GhostBed Mattress Review

In This Review
Performance Tests | Firmness | Support & Sleeping Positions | Design | Materials | Comparisons | FAQs

If you’d prefer to watch rather than read we’ve got our full Ghostbed video review below:

At NapLab, we put each mattress to the test.

We test 10 different factors that impact the performance, comfort, and value of the mattress. We then take the results of that test and compare to every mattress we’ve tested to date.

Check out the full performance table below to see how this mattress ranks:

Factor	Ghostbed Classic	Average
Overall Score	8.76	8.57
Price (Queen)	$848	$1,079 (Foam only)
Cooling – Score	8.0	8.7
Sinkage – Depth	2.34″	2.14″
Sinkage – Feel	Deep	Moderate
Motion Transfer – Score	10	8.2
Motion Transfer – Acceleration	4.80 m/s²	8.78 m/s²
Response Time – Score	8.5	8.9
Response Time – Mostly Recovered	0.4 sec.	0.4 sec.
Response Time – Fully Recovered	1.0 sec.	0.9 sec.
Bounce – Height	8.00″	9.53″
Bounce – Feel	Low	Moderate
Edge Support – Score	8.6	8.6
Edge Support – Sitting	4.50″	4.04″
Edge Support – Lying	Excellent	Good
Sex – Score	7.8	8.4
Pressure Relief – Score	9.0	8.7
Comfort Layer Thickness	3.5″	4.1″
Mattress Thickness	11″	12.0″
Off-Gassing – Score	9.4	8.1
Off-Gassing – Smell	Strong	Strong
Off-Gassing – Days	2 days	7 days
Company – Score	9.0	8.6
Trial	101 nights	178 nights
Warranty	20 years	25% have lifetime warranties, average of other 75% of mattresses is 13 years

How is GhostBed Classic Different?

The GhostBed Classic mattress has a slightly higher performance score than average as well as a price that is less than average—18% lower than the average foam mattress (a savings of over $300)

Advantages

Other advantages to the GhostBed Classic include lower levels of motion transfer, faster off-gassing than average, and a lower price as well.

Neutral Factors

This mattress has 8% deeper sinkage than average as well as 16% less bounce than average. Both sinkage and bounce are more preferential than anything else, but definitely worth considering when trying to decide if the GhostBed is a good option for you.

Disadvantages

Edge support is a little deeper on the GhostBed compared to the average mattress (0.39″ more compression) and cooling struggles a bit as well. This mattress is memory foam so breathability issues are not that uncommon in budget memory foam mattresses.

The cooling performance was good, but not great. In our objective tests, the Ghostbed reached a maximum temperature of 92.7° F. This is near the very top of all mattresses we’ve tested to date.

• Baseline Temperature – the temperature of the mattress before anyone lies on it
• Maximum Temperature (0 minute) – the temperature of the mattress after lying on it for 15 minutes
• Ending Temperature (5 minute) – the temperature of the mattress after being lied upon and having no one on it for 5 minutes

Similarly, it was slower than is great when it came to heat dissipation. Speaking subjectively, during the tests I did feel slightly warm, but nothing excessive.

Heat Dissipation Over Time

My subjective experience wasn’t nearly as noteworthy as what our objective data seemed to indicate.

As a result, I feel there may be more going on with the cooling dynamic than our surface level temperatures are capturing.

In looking at the materials and design, Ghostbed uses a proven layer stack with aerated latex on top and memory foam within the core. In my view, most people will find the Ghostbed a comfortable temperature.

However, naturally hot sleepers or sleepers with a large bodyweight may find it warm and may be better off with something like the Ghostbed Luxe or a hybrid mattress (Ghostbed Flex, Ghostbed Luxe, Winkbed, Saatva, etc.).

Sinakge for the GhostBed Classic was deep. We noted a sinkage depth of 2.34” in our pressure point test. This is within the normal range that we see for most mattresses at this firmness level, and it is just a bit deeper than the average 2.15″ depth we’ve seen across all mattresses tested to date.

It’s deep enough to offer sufficient pressure relief, without creating an excessive amount of hug or sinkage.

