Best Mattress for Combination Sleepers for 2024

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When we test mattresses, we have an established process that assesses key factors, including firmness, feel and performance. We test how strong the edge of the bed is by sitting and lying on the edge. We test motion transfer by rolling across the mattress with a glass of water by the edge. These are things we do for all the beds we test. The best mattresses for combination sleepers have a unique testing process. We dive further into the bed’s construction, paying attention to each layer contributing to the cooling process.

1. Firmness: We lay on each mattress and use our experience from testing over 200 different beds to determine firmness. We analyze how soft or hard a bed feels compared to other mattresses. It’s important to wait until the mattress has fully expanded after initially taking it out of its box to get the true firmness perspective.

2. Feel: This is where we get handsy with the beds. We touch and feel the mattresses and watch what the material does. Is it light and bouncy like latex foam, or slow and dense like memory foam?

3. Durability: We don’t lie on the mattress we’re testing every day for years, so it’s hard to tell exactly how long each bed will last. We can get an idea of how well a bed will hold up by looking at its construction. Beds with steel coils are typically more durable and stronger than all-foam mattresses. 

4. Body type: We use construction and feel to determine how accommodating a bed will be for a heavy individual. Hybrid mattresses with steel coils are typically more supportive and longer-lasting, which is a plus for heavier individuals looking for a quality bed. 

5. Sleeping position: We get physical and flip around the mattresses, testing each sleeping position: side, back, stomach and combination. 

6. Motion isolation: With one or two people on the mattress, we jump and bounce around to see how much movement can be detected throughout the bed. We also use the method of placing a cup of water at the edge of the bed and bouncing around to see how much it moves.

7. Edge support: We analyze a mattress’s materials and physically lay on each edge of the mattress to get a feel for how well it’ll keep us feeling sturdy and like we won’t fall off the edge.

8. Temperature: We use hot sleepers to test and determine how cool a bed sleeps. We also examine its materials and construction to see if a brand added anything to make it sleep cooler. 

9. Smell: Some mattresses can off-gas an interesting smell. We use our trusty noses to test this characteristic. 

Read more on how we test mattresses.