Our Experts With 5+ years of mattress testing experience, we use our different sleeping position and body type perspectives to offer well-rounded, honest reviews. What to consider Firmness A firm mattress will offer more support while a soft mattress will be more pressure-relieving. Medium mattresses fall in the sweet spot right in between.
The right firmness level for you depends on your sleeping position. Sleep position Side sleepers should consider a medium to soft mattress that cradles the hips and shoulders. Back and stomach sleepers should consider a medium to firm mattress that keeps the spine straight.
Switch between positions? A medium firmness level can accommodate all sleeping positions. Feel Coils and latex foam give a bed more bounce, while memory foam and poly foam make a bed feel more cushy and pressure-relieving. The feel of your mattress will depend on the types of materials it has on the inside.
Construction There are essentially two mattress types: hybrid and all-foam. Hybrid mattresses are constructed with steel coils and foam, but all-foam mattresses are just as their name implies. Body type Hybrid mattresses tend to be best for people who want extra support and durability.
Sleepers over 230 pounds in particular should consider a hybrid over an all-foam mattress because it’s more supportive, durable and long-lasting. Performance Motion isolation, edge support and temperature are important features for couples or people who sleep hot to consider. Hot sleepers should consider a mattress that boasts special cooling features.
Couples want minimal motion transfer and a strong, supportive bed perimeter. Company policies All online brands offer a free trial, free shipping and a warranty, but some brands are more generous with their policies than others. Our Picks Having a comfortable mattress is crucial for a good night's rest.
If you're a back or stomach sleeper, you'll likely want a firmer bed as it offers optimal support and promotes proper spinal alignment. A firm bed can prevent your spine from sagging as you sleep on your back or stomach, which increases comfortability and can help alleviate pain. It's important to note that just because you need a firmer bed doesn't mean you'll have to sacrifice pressure relief.
It all depends on your support needs and personal sleep preferences. To give you an idea, medium-firm mattresses offer some pressure relief, while firm mattresses offer maximum support. I have tested over 100 different mattresses throughout my career and have slept on the job for hours in honor of curating our CNET best mattress lists .
For the best firm mattresses on the market, we compiled a list that includes the most comfortable hybrid mattresses, affordable firm beds, memory foam models and more. Read on to find your ideal firm mattress match. What is the best firm mattress overall? Getting a feel for the Saatva Classic mattress.
The Saatva Classic is a high-end mattress with three different firmness levels and two height profiles to choose from. Since each mattress is made to order, you'll essentially get a customized bed that fits your preferences and needs. Unlike other beds I've tested, it also has an ultra-supportive design.
Inside, the Saatva Classic boasts two coil layers and extra lumbar reinforcements. Note that all prices quoted are the list price for a queen size, not including the frequent deals these brands offer. Read more : Mattress Firmness Scale Explained Video: Best firm mattress Watch CNET senior video producer Owen Poole review the best firm mattresses.
Best firm mattresses of 2024 SCORE It's constructed with multiple layers of innerspring coils with luxury foams, the Lumbar Active Spinal Wire I mentioned for improved back support, multiple comfort layers and a big, fluffy pillow top cushion. In the center is memory foam that provides special lumbar support so your spine stays aligned. It still offers pressure relief, especially when you're sleeping on your side -- something that many other firm mattresses fall short on.
I'd even dub the Saatva Classic as one of the best firm mattress picks for people with back pain. The Saatva mattress comes with three firmness options and two mattress heights: 11.5 inches and 14.
5 inches. This essentially gives you the option to customize your firm mattress more because you can choose how soft or supportive you want it to be. Keep in mind, if you go with the deeper mattress, make sure you're also getting deep-pocket sheets.
Read more in our full Saatva Classic mattress review . SCORE The Plank is very properly named, and it's one of the firmest beds in our best firm mattress review. It's a foam bed-in-a-box mattress from Brooklyn Bedding that measures over 11 inches thick and has a flippable construction.
