When it comes to setting the tone for your day, a great night’s sleep is essential, and your bed can make all the difference. Having the best mattress for your sleep style can have a major impact on your quality of rest, and in turn, your overall health and life. But actually finding said mattress can be a nightmarish task. Like any other major investment, there are seemingly thousands of options, opinions, and prices to think about.
Luckily, we have some suggestions. If you’re shopping for your first big mattress purchase, replacing your old one, or just looking for a bedtime upgrade, you’ll find an excellent option on this list. Following criteria provided by sleep experts, SELF editors tested and reviewed models from some of the biggest mattress brands, including DreamCloud, Casper, Helix, and Nectar.
Our top picks
- Best Overall: DreamCloud Premier Hybrid, $2,330
- Best All-Foam Mattress: Nectar Premier Mattress, $2,249
- Best for Side Sleepers: Helix Midnight Luxe Mattress, $2,373
- Best for Combination Sleepers: Tuft & Needle Mint Mattress, $1,295
- Best for Big and Tall Folks: Helix Plus Mattress, $1,499
- Best Cooling Mattress: Nectar Premier Hybrid, $2,330
- Best Luxury Mattress: Birch by Helix Luxe Natural Mattress, $2,624
- Best Organic Mattress: Awara Natural Luxury Hybrid Mattress, $1,383
- Best Budget Mattress: Casper One, $999
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Best Overall: DreamCloud Premier Hybrid
A medium-firm hybrid mattress, the DreamCloud Premier Hybrid is made with coil springs, contouring memory foam, low-motion foam, and three more layers of supportive, pressure-relieving foam—a combination that SELF’s reviewer praised for its responsiveness, slight springiness, and excellent breathability.
She noted that it saw her through a brutal Northeast heatwave with “way fewer sweaty nights.” She was also impressed by how high-quality the mattress felt, which is likely due to its 14-inch rise and plush European cashmere pillow top. Overall, she said it improved her sleep: “It’s kept me cool, comfortable, and well-rested for three months now, and I kinda can’t remember life without it.”
Material: Foam and springs | Firmness: Medium-firm | Trial period: 365 nights | Warranty: Lifetime | Shipping: Free shipping and returns
Best All-Foam Mattress: Nectar Premier Mattress
The Nectar Premier bed is made of three core layers. There’s a three-inch gel-infused memory foam layer designed to contour to your body and react to changes in your temperature, followed by a three-inch layer of responsive foam to help with spinal alignment, and a seven-inch base layer of foam to provide structure. SELF’s tester found that it had a great combination of “support, comfort, and temperature regulation,” noting that “it’s the closest to perfect I’ve found.”
Material: Memory foam | Firmness: Medium-firm | Trial period: 365 nights | Warranty: Limited lifetime | Shipping: Free shipping and returns
Best for Side Sleepers: Helix Midnight Luxe Mattress
The Helix Midnight Luxe is another excellent hybrid model and, according to our reviewer, it’s especially great for side sleepers. “With the Midnight Luxe, I noticed that I fell asleep more easily, and any time I did wake up, I’d quickly fall back asleep,” she wrote, adding that she felt basically no back or shoulder pain during her test period.
Helix’s Luxe line has six different types of mattresses to choose from for every type of sleeper. The choices are broken down into three different firmness levels (soft, medium, or firm), and within each of those, you can choose between a side sleeper, or a back and stomach sleeper style. Our reviewer got the medium feel for side sleepers (Midnight Luxe), but said that if you’re sleeping with a partner you might like a firmer feel (like the Twilight Luxe) to avoid sinkage.
Material: Memory foam and pocketed coils | Firmness: Medium-firm | Trial period: 100 nights | Warranty: 15-year limited | Shipping: Free shipping and returns
Best for Combination Sleepers: Tuft & Needle Mint Mattress
The Mint Mattress uses Tuft & Needle’s brand-specific blend of Adaptive Foam, which is made to relieve pressure points and mold to your body without sagging too much. Our tester noticed the difference within her first night on the mattress, and described its feel as “dense yet springy,” with just the right amount of sinkage.
