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Best firm mattress for hot sleepers
Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe
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There are many things you can do to set up the ideal bedroom environment, but having the right mattress is crucial for quality sleep regardless of the rest. Generally, if you’re a back or stomach sleeper, you’ll want a firmer bed, as it offers enhanced support and promotes proper spinal alignment. A firm mattress can prevent your spine from sagging as you sleep on your back or stomach, which increases comfort and can help alleviate back pain.
Just because you need a firmer mattress doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice the pressure relief offered by softer mattresses. It all depends on your support needs and personal sleep preferences. To give you an idea, medium-firm mattresses provide some pressure relief, while firm mattresses offer maximum support.
I’ve tested over 100 mattresses throughout my career and have slept on the job for hours to help curate our CNET best mattress lists. For the best firm mattresses on the market, we’ve compiled a list that includes the best firm bed for heavy sleepers, the most affordable firm option, memory foam models and more. Read on to find your ideal firm mattress match.
What is the best firm mattress overall?
The Saatva Classic mattress in CNET’s mattress testing facility.
The Saatva Classic is a high-end mattress with three different firmness levels and two height profiles to choose from. Since each mattress is made to order, you’ll essentially get a customized bed that fits your preferences and needs. Unlike other beds I’ve tested, it also has an ultra-supportive design. Inside, the Saatva Classic boasts two coil layers and extra lumbar reinforcements.
Note that all prices quoted are the list price for a queen size, not including the frequent deals these brands offer.
Read more: Mattress Firmness Scale Explained
Video: Best firm mattress
Watch CNET senior video producer Owen Poole review the best firm mattresses.
Best firm mattresses of 2024
Our take – The Saatva Classic mattress is a premium mattress worthy of a fancy five-star hotel room. Saatva Classic’s firmness options include Plush Soft, Luxury Firm and Firm. This mattress has lumbar zone technology specifically designed for spinal alignment and to help relieve back pain. I also love its cozy, airy pillow top covered with organic cotton.
Warranty
lifetime warranty
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Multiple firmness and height options available
- Dual-coil construction makes for extra support
- Lumbar zone technology is great for back pain sufferers
- Suits all body types
Cons
- Might be out of some people’s budgets
- Return fee is $99
The Saatva Classic is constructed with multiple layers of innerspring coils and luxury foams, multiple comfort layers and a thick, fluffy pillow top cushion. In the center is memory foam that provides special lumbar support so your spine stays aligned. Saatva’s Firm model is one of the firmest mattresses our experts have ever tested, and we’d say it’s one of the best picks for people with back pain.
The Saatva Classic mattress is also available in two mattress heights: 11.5 inches and 14.5 inches. This essentially gives you the option to customize your firm mattress more by choosing how soft or supportive you want it to be. Keep in mind that the 14.5-inch model is not compatible with adjustable bases and requires deep-pocket sheets.
Read more in our full Saatva Classic mattress review.
Our take – Flippable mattresses aren’t as common in the mattress market, so this is a unique design that helps set the Plank mattress apart from other beds on our best firm mattress list. It’s also great for heavier sleepers because of its hybrid design. Plank is one of the best firm mattress picks for back and stomach sleepers who want versatility and firmness at an affordable cost.
Type
flippable hybrid mattress
Firmness
2 firmness levels |firm: medium-firm or 7 | firm: firm or 10
Warranty
10-year limited warranty
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Flippable, hybrid design
- Fairly affordable
- Great for back and stomach sleepers
Cons
- Not for side sleepers
- Not for memory foam lovers
- Cooling cover is an extra cost
The Plank Firm Luxe is very properly named, and it’s one of the firmest beds in our best firm mattress review. It’s a hybrid bed-in-a-box mattress from Brooklyn Bedding that measures over 13 inches thick and has a flippable construction. That way, you get two firm profiles in one mattress. Whether you want a firm feel or an extra supportive, extra-firm feel, you have the option to choose.
As far as feel goes, this mattress has a responsive, neutral-foam feel that contours your curves without making you feel like you’re sinking into the mattress as you get with some memory foam beds. This is especially nice for people who toss and turn often during the night as it’s much easier to move around on.
