Our fave features: The dense gel foam and strong steel coil layers keep things pretty cool. In our testing, the bed’s temperature went up by just under 6 degrees Farenheit after a tester laid in it for five minutes. On our scale, that’s great news. If you know you run hot, you can also add the GlacioTex Cooling cover to your purchase.
Who it’s for: The Titan Plus supports up to 1,000 pounds total and is one of the best options for heavier-weight sleepers because it doesn’t allow for enough sinkage to throw your spine out of whack. Dr. Rasouli also recommends firm mattresses like this one for stomach sleepers who need the back support.
Leigh Hanke, MD, MS, BA, assistant professor of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at Yale School of Medicine, tells SELF that the firmer a mattress is, the more support it offers your lower back. “So, the best advice is to go with the most firm mattress you can tolerate,” she recommends. “People without back pain can get away with softer pillow foam toppers, but this does not provide support, so it can aggravate back pain or prior back injuries.”
Material: Hybrid (foam and coils) | Firmness:Firm, a 7.5 out of 10 | Trial period: 120 nights | Warranty:10 years | Shipping: Free shipping (except to AK and HI) |
How to find the best king size mattress for you
You spend about a third of your life sleeping, so it’s important to max out your comfort and ensure you’re getting the highest-quality rest possible. When considering what mattress is right for you, Dr. Petkus says there are a few main factors to consider, no matter what size you’re buying: firmness, support, materials, and durability. But ultimately, how you choose a mattress will come down to preferences.
Materials
The four main types of mattresses—innerspring, foam, latex, and hybrid—have different strengths. While Dr. Hanke says there’s “no one type of mattress that is good for anyone,” from a health POV, she says the goal is to pick an option that supports your spine in the neutral position while you sleep. Here’s what to know about each type:
Innerspring options, which are made with metal coils topped with padding, are “bouncy and supportive,” says Dr. Petkus. Innersprings can keep hot sleepers cooler “since the [coils] tend to have the best airflow,” he adds. If your concern is back pain, innerspring mattresses can offer sturdy support, Dr. Rasouli adds. “However, these may lack pressure relief.”
Memory foam beds mold to the body and can offer a lot of pressure relief. Experts say that makes them good for people who like the feel of a soft mattress, people with joint or back pain, and side sleepers. They are also generally great at isolating motion because foam tends to absorb impact well.
Latex mattresses use natural or synthetic latex foam to serve as their support system. Latex tends to be firmer than memory foam, but a tad more giving than innersprings—making it a solid option for back and stomach sleepers. They also tend to provide better pressure relief than traditional foam mattresses and are often highly responsive, making them easy to move around on.
These versatile mattresses are made up of both foam and springs, and therefore blend some qualities from each. “Hybrids use innerspring coils underneath layers of memory foam [or latex], giving you contouring comfort and adequate pressure relief while still providing support,” Dr. Petkus says.
Firmness
Mattress firmnesses describes how a bed feels when you get into it. It’s a subjective metric that often comes on a scale of 1 (softest) to 10 (firmest). While the best firmness for you is a matter of personal preference, research has shown that medium-firm mattresses can help people with back pain get better sleep, and tend to provide adequate support and comfort for most sleepers.
Your sleep position could direct your firmness choice, too. Experts say side sleepers benefit from softer mattresses that’ll help them avoid hip and shoulder pain (spots where weight is concentrated in this position, which can lead to pressure buildup). For back sleepers, medium-firm offers the balance of support and cushion to help the spine achieve its natural curvature. And stomach sleepers fare well with a firm bed’s support in order to keep their hips from sagging and falling out of spinal alignment.
Pressure relief
Pressure relief refers to how well a mattress can distribute weight across the surface of the bed. To Dr. Rasouli, it’s a key consideration for folks with back pain in order to “reduce strain on pressure points, particularly on the lower back.” Dr. Petkus adds that many side sleepers and those with achy joints benefit from a pressure-relieving mattress, too. “A mattress with this feature will conform to your body a little, taking the pressure off your hips and shoulders,” he says.
Motion isolation
Motion isolation, or how well your mattress prevents movements from one side of the bed from rippling over to the other, is a top issue for anyone who sleeps with another person or pet—even in a king size bed. Dr. Petkus advises light sleepers to “look for high marks” on motion transfer, because it affects how much you feel someone else’s tossing and turning or late-night arrivals in bed (and thus, what kind of sleep you get).