This balance between bounce and contour is all the more impressive given our tester’s combination sleep style (meaning she shifts from her back to her side to her stomach through the night). No matter how she snoozed, she felt comfortable and supported: “Whatever form my body decides to take, I can feel myself relaxing into the mattress rather than fighting it.” Major bonus points: Our tester started sleeping on the Mint in 2022—and says it’s still going strong today.
Material: Adaptive Foam | Firmness: Medium-firm | Trial period: 100 nights | Warranty: 10-year limited | Shipping: Free shipping and returns
Best for Big and Tall Folks: Helix Plus Mattress
Designed with larger bodies in mind (whether plus-size, tall, or both), the Helix Plus Mattress is a medium-firm hybrid bed that’s constructed with an extra layer of dense foam for pressure relief and a sturdily-enforced perimeter to help prevent motion transfer (in case you sleep with a partner).
SELF’s tester noticed a “vast improvement” in her sleep quality with the Plus, writing that it felt supportive, allowed for easy position changes, and didn’t cause aches or joint pains. “My sleep quality has noticeably improved, and I wake up feeling refreshed each morning. I definitely do not miss the stiffness and sagging of my old mattress,” she said.
Material: Foam and steel coils | Firmness: Medium-firm | Trial period: 100-night trial period (after 30 days) | Warranty: 15-year limited | Shipping: Free shipping and returns
Best Cooling Mattress: Nectar Premier Hybrid
If you run hot in your sleep (or your partner does), Nectar’s 13-inch hybrid mattress was made for you. It has multiple layers of contouring memory foam and responsive, individually wrapped coils, so it cradles and supports you at the same time. Its hybrid design prevents you from sinking too far into the bed, which helps you stay cooler throughout the night. The layer of coils also encourages airflow and the top layer is made of breathable fabric that should feel cool to the touch.
SELF’s director of special projects loves her Nectar Premier Hybrid, which she got after sleeping on it at her in-laws’ house and finding it incredibly comfortable. We consider it a great pick for couples not only because it sheds heat (in case your S.O. turns into a furnace overnight) but also because it drastically reduces motion transfer.
Material: Synthetic fabric, memory foam, wrapped stainless steel coils | Firmness: Medium-firm | Trial period: 365-night trial period | Warranty: Limited lifetime | Shipping: Free shipping and returns
Best Luxury Mattress: Birch by Helix Luxe Natural Mattress
Made of sustainably-sourced organic birch wool and designed for all sleep positions, the medium-firm hybrid Birch Luxe Natural Mattress has a cushy organic cotton top, breathable layers of organic cashmere and wool, zoned lumbar support for contouring, and sturdy edges for added structure.
SELF’s tester was pleasantly surprised by the mattress’s medium-firm feel, noting that it prevented sinkage, helped her sleep soundly, and prevented aches and pains in the morning. She wrote that, while she found it comfy as a side sleeper who doesn’t mind a firmer mattress, it should also satisfy back sleepers, who tend to find firmer mattresses more comfortable. “Plus,” she added, “the Birch has a soft plush cover, which gives it a luxurious feel.”
Material: Cotton, natural latex, encased coils | Firmness: Medium-firm | Trial period: 100-night trial period (after 30 days) | Warranty: 25-year limited | Shipping: Free shipping and a $99 return fee
Best Organic Mattress: Awara Natural Luxury Hybrid Mattress
“The medium-firm Awara Natural Luxury Hybrid Mattress gets points for being an organic mattress option that feels plush while still giving you support,” our tester wrote in her review. It features individually-wrapped coils topped with layers of latex and a luxurious cover made with breathable cotton and wool. Top to bottom, the mattress is designed to help encourage airflow through the night.
