16 Editor-Tested Mattresses for Every Type of Sleeper

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THERE ARE no two ways about it: Your mattress is the very foundation of your sleep. While it may cost a pretty penny—and feel more like an investment—a great mattress can mean the difference between tossing and turning and a good night’s rest.

And it’s more important than ever to get a good night’s sleep: Proper sleep can help your job performance, power better muscle recovery, ease your stress, and so much more. So when you ask if a great mattress is worth the investment, our answer is a resounding yes.

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Ahead, our picks for the 16 best mattresses of 2023 for every type of sleeper. You won’t regret the investment.

Best Hybrid Mattress: Saatva Classic Mattress

If you’re a stomach sleeper—or even if you sometimes sleep on your back—then Saatva’s Classic Mattress is a phenomenal investment. It comes in three firmness versions: plush soft, luxury firm, and firm. All excellent choices. No matter if you choose the 11.5-inch height or the 14.5-inch height, laying on the mattress will feel every bit as luxurious as a fine hotel bed, and maybe the best part—at least for us—is how green it is. The naturally breathable organic cotton cover allows more airflow to help disperse body heat.

Other bonuses: a responsive dual-coil design made of recycled carbon steel that's tempered three times for superb durability. And it’s all assembled in the USA. Saatva’s quality is unparalleled, and it’s worth the investment. If you tend to flip flop between sleeping on your stomach and your back, pick this one up.

Best Plush Mattress in a Box: Nectar Premiere Copper

Nectar's out-of-the-box Premier Copper Mattress is, well, a little out there with how sophisticated it is in its design: a mix of a cooling copper cover and gel-infused memory foam layered on top of supportive and shift resistant foam base. The result is a cooling, 14-inch thick, five-layered masterpiece. It's a solid mattress-in-a-box pick for hot sleepers and those who enjoy their mattress to contour to their body. Most of Nectar's mattresses lean firmer, but the Premiere Copper is the plushest mattress the brand offers. In terms of sleep positions, side sleepers will likely enjoy the locked-in feel the foam creates.

Best Firm Mattress in a Box: Tuft & Needle Original

Tuft & Needle's Original mattress provides a whole lot of value for the price point. What you get is a medium-firm sleeper with a cooling knit top and memory foam layer, followed by a foam comfort and stability layer. Thanks to a supportive design, the mattress caters to back sleepers and stomach sleepers exceptionally well. It's also worth mentioning buying mattresses for stomach sleepers can be difficult, so it's nice to see the T&N Original provide enough support to keep a sleeper's hips from sinking down too far into the bed. (Allowing the hips to sink too far when sleeping on your stomach can result in some nasty back pain.) The only qualm about the T&N Original is some side sleepers may want to opt for a more plush mattress, which is why we split our best mattress-in-a-box picks into a firm and plush category.

Best Smart Mattress: Eight Sleep Pod 3

For those who are serious about their sleep and recovery, the Pod 3 could prove to be the ultimate tool for ensuring your get an optimized rest. The Pod 3 clocks in at a solid medium mattress rating, so most won't feel like it's too plush or too firm. On the Pod 3 is a layer of sensors that Eight Sleep calls the "Active Grid". The sensors will track everything from sleep patters, breathing, heart rate and more. The Pod 3 also has active cooling technology built into each side of the mattress. The technology consists of long tubes filled with water that lead to a water container on the side of the mattress that's called "The Hub". No matter if you're a hot sleeper or cold sleeper, the tubes of water can be set from the Eight Sleep app to a range of 55-110 degrees Fahrenheit, allowing you and your partner to get a personalized surface temperature at all times of the year. The Pod 3 is expensive, we know, but if you're looking to get into the smart mattress game this is as good as it gets.

Most Balanced Mattress: Leesa Studio

The Leesa Studio is an affordable mattress in a box that leans firm but is overall a well balanced sleeper. Leesa uses an all-foam makeup to build the 10-inch mattress. In many ways it feels like a traditional memory foam mattress for all sleeping position. Side sleepers will likely enjoy the Studio's level of sink the most, as it contours just enough to provide proper support without being too plush. Lest we forget to mention the Studio does not exceed $1,000, so it's likely you'll have some leftover cash to buy a nice bed frame or piece of furniture.