That way, you get two firm profiles in one mattress. Whether you want a medium-firm feel with some pressure relief or a supportive, firm feel, you have the option to choose. As far as feel goes, this mattress has a responsive, neutral-foam feel that contours your curves without making you feel like you're sinking into the mattress as you get with some memory foam beds.
This is especially nice for people who toss and turn often during the night as it's much easier to move around on. SCORE Dreamfoam is a subbrand of Brooklyn Bedding that makes extremely affordable mattresses. The cheapest option is the new Dreamfoam Doze, an all-foam mattress in three thicknesses: 7, 9 or 11 inches.
The thicker the constructions go, the softer they get. People who want a firm budget bed should stick with either the 7-inch (firm) or the 9-inch (medium-firm). Since it’s a budget mattress, it won’t have all the bells and whistles that other beds on the list have; there’s no zoned support or cooling covers.
That said, don’t let the price suggest the quality isn’t as high. While testing, we were pleasantly surprised by how comfortable the Dreamfoam Doze mattress was. It's a great option if you’re looking for a cheap, comfortable mattress with a neutral foam feel.
Read more in our Dreamfoam Doze mattress review . SCORE It has a firm mattress feel that takes a moment to warm up to your body. Once it does, you slowly become nestled into the layers of the mattress, and the foam remembers the shape of your body for several moments after you get up.
Hence the name "memory foam." I rated the firmness around a medium-firm, making it best for back, stomach or combination sleepers who are looking for a more supportive feel. That said, the original Nectar bed is only made out of foam.
In that case, I think it's the best firm mattress for sleepers who weigh less than 230 pounds. Read more about this bed in our Nectar mattress review . SCORE A mattress always gets extra points when it allows for customization.
The Aurora Luxe mattress has three firmness options: soft, medium and firm. You can even add a pillow top. Anyone can sleep on it, although the firmest option is why it’s on this list.
While the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe isn’t the cheapest bed out there, the high-quality design and cooling technology make it a must for people who want a firm mattress that will keep them cool. You’ll also often see it discounted, knocking a few hundred dollars off the price. Read our Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe review.
SCORE The foundation is made with recycled steel coils and the comfort layers include organic latex made from the sap of a tropical rubber tree, New Zealand wool and organic cotton. It feels a bit firm, medium-firm with the pillow top and firm without. If you sleep on your back or stomach and are particularly health conscious, I think you'll be a big fan of the bed.
Organic latex beds are durable, hypoallergenic and antimicrobial. It has a ton of certifications to back up its eco-friendly claims, and it's one of the best firm mattress models I've tested. Read more in our full Avocado mattress review .
SCORE The Purple Rejuvenate is a luxury-style mattress with a medium-firm profile and comfortable pillow top. It’s our pick for the best firm mattress for back pain thanks to its target coil system that is slightly firmer under the back and softer at the head and foot of the bed. Other beds with a zoned design feature segmented foam layers rather than targeted coils.
If you’ve had your eye on a Purple mattress but are unsure you want to commit to the unique feel Purple is known for, then you’ll like the Rejuvenate mattress. Since the GelFlex Grid is deeper in the bed, you mostly get the pillow top feel when lying on it. You still get the benefits of the grid, like sleeping temperature neutral and being extremely responsive.
Here’s the thing about this bed: It’s expensive. Retailing at $5,495, this bed is out of many people’s budget. If you have the extra cash and want to invest in a mattress that will likely ease your back pain, you’ll like the Purple Rejuvenate bed.
Read more about the Purple mattresses . SCORE The WinkBed mattress is a pillow top mattress that combines the sturdiness and support of zoned pocketed innersprings, with the comfort and plushness of multiple foam layers and a fluffy pillow top. It's incredibly thick and the firm model is, as WinkBed says, "firm but not hard.
" I'd rate the WinkBed's Firm model around a medium-firm. It'll keep your spine in proper alignment with your neck, but it isn't such a firm mattress that it'll cause irritation and pressure on your joints. Read more about the bed in our WinkBeds mattress review .
