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Best Memory Foam Mattress
Best Memory Foam Mattress

Best Memory Foam Mattress

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Review by Claire
OUR EXPERT ANALYST UPDATED 14.10.2020
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In the past, innerspring mattresses were the gold standard. These days, the outstanding quality of many memory foam mattresses make them strong contenders for your next bed. Amidst growing popularity and enhanced features for comfort, more Americans are open to trying a memory foam bed than ever before. At the same time, there are loads of memory foam mattresses on the market, which makes choosing the best memory foam mattress for your needs tricky business. Why do people love foam? Not all foams are made the same. Some are very basic. Others have been engineered to give you an elevated sleep experience. We are here to help you find the top memory foam mattress for your needs.

The best memory foam mattress

  
  • Editor’s Pick – Layla
  • Best memory foam mattress for combination sleepers – WinkBeds Memory Lux
  • Best memory foam mattress for back and stomach sleepers – Casper Wave
  • Best memory foam mattress for side sleepers – Tuft & Needle Mint
  • Best luxury memory foam mattress – Loom & Leaf
  • Best budget memory foam mattress – Zinus
  • Best gel memory foam mattress – Nectar
  • Best cooling memory foam mattress – Tempur-Breeze
  • Best memory foam mattress for athletes – Amerisleep AS3
  • Best affordable cooling memory foam mattress – GhostBed Luxe

Quick overview

Editor’s Pick

REASONS TO BUY
  • It’s a two-in-one mattress with two firmness sides to choose from
  • It has pain-relieving properties
  • It offers great value
  • Superb motion isolation
  • 120-night sleep trial, lifetime warranty

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Save $150

Best for Combination Sleepers

REASONS TO BUY
  • It’s got the contouring properties you love in memory foam – with Aircell responsiveness
  • Durability
  • It’s got zoned progression foam for support and pressure relief where you need it
  • It’s a premium-quality memory foam mattress
  • It’s got an accommodating feel and features for couples
  • 120-night sleep trial, lifetime replacement policy, lifetime warranty

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$200 Off – Code: SLEEP200

Best for Back and Stomach Sleepers

REASONS TO BUY
  • It’s pain relieving and comfortable
  • It’s a luxury memory foam option
  • It offers zoned support
  • It’s endorsed by the American Chiropractic Association
  • 100-night sleep trial, 10-year warranty

Best for Side Sleepers

REASONS TO BUY
  • Over 100 000 positive online reviews can’t be wrong
  • It’s affordable
  • It’s one of the best memory foam mattresses for side sleepers
  • It’s a very comfortable neutral memory foam mattress
  • Foams are CertiPUR-US and Greenguard Gold certified to be free from hazardous materials
  • 100-night sleep trial, 10-year warranty

Best Luxury

REASONS TO BUY
  • It’s a cut above the rest on the luxury scale
  • It comes with free white glove delivery
  • It offers great value for money
  • It has cooling features
  • Environmentally conscious construction and processes
  • 120-night sleep trial, 15-year warranty

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$100 Off

Best Budget

REASONS TO BUY
  • It’s a great budget bed
  • It offers loads of pressure relief
  • The price makes it perfect for kids’ rooms, spare rooms, and camper vans
  • It will keep most sleepers at a comfortable temperature
  • 100-night sleep trial, 10-year warranty

Best Gel

REASONS TO BUY
  • It’s got generous company policies
  • It’s very affordable
  • Fantastic pressure relief
  • Gel memory foam promotes cooling
  • 365-night trial, lifetime warranty

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Free Accessories

Best Cooling

REASONS TO BUY
  • You could sleep up to 8° cooler
  • Premium construction
  • It’s a match for all body types and sleeping positions
  • Free white-glove delivery
  • You can choose your coolness and firmness
  • 90-night sleep trial, 10-year warranty

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$200 Off

Best for Athletes

REASONS TO BUY
  • They are made from largely plant-based, low VOC, CertiPUR-US certified foams
  • The Celliant cover aids with rest and recuperation for active people
  • It’s accommodating across all body types and sleep preferences
  • It’s a good performer on motion isolation
  • 100-night sleep trial, 20-year warranty

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Save $200 – Coupon:TAKE200

Best Affordable Cooling

REASONS TO BUY
  • It has effective active cooling features
  • It is within the budget of most people
  • Couples will enjoy the reinforced edge support and responsiveness of the foam
  • It’s got a popular, accommodating feel – mitigating the risk around whether you’ll like it or not
  • It will work for all sleeping positions.
  • 101-night sleep trial, 25-year warranty

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25% Off

The best memory foam mattresses reviewed

With so many memory foam mattresses to choose from, the online mattress world can be very confusing. We’ve had a look at the top considerations for people shopping for memory foam mattresses to come up with our favorites, where they perform well, who they are for, and any down sides.