Best Foam Mattress: Purple Plus Mattress

The ‘plus’ in the Purple Plus Mattress is named for the extra layer of comfort foam, which gives it a medium feel that straddles the fine line between plush and firm. The foam base is topped with two inches of breathable GelFlex Grid to gently cradle sensitive areas like your hips and shoulders while keeping the rest of your body ideally aligned for ergonomic sleep. But what makes Purple mattresses special is the temperature-neutral grid that features over 1,400+ air channels for optimal cooling. When you take into account this feature with the breathable foams used in the base, you're bound to stay cool and comfortable all night long.

Best Medium-Firm Mattress: Bear Original

The Bear Original is a 10-inch medium-firm mattress that provides ample support for sleepers. It's made with two layers: the top made with gel-infused memory foam and polyfoam, and the bottom made from a dense foam support core. What's great about this construction is the foam is breathable, which provides a cooling effect for hot sleepers. The Bear Original is great for back sleepers and ideal for stomach sleepers—the mattress is firm enough to keep a stomach sleepers hips from sinking down and putting pressure on the spine. Some side sleepers might enjoy a more plush mattress, as the Bear Original doesn't contour to your body like soft mattresses do.

Best Firm Mattress: Brooklyn Bedding Plank Firm Luxe

For those who love an ultra-supportive sleep surface, there’s Brooklyn Bedding’s Plank Firm Luxe Mattress. “Designed to be the firmest mattress on the market,” it boasts a two-inch high-density top layer for maximum rigidity. We love that it can also be flipped with a reverse side that’s more “traditionally” firm for a slightly plusher night’s sleep.

Best Budget-Friendly Mattress: Allswell Luxe Hybrid 12-Inch

Allswell's Luxe Hybrid is made from layers of innovative memory foam with individually wrapped coils for the perfect blend of comfort and support, all adding up to a medium-firrm feel—a good median for most people, gently contouring to your body. The mattress is encased in a fabric designed to feel cool to the touch, so you’re not just getting a cheap bed, you’re getting a great budget-buy. And the big bonus: the CertiPUR-US® certified foams are made without toxic chemicals including mercury, lead, formaldehyde, and phthalates. This sleeper shows you don’t necessarily need to “invest” in a mattress for it to be just what you need for a good night’s rest.

Best Cooling Mattress: Birch Luxe Natural Mattress

Not only are natural and organic mattresses better for the environment, they're also better for your quality of sleep. The Birch Luxe Natural Mattress supports temperature regulation thanks to a surface made from organic cotton, and a top layer blend of organic cashmere and wool for luxurious breathability. Under the hood, one thousand individual steel coils cradle your body and limit motion transfer at the foundation.

Best Mattress for Side Sleepers: WinkBeds The WinkBed

Side-sleepers should feel like they’re slipping away into a cloud when they fall asleep—and the Winkbed makes it happen. At the top of the mattress, there’s a soft cover derived from Tencel©, a eucalyptus-based performance fabric. The next layer is a pressure-relieving quilted Euro-pillowtop that ensures your back, hips, and shoulders receive superior cushioning and support. And lastly, there’s a layer of individually-wrapped pocketed coils and an extraEDGE support system provides a more sleep-able area through enhanced edge support. You get a high level of cushioned comfort and breathability at a not-too-crazy cost. Sounds pretty nice, right?

Best for Back Sleepers: Casper Wave Hybrid Mattress

The Casper Wave Mattress is something of an engineering feat: five layers combined to give you the most comfortable sleep possible, especially if you have back pain. The trick to the Wave mattress is the placement of each layer to provide a more ergonomic sleep experience. Our favorite design note? We love how Casper placed comforting gel pods right under the waist and lower back area to prevent sinking and keep your spine aligned. Time to ditch your back pain and get back to sleeping like a baby.

Best Mattress for Stomach Sleepers: Dreamcloud Luxury Hybrid Mattress

If you love the feeling of a plush mattress but as a stomach sleeper, you find that you can't ever get fully comfortable on one, meet the DreamCloud. The brand boasts that their mattress has the“perfect” firmness, and we agree. Quilted foam and cashmere sit on top, while a layer of pressure-relieving gel memory foam that contours to body shape lites beneath. And at the base are targeted-support coils that provide a sturdy foundation for deep, restful sleep.

