Helix Moonlight 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 9 different factors that impact the comfort and feel of the mattress. Testing categories include:

Test	Rating
Cooling	Very Good
Sinkage	Deep
Motion Transfer	High
Response Time	Extremely Fast
Bounce	Extremely High
Edge Support	Excellent
Sex	Excellent
Pressure Relief	Excellent
Off-Gassing	Excellent
Company	Excellent

How is Helix Moonlight Different?

The Helix Moonlight hybrid has a lower overall performance score than average, but also a lower price tag—23% less expensive than the average hybrid, a savings of over $250 on a queen-sized mattress.

Advantages

Besides price, other advantages for the Helix Moonlight include better edge support than average and better sex performance (thanks mainly to the high bounce).

Neutral Factors

This mattress has slightly deeper sinkage than average and also nearly 2X the average level of bounce. If you’re looking for a mattress with high bounce, this may be an advantage, but is certainly worth considering.

Disadvantages

Disadvantages for the Moonlight include slower material response time, higher levels of motion transfer, and a shorter trial period (only 100 nights). The softer feel also limits the type of sleepers who may enjoy this mattress, finding adequate support and pressure relief.

Factor	Helix Moonlight	Average
Overall	9.39	9.51
Price	$1,099	$1,352 (Hybrid only)
Cooling	9	9.4
Max Sinkage	2.36″	2.17″
Total Motion Transfer	13.20 m/s²	8.52 m/s²
Response Time	0.5 sec.	0.4 sec.
Total Bounce	17.15″	9.65″
Edge Support – Sitting Sinkage	3.75″	4.11″
Mattress Thickness	12.0″	12.0″
Sex Overall	9.7	9.6
Comfort Material	3.0″	4.2″
Off-Gassing – Smell	Moderate	Strong
Off-Gassing – Days	2 days	5 days
Trial	100 nights	161 nights
Warranty	10 years	26% have lifetime warranties, average of other 74% of mattresses is 14 years

The Helix Moonlight uses a hybrid design with latex-like foam on top, which should yield better cooling performance overall. So how did it score?

• 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

Overall, the cooling on the Moonlight mattress is good, but not great. I think the extra sinkage doesn’t do this mattress any favors in this area, but it’s also not necessarily a hot mattress.

The cell structure of the latex looks fairly open, as you can see both sizable and small holes throughout the surface level of the latex foams.

Subjectively speaking, I felt slightly warm, but nothing that I would describe as excessive. Pretty typical foam mattress feel. The deeper sinkage may create more heat retention for some sleepers as there is simply more foam coming into contact with the sleeper’s body.

Heat Dissipation Over Time

Looking at our objective data, the Helix Moonlight had a higher maximum temperature than most of the mattresses we’ve tested to date. It reached a max temperature of 92° F.

While the mattress did release heat fairly quickly, it seemed to cap out within 2 minutes. Even after 5 minutes off the mattress, the surface temperature was only reduced by 3.4° F, 2.1° warmer than the baseline.

Our objective data reinforces our subjective experience. In my view, the deeper sinkage does create more heat retention relative to many other mattresses.

On the Helix Moonlight, I experienced a high degree of sinkage (2.36″), even for someone as lightweight as I am (140 pounds).

Since it’s a latex-like foam, the contour is more generalized around the entire body, as opposed to body forming, as memory foam tends to be.

Plus-sized sleepers may find the sinkage depth to be too much and/or not supportive enough, as shown in the images above.

When we used the medicine ball to test for sinkage, we found that the ball sank 2.36″ into the surface of the mattress.

But look at the photo above.

Despite the deeper level of sinkage, there is a fairly restrained contour. This is due to latex-like foam in the top layer, as opposed to memory foam, which has a higher body contour.

With the Helix Moonlight your body will sink into this mattress, but not necessarily be completely enveloped by the materials.

Too much sinkage in that way is what causes sleepers to feel stuck and immobilized.

The Moonlight has a surprisingly high level of motion transfer, most likely due to the fact that the mattress has a latex-like foam in the top layer, softer feel, and taut cover.

This softness allows the bodies (or in our case medicine balls) to sink deeper, but it also means there is more material that has been compressed and needs to decompress.

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

In our test video, you can see how motion ripples across the cover of the mattress, shaking the other medicine ball and mattress at large.

The hybrid design is also likely a significant factor in motion transfer. When it comes to materials, the coils + softer foams allow for lots of sinkage, which naturally creates a recipe for a higher degree of motion transfer.

