Waking up in pain is a sure sign that something isn’t right. At the start of 2025, this was my reality, a discomfort that had been building over several months. Each morning greeted me with cramps and aches in my back, neck, and shoulders, leaving me wishing for a massage before even considering breakfast. However, everything changed dramatically with one decisive, albeit costly, alteration to my bedroom setup: a new mattress.

Previously, I had purchased a budget mattress through Wowcher in 2023. I even penned a review at the time, expressing dissatisfaction with the subpar quality and predicting the need for an upgrade within four years. Yet, only a year later, my back was already crying out for relief.

That’s when I had the opportunity to try a firm, orthopaedic support mattress from Bed Factory Direct, which proved to be a game-changer. The pain that had plagued my mornings vanished almost instantly.

What it promises

The mattress in question was the double Kingston Ortho Pocket 1000 Mattress from The Bed Factory Direct, which was on sale, reduced from £769 to £619. Manufactured in the UK, this mattress boasts “exceptional levels of support” for a restful night’s sleep, featuring a supportive base layer of 1,000 pocket springs designed to provide individualized support to different parts of your body.

Bed Factory Direct highlights the mattress’s firm orthopaedic support, making it especially suitable for back sleepers, although I am not one. Nonetheless, the five-year guarantee further underscores the confidence in its durability and performance.

Bed Factory Direct says that because of its firm orthopaedic support, it is particularly ideal for back sleepers (which I am not) and comes with a five-year guarantee. 

It is recommended that the mattress be turned and rotated regularly to allow for an even settlement of the fibres and prolong its life. 

The verdict

Mattresses are not cheap, but I think a good one is worth the investment. As the old wives say, make sure you get the best shoes and mattress because if you are not in one, you are in the other.

So while £619 might seem like a lot of money, it has changed my life. We have had the Kingston Ortho Pocket 1000 mattress for more than nine months now, and I no longer have any back or neck pain when I wake up.

The pocket springs provide such good support that I have even removed a pillow when I sleep at night; now I sleep with just one, whereas I used to sleep with three on the old, soft mattress. 

The double Kingston Ortho Pocket 1000 Mattress is also great if you share a bed with another who comes to bed after you are asleep or who fidgets while they dream, as the deep, firm support means your side of the bed doesn’t move when they get in or when they toss and turn.

My husband said he also appreciated just lying there after a long day, saying it was great to take 10 minutes and lie on your back with every part of your body supported.

While it states it is great for back sleepers, we are both side sleepers and have not encountered any issues with this, only good sleep. 

It astonished me to realise just how much my previous, poor mattress had impacted my life and how I should have invested in a quality one like the Kingston Ortho Pocket 1000 Mattress months ago; you can’t really put a price on a good night’s sleep after all.

Turning and rotating it might be a challenge for some; it is a robust mattress, so it is fairly heavy. However, it does have handles on all sides to aid this, and I have found it easy to do on my own.

It is also very thick, something to be aware of, as it did increase the height of my bed by about four inches.

There are a number of other firm mattresses out there too, such as the Simba Hybrid Mattress for £599.25 or the Dreams Sleepeezee Matilda Combination Mattress for £999. But you can get the Kingston Ortho Pocket 1000 Mattress that made my neck and back ache disappear from the Bed Factory Direct for £619.