Best Mattresses 2024

Best Mattress for Back Pain

For anyone suffering from back pain, you already know how much it can impact your life and your sleep quality. A good mattress can help, but the right mattress for you depends on the cause of your back pain and other important factors like body weight and sleep position.

Lightweight sleepers may experience back pain if their mattress is too firm, as it can cause pushback on the spine. Conversely, heavier sleepers may experience back pain if their mattress is too soft and allows the spine to sink too deep into the mattress. Side sleepers with back pain generally need more contour and hug from a mattress, while back and stomach sleepers typically are most comfortable with a medium-firm to firm mattress to achieve the same level of support.

We recommend checking out the Saatva Rx Mattress. It’s a luxury hybrid mattress designed specifically for sleepers with serious chronic back and joint issues. Its unique construction of innerspring coils and foam modules is designed to provide neutral spine alignment and deep pressure relief. However, the Saatva Rx comes at a premium price, so if you’re shopping for a more affordable pick, the Saatva Classic is a great option, with a hybrid innerspring design and patented spinal zone technology for optimal alignment and back and joint pain relief.

Best Mattress for Side Sleepers

The best mattress for side sleepers should provide plenty of support to prevent shoulders and hips—the heaviest areas that come in contact with a mattress—from sinking too far into the mattress. It also needs to have enough contouring to provide pressure relief.

Most side sleepers will be most comfortable with a medium to medium-firm mattress, with lightweight sleepers falling more toward the softer side of the spectrum and heavier sleepers falling more in the firm range.

Our top picks for side sleepers are:

1. Puffy Lux Mattress: A hybrid design endorsed by the American Chiropractic Association for pressure and pain relief with a medium-firm support level that’s ideal for many side sleepers.
2. Molecule 1 Mattress: The proprietary memory foam design relieves pressure and increases airflow for cool, comfortable sleeping, with a firm support level that’s perfect for heavier side sleepers.

Best Memory Foam Mattress

Memory foam mattresses are renowned for their comfort and pressure relief. With so many options on the market, it’s easy to find a memory foam mattress in every price range from budget to luxury, and in a range of materials from standard foam to the most advanced specialty foams with comfort features for support and temperature regulation. Factors to consider when shopping for a memory foam mattress include foam density, overall mattress thickness, firmness level, temperature regulation and motion isolation capabilities.

One of the best memory foam mattresses is the Cocoon Chill Mattress by Sealy. With an award-winning design and Perfect Fit memory foam construction, it provides conforming support and pressure relief, excellent temperature control and heat dissipation and motion isolation that’s perfect for couples.

Best Hybrid Mattress

Hybrid mattresses combine two different mattress types, the most popular being a combination of memory foam and innerspring mattresses. This is a great way to get the benefits of both mattress types, such as the contouring of memory foam and the bounce and responsiveness of innerspring coils. Here’s what to look for when shopping for a hybrid mattress: Firmness level, materials used, comfort features, cooling properties and motion isolation capability.

There are many great picks in the hybrid category, but our top two are:

1. Helix Hybrid Mattress: With a multitude of options ranging in firmness level and support types for different sleep styles, there is a Helix for everybody. Premium hybrid construction featuring supportive and responsive steel coils and contouring, pressure relieving foams. 
2. Bear Elite Hybrid Mattress: With a hybrid design featuring a five-zone support coil system and specialized foam layers with advanced cooling technology, the Bear Elite’s medium-firm feel provides excellent pressure relief for backs, hips and shoulders.

Best Firm Mattress

Firm mattresses are often recommended for back and stomach sleepers, people with back pain and sleepers weighing 250 pounds or more. For these types of sleepers, a firm mattress can prevent the spine from sinking in too deeply and causing misalignment, and help keep the hips level with the rest of the body, resulting in a more comfortable night’s sleep. 

Top factors to consider when searching for the best firm mattress include material used, overall mattress thickness, temperature regulation features and edge support. 

We have two top picks for best firm mattress:

1. Plank Firm Mattress: An all-foam mattress with a flippable design gives sleepers a choice between two firmness levels—firm and ultra firm. An ultra-flat design promotes spine neutrality and encourages better blood flow.
2. Loom & Leaf: Made by Saatva, this ultra-premium memory foam mattress provides excellent pressure relief and is available in two firmness levels: Firm and relaxed firm.

Best Mattress in a Box

Convenience and quality come together with mattress-in-a-box brands. These mattresses are typically a memory foam construction, which can be tightly compressed for easy transport. They’re delivered to your doorstep in a fairly easy-to-move box, are easy to set up and come in a range of materials and price ranges from basic to premium.

To ease any concerns of ordering a mattress online that you’ve never tested in person, many brands offer generous sleep trials and free returns should you find that it’s not a good fit for your needs. The best mattress in a box will be the best quality mattress in your price range, from a reputable brand with great customer reviews, a risk-free sleep trial and easy return policy.

