Helix Dawn Mattress Review

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

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	Helix Dawn	Average
Overall Score	8.28	8.56
Price (Queen)	$1,099	$1,335 (Hybrid only)
Cooling – Score	9.0	8.7
Sinkage – Depth	2.36″	2.15″
Sinkage – Feel	Deep	Moderate
Motion Transfer – Score	5.0	8.2
Motion Transfer – Acceleration	16.03 m/s²	8.80 m/s²
Response Time – Score	9.5	8.9
Response Time – Mostly Recovered	0.3 sec.	0.4 sec.
Response Time – Fully Recovered	0.4 sec.	0.9 sec.
Bounce – Height	13.64″	9.50″
Bounce – Feel	Very High	Moderate
Edge Support – Score	8.3	8.6
Edge Support – Sitting	5.00″	4.05″
Edge Support – Lying	Excellent	Good
Sex – Score	9.3	8.4
Pressure Relief – Score	8.0	8.7
Comfort Layer Thickness	3.0″	4.1″
Mattress Thickness	12″	12.0″
Off-Gassing – Score	9.4	8.2
Off-Gassing – Smell	Moderate	Strong
Off-Gassing – Days	2 days	6 days
Company – Score	9.5	8.6
Trial	100 nights	177 nights
Warranty	10 years	26% have lifetime warranties, average of other 74% of mattresses is 13 years

How is Helix Dawn Different?

The Helix Dawn has lower overall performance than average as well as a price tag that is less than average—a savings of 20% or $274 on a queen mattress.

Advantages

The Helix Dawn has slightly better cooling performance, faster material response time, and faster off-gassing than the average mattress.

Neutral Factors

This mattress has slightly deeper sinkage (9.8% more) than average as well as 44% more bounce than average. Both of these factors are more preferential factors and each sleeper may find they have different preferences in these categories.

Disadvantages

Disadvantages include poorer edge support, a thinner comfort layer, and a shorter trial period (77 days shorter than the average).

However, the largest drawback of the Helix Dawn, by far, is the incredibly high motion transfer it has.

The hybrid design does an excellent job of keeping cooling performance in check. Having a layer of pocketed coils ensures the mattress has ample airflow and breathes well.

In addition, the firmer feel helps prevent sleepers from sinking too deep within the mattress, and can further help reduce heat retention issues.

• 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

Heat Dissipation Over Time

Looking at the objective data, the Helix Dawn was on the higher side of mattresses we’ve tested, with the max temperature hitting 91.9° F.

Even so, subjectively speaking, I did not feel warm at all during our tests. While the surface of the temperature may be slightly warmer than others, the overall cooling dynamic is perfectly acceptable and most sleepers will not feel warm.

In our tests, we measured pressure point sinkage at a depth of 2.36”. This is a fairly high level of sinkage for a mattress this firm. For reference, the average mattress (including all firmnesses) is 2.15″.

This really speaks to the top layer of latex-like poly foam, which is designed to be slightly softer so as to provide adequate pressure relief.

However, the overall feel of the mattress is still quite firm.

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

Motion transfer is extraordinarily high. In fact, it is the highest motion transfer of any mattress we’ve tested to date.

In our tests, our accelerometer measured an acceleration range of 16.03 m/s². This is over 2.00 m/s² more than the next highest motion transfer we’ve measured (which incidentally is another Helix model, the Helix Dusk). The average motion transfer is 8.80 m/s².

The firmer feel and pocketed coils are working together to create significant bounce and motion transfer.

If you sleep with a partner who is easily disturbed by movements this is definitely something you should consider.

In the chart above you can see the high levels of energy and how those higher levels lead to more motion transfer that is reflected across the mattress for a longer amount of time.

The motion peaks at over 10 m/s² and doesn’t fully dissipate until well past a full second.

The Helix Dawn provides a very fast response time, with most of the mattress materials rebounding to their original shape within 0.3 seconds, and a full recovery possible by 0.4 seconds.

The level of responsiveness is documented in the video below.

Unsurprisingly, the hybrid design and firmer feel work together to great effect to deliver a fast response.

If you’re looking for a mattress that quickly responds to movements, the Helix Dawn is a solid option.

