The best memory foam mattress 2022 | TechRadar

The best memory foam mattress 2022

The best memory foam mattresses are known for their contouring, body-hug feel and deep pressure relief. That alone makes them the best mattress for anyone seeking sink-in comfort for every sleep position. Medium-firm memory foam mattresses are also popular among people with sore joints, as the foam reduces pressure points, helping you sleep comfortably for longer. Here we've rounded up the top options for every budget, so you should easily find the best one for you.

You needn't run away from an all-foam mattress if you're prone to overheating either, as newer types of memory foam are designed with various technologies to wick away moisture and dissipate heat (that said, our guide to the best hybrid mattress can point you at some options with a mix of foam and springs for improved breathability). 

When choosing the best memory foam mattress for you, think about your sleep position (side, back, stomach) and body type. Most foam mattresses accommodate a range of sleep styles, but some excel in terms of comfort and support for specific positions – we highlight those below.

Think about your budget too. The good news is that you don’t need to spend a fortune to get a comfortable memory foam mattress. In fact, our top-rated pick is the Nectar Memory Foam Mattress which is experiencing a substantial markdown thanks to Black Friday mattress deals. At 33% off across all sizes, you can bring home a queen for just $669 (was $999).

Whichever mattress you go for, make sure it comes with a mattress trial of at least three weeks, the amount of time it takes for your body to adjust to a new bed. (Each of the models in our guide has a trial period of at least 100 nights.) Many beds also come with free shipping and returns, plus warranties of 10 years or longer. Read on for our expert picks of the best memory foam mattresses, plus ways you can save money on them during current mattress sales...

The best memory foam mattresses to buy now

(Image credit: Nectar)

We think Nectar makes the best memory foam mattress for the money, and it suits a wide range of sleepers too. During testing we found it to be comfortable for all sleeping positions and most body types, and its competitively priced compared to its mid-range rivals such as the Casper Original and the Purple Original. You can basically ignore the MSRP – the Nectar is almost always on sale, and usually with hundreds of dollars in free bedding included, too.

In terms of sleep feel, this mattress delivers a bit of body-hug and plenty of pressure relief without your body sinking in too much. In our Nectar mattress review, we found it slightly firmer than a medium firm mattress, relieving pressure along the back, shoulders and hips, although the heavier members of our testing panel felt that they'd need more support long-term to stay properly aligned.

Under the quilted cooling cover you'll find three inches of gel-infused memory foam to help regulate temperature. It's not a specialist cooling mattress, but it did a good job of preventing our testers from overheating at night – we found it to be temperature-neutral and comfortable throughout the night. Beyond that you'll find two inches of dynamic adjusting foam to add a touch of contouring comfort, followed by a seven-inch layer of sturdy foam to deliver support and stability.

The Nectar Memory Foam mattress also has good edge support (which isn’t always the case with all-foam mattresses) and very little motion transfer, which is good news if you share a bed with a restless partner, or if you and your partner have different sleep schedules. Heavier combination sleepers may struggle a bit with movement in this bed, but memory foam is not the material to choose if you’re looking for a bouncy bed – we’d recommend latex or responsive hybrids instead.

Nectar’s 365-night trial matches the best on the market (but isn't quite as unheard of as it once was), and lets you test this bed-in-a-box out in all seasons before committing. The lifetime warranty is also market-leading, though Saatva also offers a forever warranty on its premium Loom & leaf memory foam mattress below. (How long does a memory foam mattress last? On average six to ten years, though well-made foam lasts much longer.)

Returns are also easy with Nectar, so if you change your mind during the trial you can arrange for the mattress to be collected and your money refunded. Overall, we think the Nectar Memory Foam Mattress is a great choice for the money and, from our testing experience, we feel it would make a comfortable and supportive main mattress for most sleepers.

(Image credit: Cocoon by Sealy)

The Cocoon by Sealy Chill is a well-known cooling mattress designed to help hot sleepers feel comfortable during the night, and prevent overheating. While it isn’t geared up to help you navigate hot flashes or night sweats (you’d need to shell out for a more advanced cooling mattress for that), the Chill Memory Foam does sleep cooler than other all-foam beds. That’s thanks to a cool-touch cover and a healthy infusion of phase change material to dissipate excess body heat so it doesn’t collect in the mattress.

