Who is Sleep Hero?
We're a team of super enthusiastic sleep addicts from around the world who test hundreds of sleep products and share all of it - the good, the bad, and the uncomfortable - with you.
Our mission is to help millions of consumers around the world make better choices - and more easily.
We want to help you make the right choice for your sleep ... because your sleep matters!
Sleep Hero UK was created in 2019 and is part of a global network of partner sites.
🇧🇷 Brazil: Hora da Soneca
🇫🇷 France: Quelmatelas
🇩🇪 Germany: Sleep Hero Germany
🇮🇳 India: Sleep Hero India
🇮🇹 Italy: Ciaomat
🇲🇽 Mexico: Héroes del Descanso
🇳🇱 Netherlands: Matrassencheck
🇵🇹 Portugal: Heroi do Sono
🇪🇸 Spain: Mejores Colchones
🇬🇧 United Kingdom: Sleep Hero UK
We're constantly growing and expanding to new markets.
This helps us explore the sleep world globally and share our experiences more widely.
Millions of readers trust us to help them select the best mattress and sleep products available online.
Content team and sleep experts
We're a team of sleep heroes committed to finding the best sleep products in the UK and beyond.
Our team stretches far beyond the borders of the UK and consists of over 50 collaborators and independent experts from all corners of the globe.
We work with:
- Editors passionate about sleep
- Independent testers who try products in real conditions from a consumer point of view
- E-commerce specialists who find the best deals and discounts for our readers
- Sleep experts who provide specific advice on a variety of different needs
Our global heritage gives us a unique perspective, and we understand that different people need different products.
We also work with testers of different genders, body weights, sizes, and ages, all with different sleep preferences.
Our content team
Despite working with various testers, we have a small group of core content creators who make this website possible.
Here is a quick overview of the Sleep Hero UK team.
Nicky
Content Director & Partner Relations
Nicky's travelled the world and slept on a fair number of beds - from luxurious king sizes in five-star hotels to creaky, worn innerspring mattresses in dodgy hostels. Now she's on the hunt to find the best in the sleep world in the UK and beyond, and share it all with the Sleep Hero team.
Certifications:
Holly
Senior Content Writer
Holly began as a sales consultant in one of the leading UK bed stores, where she learned about the sleep needs of the UK public and worked with some of the top UK brand representatives. When she became a content writer, Holly was determined to focus her writing on helping people make better sleep choices.
Certifications:
- RSPH: Understanding Sleep. CPD-accredited.
Katharyn
Content Writer
Katharyn's content writing began far away from home and on very little sleep. The older she gets, the more she appreciates a truly comfy bed set-up and the more obvious it is that there's no one-size-fits-all when it comes to sleep. She now gets her dreamy 8 hours, and it's time to help others discover what they need to sleep peacefully night after night.
Certifications:
- RSPH: Understanding Sleep. CPD-accredited
George
Content Writer
Since George was a kid, she's always had two main talents: writing and sleeping. So, it only made sense to combine the two and join the Sleep Hero team. Now, she travels the world as a digital nomad - but a luxury mattress and twelve-hour sleep are always at the top of her priority list.
Certifications:
- RSPH: Understanding Sleep. CPD-accredited
Marina
Graphic Designer
Marina is the Sleep Hero resident graphic designer, bringing words and articles to life with the best-quality graphics and original designs - all while travelling the world and gaining creative inspiration from the people she meets and places she sees.
Pawel
Web Developer
A website without developers is like a house without a foundation - that's why Sleep Hero couldn't do without Pawel. He's in charge of web development and is responsible for the technical side of things. Pawel prides himself on always looking for the most efficient solutions to whatever life throws at him.
Michal
Web Developer
Like Pawel, Michal ensures the Sleep Hero website runs smoothly. He's a full-stack developer with a wide range of knowledge. Michal loves solving problems and sees an opportunity to learn something new everywhere - perfect qualities for an all-round software engineer.
Our sleep experts
We're also very proud to work with an international team of sleep experts who host regular training sessions for our content writers and help us provide the best content.
Take a closer look at our team of sleep experts:
Andrew Green
Sleep Therapist
Andrew is a sleep coach and sleep therapist practising cognitive behaviour therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). Based in the UK. 🇬🇧
Walter Braun
Mattress Expert
Walter is a true sleep expert, focusing on ergonomic consultancy in terms of mattresses and pillows. He's even developed mattresses. Based in Germany. 🇩🇪
Björn Steinbrink
Sleep Coach
Björn is a sleep coach, working with both athletes and health professionals. He's also founded the online campus "Fit For Sleep" to share his training more widely. Based in Germany. 🇩🇪
Read our interview with Björn on sleep quality.
Caroline Rolland
Physiotherapist
Caroline is a physiotherapist and back pain specialist. Her tips will help you find the mattress that's best for your body ... and your health! Based in France. 🇫🇷
Susanne Willekes
Sleep Coach for Children
Susanne is Holland's first certified sleep coach for children, working on her own practice and sharing knowledge through books, apps, and beyond. Based in Holland. 🇳🇱
Read our interview with Susanne on sleep coaching for children.
Pâmela Peixoto
Massage Therapist
Pâmela is a massage therapist specialising in post-operative rehabilitation, lymphatic drainage, sports, and relaxation. Based in Portugal. 🇵🇹
Nacho Lacomba
Physiotherapist
Nacho is a physiotherapist and personal trainer, specialising in invasive physiotherapy, ultra-sound, and injury rehabilitation. Based in Spain. 🇪🇸
You can also read more about our team of sleep experts.
Our sleep pet-sperts
Nimbus
Head of Cuteness
Nimbus is Sleep Hero's designated "Head of Cuteness". He tests mattresses and sleep accessories to ensure they're safe and comfortable for our furry friends. He also helps test the product's durability against kitty claws and dirty paws.
