If you’re finally ready to replace your aging mattress, get ready for a major quality-of-life boost! Today’s high-quality mattresses use better materials and smarter designs. Plus, there’s the perfect product out there for any sleeper—whether you prefer a squishy soft bed, a stiff-as-a-board sleep surface, or anything in between.
Let’s explore six of the best mattresses on the market, covering a range of sleep needs. Below, we’ll offer key tips for finding the right mattress. Then, we’ll provide quick reviews of the best mattresses of 2024.
Our Picks for the Best Mattresses in 2024
- Best Overall: Helix Midnight Luxe
- Best Soft Mattress: Helix Sunset Luxe
- Best Mattress for Back Pain: Helix Dawn Elite
- Best Organic Mattress: Birch Natural
- Best Mattress for Heavy People: Helix Plus Luxe
- Best Kids Mattress: Helix Kids
How to Choose a Mattress That Meets Your Needs
Factors like body type and preferred sleeping position influence which type of mattress you’ll find most comfortable. Here’s a quick rundown of the essential factors to consider while mattress shopping.
Mattress Types
Most mattresses can be categorized as one of these four types:
- Innerspring: steel springs under a top layer of thin padding
- Foam: memory foam comfort layers with a high-density foam base
- Hybrid: the same design as an innerspring mattress, but with thicker layers of foam
- Latex: a hybrid or foam design with a comfort layer of latex foam
Innerspring mattresses are still commonly sold in stores, but they don’t ship well. Most online bedding retailers mostly sell all-foam or hybrid models, both of which can be tightly sealed and safely shipped.
Memory foam mattresses are usually soft, although some are made with denser, stiffer foams. Hybrids tend to be more bouncy and firm, but the feel depends on the amount and type of foam that’s used in the comfort layers. Hybrids also allow more airflow, helping to reduce the buildup of body heat on the bed’s surface.
Meanwhile, latex is a premium material. Latex beds are less common and they tend to demand higher prices. Latex offers a more rubbery feel, with an excellent balance of support and cushioning.
Firmness Level
When you think of your ideal mattress, do you imagine the surface compressing deeply under your weight? Or, is the bed stiff and resilient? How you answer that question should give you an idea of where your preference lies on the 10-point mattress firmness scale. Here’s how this unofficial scale works:
- 1/10 firmness would be extremely soft, providing deep contouring
- 10/10 is maximum firmness, indicating a bed that barely compresses under body weight
- 6.5/10 is considered the midpoint of the “medium-firm” range
Sleeping Positions and Body Type
The position you usually sleep in affects the type of mattress you’re likely to prefer.
For back sleepers and stomach sleepers, firmer beds tend to feel more comfortable. In these positions, soft mattresses may allow too much sinking under the lumbar region and hips. This puts the spine in an unnatural alignment, often resulting in lower back stiffness.
In a side sleeping position, it’s easier to maintain a natural, healthy spinal alignment. However, this position creates pressure points under the pelvis and shoulders. To cushion these sensitive areas, side sleepers tend to prefer softer mattresses.
Meanwhile, sleepers with larger body weights require mattresses that provide sufficient support. Often, but not always, larger sleepers prefer a firm mattress. Light-bodied sleepers are often happier on softer mattresses. A soft bed requires less pressure to change shape around the body’s contours.
Mattress Prices
In 2024, most high-quality queen size mattresses cost over $1,000. There are also many budget-focused brands offering lower-priced options. However, mattress quality varies widely. Cheap models use weaker support layers and thinner, less comfy foams. They tend to more quickly lose their shape (caving in or becoming uneven).
Sleep Trials and Warranties
Online mattress buyers enjoy two protections on their investments: warranties and sleep trials. A 10-year warranty is most common, with some brands offering 15-year or lifetime terms. Warranties cover major defects or structural flaws, such as broken coils.
Sleep trials offer additional protection for a buyer who doesn’t like their mattress, even though it isn’t defective. During a sleep trial (usually a 100-day period), you can send a mattress back for a full refund. Just be sure to read the fine print, since sleep trial details vary across brands.
The Best Mattresses in 2024
Best Overall: Helix Midnight Luxe
- Mattress Type: hybrid
- Firmness: medium (5/10)
- Trial length: 100 nights
- Warranty: 15 years
Why We Recommend This Mattress
The Helix Midnight Luxe was named the “most comfortable mattress” by TIME and “best mattress overall” by Wired.
What makes the Midnight Luxe so darn cozy? A six-layer, 13.5” construction that offers head-to-toe comfort and support.
From the bottom up, the construction starts with a DuraDense base foam, then a core of up to 1,000 individually wrapped coils with zoned support under the hips and lower spine. Then comes three dense foam layers: one layer of copper gel memory foam between two layers of Helix Responsive Foam. This generous supply of thick, buoyant foam creates a perfect blend of cushioning and support. The mattress is topped with either a breathable TENCEL™ cover or an optional GlacioTex cooling cover™.
At 5/10 firmness, the Midnight Luxe is ideal for side sleepers. However, thanks to its dense foams and thick construction, this bed is ultra-comfy in all sleeping positions and is a great choice for couples.
