Why Buy a Full Size Mattress?
A full size mattress is suitable for many types of sleepers, including the following:
- Adult Single Sleepers: Full size mattresses offer a decent amount of space for those who sleep alone. Restless sleepers have plenty of room to toss and turn, and a full should be wide enough for people who find twin or twin XL sizes too narrow. Due to the full’s dimensions, people with heights of 6 feet 2 inches and shorter will feel most comfortable with this mattress size.
- Children and Teenagers: The full size is optimal for many children’s rooms because the mattress takes up less space. Many children experience growth spurts during childhood that necessitate a new mattress, making the full size a more cost-effective investment for parents.
- College Students: Full size mattresses are commonly used in dorms and other types of on- and off-campus housing. Some newer bunk beds are also compatible with full size beds.
Although a full mattress is somewhat roomy for single sleepers, these beds will be too narrow for most couples. People who are taller than 6 feet 2 inches may find the mattresses too short and experience discomfort from their feet hanging over the edge of the bed.
What to Consider When Buying a Full Size Mattress
There are many variables to take into account when selecting a new full size mattress. In the next section, we’ll take a look at some of the most important factors:
Material
Foam: All-foam beds feature comfort layers of memory foam and/or polyfoam, along with a high-density foam base. These beds conform to the body in order to cradle the spine and alleviate pressure points. They also isolate motion very well and do not produce any noise, making them ideal for couples.
Innerspring: Innersprings are built with foam comfort layers over support cores with steel coil systems. The coils make the beds very bouncy and responsive, so sleepers don’t sink too deeply beneath the surface. They are also highly breathable due to strong airflow through the coil layer and tend to sleep fairly cool as a result.
Hybrid: Hybrids contain comfort layers of memory foam and/or latex, along with a support core of pocketed coils. These mattresses are a happy medium for many sleepers because they offer the body-conforming and pressure relief of all-foam or all-latex beds, along with the strong support and temperature neutrality of innersprings.
Latex: Latex is a flexible and durable substance derived from the sap of rubber tree plants. Beds with latex layers feel very responsive. The material also conforms to the body, but not to the same extent as polyfoam or memory foam. Latex is naturally breathable, as well, allowing these mattresses to sleep fairly cool.
Airbed: Airbeds are constructed with internal air chambers. Sleepers can add or remove air from the chambers to adjust the bed’s overall firmness. An airbed is ideal for people who enjoy changing the feel of their mattress. Many airbeds offer dual-firmness for couples for those with differing preferences.
Firmness and Feel
When discussing mattresses, “firmness” refers to how soft or firm the surface feels. At Tuck.com, we evaluate mattress firmness using a 1-10 scale, with 1 being the softest and 10 being the firmest.
Extra soft to soft (1 to 3) mattresses provide close body-conforming for the sleeper. Extra soft and soft mattresses can be optimal for lightweight people, but heavier individuals often experience excessive sagging. The soft surface also provides ample padding for the shoulders and hips, which can improve spinal alignment for side sleepers.
Medium soft to medium firm (4 to 6) beds provide a balance of body-contouring and support. These firmness levels are best suited to people who weigh up to 230 pounds. The mattress will provide adequate cushioning for side sleepers without losing support and sagging too much for back and stomach sleepers.
Firm to extra firm (7 to 10) beds do not conform very much but they provide very strong support for heavier individuals – back and stomach sleepers in particular. Lightweight people, on the other hand, often find these mattresses too hard and do not experience enough body-conforming.
Most mattresses sold today fall between 3 and 8 on the 1-10 scale.
Bedding and Bed Frames
A full size mattress requires bedding and a support system designed to accommodate its specific dimensions. Sheets are widely available in full size sets that include one to two pillowcases, a fitted sheet, and a flat sheet.
For the bed’s support system, options include a standard boxspring, wooden or metal frame, or a platform bed. Adjustable bases may also be an option, though these tend to be fairly expensive. Check out our Boxsprings and Foundations guide for more information.
Full vs. Double Mattress
Mattress shoppers may notice some brands offer double size mattresses, rather than full sizes. However, the terms are interchangeable. Full and double size are virtually identical in terms of width and length dimensions.
How to Find a Cheap Full Size Mattress
Although full size mattresses cost more than their twin and twin XL counterparts, these models often cost much less than mattresses in queen, king, and California king sizes. A buyer can easily save hundreds of dollars by opting for a full instead of a larger size.
To find full size mattresses at the lowest price, we suggest the following strategies for value-seekers.
- Buy Online: Online mattress brands do not face the same overhead costs as brick-and-mortar companies. This allows them to sell their products at much lower prices. Most online brands also offer free shipping and returns in the contiguous U.S.
- Use Mattress Coupons: Many online mattress brands provide discounts and promotions for select models. We also offer coupons for a wide range of mattresses at Tuck.com. Check out our Mattress Reviews to see our current promotions.
- Wait for Sales: Most online and brick-and-mortar mattress brands kick off sales that coincide with Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, and Veterans Day. Sales are also common during shopping holidays such as Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. Check out our Mattress Sales Guide to learn more.
