14 Best Mattresses, Tested and Reviewed for 2024

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. But 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.

• Best Overall: DreamCloud Premier Hybrid
• 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 Copperflex Pro Mattress
• Best for Back Pain: Casper Snow Max Mattress

• Plush memory foam and coils offer a great balance of comfort and support
• Gel-infused foam keeps you cool all night
• Ideal for side sleepers craving pressure relief

• Firmer feel might not suit soft-mattress fans
• Heavy and tough to move by yourself

A medium-firm hybrid mattress, the DreamCloud Premier Hybrid 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 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.”

• Excellent pressure relief for back sleepers
• Cooling technology helps prevent overheating
• Minimal motion transfer for undisturbed sleep

• Too firm for some side sleepers

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.”

• Responsive design accommodates position changes
• Cooling features keep you from overheating
• Limits motion transfer for undisturbed sleep

• Too soft for most stomach sleepers
• Pricier than comparable models

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.

• Great for combination sleepers because it supports multiple positions
• Adaptive foam offers pressure relief and support
• Uses durable materials

• Limited cooling features compared to some competitors

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.”

• Molds to your body
• Great for back support

• May be too soft for side sleepers
• Not much bounce

The Brooklyn Bedding Copperflex Pro Hybrid Mattress 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 features a cooling cover and copper-infused memory foam that wick moisture, regulate heat, and maintain a clean sleeping surface. It also includes pressure-relieving foam that conforms to your body to reduce pressure on your joints, while targeted lumbar support and adaptive foam layers provide personalized comfort and proper spinal alignment, minimizing motion transfer for undisturbed sleep.

• Provides good spinal support
• Motion isolation minimizes disturbances if sharing the bed
• Cooling technology reduces overheating

• Expensive

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.”

• Durable construction for extended use
• Breathable design prevents overheating

• Too firm for lighter sleepers
• Motion transfer may disturb partners

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.

• Made with natural, eco-friendly materials
• Excellent cooling and moisture-wicking properties
• Strong support and durability
• Minimal motion transfer

• Return fee applies for non-defective returns
• Firmness may not suit lightweight side sleepers
• Higher price compared to some hybrids

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.”

• Great motion isolation for couples
• Medium-firm feel supports multiple sleep positions

• Higher price compared to some competitors
• May not suit very firm mattress preferences

“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).

• Affordable price
• Reduces aches and pains
• Good balance of comfort and support

• May not suit hot sleepers

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.

• Excellent for hot sleepers, thanks to its breathable cooling layer
• Great motion isolation, which is helpful for partners or pets

• May not suit fans of ultra-firm beds

If you’re looking for a mattress that’s as kind to the planet as it is to your sleep, the Leesa Original is an easy pick. The three-layer foam design keeps your body aligned and cool throughout the night. A reviewer notes that the mattress provides “sweet relief” as soon as you climb into bed, especially for those who tend to run hot. Another highlight? “There’s no more shifting because the mattress is wonderful at motion isolation,” making it a great choice for anyone sharing a bed with a partner—or a jumpy cat.

As a bonus, the mattress is CertiPUR-US certified, meaning it’s made without harmful chemicals, so you can sleep soundly in more ways than one.

• Excellent edge support and responsiveness, ideal for couples
• Available in split king and split California king options
• Free white-glove delivery and removal of old mattress

• Doesn’t isolate motion well, making it less ideal for light sleepers or those with active partners
• The luxury firm version may be too firm for some, especially side sleepers
• May not offer enough pressure relief for people with shoulder and hip pain

If luxury and support are what you're after, the Saatva Classic delivers in spades. With its plush pillow top and two layers of zoned coils, this innerspring mattress offers both comfort and spinal support, making it an excellent option for couples. “As a 95% side sleeper with the other 5% on my back, I was worried the mattress would not be soft enough,” one reviewer wrote. “By night two all fears evaporated, as it turned out the firmness is perfect, coupling with superb support. My back and neck pain have pretty much disappeared, and I am now sleeping comfortably through the night like never before.”

The price includes free white-glove delivery, mattress and foundation removal, and a lifetime warranty.

• Excellent support for back sleepers
• Zoned support system for spine alignment
• Four firmness options, including one for heavier individuals

• Not as bouncy as expected from an innerspring mattress
• Testers felt unstable on the edge of the bed
• May not provide enough contouring for side sleepers or those who need pressure relief

The WinkBed offers a solid balance of support and softness, especially for back sleepers. One tester found its Luxury Firm hybrid mattress to be “supportive, but also very soft,” thanks to its gel-infused foam and pillow top. The mattress uses a zoned support system, where the individually wrapped coils are firmer in the center, providing extra support where it’s needed most. This ensures a neutral spine and comfort for back sleepers. Despite not being the bounciest, it’s still an excellent choice for those who prefer a less disruptive surface, making it a good option for light sleepers.

• Eco-friendly materials
• Great temperature regulation for hot sleepers
• Cushy enough for some side sleepers

• Too plush for stomach sleepers
• Needs 24 hours to decompress and off-gas

The Nolah Natural Hybrid Latex mattress stands out for its eco-friendly materials, including organic cotton and natural latex, offering a blend of comfort and sustainability. One of its standout features is its responsive feel, as it offers a slight bounce that many sleepers enjoy. The medium-firm feel is particularly beneficial for back sleepers, providing essential pressure relief while supporting spinal alignment. Testers have found the mattress to be effective in regulating temperature, which is ideal for those who tend to sleep hot.

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.

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.

The cost of a mattress can vary greatly, and how much you should spend on a mattress is subjective, based 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.

If you're looking to score a deal, holiday sales—like Labor 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 brands 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.

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.