The Helix Dawn has an extremely high level of bounce. In our tests, we measured a total bounce height of 13.64”, which includes a max depth of 4.14” before rebounding to a height of 9.50” above the height of the mattress.

The level of bounce is documented in the video below.

This isn’t the highest bounce we’ve seen on a mattress, but it’s very close. Only 2 mattresses we’ve tested to date have more bounce, which includes the Helix Moonlight and Birch mattresses.

Overall edge support is good. In our sinkage tests, we measured a maximum compression of 5” while sitting on the mattress. This is a good deal more compression than the average found across 270+ mattresses, which is 4.05″.

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.

While lying on the mattress I felt extremely well supported. There is no sensation of being rolled off of the mattress or any lack of support.

The firmer feel and coil support system work great together to create excellent edge support.

The Helix Dawn has excellent sex performance with little room for improvement. 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%	10	Extremely High
Edge Support	20%	7.5	Fair
Noise	5%	8.0	Moderate
Pressure Relief	5%	8.0	Good
Cooling	5%	9.0	Excellent

Let’s talk through some of the individual factors.

First, and probably most important for sex, the bounce performance of the Dawn is superb. This makes up the bulk of the sex score and is one of the big reasons the Dawn scored as highly as it did.

The edge support, noise, and pressure relief are all good, but not great. The top foams compress a bit more than expected and being a mattress with coils, there’s a bit of noise.

That being said, these three factors combined still only make up 35% of the total score so it’s not really a deal breaker that these scores are not higher.

Lastly, there’s cooling. The cooling on the Dawn mattress is great. The coils provide good airflow and the latex-like poly foam is better for cooling than a classic memory foam topper would be.

We found pressure relief on the Helix Dawn to be excellent.

The top layer of latex-like poly foam does a nice job at providing pressure relief and a good level of generalized contour around the body.

And the coils provide ample support and a firmer feel, without adding a new source of potential pressure for sleepers.

I think the only way this could be improved is if the comfort layer was thicker. With a 12″ profile, a 3.0″ comfort layer, is 1.2″ thinner than average.

For excellent pressure relief, I generally like to see at least 4″ of comfort material. However, given the firmer feel, I am not tremendously worried about it in the case of the Helix Dawn.

Firmer mattresses can often get away with using less comfort material, while still providing the desired feel for sleepers.

Off-gassing on the Dawn is excellent for a hybrid. Upon the initial unboxing, the smell was moderate. It took about 2 full days of leaving the mattress in an open room with good airflow for the smell to completely dissipate.

The average off-gassing duration is about 6 to 7 days.

If you put bedding on before this process has been completed, you may notice the smell lingering for longer. But still, this is pretty typical for what we generally see from this type of mattress.

The company score takes a look at factors that may influence your experience with the mattress.

Factors include length of the trial period, warranty, shipping / return costs, and country of origin.

Company Factor	Factor Weight	Score	Data
Trial Period	15%	8.0	100 nights
Warranty	10%	8.0	10 years
Shipping	5%	10	$0
Returns	20%	10	$0
Trust	50%	10	Outstanding
Country of Origin	0%		USA

Helix Sleep, was founded in 2015 and has a good record of positive consumer interactions with fair and favorable terms and conditions.

They offer a 100-night trial period, with a 30-night break-in period (not unusual terms).

This “Break-In Period” is a 30-day window to allow for your body to get used to the mattress. In this window, you cannot be issued a refund or return the mattress. The 30-day window is the estimated time it takes for your body to get used to any new mattress.

If the 30 nights pass and you still don’t love the Dawn, you have a couple of different routes you could go.

• Route 1: Return the mattress and get a refund.
• Route 2: Return the mattress and purchase a different Helix mattress.
• Route 3: Request a free mattress topper from Helix. This is a good option if you want the mattress just a touch firmer or softer. If you receive the topper and the feel still isn’t right, you can still return the mattress (and keep the topper).

The Helix Dawn has a pretty firm feel. I would consider it to be around an 8 out of 10 on the firmness scale.

Compared to some other Helix models, this puts it about at the same firmness as the Helix Twilight.

For something significantly softer, check out the Helix Moonlight or Helix Sunset. For something just a touch softer, check out the Helix Midnight or Helix Dusk.

You can see a full breakdown of each mattress type, its firmness, and who it may be best for below.