1. Editor’s Pick – Layla

Who is the Layla good for:
  • Anyone who suffers with pain
  • If you aren’t too sure of the firmness level you need
  • If you’re easily disturbed at night
  • If you are looking for cooling features
  • Side and stomach sleepers under 230lbs
A flippable memory foam mattress is a great thing. It gives you that little bit of flexibility around firmness once the mattress arrives in your home. This ups your chances of getting the right bed – but also gives some versatility as your mattress ages. There are a few extra features of this mattress which make it a value buy. This includes copper-infused gel foam for cooling, motion deadening abilities, and soothing support and pressure relief for anyone who suffers with pain.
PROS
  • Cooling cover and foams
  • Great choice for couples
  • Flippable for a choice of firmness levels
  • Generous lifetime warranty
CONS
  • Not the best mattress for heavy people
  • Probably not for you if you’re looking for a true firm bed

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2. Best Memory Foam Mattress for Combination Sleepers – Winkbeds

Who is the Winkbeds good for:
  • If you are looking for a responsive memory foam mattress
  • If you are worried about sustainable buying
  • All sleeping positions
  • Couples
If you take turns sleeping on your back, stomach, and side during the night, you will need a bed which is supportive enough for your trunk and back, but which is pressure relieving enough for your shoulders and hips. WinkBeds Memory Lux is made for combination sleepers. Its construction is zoned, taking into consideration the ergonomics of sleep to keep you comfortable in every position. This premium memory foam mattress has all the best elements of memory foam – with extra responsiveness from their proprietary Aircell layer to make it an accommodating choice for bed buyers.
PROS
  • It’s got a really comfortable pillowtop
  • Great choice for couples
  • Different firmness options available
  • Foams will get a thumbs-up from eco-conscious buyers
CONS
  • It’s not the cheapest mattress if you’re shopping on a budget
  • It doesn’t have a removable cover for cleaning

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3. Best Memory Foam Mattress for Back and Stomach Sleepers – Casper

Who is the Casper good for:
  • If you need a bed with pain relieving properties
  • All sleeping positions
  • If movement disrupts your sleep at night
Back and stomach sleepers have particular needs for support in these positions, which makes their mattress choice important. While this is not the firmest memory foam mattress on the market (its a medium firm), the Casper Wave provides outstanding support for back and stomach sleepers. The secret lies in the zoned support. The construction of the mattress targets the parts of the body which need extra support, while taking care of pressure relief during the night too. This luxury all-foam mattress has a neutral foam feel and could be just the solution you need to sleep away your troubles if you experience pain.
PROS
  • It’s responsive – great for sex and changing positions during the night
  • Accommodating feel for couples
  • Zoned support for correct alignment
  • It has a removable cover for spot cleaning
CONS
  • It will be a little pricy for most people
  • It’s not a true firm mattress for those who prefer to go firmer in these positions

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4. Best Memory Foam Mattress for Side Sleepers – Tuft and Needle

Who is the Tuft and Needle good for:
  • Side sleepers and combination side sleepers
  • Value shoppers
  • Anyone who shops by reputation and online reviews
  • Anyone who enjoys a responsive memory foam feel
Back and stomach sleepers have particular needs for support in these positions, which makes their mattress choice important. While this is not the firmest memory foam mattress on the market (its a medium firm), the Casper Wave provides outstanding support for back and stomach sleepers. The secret lies in the zoned support. The construction of the mattress targets the parts of the body which need extra support, while taking care of pressure relief during the night too. This luxury all-foam mattress has a neutral foam feel and could be just the solution you need to sleep away your troubles if you experience pain.
PROS
  • It’s infused with cooling beads which keeps it temperature neutral
  • The price is right for most people
  • It’s a good choice for couples
CONS
  • If your partner is a back or stomach sleeper, it may be too soft

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5. Best Luxury Memory Foam Mattress – Loom & Leaf