Our take – If you’re on a strict budget, you’ll like the Dreamfoam Doze mattress. Retailing for $240 for the thinnest option, this all-foam bed is affordable and comfortable.
Type
neutral foam mattress
Firmness
medium to medium-firm
Warranty
10-year limited warranty
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Ultra budget pick
- Three thickness options
Cons
- No extra features
- Strong off-gassing when you open it
- Not the best choice for people over 250 pounds
Dreamfoam is a subbrand of Brooklyn Bedding that makes extremely affordable mattresses. The cheapest option is the new Dreamfoam Doze, an all-foam mattress in three thicknesses: 7, 9 or 11 inches. The thicker the constructions go, the softer they get. People who want a firm budget bed should stick with either the 7-inch (firm) or the 9-inch (medium-firm).
Since it’s a budget mattress, it won’t have all the bells and whistles that other beds on the list have; there’s no zoned support or cooling covers. Don’t let the price suggest the quality isn’t as high. While testing, we were pleasantly surprised by how comfortable the Dreamfoam Doze mattress was. It’s a great option if you’re looking for a cheap, comfortable mattress with a neutral foam feel. Read more in our Dreamfoam Doze mattress review.
Our take – Nectar is a popular online mattress brand with beds that boast a memory foam feel, similar to the expensive Tempur-Pedic mattresses. The best part? The Nectar Classic bed is a fraction of the cost. After your body warms the foam, it slowly conforms to your figure, so you don’t fall into a middle-of-the-bed sinkhole. The Nectar Classic is perfectly supportive for firm-bed lovers under the 230-pound range.
Type
memory foam mattress
Warranty
forever warranty
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Good budget-friendly pick
- Available in a hybrid model to accommodate all body types
Cons
- Memory foam feel might feel too intense to switch positions
It has a firm mattress feel that takes a moment to warm up to your body. Once it does, you slowly become nestled into the layers of the mattress, and the foam remembers the shape of your body for several moments after you get up. Hence the name “memory foam.”
I rated the firmness around medium-firm, making it best for back, stomach, or combination sleepers who are looking for a more supportive feel. The Nectar Classic memory foam bed is all-foam, but it also comes in a hybrid option. I think it’s the best firm mattress for sleepers who weigh less than 230 pounds. Read more about this bed in our Nectar Classic mattress review.
Our take – Brooklyn Bedding is known for making quality beds at affordable prices. The Aurora Luxe is no exception. It’s a premium mattress with five layers of comfortable foam, pocketed coils and cooling technology. You have to be careful with cooling sleep products because many don’t actually cool you, but you can rest assured that the CooperFlex foam and Titan Cool cover make this mattress physically cool.
Firmness
Soft: (3) Medium: (5) Medium firm: (7)
Warranty
10-year limited warranty
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Cooling technology
- Multiple firmness options
- Supportive hybrid construction
Cons
- Probably too cool for someone who doesn’t sleep hot
- Not a budget choice
A mattress always gets extra points when it allows for customization. The Aurora Luxe mattress has three firmness options: soft, medium and firm. You can even add a pillow top. Anyone can sleep on it, although the firmest option is why it’s on this list.
The Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe isn’t the cheapest bed out there, but the high-quality design and cooling technology make it a must for people who want a firm mattress that will keep them cool. You’ll also often see it discounted, knocking a few hundred dollars off the price.
Read our Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe review.
Our take – Almost as natural as the fruit it’s named after, Avocado Green is a certified organic, environmentally friendly mattress. All the materials are either recycled or responsibly sourced from organic farms, which follow strict regulatory guidelines. Its main latex-foam comfort material is perforated, so it also allows for increased airflow and doesn’t retain heat like memory foam. The Avocado Green is firm and becomes medium-firm if you add the pillow top.
