but when those brands are sold through major chains such as Macy's, Sears, and Sleepy's, they're for lines exclusive to those chains. And each retailer usually gives the mattress a different name. As a result, there's no way for you to know which mattress is actually the same as or comparable to one in another store. So price guarantees really don't guarantee much.

If you prefer not to play those games, buy from a retailer that sells its own mattress brands, such as Denver Mattress, Ikea, and the Original Mattress Factory.

Big names get little praise. Readers who shopped at Sleepy's, "the mattress professionals," were significantly less satisfied than those who bought at top-rated stores. Though Macy's and Sears rated better than Sleepy's, they also got mostly lukewarm marks, with Sears getting dinged for service and selection. As for major bed brands, Sealy and Serta were the ones readers were least likely to buy again.

Price doesn't guarantee happiness. Tempur-Pedic, almost $2,500 for a queen, was among the highest in overall brand satisfaction—and among the brands respondents said they'd get again. But the Original Mattress Factory, with a median ­price of $855 for a queen, and Ikea, $515, also rated highly. Sleep Number and Kingsdown cost roughly $1,800 for a queen-size mattress. But those who bought a Sleep Number mattress were much more likely to say they would buy the brand again and that the mattress helped them sleep better.

A new box spring isn't a must. Though most respondents replaced their box spring with their mattress, roughly 80 percent of those who kept their old box spring reported that they were sleeping better after replacing just their mattress. So if your box spring isn't broken and is still structurally sound, consider keeping it and saving several hundred dollars. One caveat: Some brands require you buy their box spring to get full warranty coverage. You might want to avoid those brands.

Haggling helps. Mattresses have hefty markups. That's why 50 percent off "sales" are common. More expensive models have even higher margins. Yet only 34 percent of respondents tried to negotiate price at the store. Those who did saved a median of $115, with almost a third saving $150 or more. Whether or not you haggle, never pay full price. And always factor in delivery and haul-away costs.

Pain drives some selection. Readers with arthritis, joint problems, or chronic back pain were more likely to report improved sleep from their new mattress than people without those problems—and more likely to say their sleep improved very much. They tended to buy brands with a reputation for helping with sleep problems or back or neck pain, particularly Select Comfort and Tempur-Pedic.

For more information on how to choose a mattress, read our mattress buying guide. And if you're having trouble sleeping, check out our new report How did you sleep last night?