The stakes are high: Your good night's sleep for the next 10 to 15 years. The price range is enormous ‑- anywhere from a few hundred dollars to $5,000 to $20,000 for the new hand-stitched ultra-luxe mattresses. But will a mattress that costs more than your car help you sleep better? Or is the futon you had in college just as good? We asked three experts what matters most when making this crucial decision.

"The first thing is, forget the old myth about getting the hardest mattress you can find," says Robert Nirschl, MD, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. Nirschl recommends a mattress of moderate firmness ‑- though heavier people will need more support than slimmer folks. There should be extra support along the edges. "People sit on the edge of their bed to put their shoes on. If the edges break down, then the center will break down over time," he says.

Although Dr. Nirschl believes all of the major mattress manufacturers do a basically good job, he's particularly keen on the Simmons Beautyrest. As for the ultra-luxes, he sees no reason to buy a mattress that requires a bank loan. "You get to a certain level and it's pretty much fluff," he says. And although he doesn't have personal experience with the increasingly popular select-by-numbers mattresses, which enable users to adjust firmness levels through pressurized air chambers, Dr. Nirschl advises caution. "The concept is all right, but if you're laying out big bucks, then it's important to ask what kind of guarantee you have. If you're spending a lot of money, you want to be able to try it for a couple of weeks and send it back if you don't like it." Select Comfort, which has a corner on the market with its Sleep Number bed, offers a 30-night trial. Just be forewarned: Customers usually pay return shipping, and mattresses are not moved cheaply.