Amerisleep is among the best mattress-in-a-box brands. The AS3 is their bestselling mattress, featuring a “just right” medium firmness level, enhanced cooling technology and specialized memory foam with a rapid response time that provides pressure point relief as well as a fast bounce back after pressure is applied. This mattress is available in an all-foam or hybrid foam-and-coil design.

Best Cooling Mattress

If you tend to sleep hot, you know how important a breathable mattress is. Memory foam can retain heat, so many mattress makers have started incorporating cooling technology into their designs to promote a better, cooler night’s sleep.

If you’re leaning toward a memory foam mattress for its contouring qualities, then you’ll definitely want to look out for specialized cooling features to offset the possible heat retention. If you’re open to other styles, innersprings and latex mattresses are cooler by nature, and hybrid foam-innerspring models can provide the best of both worlds, with extra cooling thanks to the airflow around the coils.

Among the coolest mattresses out there, two top our list:

1. Purple Mattress: Purple’s unique GelFlex® Grid sits atop two layers of pressure-relieving memory foam and has more than 1,400 air channels to optimize airflow and temperature regulation.
2. Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress: A hybrid design with a zoned coil core for enhanced airflow, copper-infused cooling foam and GlacioTex™ Cooling Cover that wicks heat away from the body. It’s available in three firmness levels and with an optional pillow top for added comfort.

Best Latex Mattress

Latex mattresses have plenty of perks—an ideal balance of pressure point relief and bouncy responsiveness, breathable construction that allows for airflow and temperature regulation and when made from natural latex, an eco-friendly, sustainable, natural material that’s renowned for its durability. 

We found the best-rated latex mattress to be the Zenhaven Latex Mattress by luxury mattress maker Saatva. The Zenhaven is made from natural Talalay latex, the gold standard of latex materials. Its dual-sided design features a “gentle firm” feel on one side and “luxury plush” on the other, so you can adjust to your personal preference, and flip it if your needs or preferences ever change. This mattress has a five-zone latex foam layer with vented airflow channels that offers a buoyant feel, pressure relief, breathability and enhanced lumbar support. The natural materials make it a great choice for those who want an eco-friendly and hypoallergenic sleep solution.

Best Affordable Mattress

One benefit to the mattress market being as bustling as it is, is that there is plenty of competition between brands, which creates an array of affordable mattress options in a variety of styles and materials. And while you can certainly find budget mattress options at big box stores and budget chains, we’re focusing on online brands that have a good reputation for quality, a solid sleep trial and return policy and a warranty that backs the quality of their product for an extended period of time—factors that you may not necessarily find with other budget options.

Our top pick for best budget mattress is the Cocoon Chill Mattress by Sealy, where a queen-size memory foam mattress with innovative cooling technology regularly runs around $1,000. If you happen to catch a sale, you could be looking at around $700 for this high-quality mattress from a well-known brand.

Speaking of sales, most mattress brands run sales with deep discounts throughout the year. So if you have your eye on a higher-end option, it’s definitely worth looking out for a deal that could save you hundreds and get you the mattress of your dreams at a great value.

FAQs

What is the best mattress for back pain?

When it comes to alleviating back pain, choosing the right mattress is crucial for good sleep and quality of life. The best mattresses for back pain typically offer a balance of support and comfort that’s tailored to your specific sleep style and body type to maintain proper spinal alignment and give you the most relief possible.

Here are a few top choices to consider:

1. Saatva Rx Mattress: A luxury hybrid mattress designed specifically for sleepers with serious chronic back and joint issues, with a unique construction of innerspring coils and foam modules designed to provide neutral spine alignment and deep pressure relief. (Or check out the Saatva Classic for a more affordable luxury model that provides excellent relief from back and joint pain.)
2. Helix Mattress: Helix makes three different firmness levels to suit every need, and within each firmness level, there’s an option for side sleepers and back and stomach sleepers—there’s truly a mattress for every sleep style and body type here. Check out their Luxe Collection for mattresses equipped with enhanced lumbar support.
3. Puffy Lux Mattress: A foam-innerspring hybrid mattress endorsed by the American Chiropractic Association for pressure and pain relief, with a medium-firm support level that’s ideal for many sleepers.

What is the best mattress for side sleepers?

Side sleepers need support in the shoulder and hip area, where pressure tends to be the greatest. The best mattress for side sleepers will have enhanced support in these areas, while providing contouring and cushioning for pressure point and pain relief.

Here are some top recommendations:

1. Bear Elite Hybrid: Voted best overall for side sleepers by Wired Magazine, this design features zoned support, a choice of three firmness levels and a hybrid innerspring design with specialized cooling memory foams.
2. Zenhaven Latex Mattress: Made by luxury brand Saatva, this dual-sided mattress features two firmness levels and five-zone natural latex foam construction for enhanced pressure relief and support, excellent temperature regulation and ease of movement.
3. Molecule 1 Mattress: Featuring a proprietary memory foam design that relieves pressure and increases airflow, this mattress is contoured to provide targeted, self-adjusting support and has a firm feel that’s perfect for heavier side sleepers.