Most double mattresses lack adequate support for side sleepers: consumer watchdog

The Consumer Council tested 14 double mattress models, finding that while most offer good support for back sleepers, they may fall short for side sleepers.

The watchdog also found that three mattresses were unable to distribute pressure evenly, and one showed lower stability, which could disturb a partner’s sleep.

Among the 14 mattresses examined, five were models of pocket spring, six of interlocking springs, and three of foam, with prices ranging from HK$2,299 to HK$9,328.

IKEA’s VESTERÖY pocket sprung mattress firm double, priced at HK$2,499, received the highest overall ratings, along with the HK$8,260 Simmons’ Goodnight Ayr and HK$8,960 Serta’s Omaha.

In firmness measurement, Sea Horse’s Our Mattress was the only model graded as “very hard,” six others as “hard”, and the rest as “medium.” 

In the body support test, eight models promised good support for back sleepers, scoring 4 to 5 points, meaning they can maintain natural curvature of the spine when the person is lying on the back.

The watchdog noted that pocket spring models generally outperformed interlocking spring ones.

However, most mattresses did not perform as well for the side sleepers as some failed to keep the spine parallel to the mattress surface when a person is lying on the side.

Only three spring and two foam models provided better support, scoring 3 to 3.5 points, while the remaining ones showed unsatisfactory results with just 2.5 points.

Kenneth Chan Kin-nin, vice-chairman of the council’s committee of sustainability, public affairs and education, said: “For some models, the shoulder of dummies used in the tests sank into the mattress less than the hips during test, indicating that these models could not keep the spine parallel to the mattress surface,” he said.

“And this might affect the comfort and spinal health of long-term side sleepers.”

The Consumer Council also found that three models showed uneven pressure distribution, which could lead to concentrated pressure in certain body parts, causing discomfort and pain.

(Jamie Liu)