SCORE The Helix Plus hybrid mattress, rated a seven to eight out of 10 on the firmness scale, is designed to offer extra support for heavier sleepers . It's made of wrapped coils and several layers of memory foam in varying densities, but the real star of the show is a 4-inch layer of high-density foam. This extra foam held up the other layers, providing adequate support but also adding some cushioning that provided relief for my shoulders and hips.
Because the mattress is thicker -- it's 13 inches tall -- it will feel firmer if you have a lower body mass index, but I thought it had just the right amount of give. It was comfortable and provided motion isolation really well, so I didn't bounce around, even when my boyfriend moved in the middle of the night. Read more in our full Helix mattress review .
Other mattresses we tested Helix Dawn mattress : The Helix Dawn bed is a very supportive hybrid mattress that's as firm as firm beds can get, similar to Plank. Rated around a 9 to 10 on the firmness scale, it could be a great firm mattress pick for stomach or back sleepers under 230 pounds who want maximum support at an affordable price. I also like its general foam feel; it's similar to the foam in your favorite comfy couch.
It's more breathable and more responsive to pressure than memory foam. GhostBed Flex Mattress : Rated a 6 to 7 out of 10 on the mattress firmness scale, the GhostBed is classified as a medium-firm mattress. It's made of a combination of latex-like memory foams that have a soft, springy feel, but also provide enough support so you don't feel like you're sinking into the mattress (and then waking up in pain).
It also has two rows of reinforced coils around the edge of the bed that hold the layers up and contribute to excellent edge-to-edge firmness level support. Read more : Best Mattress for Side Sleepers for 2024 How we test firm mattresses CNET video producer Wesley Ott testing out the edge support on the Nectar mattress CNET editors pick the products and services we write about based on editorial merit. When you buy through our links, we may get a commission.
To test firm mattresses, we use our own instincts and pay close attention to how firm a bed feels -- particularly in comparison to other mattresses. We analyze how the foam responds to our body, how far we sink into the bed and how supportive a bed feels in each sleeping position. If a bed presses strongly into our shoulders and hips while lying on our side, that's a good indicator that it's firm.
Read more about how we test mattresses . What to consider when buying a firm mattress Back and stomach sleepers are the types who usually sleep most comfortably on a firm mattress. Side sleepers typically like softer beds that offer pressure relief to the hips and shoulders.
If you're a side sleeper, you may not want a firm bed. The lighter you are, the firmer a mattress is going to feel. People under 150 pounds will likely perceive a medium-firm bed as firm.
The opposite is true for heavier sleepers; the heavier you are, the softer a bed is going to feel. If a bed is rated around medium-firm and you weigh 245 pounds, it will likely feel closer to a medium instead. Keep this in mind when you're shopping for a bed so you choose the most suitable one.
All firm beds aren't made to be the same. Beds that are considered firm land between 6 and 10 on the firmness scale. Beds rated around 6 to 8 are considered among the medium-firm range, while 8 to 10 is firm territory.
Medium-firm beds offer both pressure relief and support, while firm beds offer maximum support. Best firm mattress FAQs The best firm mattress will depend on your personal preferences, body type and sleeping style. We found that some of the best firm mattresses that range from medium-firm to firm include: It primarily depends on your favorite sleeping position.
If you're a back or stomach sleeper, a firm mattress does a great job of keeping your neck and spine in proper alignment. Hotels tend to furnish their rooms with beds that fall in the medium to medium-firm range. That way, they can accommodate a wider range of sleeping position options because the beds aren't too firm or too soft.
Latex foam mattresses are generally the firmest compared with other foam mattresses, followed by innerspring mattresses. With that being said, there are plenty of softer latex mattress and innerspring mattress options on the market, too. It's difficult to generalize about firm bed mattresses when there are so many different ones on the market.
If you sleep on your back or stomach, a firm mattress can keep your spine and neck in a straight alignment to prevent you from sagging into the bed and experiencing back pain. If you're a side sleeper, a firm mattress can push into your body and promote a curved spine..