Our testing process
Mattress reviews require in-depth work, and we do our utmost to get the best reviews out there.
But, first, what exactly do we consider?
How do we test?
And how do we even choose the products we end up testing?
Let's take a closer look at our testing process, from bright idea to finished review. 💡
How we choose the products we test
While we work closely with market-leading brands, we can't test - or write about - every product on the market.
That's why our first step is market research.
Some of the questions we ask ourselves:
- Have market leaders brought out any new products recently?
- What are the latest trends in the sleep world in the UK, USA, and beyond?
- Which products have we found that make our sleep more comfortable?
- Has any new sleep research been announced that could be interesting?
By keeping a close eye on the market, products, and research in the UK and beyond, we can write the best - and most interesting - articles for you.
So once we've decided on products worth testing, how do we get them?
How we get the products we test
We have affiliate partnerships with all the key players in the UK, including DreamCloud, Emma Sleep, Eve Sleep, Nectar, Otty, Panda London, and Simba Sleep, as well as a few of the major bed and bedding retailers.
Often, these brands and retailers will send us their products free of charge.
But, this does not mean we'll offer them favourable reviews, and we do not get paid to recommend certain products.
Our commitment, after all, is to you, our readers, and we provide fair and accurate reviews.
If we don't have a direct relationship with a brand but want to test a product we deem interesting or important, we'll purchase it anonymously for review purposes.
By using this two-pronged approach, we can test a wide range of products.
But what do we deem important for the testing process?
Let's look at this next.
What we consider in our testing process
Testing mattresses is about much more than just sleeping on them.
We consider all factors impacting the customer, including:
- Delivery, packaging, and returns
- Sleeping experience (which includes comfort, firmness, support, temperature, motion transfer, mattress suitability, and more)
- Practicality and longevity
The most important indicator of a good mattress is whether or not it's comfortable and supportive.
But much of this can be subjective, which is why we work with a couple of testers who meet various criteria.
We often also ask our content writers to test so they can elaborate with first-hand experience, and we'll bounce findings with our team of sleep experts.
Occasionally, we'll also test a product in different markets.
But, how exactly do we approach the testing process?
How we do the actual testing
Testing a mattress can be quite a process.
We firmly believe that lying down on a mattress for a few minutes isn't enough to determine whether or not it's actually right for you.
That's why we take our testing process to the next level.
So much so, actually, that it deserves its very own page - you'll find a complete account of our testing process on our research methodology page.
There, we'll give you all the details of how we test for firmness, comfort, breathability, motion isolation, and so much more.
What happens after we've tested
If our content writers are testing the products, they'll test and write simultaneously, noting their experiences as time passes.
If independent testers or one of our product testing managers try out the products, they'll complete in-depth testing questionnaires and share the information with our writing team.
Content is checked by other team members and/or our team of sleep experts, where applicable, so that we can get the best and most accurate content to you.
And the products? In some cases, we'll return or gift them; in others, we'll donate to a range of local charities.
Our research process
Sometimes, it won't be possible to test a product. 😔
- It may not be available in the UK yet, but we really want to write about it.
- We may not be able to try all the products we want to test.
- Or, perhaps we're writing about something obscure, where we don't yet have the capacity to test.
All our tested products carry the "Sleep Hero Tested" stamp, so you can easily identify which products we've tested.
For all the other products we may have featured or included in best-of articles, you can rest assured that we've done the utmost to present the most fair and accurate information.
We have an extensive research process, where we not only read the best information available, but also talk to brands about their newest products, learn about real customer experiences, contact manufacturers with any questions about products, and ask our sleep experts to review our latest articles.
We're confident that the products we recommend are the best available at the time of writing.
Behind the scenes
We rely on affiliate links to provide you with free high-quality content.
This works as follows:
- We may earn a small commission when you click on a link on our site to buy from a merchant site.
- We work with affiliate platforms like AWIN, Impact, and others to navigate affiliate relationships.
- We also participate in the Amazon Partner Programme, which means we may earn a small commission when you buy products on Amazon via one of our links.
The purchase price will remain the same.
The partnerships we have established even allow us to obtain the best prices - and the best discounts!
Since we work with all the key players, we don't favour one above the others and can recommend the products that are actually the best for you.
Our content is not sponsored, and all articles are written by our team of independent content writers.
How to navigate the Sleep Hero website
The design of our website will hopefully be quite intuitive, but buying a new mattress may not be.
We'd suggest the following steps:
- If you're entirely new to the ins and outs of buying a new mattress or need help with sleep concerns, we'd suggest you start with our Advice section. Here, you'll find answers to the most important questions you may have.
- Are you a hot sleeper? Do you share your bed with a partner? Do you want a luxury mattress? What mattress should you buy? In the Best Mattresses section, you'll find guides on finding the best mattress for your needs and in-depth mattress reviews that look at all the finer details.
- Of course, a bedroom won't be complete without a bed, so take a look at the Beds section to find the perfect companion for your mattress.
- Before you make your purchase, make sure you don't need anything else - like a pillow, mattress topper, duvet, or bedding. Our Sleep Accessories section can help you here.
- Finally, once you've decided on everything you need, head to the Discounts page to receive exclusive discount codes.
And if you're only here to read some good sleep-related content?
Then feel free to head over to our Blog section for interesting articles on the sleep world.
We're here to help you through every step of your mattress purchasing journey, from start to finish.
Contact Sleep Hero UK
Would you like to ask us a question about mattresses, need our help, or want to give us feedback on a specific mattress?
We're always happy to help.
You can reach us by sending an email to info@airi.media.