Who is the Loom & Leaf good for:
  • Petite and average sized people across all sleeping positions
  • Heavier people looking for a foam bed
  • Elderly people (or anyone who lives on the top floor of their apartment building)
  • Luxury shoppers
The Loom & Leaf Mattress is the all-foam offering from Saatva – and of course they have made something extraordinary. This is a great bed if you are a fan of memory foam, with a balanced foam feel most people will enjoy. Its high quality and thickness profile also makes it a good choice if you are a heavier person looking for an all-foam bed. Its pillowtop is a comfy touch, with great contouring from the foam below. Its zoned cooling and proprietary foams are also not going to make most people heat up at night.
PROS
  • Free white-glove delivery
  • You get a luxury bed at an affordable price
  • It’s a good choice for couples
  • It has a removable cover for spot cleaning
  • Two firmness choices
CONS
  • Returns aren’t free
  • There isn’t a truly soft option for anyone who wants a soft bed

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6. Best Budget Memory Foam Mattress – Zinus

Who is the Zinus good for:
  • Anyone who loves the sinking, contouring feeling of traditional memory foam
  • Strict side sleepers
  • Budget shoppers
  • Anyone who needs motion isolation in a mattress
Zinus makes one of the most affordable mattresses on the market. While there is an asterisk around durability, zinus is – without doubt – the best budget memory foam mattress available. It has a few extra features which make it good value and we can imagine many budget shoppers will be extremely happy with this bed – if you are a side sleeper and like a traditional memory foam feeling, that is. If you are after a soft memory foam mattress, this pressure relieving mattress could save you a lot of money.
PROS
  • You can choose from a range of thickness profiles
  • Its pressure relief cushions hips and shoulders
  • Excellent motion isolation
  • CertiPUR-US foams
  • Gel foam materials promote cooling
CONS
  • It’s not the most durable mattress in its price range
  • Changing sleep and sex positions is not the easiest on this mattress
  • It doesn’t offer much support for back and stomach sleepers

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7. Best Gel Memory Foam Mattress – Nectar

Who is the Nectar good for:
  • If you’ve never had a memory foam mattress and would like to give it a try
  • If you like a classic memory foam feeling
  • Budget shoppers
  • Petite and average-sized people in all sleeping positions
  • If your partner is a restless sleeper
The Nectar Mattress is a very popular gel memory foam mattress, loved for its traditional memory foam feel and affordable price. Gel memory foam conducts heat away from the body, which aids in cooling. Most people will sleep at a comfortable temperature on the Nectar Mattress. Overall on feel, it’s got all the trappings of a classic memory foam mattress. The support layers do a good job at keeping your body aligned, while the great contouring of foam does its job when you’re lying on your side.
PROS
  • The company policies are very generous
  • It’s a great value buy
  • Very good motion isolation
  • Gel memory foam promotes cooling
CONS
  • It’s not responsive, which means changing position can be challenging
  • Some people may not like sinking so deep into their mattresses

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8. Best Cooling Memory Foam Mattress – Tempur-Pedic

Who is the Tempur-Pedic good for:
  • Hot sleepers
  • Anyone who doesn’t mind spending for something special
  • All body types and sleeping positions
  • Luxury shoppers
Memory foam has a reputation for sleeping hot. Not this one! The Tempur-Breeze is a memory foam mattress with active cooling features. Tempurpedic boldly claim that you can sleep up to 8° cooler on these beds. We’ve got chills just thinking about it. From the moment you touch the phase change cover, you can instantly feel a difference. Together with their PureCool foam and gel-infused memory foam materials, this has got to be the best memory foam mattress for hot sleepers. You will pay for this specialty mattress, but the quality of sleep may make it worth it.
PROS
  • Three different models to choose from
  • This could be the coolest mattress on the market
  • Free white-glove delivery
  • Premium materials and construction
  • You get a choice of coolness and firmness
CONS
  • The price will be prohibitive for some people
  • There is a returns fee

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9. Best Memory Foam Mattress for Athletes – Amerisleep

Who is the Amerisleep good for:
  • Couples who are restless sleepers
  • People of all sizes and sleeping positions
  • Active people
  • Anyone who wants a bed with health benefits
If you are an athlete or live an active lifestyle, your choice of bed will take on extra importance. Celliant is growing in popularity as a mattress material and this FDA-approved technology has been shown to speed up recovery and recuperation after exercise and boost circulation. This makes it an interesting choice for anyone with concerns around wellness in an accommodating mattress, with a well-achieved combination of pressure relief and support.
PROS
  • Very good motion isolation
  • Accommodating mattress for couples with different sleep preferences
  • It’s Amerisleep’s most popular model
CONS
  • It’s not the most affordable bed on the market
  • It doesn’t offer the best support if you are in a heavy weight bracket

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10. Best Affordable Cooling Memory Foam Mattress – GhostBed

