One look at the yellow pages and you are sure to be amazed at the kind of places selling this product with a host of all imaginable accessories including, but not confined to frames, futons, foundation, footboard, headboard and pillow, to give you a good night’s sleep.  As if that were not enough to confuse you look at the other features like; rubber foam, memory foam, foam encased sides, innersprings in pockets, guards, hypoallergenic products and even a body imaging system. Here, this tricky affair of  buying just the most appropriate mattress for you, is simplified into a couple of steps and precautions.

The easiest but the most important step that you can take for any mattress is simply by trying that out. As none of the stores offers a free trial of mattress by allowing you to take it home, it’s up to educate yourself on the subject and to test it on the spot to your best ability. It will be worth the effort to locate a store that offers a return policy for the first three months.   Most of the suspected defects become apparent in that much time.

Are you not expecting too much from a mattress in the range of 0 to last beyond eight to ten years for someone as heavy as 400 lbs? ,   It’s simply impossible! . Be smart enough to find a memory bed that continues to give you good service over a long period. Price alone should be an indicator of performance, but alas, that is not always true. And, going by the experience of some of the users, there is hardly any difference between a highly priced mattress and an economically priced one. As with almost anything else, you really do get what you pay for.

The size of the mattress is an important factor that needs your attention. If it is too small you won’t have enough room for a good sleep; nor will it be comfortable for when it is used as a couch. You get a futon mattress in just three sizes. They are twin, full and queen. A twin sized mattress is most suitable for children or teenagers because of their size. The minimum size that you need for a couple who uses futon as a bed is the full sized mattress. As is evident from its name, a queen sized mattress has the largest size and offers room to accommodate two people most comfortably.

There is none denying the fact that it is the filling that governs the comfort level of a mattress. A cotton mattress is cheap but will quickly develop lumps and bumps. You will need to rotate this type of mattress often to even out the lumps – perhaps every time you use it. If your budget permits, you may opt for the next higher level of the comfort of a foam mattress. Finally, you have inner spring futon mattresses for being used on your beds. They are the most expensive but also the most comfortable of all the futon types.

Another factor in the comfort level of a futon is the thickness of the mattress. In case you intend using it for an extra bed, not as a luxury mattress, a thickness of six inches suffices. However, if the futon is going to be used regularly, perhaps as a bed full time, then you will need an 8 to 9 inch mattress. But, mind you, a thick mattress being heavier, may pose problems of maneuverability while you may want to shift the futon from a bed to a couch.