Firmness is subjective, but our testers rank the Nectar Luxe Hybrid as a softer model. Even so, it’s pretty supportive for combination sleepers. After settling into bed, they found that the mattress delivered little to no pressure buildup on the shoulders, back, and hips, which means it’s a solid choice for back or side sleepers. Stomach sleepers may not find that same level of comfort and support with this soft bed.
The DreamCloud Premier Hybrid is supportive enough for back and side sleepers, but the bougie cashmere pillow top makes it extra luxurious. The cashmere is plush and supple for those who dig a softer bed, but it also wicks away moisture so you can get true beauty rest.
Our Tester’s Take
The DreamCloud Premier Hybrid combines memory foam with innersprings for comfy support, but it’s the top layer that makes it the best cooling hybrid mattress. The cover is made of a swanky cashmere blend that’s naturally breathable and soft, even with your favorite sheets on top. By using cashmere and gel-infused memory foam, the Premier Hybrid is able to handle increased body heat and stay cool while providing a plush sleeping surface.
The foamy top layers of the Premier Hybrid indicate this is a solid choice for light sleepers or couples, according to our testers, because they absorb any middle-of-the-night movement. Testers note that the bed has great motion isolation, so you won’t feel too much movement on the other side. Just keep in mind that this is a firmer mattress, so it’s not one we’d recommend if you suffer from hip or shoulder pain or if you’re looking for something bouncy.
The Helix Midnight Luxe is a medium-firm mattress with firm lumbar zones to support your spine. Side sleeping is one of the most common—and spine protecting—sleep positions, so it’s only right that your mattress is up to par.
Our Tester’s Take
We’ve crowned the Helix Midnight Luxe as the best in a few previous categories—it’s a dream for those who want a mattress for back pain or a bed-in-a-box—but it’s also great for side sleepers. Layers of memory foam work in tandem with the steel coil base to provide cushion and support, but it’s the surface that appeals to side sleepers who run hot. The pillow top is Tencel, a sustainable fiber made from wood pulp, and infused with eucalyptus, another cooling material. The extra padding in the pillow top frames the hips and shoulders in a side lying position.
Because memory foam is naturally warm, the steel coils in the foundation help with air flow to offset the layers of foam. It’s a medium-firm mattress, but the Midnight Luxe is probably best for side, stomach, and back sleepers between 130 to 230 pounds. If you sleep with a partner, you’ll probably feel their movement across the bed, but that bounciness could come in handy for other late-night activities.
Back sleepers cover more surface area of a mattress, so the Saatva Classic nixes traditional memory foam in favor of an organic cotton pillow top, which adds cooling comfort to supine sleepers with or without back pain. The cover is antimicrobial and hypoallergenic, so you won’t have to worry about bacteria buildup after any hot, damp nights.
Our Tester’s Take
The Saatva Classic’s cushy, breathable, organic cotton pillow top actually had our tester sighing with relief. The bed comes in three firmness levels for customized comfort, and we suggest the Luxury Firm as a good middle ground for couples. Down below, bouncy innersprings in the mattress core prevent warm air from getting trapped inside, adding breathability to the bed.
The Classic is technically a hybrid, so it has a base of springs and coils—but instead of a single coil foundation like most mattresses, it stacks two coil layers on top of each other for better support (we’d especially recommend this one to those with back pain). Regardless of which firmness level you choose, the top layer is slightly more stable in the center third to help support your spine. This mattress has high edge support, so you can sit on the edge of the bed without sinking in too deep, but our tester warns that co-sleepers will feel movement on your partner’s side.
The Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe mattress is stacked and infused with phase-change materials, a cooling technology that adapts based on added body heat. If you’re a sleeper that appreciates a cool mattress even before you’ve added cooling sheets, we recommend this one.
Our Tester’s Take
To keep the Aurora Luxe feeling cool and fresh, Brooklyn Bedding makes use of phase-change materials, or PCM, in the form of copper and cooling fibers that capture thermal energy and cool it down. The PCM is infused into the mattress’s cover and first layer of foam to adjust the bed’s surface temperature. As you lay on it, the fibers absorb your body heat to prevent the mattress from warming up.
You have the option between three firmness levels—Soft, Medium, and Firm—and another two inches of cooling pillow top as an upgrade option. The mattress has a zoned coil core, but our tester says the only place it needs help is in the motion transfer department. That might not be a dealbreaker for two back sleepers, but if you or a partner is a light or combination sleeper, the movement will probably ripple throughout the mattress.
The Leesa Sapira Chill promises to maintain a steady temperature, thanks to the high-tech cover. Hot sleepers will appreciate the cooling fibers, but the mattress’s zoned springs, quadruple-stacked memory foam, and customizable firmness will appeal to those with back pain.
Our Tester’s Take
If you suffer from back aches, the last thing you want is to be tossing, turning, and overheating. The Leesa Sapira Chill comes with the choice of three firmness levels—Plush, Medium-Firm, and Firm—to tailor to your needs (those with back pain need denser support if they want to improve sleep quality). To ensure a breezy feel, the mattress also has a special cover infused with cooling fibers that hold an optimal bed temperature. Our tester can’t confirm it stayed at an exact temperature all night, but he did say the mattress stays cool to the touch, even in summer.
Those with back pain will really want to take advantage of the multiple firmness options. The bed is zoned, meaning the center third is firmer than the other thirds, but the customizable firmness will benefit those with specific issues. People with hip or shoulder pain might prefer the Soft firmness, those who want to avoid pain should choose the Medium-Firm option, and those over 230 pounds should try the Firm option.
The Avocado Green is one for the eco-conscious: It’s made with organic cotton, wool, and latex, a triple-threat for the planet—and hot sleepers.
Our Tester’s Take
If you want to go organic without changing your diet, the Avocado Green is a sustainable dream. It’s GOTS-, GOLS-, and Greenguard-certified, a trifecta of eco certifications, not to mention climate neutral, which means the bed’s greenhouse gas production is offset by climate protection measures. And on the wave of planet-friendly modifications, the Green mattress uses materials including organic cotton, wool, and Dunlop latex. The latex, as opposed to traditional memory foam, is naturally more cooling, but all three materials add breathability and moisture-wicking power.
Because this mattress has up to 1,300 tall coils in the foundation, the Green is a bouncy bed. That’s a good thing if you want responsiveness to switch sleeping positions, but a downer if you’re a light sleeper with a restless partner or pets. Still, you can customize the pillow top if you’re looking for more cushion, but know that the extra inches of padding are a little more expensive.