Below we’ve included our accelerometer data so you can see how motion is generated and dissipates.

There is a fairly high level of energy for a full 1.0 seconds before it begins to notably dissipate.

This mattress has a pretty fast response time, given the nature of the latex-like poly foam and pocketed coils.

The level of responsiveness is documented in the video below.

As you can see, the materials respond very quickly to the ball being lifted. The support coils in the core of this mattress play a role, but so does the top layer of poly foam.

Had the top layer been a traditional memory foam, this response would likely be much slower.

The bounce of the Helix Moonlight mattress is very high, significantly higher than what we typically see, and debatably higher than what many people would prefer.

These results aren’t completely unexpected, given the latex-like poly foam and pocketed coil design.

The level of bounce is documented in the video below.

High overall bounce range in part is due to the softness of the mattress, which allows for bodies (and in our case the medicine ball we dropped) to sink deeper within the mattress, before rebounding up.

The high level of bounce also has a negative impact on motion transfer, but would be seen as a positive design aspect for the sex score. When it comes to the dance without pants, more bounce is almost always better.

Surprisingly, edge support is actually pretty good. I say that because this mattress is so soft compared to others we’ve tested. Oftentimes, a softer feel means edge support that’s severely lacking.

There was no such issue on the Helix Moonlight. We found the edges supportive and comfortable while both lying and sitting on 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.

The materials within the top layer are quite soft, so you very easily sink through the first 3” of comfort foam.

However, the support coils do a nice job of retaining their shape and support, so while both sitting and lying I felt well supported by the edges.

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	60%	10	Extremely High
Edge Support	20%	9.6	Excellent
Noise	10%	9	Moderate
Pressure Relief	5%	9.5	Excellent
Cooling	5%	9	Very Good

For the Helix Moonlight, these individual factors generated a sex score of 9.7.

This mattress has excellent bounce, which really helped it a lot with this category. Good bounce is one of the biggest factors of good sex.

Edge support and sinkage were also fantastic. The top layer of poly foam really helps the top of the mattress to feel responsive and non-restricting, despite the softer feel.

Noise hurts the sore a little, but that’s also just kind of the nature of a hybrid mattress with coils in the design.

Because of the softer feel of the Moonlight mattress, pressure relief is going to depend a lot on the body weight applied to the mattress.

For lightweight and medium-weight sleepers, I would say the pressure relief is going to be excellent.

Heavyweight sleepers may find it less than great, simply because they are going to sink through the comfort layers easily and bring more of their body into contact with the less pressure-relieving coil system.

I would expect heavier-weighted side sleepers will have the worst experience. We really should focus on our support tables here, as they really tell the story with a mattress this soft and its support dynamic for different body types / sleeping positions.

Off-gassing is a process that almost every mattress goes through. It simply describes the time it takes for compressed gasses to be fully dissipated into the air and released from the mattress.

The off-gassing of the Helix Moonlight mattress is pretty typical. Right out of the box, it has a moderately strong smell.

It took about 2 full days for the mattress to fully off-gas. For the best results, you’ll want to let any new mattress complete the off-gassing process before fitting it with sheets or other bedding.

Once it has fully off-gassed, there should be minimal smell coming from your new mattress.

Company Factor	Factor Weight	Score	Data
Trial Period	25%	9	100 nights
Warranty	25%	10	10 years
Shipping	25%	10	$0
Returns	25%	10	$0
Country of Origin	0%		USA

For Helix, these individual terms and conditions generated a company score of 9.8.

Their mattresses come with a 100-night trial period, but do require a 30-night break-in period.

NOTE: A “Break-In Period” is not uncommon in the industry.

This “Break-In Period” makes up the first 30 nights of trying your new mattress. Give yourself time for your body to adjust to the feel and support of the mattress.

You cannot initiate a return in this window. If after the first 30 days you still decide the Moonlight is not the right mattress for you, you have some options.

You can return the mattress for a full refund. They will even set up a time to come pick up the mattress.

You can also exchange the mattress for a different Helix mattress. They offer quite a few different feels and firmnesses.

Lastly, you could simply request a mattress topper. This is a good solution for sleepers who MOSTLY like the feel of a mattress, but wish that it was a touch firmer or a touch softer.

The Helix Moonlight feels like a soft mattress—3.5 out of 10 on the firmness scale.

However, it’s not soft in the way that many other mattresses achieve softnesses, through super thick pillow top / upholstery covers. It still uses the thin cover, but the top comfort layers are quite squishy.

Given the softness, this is a mattress that is likely only going to be preferred by sleepers 150 pounds or less and those who love soft mattresses.

