How to Choose Mattress Firmness Level: A Brantford Buyer's Guide

February 12, 2026

Quick Answer: The best way to choose mattress firmness is the hand-press test on your current mattress tonight. Lie down and press your hand under your lower back. If it slides through easily, your mattress is too soft. If you cannot fit your hand through at all, it may be too firm. For most sleepers in Brantford, a medium-firm mattress around 6 out of 10 strikes the right balance.

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The 2-Minute Firmness Self-Test You Can Do Tonight

Before you step into any showroom, you need to know what you are looking for. Most people do not. They walk in, lie on three mattresses, and pick the one that feels nicest in the moment. Then they get it home and realise their "nice" choice was actually too soft or too firm for actual sleeping.

Here is a test Dorothy, our sleep specialist, teaches customers to do on their current mattress before they visit us.

The Hand-Press Test

Lie on your back in your normal sleeping position
Slide your hand, palm down, under the small of your back
If your hand slides through easily with no resistance: Your mattress is likely too soft. Your hips are sinking, which strains your lower back.
If you cannot fit your hand through at all: Your mattress is likely too firm. There is no contouring, which creates pressure points.
If your hand fits but meets gentle resistance: Your spine is likely in neutral alignment. This is what you want.

Do this test on your side too. When side sleeping, your spine should form a straight line from neck to tailbone. If your hips dip toward the mattress, you need firmer support. If your shoulder feels crushed, you need more cushioning.

"Most people who come in thinking they want a soft mattress actually need medium-firm," Brad often says. "They have been sleeping on something too firm for years, so anything with give feels luxurious. But too soft creates the same back problems as too firm."

Hand press test for mattress firmness - Mattress Miracle Brantford

Why Firmness Ratings Are Misleading

Online, you will see mattresses rated on a 1-to-10 scale. A 1 is supposedly like sleeping on a cloud. A 10 is supposedly like sleeping on concrete. Here is what no one tells you: there is no industry standard for this scale.

A "medium-firm" from one brand can feel completely different from another. One company's 6 out of 10 might be another company's 5. This is not deception. It is just that firmness is subjective.

The honest truth? Firmness ratings are rough guides, not guarantees. A 6.5 out of 10 is widely considered "true medium-firm" in the industry, but how that feels depends on:

Your body weight (heavier people sink more, making a firm mattress feel softer)
The mattress materials (memory foam feels different from latex, which feels different from coils)
Room temperature (foam softens in heat, firms up in cold)
How long you have been lying there (some materials take time to conform)

At Mattress Miracle, we do not rely on numbers alone. We have customers lie on actual mattresses and compare. Our Restonic ComfortCare Queen, for example, has 1,222 individually wrapped coils. That specific construction creates a true medium-firm feel that supports without feeling hard. At $1,125, it is our most recommended queen for this reason.

The Physics of Firmness Perception

Here is the science without the citation gymnastics: your body is not a uniform weight. Your hips and torso are heavier than your legs and shoulders. A mattress that supports your hips properly might feel too firm at your shoulders, or vice versa.

This is why coil count matters. More coils means each spring handles less weight independently. Our ComfortCare Queen has 1,222 individually wrapped coils. Compare that to some mattresses with 800 coils, and you understand why support feels different even at the same "firmness" rating.

How Your Body Changes What You Feel

A 200-pound person and a 130-pound person can lie on the exact same mattress and have opposite experiences. The heavier person sinks deeper, engaging more of the support layers. The lighter person stays on top, feeling mostly the comfort layers.

This is not a flaw. It is just physics. And it is why generic advice like "side sleepers need soft" is incomplete.

Lightweight Sleepers (Under 130 lbs)

You interact mostly with the top layers. A mattress marketed as "medium-firm" might feel genuinely firm to you because you are not heavy enough to compress the comfort layers. You may prefer something in the 4-to-6 range that offers more immediate cushioning.

Average Weight Sleepers (130–200 lbs)

You have the widest range of options. Most mattresses are designed with you in mind. A true medium-firm (around 6.5 out of 10) usually works well, though your sleep position still matters.

Heavier Sleepers (Over 200 lbs)

You need stronger support to prevent excessive sinkage. Firmer mattresses (7–8 out of 10) or hybrid constructions with robust coil systems work better. Our Revive Reflections ET Queen at $2,395 offers a flippable dual-sided design, medium on one side and firm on the other, so you can adjust based on your needs.

Brantford's Climate and Firmness Feel

Ontario's weather affects how your mattress feels. In humid Brantford summers, foam softens slightly. In cold winter months, it firms up. If you are testing mattresses in our showroom in July, know that the same mattress might feel marginally firmer in your bedroom in February.

This is another reason we recommend the 10-minute test (see below) rather than a 30-second lie-down. Materials change with your body heat.