Mattress Type	Firmness	Best For
Helix Sunset	Soft	Side sleeper
Helix Moonlight	Soft	Back or stomach sleeper
Helix Midnight	Medium	Side sleeper
Helix Dusk	Medium	Back or stomach sleeper
Helix Twilight	Firm	Side sleeper
Helix Dawn	Firm	Back or stomach sleeper

Different sizes, body weights, and sleeping positions may mean that certain mattresses will be better suited for your needs.

Use the table below to assess if the Helix Dawn is right for you.

Helix Dawn

Sleeper Weight	Stomach Sleepers	Side Sleepers	Back Sleepers
Under 150 lbs.	Maybe	No	Maybe
150-250 lbs.	Maybe	No	Maybe
250-300 lbs.	Yes	Maybe	Yes

Over 300 pounds? For heavier sleepers, Helix offers the Helix Plus, which is designed to support plus-sized or Big & Tall sleepers. This mattress is 13″ thick compared to the 12″ thickness of the standard Helix mattresses.

Design

The Helix Dawn is a hybrid mattress that uses layers of foam and pocketed coils to provide support and comfort.

The top layers of foam certainly have a firmer feel and are designed for stomach or back sleepers. It has a thin cover with limited contour and moderate sinkage.

Is it supportive?

On the Dawn, I noted no support issues. The mattress has more than sufficient support in all sleeping positions.

The only potential issue is you want to make sure you want / need the firmer feel. Side sleepers may find the mattress doesn’t provide enough contour to provide proper spinal alignment.

Materials

There are four main layers in the Helix Dawn mattress. The breakdown is as follows:

• 1.5″ poly foam (latex-like)
• 1.5″ poly foam
• 8.0″ pocketed coils
• 1.0″ support foam

The Cover

The cover of the Helix Dawn is thin and stretchy. It is soft to the touch and provides a lot degree of contour.

For more hug, you may want to check out the Helix Dawn Luxe, which uses a pillowtop cover.

The Comfort Layer

The comfort layer is made up of two thinner layers of foam. On the top is a 1.5″ layer of poly foam that has a latex-like feel.

Latex foam is typically more responsive and has better cooling than a memory foam (see how latex vs. memory foam compares). In the case of the Dawn, this layer of memory foam also is an attributing factor to the firmer feel.

Directly below the latex-like foam a second layer of foam—a more traditional poly foam. This poly foam is a blend of foams and acts as a transitional layer between the comfort layer and the supporting coil layer below.

The Coil Layer

The coil layer is the thickest part of the mattress. This layer has hundreds of individually pocketed coils for even weight distribution and pressure relief.

When pressure is applied to one coil, the pocketed design allows that spring to react independently without affecting the surface of the entire mattress.

The Support Layer

Lastly, there is a 1.0″ thick layer of support foam beneath the coils. This support layer provides support for the coils and foam above.

Product Evolution

Helix Sleep has been around since 2015 and is no new face in the sleep space. When first launched, Helix was a largely custom mattress, positioned towards sleepers who didn’t know exactly what they wanted or needed.

The Helix Sleep Quiz would ask a series of questions regarding your size, weight, sleeping position, and other personal preferences. Based on the results of your quiz, Helix would build a custom mattress suited for you.

You could even customize each side of the mattress, for sleepers with different needs.

After years of custom mattresses, Helix began to realize that the sleep quiz often generated the same results for groups of sleepers, based on their answers. So from here, Helix launched 13 separate mattresses with varying levels of firmness, feel, and materials.

All current Helix mattresses are hybrid blends of foam and coils. You can still take a Sleep Quiz (like in the early days), but the results of the quiz will point you to one of their 13 mattress models.

The biggest change to the material design over the years has been Helix discontinuing the use of microcoils and dramatically increasing the use of pocketed coils. All Helix mattresses, including the Dawn, use a layer of pocketed coils as the primary support layer.

Dawn vs. Dawn Luxe

Helix has two main collections of mattresses—the standard and the Luxe. Below, we’ve included a quick comparison between the Dawn and the Dawn Luxe.

Other Mattresses to Consider

Like the sound of the Helix Dawn, but still not sure it’s the best choice for you? Check out one of the mattresses below for other options that have similar feels.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you still have questions on the Helix Dawn, check out our list of FAQs below and get some answers!