Who is the GhostBed good for:
  • Hot sleepers
  • Petite and average people across all sleeping positions
  • Anyone shopping for price
  • If you like a responsive foam feel
We talked about the Tempur-Breeze as one of our top memory foam mattresses, but we need to add another cooling mattress to your choices. Memory foam’s bad reputation for sleeping hot makes active cooling that much more important if you are on the market for foam. While Tempur-Breeze is fantastic, GhostBed Luxe is a more affordable alternative, offering loads of value and those invaluable cooling features. This responsive mattress has plenty on offer besides being ‘the coolest bed in the world’ and could be worth your attention if you’re on the market for a comfortable memory foam bed.
PROS
  • Great for couples
  • Its accommodating feel makes it less of a gamble
  • It’s reasonably priced
  • A good choice for sex
  • Its 25-year warranty is above average
CONS
  • At a medium firmness, it may not be firm enough for some stomach and back sleepers and may not be soft enough for some side sleepers
  • It’s not the best option if you weigh in a heavy weight category

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Memory foam mattress buying guide

If you’ve never owned a memory foam mattress, there are a few things that give it its appeal. Its unique contouring ability comes down to the substance of the foam changing shape as heat and pressure are applied. This has a number of sleep benefits for people who experience pain or have sleep-related conditions. If you’re not sure whether a memory foam mattress is for you, keep reading for the most important elements in this memory foam mattress buying guide.

Things to consider before buying a memory foam mattress

As a starting point, most people will look to price and shop within their budget – but where to from there? Next up, work out your sleeping preference and that of your partner, which will also help to narrow down the options. A big decider for many people as they shop for their mattresses will be special needs. Only you know what your body needs – and mattresses have been made around that to cater for different requirements.

What disturbs your sleep at night? Do you get hot easily? Look for a memory foam mattress with active cooling properties. Are you a light sleeper? Make sure your new bed has very good motion isolation to stop movement transferring to your side of the bed at night.

The following are a few additional points to think about as you shop for a memory foam mattress.

The advantages of memory foam mattresses

The feel

Lovers of memory foam enjoy how it conforms to the shape of the body, using the body’s heat to shape to your body. The different types of memory foams available offer a range of different properties. Traditional memory foam has that melting feeling as you sink into the foam and is slow to resume its original shape, leaving you feeling cradled by the mattress. There are also many more responsive foams on the market these days, which snap back into shape quickly and provide less sinkage and more bounce. No matter how you take your foam, there’s probably something out there to meet your preference.

Pain relief

This ability to conform to your shape has the effect of keeping your body well-aligned, which prevents pain. Sleeping on a natural curve is what every sleeper should try to do for long-term support and sleep quality. Memory foam offers lumbar support and alignment – fantastic for anyone who spends time on their backs or stomachs.

What about side sleepers? Ever gone to sleep on your side and woken up with pain in your hip or your shoulder all knitted up with ache? This is precisely what pressure relieving mattresses prevent – and memory foam is a favorite for its ability to relieve pressure by adapting to your form and cushioning these contact points.

Motion absorption

Light sleepers usually love memory foam. That’s because, across most varieties, memory foam has the effect of deadening movement transfer across the surface of the bed. This means a reduced chance of being disturbed at night if you are a sensitive sleeper – or if you sleep with a restless partner.

Hypo-allergenic

Most foams don’t attract dust mites and are resistant to mold, which is a big plus for anyone who suffers with allergies. Many mattress companies have developed their own eco-friendly foams with positive effects for allergy sufferers and general wellness.

The disadvantages of memory foam mattresses

Heat

While the temperature of memory foam mattresses is often overstated, memory foam can sleep hot. In using your body heat to contour around your form, some people overheat because of heat trapped in the foam around them. With traditional foam mattresses, sleeping ‘in’ the mattress – with more of its surface making contact with the skin – can also have the effect of heating.

However, this does not mean you will definitely sleep hot on every memory foam mattress. Not at all! Modern foam developments have done much to enhance airflow and promote cooler sleeping – and density and open-cell construction will play a role here. There are also mattresses with active cooling features to consider, some of which are highly effective cooling beds.

It doesn’t bear high weight well

If you are a heavy person, all-foam beds can have some drawbacks. The more you weigh, the softer a bed will feel. In the case of memory foam, this can leave you wanting support. In memory foam mattresses with a thinner profile, you can also find yourself sinking into the layers and ‘bottoming out’ quite fast.

There can also be issues around heavy sleepers and the long-term durability of all-foam mattresses. Opting for mattresses with a thicker profile and in a luxury tier are a few ways to work around this, but a hybrid will almost always be a better choice for heavy people.

