u/derek-naplab

Update 5/21/26 - Thank you for an amazing AMA and thank you to everyone who asked a question. I hope this thread was able to help! I will continue to answer any questions that come in until the thread archives. If you need a personalized mattress recommendation be sure to use my mattress quiz here - https://naplab.com/mattress-quiz/ (I manually respond to all of these requests, it's not an automated form). For all other questions please feel free to DM, chat, or email me here - https://naplab.com/contact/ - And for all else, check out my site at https://naplab.com/ - there you can find all of my reviews, comparisons, best of lists, research guides, and a more. Not sure where to start? My best mattress guide can help.

Hi Reddit!

My name is Derek Hales. I am a professional mattress tester and I’ve been testing mattresses since 2014. Over the years, I’ve tested 558 mattresses (and counting) from 116 different brands. 

5 years ago I launched NapLab.com and developed a new way to test mattresses. Instead of merely sleeping on a mattress and then writing a subjective assessment, I use a battery of 10 objective and data-driven tests (with 64 individual data points) to help quantify the performance criteria that are important for most sleepers.

Derek in our mattress testing garage

My testing process includes:

• Objective durability tests using a 3700-pound industrial mattress testing machine called a rollator (see photos & videos in the imgur link below)
• Thermal photographs to assess cooling performance / heat retention
• Motion Transfer Testing - IE, how much energy and motion will you feel on the mattress when your partner moves around. We use an accelerometer to objectively measure the intensity and duration of motion transfer across the mattress
• Sex performance testing using a weighted equation including 5 factors (bounce, edge support, noise, pressure relief, and cooling)
• High FPS video and high resolution photo analysis to take precise & objective measurements for sinkage, material responsiveness, edge support, and bounce
• In-depth Material Analysis - foam density tests using a densimeter (a plastic box that does digitally controlled water displacement density measurements) and coil gauge (thickness) using a digital caliper 
• You can see our full range of tests and testing process here - https://naplab.com/how-we-test-mattresses/

I’ve spent the majority of my adult life working to create videos, photographs, data, comparisons, guides, and reviews that can help people find a mattress that is perfectly suited to their needs. Over the years I’ve assembled a small team of friends and family to help me test mattresses bigger and better than I could do alone.

Happy to answer any questions about mattresses, sleep, NapLab, the sleep / mattress industry, or anything else on your mind 🙂

Proof - https://imgur.com/a/naplab-u-derek-naplab-reddit-ama-2026-proof-swQsrAI

More Proof - we really love mattresses, so we made a parody of the Pokemon Pokerap with 150 mattress brands (just dropped today!)

PS - if you need help choosing a mattress check out my mattress quiz - https://naplab.com/mattress-quiz/ - I provide personalized mattress recommendations based on your needs, preferences, and budget. FYI, the quiz isn’t automated, I manually review all submissions so it does take me a little time to answer, but I can usually respond within 24 hours.