Our reviewer said this bed “may be ideal for side sleepers who require both support and cushioning to help avoid the dreaded dead arm or various aches.” Awara has received several third-party environmental certifications, including Greenguard Gold certification and an Oeko-Tex Standard 100 label (meaning they’ve been tested for harmful substances by independent textile institute Oeko-Tex).
Material: Organic latex and individually wrapped coils | Firmness: Medium-firm | Trial period: 365 nights (after 30 days) | Warranty: Lifetime | Shipping: Free shipping and returns
Best Budget Mattress: Casper One
The One by Casper (a revamp of the brand’s former Casper Element Pro Mattress) is a dependable, no-frills mattress that combines medium-soft memory foam with a sturdy base for a comfortable sleep experience. One SELF reviewer slept on it for three weeks while visiting her parents and noticed how it “hugged [her] body while pressing back against it,” reducing her typical neck and lower back pain. Its affordability doesn’t compromise its comfort, making it an excellent choice for anyone seeking a quality mattress under $1,500.
Material: Polyfoam and memory foam | Firmness: Medium-firm | Trial period: 100 nights | Warranty: 10-year limited | Shipping: Free within the U.S.
How we test mattresses at SELF
Before starting to test each mattress, we monitor and record how we feel on our current mattress. We track variables like waking up with discomfort or stiffness, how easily we settle into bed, our overall restfulness, and how often we wake during the night. This provides a baseline for comparison.
During the testing period with the new mattress, we maintain this tracking system to note any differences in our experience. This gives us objective data to assess the mattress’s performance and whether it offers a noticeable improvement over our old one.
Frequently asked questions about mattresses
What is the best mattress to buy?
The best mattress for you depends on your individual needs, but generally, you’ll want to focus on key factors like your preferred sleeping position, comfort preferences, and any specific concerns such as back pain or overheating. “Latex mattresses are great for adults with back pain, as the beds offer a combination of support and pressure relief,” Jonathan Jiman Rasouli, MD, a spinal neurosurgeon at Northwell Staten Island University Hospital, previously told SELF. For back sleepers, a medium-firm mattress with good lumbar support can be ideal, while side sleepers might want something with more contouring to relieve pressure points.
Latex is also great for people who tend to sleep hot as are hybrid designs. “Air can move more easily between the coils,” Daniella Marchetti, PhD, DBSM, a behavioral sleep medicine psychologist and clinician at Rise Science, previously told SELF. “They also tend to provide more support than foam mattresses for stomach sleepers or those with heavier weight.”Ultimately, it’s important to find a mattress that suits your body’s needs and enhances your sleep quality.
How much should I spend on a mattress?
The cost of a mattress can vary greatly, and how much you should spend on a mattress depends on your budget— there are plenty of reasonably priced options that still provide great comfort and support. Based on our testing, for a quality product, expect to spend anywhere from $800 to $2,000 for a queen size. It’s worth paying more for higher-quality materials because they tend to be more durable, which can extend the lifespan of your mattress.
When is the best time to buy a new mattress?
If you’re looking to score a deal, holiday sales—like Memorial Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday—are the best times to buy. Retailers tend to offer large discounts during these periods, especially on big-ticket items like mattresses. In addition, mattress companies frequently offer promotions in the early months of the year, such as during Presidents’ Day. While you can often find good deals during these sales, it’s important to compare prices and read reviews to ensure the mattress will be worth the investment.
If you’re thinking about buying a new mattress, don’t sleep on the decision for too long. “Outdated mattresses can cause a range of issues, like improper spinal alignment, neck or joint pain, and potentially worsening conditions like sciatica or arthritis,” Hooman Melamed, MD, a Beverly Hills, California-based orthopedic spine surgeon, previously told SELF.
How long do mattresses last?
In an ideal world, you’d buy a mattress that suits both you and anyone you share your bed with and keep it until it’s time to replace it—typically after about 8 years, which is the average lifespan according to the National Sleep Foundation.
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