This 10-inch tall medium-firm bed is well-suited to stomach, back and side sleeping, though very lightweight side sleepers may find it firmer than expected and a little uncomfortable. On the flip-side, sleepers who weigh over 250lbs may find it too soft to be properly supportive. You’ll have 100 nights to trial it at home, and there’s free shipping and returns should you change your mind and find that it’s not right for your body and sleep style.

The Cocoon by Sealy Chill Memory Foam mattress is well-rated for pressure relief, making it a great choice for people experiencing joint pain or who feel hip and back pain when lying down for longer periods. This is extremely common in pregnancy, for example, so a supportive medium-firm memory foam mattress such as the Chill could make a difference to your overall sleep comfort. It’s also well-rated for spinal alignment, protecting your posture as you sleep in different positions.

To recap, if you overheat, experience joint pain on too-soft or too-firm mattresses and are looking for a cooling yet contouring bed to rest up on at night, the Cocoon by Sealy Chill could be the best memory foam mattress for you.

(Image credit: Zinus)

The Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress doesn't boast the premium materials and features you’ll find with other mattresses in this guide, but if you’re on a tight budget, this is one of the best affordable mattresses for the money. The Zinus comes in a range of heights, from 6" to 12", and the deeper the mattress the more plush it will feel beneath you (we'd recommend a minimum of 10" depth for most adults to feel comfy).

As the name suggests, this budget memory foam mattress is made with green tea-infused memory foam and purified charcoal particles to naturally neutralize odors and mold. For such a cheap mattress, the Zinus actually provides decent edge support and has minimal motion transfer, meaning you're less likely to be disturbed by a restless partner when sharing a bed.

Unlike pricier memory foam mattresses, the Zinus doesn’t have any specific cooling materials or technologies, so it will sleep warmer than the Nectar Mattress – in fact, some existing customer reviews report that it feels warm (not hot) after several hours of use. So if you're dealing with overheating at night, the Cocoon by Sealy Chill cooling mattress above is great mid-range memory foam mattress that's better suited to hot sleepers.

It’s unlikely that the Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam will last as long as its more expensive rivals, but if you have a very tight budget and need something more supportive than just adding a great new mattress topper to your existing mattress, then we'd recommend taking a closer look at the Zinus.

(Image credit: Saatva)

The Saatva Loom & Leaf is a premium memory foam mattress handcrafted in America, and while it's the most expensive option in this guide, it might be worth it if you deal with back pain as its reinforced middle-third provides excellent pressure relief and support along the lumbar. Plus, it's extremely durable and very well-made. The lifetime warranty that accompanies this mattress indicates that it should last a very long time, so there will be no need to replace your bed all that often here.

The Saatva Loom & Leaf memory foam is designed to suit most body types and sleeping positions because it comes in two different firmness options. The Relaxed Firm option (rated as a 5-7 on the firmness scale) is best suited to all sleepers (side, back, and stomach) and has a more plush feel. The Firm version (rated as an 8 out of 10 on the firmness scale) is better suited to stomach sleepers and people who enjoy the feel of a firmer mattress beneath them. That means it's perfect for anyone craving an all-foam mattress but who would rather sleep on top of the mattress rather than sink in.

There's a quilted organic cotton covering enabling good airflow out of the mattress, with two thick layers of memory foam up top - the topmost layer is infused with gel for added cooling clout. However, as we discovered in our Loom & Leaf mattress review, it's prone to trapping heat at times so we'd recommend the Cocoon by Sealy Chill (number 2 on this list) if overheating is a problem for you. On the flip side, motion isolation here is top-notch so no worries if you'll happen to share this bed with a restless partner.

If you like Saatva but feel you need a cooler, bouncier mattress, read our Saatva Classic mattress review instead. Some users also found that it takes a while to break in, although that wasn't our experience with the Relaxed Firm model. Still, it comes with a 1-year trial so you can test it across all seasons. Better yet, it comes with free white-glove delivery which entails in-home set-up plus removal of your old mattress and foundation, if you need it. (That's more relief for your aching back!) Just know ahead of time that if you decide to return it before the trial period is up, it'll cost you $99. 

(Image credit: Helix)

The Helix Midnight isn't strictly a memory foam mattress – a layer of springs make it officially a hybrid – but it's snagged a spot in our guide because it's such a good choice for side sleepers. The softer sleep feel offers all the pressure relief you’ll need around your hips, shoulders and knees while still ensuring your spine is aligned to protect your posture. The design uses a mix of contouring memory foam and Helix Sleep’s own Dynamic Foam, which is a little more responsive to help you get out of the bed more easily and to switch from side to side during sleep without feeling as though you're stuck in the mattress. That said, be aware this mattress is definitely on the softer side, so it's not ideal for heavy bodies or stomach sleepers. Hundreds of individual coils double down on pressure relief and support, adding a little bounce compared to the all-foam options in this guide. 

