Best Mattress For Side Sleepers

Studies show that nearly 74% of people are side sleepers, making it the most popular sleeping position by a wide majority. That being said, side sleepers have their unique set of preferences and needs when it comes to achieving optimal support and comfort.

Our best mattress for side sleepers guide highlights the best-performing mattresses at a range of price points and firmnesses, all designed to meet the specific needs of side sleepers.

With that in mind, let’s get started.

In This Guide
Winkbed | Saatva Classic | Nolah Evolution 15 | Nest Bedding Sparrow | Helix Midnight Luxe | Amerisleep AS5 | Douglas | Bear Elite Hybrid | GhostBed Flex | Mattresses We Considered | How We Choose

The 9 Best Mattresses for Side Sleepers 2023

Before we get into the nitty-gritty details of each mattress, let’s talk about firmness. No matter how well each mattress scores in our tests, the reality is that not all firmnesses are suitable for all sleepers.

Use the table below to see the variation in firmness of each mattress:

	Extra Soft 3-3.5	Soft 4-4.5	Medium 5-5.5	Medium-Firm 6-6.5	Slightly Firm 7-7.5	Firm 8-8.5
Winkbed Original		Yes		Yes	Yes
Saatva Classic	Yes		Yes			Yes
Nolah Evolution 15		Yes	Yes			Yes
Nest Bedding Sparrow	Yes		Yes			Yes
Helix Midnight Luxe				Yes
Amerisleep AS5 Hybrid	Yes
Douglas				Yes
Bear Elite Hybrid		Yes		Yes	Yes
Ghostbed Flex				Yes

Most side sleepers need a mattress in the 5-6 out of 10 firmness range, which is between a medium and medium-firm feel. However, many side sleepers will enjoy extra soft (3-3.5) and soft (4-4.5) firmnesses, especially lighter weight sleepers.

Heavier weight side sleepers sometimes prefer a slightly firmer feel (7-7.5), as the extra firmness increases the support, which can help to maintain neutral spinal alignment in heavier weighted bodies.

Side sleepers should avoid firm (8-8.5) an extra firm (9-9.5) feels, as this level of firmness will push the spine out of a neutral alignment, creating pressure point and support issues.

If you are not sure what firmness is best for you check out our deep-dive mattress firmness guide here.

Winkbed Original Hybrid

Winkbed Performance

Performance tests on the Winkbed excelled in all areas. It has a thick 14″ profile, which is perfect for side sleepers as there is more material to engage with.

The maximum point sinkage is 2.38″, which is slightly more than the average sinkage among all mattresses tested to date (2.20″).

Despite the plush feel and sinkage, the Winkbed still retains an extremely fast response time and excellent cooling. This is not the kind of mattress that will leave you feeling “stuck”.

While Winkbed is on the higher end of the pricing spectrum, the quality is par-none. With 5″ of comfort material above the coils, Winkbed perfectly caters to side sleepers, keeping the spine in alignment while also providing a deep hug and contour.

Factor	Winkbed
Overall	9.95
Max Temp.	90.3° F
Max Sinkage	2.38″
Total Motion Transfer	5.85 m/s²
Response Time	0.2 sec.
Total Bounce	9.91″
Edge Support – Sitting Sinkage	2.25″
Edge Support – Lying Support	Exceptional
Sex Overall	9.9
Comfort Material	5.00″
Off-Gassing – Smell	None
Off-Gassing – Days	0 days
Trial	120 days
Warranty	Lifetime

Saatva Classic

Saatva Classic Performance

The performance of the Saatva Classic was exceptional across the board, scoring perfect 10’s for cooling, extremely fast response time, exceptional edge support, exceptional pressure relief, and virtually zero off-gassing.

With the double coil layer design of the Saatva, there is a fairly high level of bounce (14.67″).

Compared to the average of 9.62″, Saatva is 48% bouncier than the average mattress. Bounce tends to be a preferential factor, but something to consider if you don’t prefer high levels of bounce.

Despite having higher bounce, the Saatva still has moderate levels of sinkage (2.40″) and low levels of motion transfer (5.86 m/s²).

