The 9 Best Memory Foam Mattresses, Based on Expert Testing

saatva.com

Best Overall Memory Foam Mattress

realsimple - 2099 Available at Saatva

Best Luxury Memory Foam Mattress

realsimple - 1799 Available at WinkBeds

Best Memory Foam Mattress for Back Pain

realsimple - 1095 Available at Casper

Best Gel Memory Foam Mattress

realsimple - 1298 Available at Nectar

Best Flippable Memory Foam Mattress

realsimple - 1099 Available at Layla

Best Budget Memory Foam Mattress

realsimple - 849 Available at Brooklyn Bedding

Best Memory Foam Mattress for Side Sleepers

realsimple - 1099 Available at Leesa

Best Memory Foam Mattress for Couples

realsimple - 1249 Available at Puffy

Best Cooling Memory Foam Mattress

realsimple - 1195 Available at Tuft & Needle

Memory foam mattresses contour to your body while preventing too much weight from bearing down on pressure points, so you can enjoy a cozy, cradling feeling as you doze off.

But with so many options available online, where to begin finding the best memory foam mattress for you? That's where Mattress Advisor's sleep experts come in. Their team of pros put all of these mattresses to the test at their lab in North Carolina. They've rounded up the top picks to help you determine which memory foam mattress could help you get a better night's sleep.

• Best Overall Memory Foam Mattress: Loom & Leaf

• Best Luxury Memory Foam Mattress: WinkBeds GravityLux

• Best Memory Foam Mattress for Back Pain: Casper Original

• Best Gel Memory Foam Mattress: Nectar

• Best Flippable Memory Foam Mattress: Layla

• Best Budget Memory Foam Mattress: Brooklyn Bedding Bowery

• Best Memory Foam Mattress for Side Sleepers: Leesa

• Best Memory Foam Mattress for Couples: Puffy

• Best Cooling Memory Foam Mattress: Tuft & Needle Mint

Why Memory Foam Is So Popular

For sleepers who enjoy the feeling of sinking into the top layer of their mattress or seek pressure relief for their hips and shoulders, traditional memory foam mattresses do just that. Memory foam typically has a more plush feel that cushions pressure points, which is why it's also a popular material for pillows. Despite the plush nature of foam, many mattress companies produce medium-firm to extra-firm options as well. Memory foam mattresses are also superb for couples because they absorb movement to prevent disturbing your partner.

What to Consider When Shopping for a Memory Foam Mattress

Sleep Position: Side sleepers need extra contouring for hips and shoulders to distribute weight off of these pressure points. Back and stomach sleepers need a firmer memory foam bed that promotes spine alignment. If the body isn't properly supported, a sleeper's hips will sink too far into the bed, resulting in lower back pain. Combination sleepers—those who change sleeping positions throughout the night—need a responsive memory foam bed to avoid feeling "stuck" in the mattress when they move around.

Pressure Relief: Memory foam mattresses come in different firmness levels that can provide a more pressure-relieving, weightless feeling while keeping your pressure points elevated.

Motion Transfer: Motion transfer is a feature that memory foam excels in, absorbing the feeling of movement and stopping it from disrupting your sleep. This is an especially important feature if you sleep with a partner or pet.

Temperature: Your bed can retain body heat as you sleep and cause you to wake up overheated at night. Memory foam beds are known to sleep hotter than other types, so look for cooling mattresses made of breathable materials that facilitate airflow.

Off-gassing: When you unbox your memory foam mattress, you may smell an unpleasant odor for a brief period of time as the bed "off-gasses." Plant-based or CertiPUR-US certified foams are made with more natural materials and have little or no off-gassing effects.

Best Overall Memory Foam Mattress: Loom & Leaf

Made with a combination of cooling, gel-infused memory foam layers, the Loom & Leaf performed very well in the expert review team's testing, with outstanding scores in durability and spinal alignment. The Loom & Leaf mattress comes in two firmness levels: a relaxed-firm or firm to suit every sleep position. Stomach sleepers and back sleepers could benefit from the extra support of the firm mattress, while the relaxed-firmness option is a great pick for the average sleeper.

Best Luxury Memory Foam Mattress: WinkBeds GravityLux

If you're looking to add a touch of decadence to your bedroom, the WinkBeds GravityLux is an excellent choice. Seven layers of foam cradle the pressure points that bear the most of your body weight while also firmly supporting your lower back to prevent sagging, keeping your body in a healthy posture as you snooze. While many memory foam beds have a bad rap for heat retention, the Winkbeds GravityLux diffuses body heat with a Tencel eucalyptus cover and porous memory foam to keep the mattress cool to the touch.

Best Memory Foam Mattress for Back Pain: Casper Original

The Casper Original mattress has several features to keep aches and pains at bay, like a support layer made with three ergonomic zones to support the upper body, spine, and hips. This layer also firmly supports your spine to keep it in alignment while gently cushioning tender pressure points. A comfort layer of breathable foam at the top of the mattress also allows air to flow so you can stay cool and comfy all night long.

Best Gel Memory Foam Mattress: Nectar

Hot sleepers (or anyone who just wants to stay cool) can benefit from a cooling gel memory foam mattress like the Nectar. Gel memory foam is infused with beads to prevent overheating by absorbing and dispersing your body heat as you sleep. The expert review team also found that this layer provided extra motion isolation and pressure relief to keep you snoozing soundly.

Best Flippable Memory Foam Mattress: Layla

Can't decide between a soft or firm mattress? The flippable Layla mattress lets you have both in a single bed. The convenient handles built into the cooling mattress cover make it easy to flip the bed over when you're ready for a change. This memory foam mattress features a layer of thick, dense foam at the center of the bed to add extra support, pressure relief, motion isolation, and great responsiveness no matter what side you're on.

Best Budget Memory Foam Mattress: Brooklyn Bedding Bowery

The Brooklyn Bedding Bowery has the same great features you'd expect from a pricier memory foam bed, but at a budget-friendly price. This bed-in-a-box scored well across the board in the mattress review team's testing, providing a level of responsiveness and buoyancy typical of a much more expensive latex mattress type. Its motion isolation makes it a great choice for couples, while the mattress's medium-firmness level suits all sleeping positions—including combination sleepers.

Best Memory Foam Mattress for Side Sleepers: Leesa

If you are in the majority of people that prefer to snooze lying on their side, you'll want to look for a mattress that provides a balance of contouring comfort and firm support. The Leesa is an all foam mattress that earned excellent scores on the mattress review team's spinal alignment and pressure relief tests. A dense foam support layer helps keep your spine propped up in a healthy posture, and two comfort layers cradle pressure points as they sink into the surface of the bed.

Best Memory Foam Mattress for Couples: Puffy

Nothing is worse than sleeping with a partner who keeps you up at night by constantly moving around. The Puffy mattress solves that problem with thick memory foam layers that earned it a near-perfect motion isolation score, preventing disturbances from one part of the bed from transferring to the other. Puffy's gel-infused memory foam also keeps the bed cool while promoting airflow, so you can cuddle without waking up sweaty.

Best Cooling Memory Foam Mattress: Tuft & Needle Mint

Many memory foam beds use materials that help with temperature regulation, but the graphite-infused foam in the Tuft & Needle Mint makes it stand apart. This foam uses open cells, meaning there are more pockets for air to flow through. It's also infused with graphite beads to help absorb body heat. And at less than $1,000 for a queen-size mattress, it won't break the bank either.

Jillian Mueller is a health and lifestyle writer for Mattress Advisor.