Plus-sized sleepers will likely find the mattress just doesn’t have enough support.

Sleeper Weight	Stomach Sleeper	Side Sleeper	Back Sleeper
Under 150 lbs.	Maybe	Yes	Maybe
150-225 lbs.	No	Yes	No
225-300 lbs.	No	No	No

If you have a heavier body you should consider the Helix Plus, Helix Midnight, or Helix Midnight Luxe.

Design

The Helix Moonlight mattress has a thin, breathable cover, a blend of foams, and a supportive pocketed coil support system below.

The mattress has a high degree of sinkage, bounce, and response. Even for me at 140 pounds, my midsection sank significantly into the mattress.

The top layer of latex-like poly foam allows for sinkage, but only a modest level of body contouring. The contouring is more generalized around the entire body, as opposed to memory foam, which creates a more precise level of contour.

This fact can help some sleepers feel less stuck, while others may dislike the feel. In any case, it is a highly preferential factor.

Materials

The Helix Moonlight uses a combination of different foam types as well as pocketed coils to provide comfort and support. Here is a complete list of the materials used, in order from top to bottom:

• 1.5″ poly foam (latex-like)
• Memory foam
• Pocketed coils, with reinforced coils at edges
• Support base

The Cover

The cover of the Helix Moonlight mattress is thin and breathable. It is soft to the touch and seems high quality, although Helix doesn’t specifically note the material composition of the cover.

For a more plush, pillow-top design, you may want to check out the Helix Moonlight Luxe, which uses a thicker tufted cover with Tencel performance fabric.

The Comfort Layer

For the comfort layers, there are two materials used.

First is a 1.5″ layer of poly foam. This layer acts similar to latex foam. It is soft, yet responsive, cool, and breathable. It allows good sinkage into the memory foam below.

Second, is a 1.5″ layer of memory foam. This memory foam is designed to provide pressure relief and contouring, without leaving sleepers feeling stuck or sunk.

These two layers work together to provide comfort and support before your body engages with the deeper support layer.

The Support Layer

The support layer is an 8.0″ thick layer of pocketed coils. These coils work independently, but collectively reduce pressure on any given point and also help to limit motion transfer (relative to more traditional innerspring systems).

The edges of the Helix Moonlight mattress have reinforced coils to provide extra edge support, as shown in the performance tests above.

At the very bottom is a high-density foam base that provides support for the coils and foam layers above.

Product Evolution

The Helix Moonlight mattress is a single mattress within a larger collection of models available. Helix, the company, was established in 2015 and originally made custom mattresses.

They prided their process on the results of a custom Helix Sleep Quiz being able to determine the perfect mattress for your needs.

After years of this process, Helix eventually unlocked the door and made 13 separate models, which meet a variety of sleep needs (considering body weight, sleeping position, and other needs.)

The complete lineup of Helix mattress models includes:

For Back and Stomach Sleepers

Model	Feel
Helix Moonlight	Soft
Helix Moonlight Luxe	Soft Luxury
Helix Dusk	Medium
Helix Dusk Luxe	Medium Luxury
Helix Dawn	Firm
Helix Dawn Luxe	Firm Luxury

For Side Sleepers

Model	Feel
Helix Sunset	Soft
Helix Sunset Luxe	Soft Luxury
Helix Midnight	Medium
Helix Midnight Luxe	Medium Luxury
Helix Twilight	Firm
Helix Twilight Luxe	Firm Luxury

Specialty

Model	Feel
Helix Plus	Supportive

The Helix Plus is designed for individuals or couples who are plus size (300+ pounds) and prefer extra support from their mattress.

How thick is the Helix?

The Helix Moonlight mattress is 12″ thick, as are all of the standard Helix blends. If you’re looking for something with a thicker profile, you may consider a Helix Luxe or Helix Plus which are both a little thicker.

• Helix Standard: 12″ thick
• Helix Luxe: 14″ thick (thanks to the pillow-top)
• Helix Plus: 13″ thick

Moonlight vs. Moonlight Luxe

Here is a quick comparison of how the Helix Moonlight compares to the Helix Moonlight Luxe.

Other Mattresses to Consider

If you’re still not sure if the Helix Moonlight is the right choice for you, you may want to consider some alternatives.

The mattresses listed below have similarities to the Moonlight mattress, but also some differences which may make them a better choice, depending on what you’re looking for.

Frequently Asked Questions

Have other questions? Check out this list of frequently asked questions regarding the Helix mattress.