When it comes to setting the tone for your day, great sleep is essential, and your bed can make all the difference. Having the right mattress (and pillow) can have a major impact on your quality of sleep, and in turn, your overall health and life. Of course, finding the best mattress for you can often 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 Mattress
- Best All-Foam Mattress: Nectar Premier Mattress
- Best for Side Sleepers: Helix Midnight Luxe Mattress
- Best for Combination Sleepers: Tuft & Needle Mint Mattress
- Best Cooling Mattress: Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress
- Best for Back Pain: Casper Wave Hybrid Mattress
The best mattresses for 2024
Jump to:
- DreamCloud Premier Mattress
- Nectar Premier Mattress
- Helix Midnight Luxe Mattress
- Tuft & Needle Mint Mattress
- Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress
- Casper Wave Hybrid Mattress
- Helix Plus Mattress
- Birch by Helix Luxe Natural Mattress
- Awara Natural Hybrid Mattress
Best Overall: DreamCloud Premier Mattress
Courtesy of the brand
Dreamcloud Premier Mattress (Queen Size)
Rating: 9/10
Why we like it: A medium-firm hybrid mattress, the DreamCloud Premier uses 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 thickness 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.”
Sizes: Available in twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, California king, and split king sizes
Price: Ranges from $1,169 for a twin to $2,998 for a split king; free shipping and returns included
Trial period: 365-night trial period
Warranty: Lifetime warranty
Best All-Foam Mattress: Nectar Premier Mattress
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Amazon
Nectar Sleep
Premier Mattress (Queen Size)
Rating: 9/10
Why we like it: 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 support 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.”
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Sizes: Available in twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, California king, and split king sizes
Price: Ranges from $1,049 for a twin to $1,698 for a split king; free shipping and returns included
Trial period: 365-night trial period
Warranty: Limited lifetime warranty
Best for Side Sleepers: Helix Midnight Luxe Mattress
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Helix
Helix Midnight Luxe Mattress (Queen Size)
Rating: 9/10
Why we like it: 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 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.
Sizes: Available in twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, and California king sizes
Price: Ranges from $1,374 for a twin to $2,874 for a California king; free US shipping included
Trial period: 100-night trial period (after 30 days)
Warranty: 15-year limited warranty
Best for Combination Sleepers: Tuft & Needle Mint Mattress
Courtesy of brand/Amanda Bailey
Tuft & Needle Mint Mattress (Queen Size)
Rating: 9/10
Why we like it: 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.”
Sizes: Available in twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, and California king sizes
Price: Ranges from $1,095 for a twin to $2,095 for a California king; free shipping and returns included
Trial period: 100-night trial period
Warranty: 10-year limited warranty
Best Cooling Mattress: Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress
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Brooklyn Bedding
Brooklyn Bedding
Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress (Queen Size)
Rating: 8/10
Why we like it: The Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress (previously the Aurora Luxe Hybrid) surpassed our hot sleeper reviewer’s expectations for cultivating a cool, comfy sleep setup. “If you’re also a side-sleeping, overheating, back-pain-complaining kind of person, then it’s definitely for you,” she wrote. The bed contains an eight-inch core of over 1,000 individually wrapped and zoned coils (which only compress when weight is placed directly on them, to better conform to the sleeper’s body without causing motion transfer), copper-infused foam (which is considered helpful for dispersing body heat), and a top layer of memory foam swirled with gel. You can choose from three options on the brand’s firmness scale (soft, medium, and firm) and, as a bonus, the Aurora comes in the widest range of sizes of our tested mattresses (including sizes for RV beds).
Sizes: Available in twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, California king, split California king, split California queen, short queen, RV king, and RV bunk sizes, with three firmness options
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Price: Ranges from $999 for a twin to $2,265 for an RV king; free shipping and returns included
Trial period: 120-night trial period
Warranty: 10-year warranty
Best for Back Pain: Casper Wave Hybrid Mattress
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Casper
Casper
Wave Hybrid Mattress (Queen Size)
Rating: 8/10
Why we like it: The Casper Wave Hybrid Mattress is designed with ergonomic zones that provide proper support for each part of your body. For example, the areas under your shoulders and hips have more give so you feel more cradled, and less like your body is pressing down on the mattress. This carefully contoured construction is a major win for anyone with back pain or muscle aches, as our reviewer soon discovered. She praised how comfy this bed-in-a-box mattress is and how supported her ankles, knees, hips, and lower back felt: “I was able to lay down on my back and feel perfectly satisfied—I didn’t have to shift around to find the perfect position.”