While lying on the mattress the combination of latex and memory foam create a nice level of contour and sinkage around the entire body. Because latex is on top the contour is more generalized, as opposed to memory foam, which has a more defined contouring shape.

The level of motion transfer is documented in the video below.

Motion transfer was extremely low. Our accelerometer tests revealed an acceleration range of 4.8 m/s².

Despite the fact that Ghostbed uses latex in the top layer, the mattress as a whole does a great job at managing energy and keeping motion transfer to a minimum. 

Within 0.3 seconds the bulk of the energy has been dissipated, and by 0.7 seconds motion transfer is effectively zero.

Response time on the GhostBed was fast also. Within 0.4 seconds the mattress is able to mostly recovery and return back to its original shape.

The level of responsiveness is documented in the video below.

Since the Ghostbed uses a memory foam core, it takes a full 1.0 seconds to 100% recover.

However, in general, the mattress is quick to adapt to changes in pressure and body position, keeping you well supported. During our tests, I never felt “stuck” or entrapped by the foams.

The bounce of the Ghostbed is a good bit higher than I expected. The Ghostbed had a bounce range of 8.0”.

The level of bounce is documented in the video below.

In my view, the latex foam is really carrying the load here. Latex is highly responsive and generally has a high bounce as well.

Placing it as the top layer helps to ensure the mattress has a traditional bounce feel, while offering great response and cooling also.

The Ghostbed’s 8.0″ bounce range is a good deal below the average 9.53″ bounce height, which is the average among all mattresses we’ve tested to date. Even so, at 8.0″, it’s even much within the normal range and will be sufficiently comfortable for most sleepers.

Edge support for the GhostBed was excellent. While lying directly on the edge I felt every bit as supported on the edge as I did on the middle of the mattress.

The level of edge support while seated is documented in the images below.

The level of edge support while lying is documented in the images below.

Our sitting test revealed a maximum compression of 4.5”. This is definitely near the maximum compression that we like to see, but not over the line. The average sitting edge compression we’ve measured to date is 4.04″.

The Ghostbed does a nice job of maintaining strong edge support, even when under heavy pressure.

While lying on the mattress the Ghostbed performed well. I felt perfectly supported while on my back and side lying directly on the edge of the mattress.

The best mattresses for sex have high bounce, good edge support, quiet materials, and good pressure relief and cooling.

These 5 factors make up the NapLab sex performance score.

Sex Factor	Factor Weight	Score	Rating
Bounce	65%	7.5	Moderate
Edge Support	20%	8.1	Good
Noise	5%	10	Minimal
Pressure Relief	5%	9.0	Excellent
Cooling	5%	8.0	Good

Sex performance was fair for the GhostBed. The factors that helped the GhostBed the most include sufficient bounce, low noise output, and quality pressure relief.

The edge support was a little lacking, but not horrible. The cooling is good, but not great. Even so, it’s a fairly minor factor for sex, in our view.

Overall, I felt excellent pressure relief for the GhostBed in all sleeping positions. The mattress is just north of a true medium at a 6.5 out of 10 on the firmness scale.

Even so, it’s got enough give within the top layers to relieve pressure across the body, while still offering plenty of support. The latex top layer creates a more generalized hug around the body, while the memory foam core provides deep compression sinkage, sharper contouring, and support. Together, these factors deliver excellent pressure relief for the majority of sleepers.

Petite people (110 pounds or less) may find that the pressure relief isn’t ideal, as to really engage the memory foam you do need to have a little more weight.

However, most other sleepers should find that the pressure relief is more than sufficient.

The off-gassing of the GhostBed is similar to the GhostBed Luxe. The initial smell is pretty strong, but the smell dissipates fairly quickly.

Overall, the off-gassing score doesn’t take a huge hit in score because in the grand scheme of things, two days isn’t too terribly long. In fact, it’s much faster than the average time mattresses take to off-gas, which is around 7 days.

If you are ultra-sensitive to chemical odors, maybe let your mattress air out with a fan on or the window open. You can also run an air purifier to help move the VOCs out of the room as the process is completed.