Best Mattress for Couples: Tempur-Pedic TEMPUR-Adapt®

When you think of an adjustable bed, it’s hard to get more robust than the excellent TEMPUR-Adapt from Tempur-Pedic. When paired with the brand's Smart Base, the mattress can be adjusted to several positions, including a more upright one for reading or watching TV. If your partner tends to be a snorer, a gentle incline of the head can help ease it up and give you both a good night’s rest.

The mattress is also enhanced with advanced motion-absorbing properties, so you and your partner can sleep comfortably and undisturbed all night long through each other's shifting, thus ensuring you wake up feeling fully rested and refreshed.

Best Mattress for Allergies: Nolah Natural 11"

Nolah uses fine organic cotton and organic wool certified by the GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) to create a premium sleeper that works especially well for those with allergies. Even better is the fact the brad opted for natural latex to form a pressure-relieving layer and transition layer to go on top of a wonderfully supportive Tri-Zone coil system. The result is a hypoallergenic mattress with a medium level of firmness that helps provide support and relief all night long.

Best Organic Mattress: Avocado Best Organic Mattress

Unlike most hybrid mattresses, which are a combination of memory foam and coils, Avocado's Green Mattress contains over 14,00 pocketed support coils arranged in five zones for calculated comfort. The materials used consist of 100% GOLS (Global Organic Latex Standard) certified organic latex, 100% GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified organic wool, and 100% GOTS certified organic cotton. These certifications ensure you're sleeping on the highest premium quality materials—no polyester, polyurethane foams, or toxic fire retardants.

And if you like a more plush-feeling mattress, you can upgrade to an attached European-style pillow-top, filled with an additional 2-inch layer of GOLS organic certified latex rubber foam. Ideal for all side and combination sleepers, it provides superior pressure relief and a luxurious feel.

How to Find the Right Mattress

There are a few things to consider when you look at top-rated mattresses. Do you sleep better on a firmer mattress, or one that’s got a little bounce? Do you have special wants, such as a mattress to help alleviate occasional back pain? Do you sleep hot? We’ve got all the answers right here. Let’s start with the basics. There are, generally, three different types of mattresses: foam mattresses, innerspring mattresses, and a hybrid of the two. Foam mattresses tend to be a little firmer, innerspring ones a little bouncier, and hybrid mattresses tend to be a mix of the two. If you know what you like, well, you know what to pick.

What Mattress Firmness Is Right for You?

Finding the right mattress firmness is typically the easy part since it all comes down to sleep style. Stomach sleepers usually prefer softer (or “plush) mattresses; back sleepers often like firm mattresses, and side sleepers usually want medium firm. If you tend to mix up your sleep position throughout the night (e.g., you fall asleep on your side but wake up on your back), a medium-firm mattress is a good compromise.

But, there are no real standards for firmness. One manufacturer’s “firm” might be another’s “medium-firm.” The only way to know if a mattress is right for you is to test it out, which is why it’s so important to double-check any in-home trials and warranties. Even if a mattress seems like a good fit at first, you may not like it as much six months from now. It’s essential to know that you can return or exchange it.

The Sleep Positions

You also need to consider your sleep position. If you tend to sleep on your stomach, the best mattresses for stomach sleepers would be a firm mattress that will help you keep your head and hips level. Side sleepers usually go for something with a little more bounce—something that can contour to your body, so the best mattresses for side sleepers may be a little more plush and springy. And back sleepers can go somewhere in-between, but something a little on the firmer side could help even up your spine.

Which Mattress Type Is Best?

Generally, mattresses fall into one of five construction types: foam (including memory foam), innerspring, latex, airbed, or hybrid (a mix of two other construction types). These days, memory foam mattresses have largely overtaken innerspring mattresses as the sleep surface of choice. But, hybrid beds that combine memory foam and innerspring construction are fast gaining in popularity. They offer the support and rigidity of a traditional mattress with the plushness, comfort, and temperature regulating properties of memory foam. Again, it’s all a matter of personal preference, so there really is no “best” type of mattress.

How We Selected

For the past two years, a suite of Men's Health editors are writers tried and tested over 50 mattresses. Editors, including Deputy Editor of Commerce Christian Gollayan and our Gear and Commerce Editor John Thompson, put these beds through the wringer, evaluating each one on support, comfort, and assembly time. We also considered price point, as some mattresses provide a better overall value than others.

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