Firmness
7 or medium-firm with the pillow top (9 or firm without)
Warranty
25-year limited warranty
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Made with eco-friendly and sustainable materials
- Boasts a long list of impressive green certifications
- Accommodates all body types
- Made with breathable materials, a plus for hot sleepers
Cons
- Beds with organic materials tend to be more expensive
- The pillow top costs a few hundred dollars extra
The foundation is made with recycled steel coils and the comfort layers include organic latex made from the sap of a tropical rubber tree, New Zealand wool and organic cotton. It feels a bit firm, medium-firm with the pillow top and firm without. If you sleep on your back or stomach and are particularly health conscious, I think you’ll be a big fan of the bed.
Organic latex beds are durable, hypoallergenic and antimicrobial. It has a ton of certifications to back up its eco-friendly claims, and it’s one of the best firm mattress models I’ve tested. Read more in our full Avocado mattress review.
Our take – When it comes to back pain, the name of the game is support. The Purple Rejuvenate mattress is ultra-supportive with its edge-to-edge zoned coil system that offers target support under your back.
Warranty
10-year warranty
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Zoned coil layer
- Responsive pillow top feel
- Extremely responsive
- Sleeps temperature neutral thanks to the Purple Grid
Cons
- One of the most expensive beds we’ve tested
- Potentially too firm for petite side sleepers
The Purple Rejuvenate is a luxury-style mattress with a medium-firm profile and comfortable pillow top. It’s our pick for the best firm mattress for back pain thanks to its target coil system that is slightly firmer under the back and softer at the head and foot of the bed. Other beds with a zoned design feature segmented foam layers rather than targeted coils.
If you’ve had your eye on a Purple mattress but are unsure you want to commit to the unique feel Purple is known for, then you’ll like the Rejuvenate mattress. Since the GelFlex Grid is deeper in the bed, you mostly get the pillow top feel when lying on it. You still get the benefits of the grid, like sleeping temperature neutral and being extremely responsive.
Here’s the thing about this bed: It’s expensive. Retailing at $5,495, this bed is out of many people’s budget. If you have the extra cash and want to invest in a mattress that will likely ease your back pain, you’ll like the Purple Rejuvenate bed. Read more about the Purple mattresses.
Our take – When you’re looking for the best firm bed with a medium profile, the WinkBed Classic is a quality option that fits the bill. It’s a premium hybrid with a medium-firm model that offers a comfortable, responsive feel more like that of neutral or blended foam. It’s firm without being overly solid, and each WinkBed is put through a rigorous simulation to ensure long-lasting durability and support. It’s one of those mattresses you’d find in a nice hotel or expensive AirBnB.
Firmness
3 firmness levels | softer: medium-soft or 3 | luxury firm: medium or 5 | firmer: medium-firm or 7
Warranty
lifetime warranty
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Known for durability and longevity
- Three firmness options
The WinkBed mattress is a pillow top mattress that combines the sturdiness and support of zoned pocketed innersprings, with the comfort and plushness of multiple foam layers and a fluffy pillow top. It’s incredibly thick and the firm model is, as WinkBed says, “firm but not hard.”
I’d rate the WinkBed’s Firm model around a medium-firm. It’ll keep your spine in proper alignment with your neck, but it isn’t such a firm mattress that it’ll cause irritation and pressure on your joints. Read more about the bed in our WinkBeds mattress review.
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Our take – Sleepers who weigh more and deal with back pain should look for an extra supportive and durable mattress, and Helix Plus checks those boxes. With a thick hybrid construction, medium-firm profile and extra-large pocketed coils that can support up to 1,000 pounds, it’s a solid pick that won’t cost an arm and a leg.
Looking for a new mattress? With this CNET-exclusive deal, you can take 27% off Helix sitewide and get two free pillows with any mattress purchase. This is the biggest discount available — you won’t find it anywhere else. Use code CNET27
Firmness
Medium firm: (7)
Warranty
15-year limited warranty
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Ultra supportive, primarily designed for heavy sleepers over 230 pounds
- Extra dense memory foam offers a balance of support and pressure relief
Cons
- Might be too supportive and firm for those under 200 pounds
- Expensive
The Helix Plus hybrid mattress, rated a seven to eight out of 10 on the firmness scale, is designed to offer extra support for heavier sleepers. It’s made of wrapped coils and several layers of memory foam in varying densities, but the real star of the show is a 4-inch layer of high-density foam. This extra foam held up the other layers, providing adequate support but also adding some cushioning that provided relief for my shoulders and hips.