Company Factor	Factor Weight	Score	Data
Trial Period	15%	8.0	101 nights
Warranty	10%	8.0	20 years
Shipping	5%	10	$0
Returns	20%	10	$0
Trust	50%	9.0	Excellent
Country of Origin	0%		USA

GhostBed, as a company, has been around since 2015 and has a pretty good track record of customer service and quality. Ghostbed’s parent company, Nature’s Sleep, has been in business since 2001.

They offer a 101-night trial period with a 20-year warranty that is longer than usual for most foam-based mattresses.

Comparing all mattresses tested to date, this trial is 43% shorter and the warranty is 6.8 years longer.

Shipping is free (within the 48 continental states) and returns are free (one per household).

Returns are required to abide by the 30-night break-in period, a set amount of time for your body to get used to the mattress. GhostBed does not allow return requests until this time period has passed, which is pretty common across the industry.

The GhostBed mattress is around a 6.5 out of 10 on the firmness scale—a pretty traditional medium and just a touch firmer than the GhostBed Luxe.

Depending on your body weight and sleeping position, you may find different firmness mattresses to be better or poorly suited to your needs.

Sleeper Weight	Stomach Sleepers	Side Sleepers	Back Sleepers
Under 150 lbs.	Yes	Yes	Yes
150-250 lbs.	Yes	Yes	Yes
250-300 lbs.	Yes	Yes	Yes

Since the GhostBed essentially falls in the middle of the road, most sleepers will find this mattress to be comfortable, regardless of body weight or sleeping options.

Design

The GhostBed mattress is a combo foam mattress that uses different types of foam to provide different benefits like pressure relief, support, and that initial hug and contour.

Overall, it has a balanced feel. It’s the classic latex + memory foam design.

In some ways, it’s got a restrained memory foam feel. You can feel the memory foam contouring the body, however, the top layer of latex creates a faster response, more bounce, a cooler feel, and a more generalized contour.

The two foams work together to create a balanced and even feel that many sleepers will enjoy.

Materials

This mattress is 11″ thick and breaks down into three foam layers. The layers include:

• 1.5″ latex foam
• 2.0″ gel memory foam
• 7.5″ support foam

The Cover

The cover of the GhostBed is a thin material made of viscose and polyester with a subtle seamed texture.

Side panels on the GhostBed are a blend of polyester and polypropylene. Combining these materials results in a cover that is soft, yet durable.

The Comfort Layer

The comfort layer is essentially made up of two different materials. On the top layer is a responsive, perforated, latex foam. Latex foam is known for cooling properties and a faster response time, compared to memory foam.

The second layer is a gel memory foam. Again, the gel is designed to improve cooling and counter the typical feeling memory foam (which tends to run hot).

Aside from these design factors, I still felt like the GhostBed felt a little warmer than I expected it to.

The Support Layer

Lastly, the bottom layer of foam is a thick support foam, which is the densest of all three foams used. As you’d expect, this layer provides support for the upper foam layers and encourages spinal alignment when sleeping on the GhostBed.

Product Evolution

GhostBed first launched in 2015 and hit the market with one mattress, the GhostBed. Today, Ghostbed calls that mattress their “Ghostbed Classic”

That mattress essentially uses the same materials and design as in the early days.

From the original Ghostbed mattress, GhostBed launched three more models of their mattress—the Luxe, the Flex, and the 3D Matrix. The Luxe, Flex, and 3D Matrix were all new mattress designs.

Compare GhostBed Mattresses

GhostBed makes four different models of their mattress—the Ghostbed Classic, the Luxe, the Flex, and the 3D Matrix. Here is a quick rundown of what makes each mattress different.

• GhostBed Classic: Best for Budgets
• GhostBed Luxe: Best for Cooling
• GhostBed Flex: Luxury Hybrid
• GhostBed 3D Matrix: Patented 3D Polymer Layer

Other Mattresses to Consider

Still not sure if the GhostBed is right for you? Check out one of the options below for some alternative picks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions? We’ve compiled a list of some of the most frequently asked questions about the GhostBed below.