Factor	Saatva Classic
Overall	9.95
Max Temp.	94.0° F
Max Sinkage	2.40″
Total Motion Transfer	5.86 m/s²
Response Time	0.4 sec.
Total Bounce	14.67″
Edge Support – Sitting Sinkage	3.00″
Edge Support – Lying Support	Exceptional
Sex Overall	9.9
Comfort Material	4.50″
Off-Gassing – Smell	None
Off-Gassing – Days	0 days
Trial	365 days
Warranty	Lifetime

Nolah Evolution 15

Nolah Evolution 15 Performance

Performance of the Nolah Evolution excels in most areas, but especially in response, cooling, and pressure relief.

As mentioned above, pressure relief is critically important to side sleepers. The Nolah has a 6″ comfort layer, which allows for proper spinal alignment and deep compression support.

There’s a deeper level of sinkage (2.48″), but still retains a very fast response time of 0.2 seconds.

Motion transfer is really the only area where the Evolution struggles, charting a max of 11.10 m/s².

As a hybrid, the Evolution is more likely to have higher motion transfer because of the coils. Still, these levels are higher than the average (8.59 m/s² for hybrids, 7.69 m/s² for all mattresses.)

While this isn’t necessarily a problem for all side sleepers, it could be an issue for those who are lighter sleepers or who sleep with active partners.

Factor	Nolah Evolution 15
Overall	9.77
Max Temp.	88.6° F
Max Sinkage	2.48″
Total Motion Transfer	11.10 m/s²
Response Time	0.2 sec.
Total Bounce	8.72″
Edge Support – Sitting Sinkage	3.25″
Edge Support – Lying Support	Exceptional
Sex Overall	9.8
Comfort Material	6.00″
Off-Gassing – Smell	Strong
Off-Gassing – Days	3 days
Trial	120 days

Nest Bedding Sparrow

Nest Bedding Sparrow Performance

The performance of the Nest Bedding Sparrow is great all-around. It scored perfect 10s for extremely fast response time, exceptional pressure relief, and fantastic company policies.

The Sparrow offers a Lifetime Exchange Renewal program, which allows you to swap out the top layer of foam for a different firmness or just a new top layer for free at any point during the life of the mattress.

Sparrow has deeper sinkage (2.70″), but also an extremely fast response time. This provides the contour you need without the fear of being stuck in the mattress.

Factor	Nest Bedding Sparrow
Overall	9.76
Max Temp.	90.6° F
Max Sinkage	2.70″
Total Motion Transfer	7.12 m/s²
Response Time	0.3 sec.
Total Bounce	10.64″
Edge Support – Sitting Sinkage	4.00″
Edge Support – Lying Support	Very Good
Sex Overall	9.9
Comfort Material	6.00″
Off-Gassing – Smell	Moderate
Off-Gassing – Days	2 days
Trial	365 days
Warranty	Lifetime

Helix Midnight Luxe

Helix Midnight Luxe Performance

During our testing, the Helix Midnight Luxe performed like a true luxury hybrid. The combination of foam and coil work together to provide a balanced feel with fast response time, minimal motion transfer, and exceptional pressure relief.

It also had good cooling and slightly less sinkage than average (2.15″ on the Midnight Luxe and 2.20″ average across all mattresses tested to date). This gives the Luxe a plush feel without as much of sinking feeling.

Being memory foam, the Midnight Luxe does have less bounce than every other mattress in this “best of” list (excluding the Douglas foam mattress).

Bounce maxes out at 7.47″ on this mattress, which is 2.15″ less than the average bounce among all mattresses tested to date (9.62″).

That being said, bounce is a preferential factor and, as a side sleeper, you may or may not like a lot of bounce on your mattress.