Best Soft Mattress: Helix Sunset Luxe
- Mattress Type: hybrid
- Firmness: 2.5/10
- Trial length: 100 nights
- Warranty: 15 years
Why We Recommend This Mattress
While side sleepers tend to prefer plenty of cushioning, many soft mattresses don’t feel supportive enough. If a soft mattress sinks down too deeply around the hips, that uncomfortable “stuck” feeling occurs. Then comes the lower back pain.
With the Helix Sunset Luxe, support is never in doubt. Standing 13.5” tall, this upgraded hybrid contains a core of hundreds of individually wrapped steel coils. Targeted support under the lumbar region keeps the hips comfortably elevated, while full perimeter edge support makes the entire surface usable.
To provide the gentle touch that side sleepers require, the Sunset Luxe is topped with three thick layers of pressure-relieving foam and a quilted pillow top. This soft, welcoming mattress is heaven for side sleepers and individuals who deal with nighttime joint pain.
Best Mattress for Back Pain: Helix Dawn Elite
- Mattress Type: hybrid
- Firmness: 8.5
- Trial Period: 100 nights
- Warranty: 15 years
Why We Recommend This Mattress
The Helix Dawn Elite is a firm hybrid mattress that’s ideal for back or stomach sleepers. This bed is especially helpful for individuals who experience back pain and need a very supportive surface that also gently cradles the joints.
At 16” in height, this is one of the tallest mattresses on the market. The impressive construction includes an 8” coil core, five high-density foam layers, and two layers of microcoils that bolster support and relieve pressure.
The Dawn Elite gently lifts up the body in all the right places, including full perimeter support and zoned lumbar support. The extra firm surface prevents sinking or sloping under the hips and lower back, maintaining the perfect weight distribution for cozy, pain-free sleep.
Best Organic Mattress: Birch Natural
- Mattress Type: hybrid
- Firmness: 6.5/10
- Trial length: 100 nights
- Warranty: 25 years
Why We Recommend This Mattress
All Helix mattresses are GREENGUARD Gold Certified, which means they meet the highest industry standard for indoor air quality. Helix also uses CertiPUR-US certified foam, which guarantees avoidance of harmful chemicals such as mercury, lead, or heavy metals.
For the next level in clean, organic materials, there’s the Birch Natural. This is a luxury mattress made from natural materials, including a breathable organic cotton cover and organic wool comfort layers. The hybrid design also includes up to 1,000 steel coils and a thick layer of natural latex.
Latex is a premium material that gently contours like memory foam but forms a more rubbery, supportive surface. Latex also reduces motion transfer from one side of the bed to the other. Offering comfort and support in any position, it’s the perfect material for couples or sleepers who move around during the night.
If you require a balance of firmness and pressure relief, the Birch Natural hits the spot. Plus, you won’t find another mattress with a more impressive mix of organic, nature-made materials that meet the highest standards for safety and sustainability.
Best Mattress for Heavy People: Helix Plus Luxe
- Mattress Type: hybrid
- Firmness: 7.5/10
- Trial Period: 100 nights
- Warranty: 15 years
Why We Recommend This Mattress
If you’re a plus-size sleeper, you may have experience with beds that don’t provide proper support around your hips, leading to back pain. Heavy folks’ mattresses also tend to cave in around the center or develop uneven surfaces.
The solution? A mattress that was made with your plus-size body in mind, like the Helix Plus Luxe. This medium-firm bed includes a steel coil core with zoned lumbar support to prevent sinkage under the hips. The extra-dense foam layers provide additional support and a generous dose of pressure relief. The foam is responsive and springy so you’ll always feel like you’re “on” the bed rather than “in” it.
The Plus Luxe is topped with a cooling quilted pillow top for extra cooling and comfort. The top is made from a choice of breathable TENCEL™ fiber material or a GlacioTex™ cooling cover.
Best Kids Mattress: Helix Kids
- Mattress Type: hybrid
- Firmness: flippable design with firmer side (6.5/10) and softer side (4.5/10)
- Trial length: 100 nights
- Warranty: 10 years
Why We Recommend This Mattress
Kids like the feel of a soft, cozy bed. However, growing bodies require a fairly firm surface to support the neck and head. A bed that’s too soft leads to tossing and turning. A child’s bed should also be hypoallergenic and free of fiberglass and other harmful chemicals. Bonus points if the mattress is also water-repellant and odor-fighting.
The Helix Kids mattress checks all these boxes. The construction uses the same formula as Helix’s adult beds, adjusted to meet the needs of youngsters. The coil core is 6” thick, with gel memory foam layers on both sides. The breathable TENCEL™ cover is hypoallergenic, water-repellant, and built with an antimicrobial shield for extra protection.
Best of all, the Helix Kids mattress is flippable, providing extra years of use for growing bodies. The firm side is designed for ages 3–7. Then, switch to the softer side for ages 8–12.
Find Your Perfect Mattress
No matter your sleep style, body type, and comfort preferences, Helix has your perfect new mattress in stock. View the entire Helix collection here or take the Sleep Quiz to find your ideal fit.