Off-gassing

The smell from all-foam mattresses is probably the single greatest complaint about these beds. If you buy a bed-in-a-box mattress, this is usually that little bit more noticeable because of the compressed materials. Few foam mattresses will retain their smell in the long term and many companies have tried to alleviate this in a range of ways, but this is something to think about if you are sensitive to smell.

The sometimes industrial smell of memory foam also usually triggers worries around chemicals and toxins. Popular mattress brands have made a real effort to remove health hazards and ensure the safety of their foams – usually through independent certifications. While many continue to develop their foams around wellness and eco considerations, so memory foam mattresses evolve on this front too.

The different types of foam

There are a few different types of foams we would like to discuss here. Generally, in choosing a memory foam mattress, it is good to differentiate between memory foam, polyurethane foam, and latex foam.

Traditional memory foam

We’ve touched on memory foam throughout this guide. As mentioned above, there are different kinds of memory foams available – different densities and constructions which will have a bearing on comfort and cooling.

Open-cell foam

Open-cell memory foam is another form of traditional memory foam. As the name suggests, rather than the dense foam which probably comes to mind when one thinks of foam, open-cell foam has air pockets in its construction. This has some benefits like extra ventilation for cooling and reduced off-gassing, but can be known to sleep a little softer.

Gel-infused foam

Gel and gel memory foams are also another branch of traditional memory foam – with some differences. These foams behave like typical memory foams, but with cooling properties (and sometimes extended longevity). Gel conducts heat away from the body and is commonly merged with other materials to aid with cooling.

Convoluted (egg crate) foam

Convoluted foam is regularly used as a mattress topper and gets its name from its shape of dips and peaks. As yet another form of traditional memory foam, it is great for pressure relief and comfort – with the added bonus of cooling through good ventilation.

Copper-infused foam

Like gel memory foam, copper-infused foam has revolutionized memory foams when it comes to cooling. It also helps with dispersing heat rather than trapping it. It also has antimicrobial properties and the ability to wick moisture, which supports your body in regulating temperature and keeping you cool.

Polyfoam

Polyfoam is very similar to memory foam. It comes in different grades and constructions – all of which offer a different feel. Pure polyfoam mattresses exist, but these days it is more commonly used as one of a combination of foams in all-foam and innerspring mattresses.

Latex foam

Natural and latex foams are becoming the go-to mattress material for an emerging market of eco-conscious shoppers. The reason for this is twofold. Firstly, it is the more environmental choice at a time when sustainability matters to people more and more. The second is that natural materials are usually better for our health. Latex foam is naturally springy and responsive and provides plenty of pressure relief, making it especially good for side sleepers.

Memory foam density

Memory foam density isn’t most mattress shoppers’ first consideration, but giving it some thought can make a difference to your experience. The density of the memory foam used in a mattress can make a difference in a range of ways. Density will affect memory foam durability, support, price, contouring and comfort, temperature, and responsiveness. While high-density foams are more durable and pressure relieving, low-density foams tend to be cheaper and more responsive – so you can see why many mattresses combine the two to get the right mix of comfort.

While it may seem like it, density has nothing to do with the firmness of a mattress. It is more about the amount of material used.

  • Low-density: 3.5lbs per cubic foot and under
  • Medium-density: Above 3.5lbs and below 5lbs
  • High-density: 5lbs per cubic foot and above

Memory foam durability

It is reasonable to expect mid- to upper-tier memory foam mattresses to last for anything from four to ten years – sometimes more, sometimes a little less. How long your memory foam mattress will last will depend on a number of factors. When you’re shopping, something to remember when it comes to durability is that the layers matter. Looking at the construction of your potential new mattress is a must! Durability also comes down to density, with higher-density memory foams aging better than low-density foams.

FAQ

Which is the best memory foam mattress to buy?

The best memory foam mattress will depend on your sleep preference. There are many good-quality memory foam mattresses available – and you tend to get what you pay for.

Are memory foam beds good?

Memory foam mattresses are growing in popularity for their contouring, pain relieving abilities, and comfort. Some even attribute their best nights’ sleep to memory foam.

Is spring mattress better than memory foam?

It depends on what you are looking for. Inner spring and hybrid mattresses can be a little more durable, but memory foam is often chosen for its comfort and feel.

Which is better: memory foam or gel memory foam?

Gel memory foam has our vote. In general, it seems to be the more durable and cooler option between the two.

Why do memory foam mattresses sag?

Memory foam mattresses sag when the reflex layer fails from too much compression or use over time. In low-quality memory foam beds, this can happen very quickly.