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Tom’s Guide
Tom’s Guide
Technology
Frances Daniels

What is motion isolation in a mattress?

The Birch Elite Natural Mattress on a bed frame in a bedroom. A member of our testing team lies on the left side of the mattress on her back, while another mattress tester sits on the right hand side of the mattress. They're testing the motion isolation, to determine if one person getting into a bed disturbs the other.

If you're buying a new mattress for the first time in a while, you might not be aware of motion isolation; it's likely you're focusing on whether the mattress feels comfortable and offers the right support. But motion isolation is an important term to familiarize yourself with, particularly if you share a bed.

Good motion isolation means that a mattress can absorb movements and stop them transferring across the surface of the bed, which is why co-sleepers in particular benefit from it. We've tested the motion isolation of over a hundred beds while finding the best mattresses you can buy online and during our testing, it's often the all-foam beds that offer the best motion control.

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