Sizes: Available in twin XL, full, queen, king, and California king sizes
Price: Ranges from $2,595 for a twin XL to $3,695 for a California king; free shipping and returns included
Trial period: 100-night trial period (after 30 days)
Warranty: 10-year limited warranty
Best for Big and Tall Folks: Helix Plus Mattress
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Blackberry Creek Mattress
Helix Plus Mattress (Queen Size)
Rating: 8/10
Why we like it: 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.
Sizes: Available in twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, and California king sizes
Price: Ranges from $811 for a twin to $1,811 for a California king; free shipping and returns included
Trial period: 100-night trial period (after 30 days)
Warranty: 15-year limited warranty
Best True Medium-Firm Mattress: Birch by Helix Luxe Natural Mattress
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Birch Living
Birch by Helix Luxe Natural Mattress (Queen Size)
Rating: 7/10
Why we like it: 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’ 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.”
Sizes: Available in twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, and California king sizes
Price: Ranges from $1,999 for a twin to $3,749 for a California king; free shipping and a $99 return fee
Trial period: 100-night trial period (after 30 days)
Warranty: 25-year warranty
Best Organic Mattress: Awara Natural Hybrid Mattress
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Awara
Awara Natural Hybrid Mattress (Queen Size)
Rating: 7/10
Why we like it: “The medium-firm Awara Natural 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. Specifically, 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).
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Sizes: Available in twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, and California king sizes
Price: Ranges from $1,299 for a twin to $1,999 for a California king; free shipping and returns included
Trial period: 365-night trial period (after 30 days)
Warranty: Lifetime warranty
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What are the different types of mattresses?
There are a few main types of mattresses to choose from: innerspring (contains internal coils), foam (made of polyurethane foam or memory foam, which contains a combo of polyurethane and other materials, and is sometimes called viscoelastic foam), hybrid (a mix of innerspring and foam), and latex (made of latex rubber).
Innerspring mattresses have been produced the longest and may very well be the type you grew up sleeping on. They’re often cheaper and, thanks to their coils (which come in a variety of types, sizes, heights, and quantities), generally bouncier. They also provide strong edge support and don’t retain much heat.
Foam mattresses have risen in popularity, especially in the age of mattress-in-a-box brands, as they’re easier to roll up and ship. These coil-free mattresses are made of layers of foam, sometimes interspersed with fabric or latex. They’re known for being soft and supportive, with excellent motion isolation. Heat, however, is more easily retained (hot sleepers take note), though some foam mattresses include layers of gel or gel-infused foam which is intended to help with cooling.
Memory foam mattresses are made of a popular type of viscoelastic foam (a combination of polyfoam and different chemicals) and they’re known for their elasticity and viscosity, meaning they contour to the body but return to their original shape when they don’t have any weight on them. Memory foam was originally developed by NASA in the 1960s for use in space travel, and Tempur-Pedic began selling mattress toppers made of the material in the 1990s.
Hybrid mattresses combine the comfort of foam or latex with pocketed coils, which are encased in fabric and move independently of each other, so that there’s a more noticeable contouring effect when you lay down. These mattresses are known for being very supportive, durable, and highly breathable, thanks to the airflow that can pass through the innerspring core. Given their ability to cradle your body, especially around weight-bearing areas like your hips and shoulders, hybrids, as well as all-foam mattresses, are considered smart choices for side sleepers.
Latex mattresses are made from materials derived from rubber trees and plants. The best latex mattresses range from medium-firm to extremely firm. They contain layers of latex which give them a responsive, contouring feel with a unique bounciness, and they’re considered longer-lasting. Experts say they’re excellent for anyone who deals with back pain.
What should you consider when shopping for a mattress?
We spoke with several sleep medicine experts who provided us with the criteria we used to evaluate mattresses as part of our SELF Certified reviews. The criteria include the following: sleep quality (how easily you fall and stay asleep and how rested you feel), support (how well the mattress surface pushes back against your body), comfort (factoring in what position you usually sleep in and your firmness preferences), coolness and temperature, adjustability, motion transfer, and materials.
It’s also important to look for a risk-free trial period, so you can try your new mattress for several nights before making your final decision. You can check out our mattress buying guide for more details.