Cooling
“It is essential for your body to be able to cool off during the night,” Alex Dimitriu, MD, board-certified psychiatrist and the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine, previously told SELF. “Research has found that [this] makes us sleep deeper and possibly longer.” That’s why finding a mattress that’s built with breathable, heat-dissipating materials and layers that promote airflow should be a top priority for folks.
Who is a king size mattress best for?
According to Dr. Petkus, “anyone who values their personal space, even when sleeping next to someone, can benefit.” But there are some people who might be especially suited to a king over a smaller mattress. “Tall people would probably sleep better in a king size mattress with a partner,” says Dr. Hanke. “The idea is that you don’t want to be sleeping in an awkward condensed position.” She adds that if you’re a couple with kids who like to crawl into your bed sometimes, you may want to opt for a king for the most spacious setting for a group snuggle.
The extra surface area can also be helpful for combination sleepers, says Dr. Rasouli: “Those who shift positions during the night can benefit from the added space to find comfortable positions that alleviate pressure on the spine,” he says.
Types of king size mattresses
There are a few different size variations on a king mattress that are available. You can get a standard king (which is just over a foot wider than a queen), a split king (which essentially sticks two extra-long twin mattresses together for more customization), or a California king (which is slightly narrower but longer than a typical king). What you choose depends on your needs and those of your partner. We broke down the options a bit more below:
How we tested these mattresses
To evaluate the beds on our list, our testers jump on them, cut them open, drop kettlebells on them, and more to get a handle on their makeup and durability. You can see our full mattress testing methodology here. In the meantime, check out these three key elements that apply to testing king mattresses.
- Firmness: We have testers of varying body sizes and sleeping positions lie on each bed and rate its firmness on a scale of 1 to 10. We average the results for an overall firmness rating.
- Cooling: Testers use a thermal gun to measure a mattress’s temperature. Then, they lie on the bed for five minutes before re-taking the temperature to evaluate how much it heated up. Changes under 5 degrees Fahrenheit are considered excellent, 5- to 10-degree jumps are good, 10 to 15 is decent, and anything that heats up more than 15 degrees in this test has poor cooling capabilities.
- Materials: Our materials test comes with a “don’t do this at home, kids” disclaimer: We cut into mattresses to see what’s inside. (Seriously, don’t do this—it will most definitely void your warranty.)
FAQs
Still have some lingering questions about the best king size mattresses? We’ve got answers.
How big is a king size mattress?
King beds are 76 inches wide by 80 inches long; California kings are thinner and longer at 72 inches wide by 84 inches long. Heights vary among models—and sometimes even within the same model. Take the Saatva Classic, available at both 11.5 inches and 14.5 inches. Our picks range from the Titan Plus’s 11 inches to the Nolah Evolution, which is 15 inches.
How much does a king mattress cost?
The bigger the mattress, the more it will cost. But as with any mattress, prices vary for king sizes from different brands. The picks on our list start at $849 for the Nectar Memory Foam and scale up to $2,874 for the Helix Midnight Luxe, a hybrid with both foam and coils. Most California kings cost the same as their king counterparts, with the exception of WinkBeds, which charges $1,999 for its Original in king and $2,049 for the California king. If budget is your number-one concern, check out our list of best affordable mattresses.
Is a California king better than a regular king?
Choosing a king or a California king depends on your unique needs. “If extra length is the priority and you’re over 6’4”…you might opt for a California king over a standard king,” Dr. Petkus says. “However, if you are looking for width and you share the bed, the standard king definitely wins.”
Dr. Rasouli says the bed size has implications for back pain relief, too. Longer and narrower California kings are “ideal for taller individuals with back pain who may need extra legroom for spinal alignment,” he says. The wider regular kings, however, “can be beneficial for back pain sufferers who change positions frequently during sleep. The extra width also helps accommodate sleeping with additional pillows for lumbar support.”
What is a “king’s ridge”?
Even though it has “king” in the name, this bedding phenomenon can affect queens as well. According to Saatva, “king’s ridge” is a hump that develops in the center of a bed caused by people sleeping more frequently on the sides of the bed. The retailer recommends flipping your mattress to avoid this lumpy situation.
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