Body weight affects mattress firmness perception - Mattress Miracle Brantford

Side, Back, or Stomach: What Actually Matters

Your sleeping position does influence firmness preference, but not as absolutely as most guides claim. Here is what we have learned from 37 years of helping Brantford families.

Side Sleepers

You need pressure relief at your shoulders and hips. If these joints press against a too-firm surface, you wake up with numbness or tingling. However, too soft and your spine curves like a hammock.

Our recommendation: Medium to medium-soft (5–6 out of 10) with good edge support so you do not feel like you are rolling off when you hug the mattress edge.

Back Sleepers

You need your hips level with your shoulders. Too soft, and your hips sink, arching your lower back. Too firm, and you create a gap between your lower back and the mattress.

Our recommendation: Medium-firm (6–7 out of 10) with lumbar support. The Luxury Silk & Wool Queen at $2,395 has 884 zoned coils that are firmer in the centre third where your hips rest.

Stomach Sleepers

You are the most vulnerable to back pain from a soft mattress. Your hips are the heaviest part of your body, and on a soft surface, they sink, hyperextending your lower back.

Our recommendation: Firm (7–8 out of 10) with minimal sinkage. Talia often suggests stomach sleepers also try hugging a thin pillow to their chest, which reduces the arch in the lower back.

Combination Sleepers

If you switch positions, you need versatility. A true medium-firm (6.5 out of 10) with responsive materials works best. Memory foam that you sink into can make repositioning difficult. Individually wrapped coils, like in our ComfortCare line, provide bounce that helps you move.

Testing Mattresses in Brantford: What to Bring

If you visit our showroom at 441 1/2 West Street, here is how to make the most of your time.

The 10-Minute Test (Do Not Skip This)

Wear comfortable clothes you can actually lie down in
Bring your pillow from home - it affects spinal alignment
Lie in your actual sleeping position, not just on your back staring at the ceiling
Stay there for at least 10 minutes - foam takes time to warm up and conform
Try the hand-press test we described earlier
Roll to your other side - does the mattress make it easy or difficult?
Sit on the edge - strong edge support means more usable surface area

"The biggest mistake people make is lying on their back for thirty seconds and declaring a mattress comfortable," Dorothy says. "That tells you nothing about how it sleeps."

We also recommend testing mattresses in the same clothing weight you sleep in. If you wear heavy sweaters to bed in winter, test in a sweater. If you sleep in light summer clothes, test that way. Your body temperature affects how foam responds.

What If You Cannot Visit In Person?

We deliver throughout Ontario, from Hamilton to Kitchener to Toronto. If you are ordering without testing first, choose a mattress with flexibility. Our Revive Reflections ET Queen is flippable, medium on one side and firm on the other. If your first choice feels wrong, flip it rather than returning it.

Also, check return policies carefully. At Mattress Miracle, we offer white glove delivery including setup and old mattress removal. If something feels wrong after a week of sleeping on it, call us at (519) 770-0001. Brad or Talia will work with you to find a better fit.

Testing mattresses at Mattress Miracle showroom Brantford

Visit Our Brantford Showroom

Mattress Miracle
441 1/2 West Street, Brantford
Phone: (519) 770-0001
Hours: Mon-Wed 10-6, Thu-Fri 10-7, Sat 10-5, Sun 12-4

Bring your pillow and plan to stay for twenty minutes. Test the hand-press test on three different firmness levels. By the time you leave, you will know exactly what you need.

Browse Our Mattresses

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a firm mattress better for your back?

Not necessarily. Your back needs support, which is different from firmness. A too-firm mattress creates pressure points and gaps where your spine is unsupported. For most back pain sufferers, medium-firm (6–7 out of 10) with targeted lumbar support works better than extra-firm.

Can I make a firm mattress softer, or a soft mattress firmer?

Yes, to a degree. A mattress topper can add cushioning to a too-firm mattress. A firm topper can add structure to a too-soft one. However, toppers are compromises, not solutions. If your mattress is significantly wrong for your needs, replacing it is better than trying to fix it.

How long does it take to adjust to a new mattress firmness?

Most people adjust within two to four weeks. Your body was used to the old mattress, even if it was worn out. Give yourself time, but trust your instincts. If you are waking up with new pain after a month, the firmness is likely wrong.

Do you deliver to Hamilton and Toronto?

Yes. We offer white glove delivery to Brantford, Hamilton, Burlington, Mississauga, Toronto, Kitchener, Waterloo, Guelph, Cambridge, St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, London, Barrie, and Oshawa. Delivery includes professional setup, positioning, and removal of your old mattress. Call (519) 770-0001 to schedule.

What is the best firmness for couples with different preferences?

Compromise on medium-firm (6 out of 10), or consider a split king setup where each side has its own mattress. Another option is zoned support mattresses that are softer at the shoulders and firmer at the hips, accommodating different needs within one surface.

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