This Helix memory foam mattress is also a good choice if you overheat during sleep – in our Helix Midnight mattress review, our testers were impressed with this mattress' temperature regulation properties. There's a breathable cover and an overall design that boosts airflow throughout the night. (The use of coils naturally makes hybrid memory foam mattresses more breathable than all-foam models as air moves around and through the coils more easily.) Motion transfer is another draw with the Helix Midnight, so you and your partner shouldn’t disturb each other so much when changing sleeping positions or getting in or out of bed if you're on different schedules. 

When analyzing user reviews we came across a few that mentioned the Helix Midnight is too soft to be fully supportive for sleepers who weigh over 300lbs, especially if there are two of you sharing the bed. In that case, we’d recommend the handcrafted Saatva Loom & Leaf below. But overall, the Helix Midnight is one of the best hybrid memory foam mattresses you’ll come across for side sleeping, and you’ll have over three months to try it risk-free at home. It's usually up to $150 off and you'll get two of the brand's best pillows with it for free.

Is a memory foam mattress right for you?

Memory foam mattresses have lots of positive points. The majority of sleepers should have a restful night’s sleep on memory foam as the materials offer high levels of pressure relief and body contouring. If you suffer with sore joints and aches and pains, the deep ‘hug’ of a memory foam mattress can feel blissful and help you to leap out of bed in the morning. You could also boost this further with the use of a good mattress topper for adding extra comfort.

If you share your bed with a restless sleeper, memory foam is by far and away the best choice. Nothing absorbs motion better, meaning you’re unlikely to be disturbed even if your partner tosses and turns all night. 

Modern memory foam mattresses also contain plenty of clever tricks to help keep sleepers cool. From cuts in the foam to promote airflow and memory foam infused with gel, copper or graphite, the mattresses are now far better at regulating body temperature throughout the night. However, if you sleep very hot we would recommend you look for a more cooling mattress.

Memory foam mattresses don’t suit everyone. They’re generally not supportive enough for stomach sleepers and combination sleepers will find it hard to move about during the night. Heavier sleepers may find they sink too far into the foam and put too much pressure on their joints. Others will simply find the hug of the mattress too restrictive. They're also more prone to mattress off-gassing - the pungent new bed smell.

Whichever option you do end up going for, make sure you look after your mattress and keep it clean and fresh with the best mattress protector.  To supercharge your sleep further, also take a look at our guide to the best pillows for every budget.

When is the best time to buy a memory foam mattress?

There are certain times of the year when memory foam mattresses are cheaper, and these usually center around the big holiday shopping seasons – especially in the run up to Christmas. The best time to buy a memory foam mattress is in the Black Friday mattress sales, as this is when we have traditionally seen the cheapest prices of the year coupled with the biggest discount.

These deals normally roll over into Cyber Monday mattress deals too, with the exception of a few manufacturers that launch even bigger sales for that one day only. Beyond those two big holiday sale periods, the best time to buy a new memory foam mattress is during the Presidents' Day mattress sales in February, followed by the Memorial Day mattress sales in late May.

Prices then tend to rise over the summer period, falling just in time for the Labor Day mattress sales in September. This is also a time when we tend to see good deals on vital accessories such as the best mattress toppers.

How long do memory foam mattresses last?

On average, a good quality memory foam mattress should last around eight years, but premium foam mattresses can last up to ten years. Most are covered by a 10-year warranty, the specifics of which (ie, what's covered) varies according to the manufacturer you buy from. 

Some memory foam mattress brands even claim that all-foam beds last longer than hybrids because they don't contain coils and springs that are prone to wearing out faster. 

The truth is, there are multiple factors that affect how long a mattress lasts. These include how often you sleep on it,  how many of you are sleeping on it, your body weight/s, and how well you care for it. The latter includes flipping or rotating your mattress regularly according to the manufacturer's advice, and learning how to clean a mattress to help it last longer.

We'd also recommend investing in one of the best mattress protectors you can afford to safeguard against accidental spills, stains and dust mites, all of which can led to premature ageing of your memory foam mattress.