Factor	Helix Midnight Luxe
Overall	9.76
Max Temp.	91.0° F
Max Sinkage	2.15″
Total Motion Transfer	4.03 m/s²
Response Time	0.3 sec.
Total Bounce	7.47″
Edge Support – Sitting Sinkage	4.00″
Edge Support – Lying Support	Excellent
Sex Overall	9.4
Comfort Material	5.00″
Off-Gassing – Smell	Moderate
Off-Gassing – Days	3 days
Trial	101 days
Warranty	25 years

Amerisleep AS5 Hybrid

Amerisleep AS5 Performance

Performance on the Amerisleep AS5 hybrid mattress is near-perfect in all areas except for motion transfer, where it had slightly more motion transfer than I typically like to see.

In our tests, we measured 9.65 m/s² of acceleration range. This is 1.83 m/s² more than the average level of motion transfer (across all mattresses tested to date).

Aside from motion transfer, the AS5 really excelled with excellent cooling, extremely fast response time, good edge support, and excellent pressure relief.

In terms of feel, the AS5 is going to have a more memory foam feel with moderate sinkage and slight contour when lying on your side, but not as much as you’d get with a eurotop mattress like the Saatva Classic or Helix Midnight Luxe.

Factor	Amerisleep AS5 Hybrid
Overall	9.73
Max Temp.	87.6° F
Max Sinkage	2.21″
Total Motion Transfer	9.65 m/s²
Response Time	0.2 sec.
Total Bounce	9.71″
Edge Support – Sitting Sinkage	4.25″
Edge Support – Lying Support	Excellent
Sex Overall	9.8
Comfort Material	5.00″
Off-Gassing – Smell	Strong
Off-Gassing – Days	7 days
Trial	100 days
Warranty	20 years

Douglas All Foam

Douglas Performance

Performance on the Douglas foam mattress is solid all-around. This mattress does not have the pocketed coil support like many of the other mattresses in this review, but it lacks very little in terms of performance.

Without the coils, the Douglas does have less bounce (5.21″ total) as well as very low levels of motion transfer (1.24 m/s²).

The poly foam comfort layers provide extremely fast response time and excellent cooling as well. All materials on the Douglas spring back quickly and avoid any feeling of being “stuck”.

For side sleepers who want a lower-profile mattress without coils, the Douglas checks all the boxes.

Factor	Douglas
Overall	9.73
Max Temp.	88.0° F
Max Sinkage	1.83″
Total Motion Transfer	1.24 m/s²
Response Time	0.3 sec.
Total Bounce	5.21″
Edge Support – Sitting Sinkage	3.25″
Edge Support – Lying Support	Excellent
Sex Overall	9.2
Comfort Material	4.00″
Off-Gassing – Smell	Strong
Off-Gassing – Days	5 days
Trial	365 days
Warranty	15 years

Bear Elite Hybrid

Bear Elite Performance

Performance on the Bear Elite hybrid is fantastic. The mattress scored perfect 10’s for exceptional cooling, extremely low motion transfer, and extremely fast response time.

The combination of memory foam and poly foam within the comfort layer provides a balanced feel that has contour as well as great support.

The Bear Elite has moderate bounce (10.32″) and moderate sinkage (2.14″). These two factors are a bit more preferential, but still important for many side sleepers.

Factor	Bear Elite Hybrid
Overall	9.72
Max Temp.	88.4° F
Max Sinkage	2.14″
Total Motion Transfer	3.74 m/s²
Response Time	0.4 sec.
Total Bounce	10.32″
Edge Support – Sitting Sinkage	4.75″
Edge Support – Lying Support	Excellent
Sex Overall	9.8
Comfort Material	5.00″
Off-Gassing – Smell	Strong
Off-Gassing – Days	3 days
Trial	120 days
Warranty	Lifetime

GhostBed Flex

GhostBed Flex Performance

Performance on the GhostBed Flex hybrid is fantastic with excellent cooling, very low motion transfer, extremely fast response time, and excellent edge support.

Even when lying directly at the edge of the mattress, there is only 3.25″ of sinkage. The average across all mattresses tested to date is 4.32″.

Motion transfer levels are only 5.61 m/s², which is lower than average—the average amount of motion transfer is 7.82 m/s². For side sleepers, this helps to limit disruptions and keep that spinal alignment.