Because the mattress is thicker — it’s 13 inches tall — it will feel firmer if you have a lower body mass index, but I thought it had just the right amount of give. It was comfortable and provided motion isolation really well, so I didn’t bounce around, even when my boyfriend moved in the middle of the night.
Read more in our full Helix mattress review.
Helix Dawn mattress: The Helix Dawn bed is a very supportive hybrid mattress that’s as firm as firm beds can get, similar to Plank. Rated around a 9 to 10 on the firmness scale, it could be a great firm mattress pick for stomach or back sleepers under 230 pounds who want maximum support at an affordable price. I also like its general foam feel; it’s similar to the foam in your favorite comfy couch. It’s more breathable and more responsive to pressure than memory foam.
GhostBed Flex mattress: Rated a 6 to 7 out of 10 on the mattress firmness scale, the GhostBed is classified as a medium-firm mattress. It’s made of a combination of latex-like memory foams that have a soft, springy feel but also provide enough support so you don’t feel like you’re sinking into the mattress (and then waking up in pain). Two rows of reinforced coils around the edge of the bed hold the layers up and contribute to excellent edge-to-edge firmness level support.
Read more: Best Mattress for Side Sleepers for 2024
The Mattress Smasher 9000 testing a bed.
As sleep and bed experts, we test the firmness of a mattress in one of two ways. First, we use our own instincts and pay close attention to how firm a bed feels to us — particularly in comparison to the hundreds of other mattresses we’ve tested. We analyze how the foam responds to our body, how far we sink into the bed and how supportive a bed feels in each sleeping position. If a bed presses firmly into our shoulders and hips while lying on our side, that’s a good indicator that it’s firm.
The second way we test firmness is with CNET’s proprietary device and software, aptly dubbed the Mattress Smasher 9000. This instrument was developed in-house by our lab technicians to objectively measure a bed’s firmness. It presses into the middle of the mattress and scores each bed on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the firmest and 1 being the softest.
Here are the Mattress Smasher 9000’s objective firmness levels of the best firm mattresses, ranging from the softest at 4.9 to the firmest at 9.5.
Read more about how we test mattresses.
Sleeping position
Back and stomach sleepers are the types who usually sleep most comfortably on a firm mattress. Side sleepers typically like softer beds that offer pressure relief to the hips and shoulders. If you’re a side sleeper, you may not want a firm bed.
Weight
The lighter you are, the firmer a mattress is going to feel. People under 150 pounds will likely perceive a medium-firm bed as firm. The opposite is true for heavier sleepers; the heavier you are, the softer a bed is going to feel. If a bed is rated around medium-firm and you weigh 245 pounds, it will likely feel closer to a medium instead. Keep this in mind when you’re shopping for a bed so you choose the most suitable one.
Firmness type
All firm beds aren’t made to be the same. Beds that are considered firm land between 6 and 10 on the firmness scale. Beds rated around 6 to 8 are considered among the medium-firm range, while 8 to 10 is firm territory. Medium-firm beds offer both pressure relief and support, while firm beds offer maximum support.
The best firm mattress will depend on your personal preferences, body type and sleeping style. We found that some of the best firm mattresses that range from medium-firm to firm include:
- Saatva Classic
- Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe
- Plank
- Avocado Green
- Nectar
- Purple Rejuvenate
- WinkBed
- Dreamfoam Doze
- Helix Plus
It primarily depends on your favorite sleeping position. If you’re a back or stomach sleeper, a firm mattress does a great job of keeping your neck and spine in proper alignment.
If you sleep on your back or stomach, a firm mattress can keep your spine and neck in a straight alignment to prevent you from sagging into the bed and experiencing back pain. If you’re a side sleeper, a firm mattress can push into your body and promote a curved spine.
There is not necessarily one type of bed that’s the firmest, as it largely depends on the construction. Generally, the firmest bed types are traditional innerspring beds with steel coils, heavy-duty latex mattresses and specific dense, viscous memory foam. The thinner the top layer of foam, the firmer the mattress.