Moving along, let’s talk about more preferential factors of the GhostBed Flex. This mattress has moderate sinkage (2.15″) and high levels of bounce (10.65″). These two factors are more subjective than the other tests we score for but still worth mentioning in this performance review.

Factor	Ghostbed Flex
Overall	9.72
Max Temp.	85.7° F
Max Sinkage	2.15″
Total Motion Transfer	5.61 m/s²
Response Time	0.4 sec.
Total Bounce	10.65″
Edge Support – Sitting Sinkage	3.25″
Edge Support – Lying Support	Excellent
Sex Overall	9.8
Comfort Material	2.00″
Off-Gassing – Smell	Strong
Off-Gassing – Days	4 days
Trial	101 days
Warranty	25 years

Mattresses We Considered

When considering the best mattresses for side sleepers we are looking at all mattress types. That said, hybrids or foam mattresses with plusher top layers tend to perform the best for side sleeper needs.

The mattresses listed below were all considered for our best mattress for side sleepers guide. However, we felt that one or more factors held them back. We’ve listed our rationale for why they were excluded below.

• Purple Hybrid, Purple Hybrid Premier 3, Purple Hybrid Premier 4 (9.76-9.84 overall score): While the lineup of Purple hybrids all have great scores, it’s Purple’s specialty material that really drives the price up and makes it difficult to compete with other more affordable mattresses. For these reasons, all Purple Hybrids have been excluded.
• Diamond Flurry Lux (9.84 overall score): The Diamond brand is less well-known. Many sleepers are rightly wary about brands they have not heard of. While Diamond is a large and established company, they aren’t exactly a household name. In general, we try to focus our recommendations around brands that sleepers have a greater familiarity with.
• Douglas Summit (9.84 overall score): Although high scoring, the Douglas Summit is only available in Canada.
• Winkbed Plus (9.82 overall score): Winkbed Plus is designed specifically for heavier weight sleepers. Even there, it’s on the slightly firm side, making it a less-than-great choice for a sizable portion of side sleepers.
• Birch (9.75 overall score): Birch has a great overall score also, but being a latex hybrid with a slightly firmer feel (7 out of 10), I don’t think this mattress is as well suited for side sleepers as the others that have been featured here. For these reasons, Birch has been excluded.
• Elm Sleep Resort (9.75 overall score): Elm Sleep is a newer company that just launched in 2022 and lacks the history of company trust and brand recognition. For this reason, the Resort mattress has been excluded. If it continues to grow in consumer trust it’s possible it could make our best of list at a future date.
• Douglas Alpine (9.72 overall score): Although high scoring, the Douglas Alpine is only available in Canada.
• Helix Plus (9.72 overall score): Same basic justification as Winkbed Plus. While some heavier weight side sleepers may find Helix Plus a good fit, it’s more of a niche pick. Soon we’ll have a dedicated page for the best mattress for heavier weight sleepers.

The scoring cut-off for this category was 9.72. Any mattresses that scored below this threshold were excluded based on performance alone.

Mattress	Score	Excluded For
Purple Hybrid	9.84	Specialty + Price
Diamond Flurry Lux	9.84	Consumer Awareness
Douglas Summit	9.84	Canada Only
Winkbed Plus	9.82	Specialty + Duplicate Brand
Purple Hybrid Premier 4	9.81	Specialty + Price
Purple Hybrid Premier 3	9.76	Specialty + Price
Birch	9.75	Firmness
Elm Sleep Resort	9.75	New Brand
Douglas Alpine	9.72	Canada Only
Helix Plus	9.72	Specialty + Duplicate Brand

How We Choose The Best

For our Best Mattress For Side Sleepers list we based our selections on the best-scoring / highest-performing mattresses according to our objective testing results.

These tests analyze performance across 8 critical factors and included mattresses of all types. Price and value were also notable consideration points.

Our testing and selection process is incredibly detailed and rigorous. The links below have detailed write-ups on our testing process, scoring formulas, and the precise criteria for how we choose the best mattresses.

Editor’s Choice Picks