Helix Twilight Elite 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 feel of the mattress. We then take the results of those tests and compare them to every mattress we’ve tested to date.

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

Factor	Helix Twilight Elite	Average
Overall Score	9.25	8.54
Price (Queen)	$2,999	$1,495 (Hybrid only)
Cooling – Score	10	8.6
Sinkage – Depth	2.63″	2.17″
Sinkage – Feel	Very Deep	Moderate
Motion Transfer – Score	9.1	8.2
Motion Transfer – Acceleration	6.93 m/s²	8.68 m/s²
Response Time – Score	7.6	8.8
Response Time – Mostly Recovered	0.5 sec.	0.4 sec.
Response Time – Fully Recovered	1.5 sec.	1.0 sec.
Bounce – Height	7.17″	9.18″
Bounce – Feel	Low	Moderate
Edge Support – Score	9.6	8.6
Edge Support – Sitting	3.75″	4.00″
Edge Support – Lying	Outstanding	Good
Sex – Score	7.9	8.3
Pressure Relief – Score	10	8.7
Comfort Layer Thickness	6.0″	4.1″
Mattress Thickness	15.5″	12.1″
Off-Gassing – Score	8.1	8.2
Off-Gassing – Smell	Strong	Strong
Off-Gassing – Days	7 days	7 days
Company – Score	9.7	8.6
Trial	100 nights	173 nights
Warranty	Lifetime	40% have lifetime warranties, average of other 60% of mattresses is 13 years

How is Helix Twilight Elite Different?

The Helix Twilight Elite is a 15.5″ hybrid mattress with an overall performance level that is higher than average, but also a price tag that is higher than average—2X the cost of the average hybrid, costing sleepers an extra $1500 for a queen-sized mattress.

Advantages

Advantages to the Helix Twilight Elite include a cooling cover coming standard, contributing to a 10/10 cooling score. The Twilight Elite also has lower levels of motion transfer, better edge support, and exceptional pressure relief. A 6.0″ comfort layer is 1.9″ thicker than average, making it a supportive option for many sleepers.

Neutral Factors

This mattress has very deep sinkage and low levels of bounce. The firm feel is a bit of a neutral factor as well. Back and stomach sleepers will find this feel to be advantageous, but side sleepers will likely be put off by the amount of pushback on this mattress.

Disadvantages

Disadvantages of the Twilight Elite include the higher price tag, slower material response time, and shorter trial period (100 nights compared to the 173-night average).

The low bounce could also be considered a disadvantage if a high sex score is high up on your checklist of things to have in a new mattress.

The Helix Twilight Elite has outstanding cooling. During our tests, I did not feel any significant level of heat retention around my body. The surface of the mattress remained cool and breathed well during our tests.

The Twilight Elite uses a proven hybrid design that’s been consistently high performing across all Helix Luxe and Elite mattresses we’ve tested.

• 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

The 8.0” pocketed coil base brings plenty of airflow into the mattress. In addition, we have high-performance foam layers throughout the mattress that all seem to do a good job at avoiding heat retention.

The microcoil layer in the comfort layer serves as an air gap, further helping to resist heat and bring air into the mattress as sleepers move during the night.

Lastly, the mattress is equipped with a cooling cover (Glaciotex). This cover has a notably cool-to-the-touch feel and felt cool for the duration of our cooling tests.

In our objective temperature tests, we measured a max surface level temperature of 89.5° F. This is 0.3° cooler than the average of 89.8° F, based on all of our tests to date.

Heat Dissipation Over Time

After getting off the mattress, the temperature declined by 6.1° from minutes 0 to 1, which is 1.5° cooler than the average 0 to 1 minute decline of 4.6°.

When we consider the combination of objective data, my subjective experiences, and an analysis of the materials, I’m confident in my view that cooling is outstanding.

The Helix Twilight Elite has very deep sinkage. During our tests, we measured a pressure point sinkage depth of 2.63″. This is 0.46″ more sinkage than the average sinkage depth of 2.17″, based on all of our tests to date.

The mattress creates only a slight level of body contouring hug. The sinkage dynamic is interesting. Heavier parts of the body do sink down further into the mattress.

However, lighter parts of the body float more “on” the mattress as opposed to sinking down “in” the mattress.

The level of sinkage is documented in the image below.

That said, it isn’t an extreme feel and it’s not to say that there isn’t at least some body contouring. It’s just that the hug around the body is more restrained and less dramatic.

This type of sinkage feel is neither good or not, but it is a more specific feel. In general, I’m pleased with this comfort dynamic. Often, firm mattresses can create pressure relief issues as they simply have no give, no sinkage, and no contour.

By contrast, the Twilight Elite is able to balance the opposing needs of support and firmness alongside pressure relief and comfort.

The Helix Twilight Elite has a very low level of motion transfer. During our tests, we measured a total acceleration range of 6.93 m/s².

This is 20% less motion transfer than the average of 8.68 m/s². This mattress benefits from the thicker-than-average 6.0” comfort layer.

This combination of memory foam and poly foam layers absorbs and disperses energy well. It also keeps bounce below average, which further helps to resist motion transfer.

In particular, the two 1.0” memory foam layers are doing much of the heavy lifting when it comes to reducing motion.

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

These layers are incredibly dense, at a 7.0 PCF and 3.6 PCF, respectively. That extra-dense, heavy foam greatly helps to absorb energy.

In our motion transfer chart, which visualizes our accelerometer data, we can see the highest motion peaks from 0 to 0.15 seconds.

Motion declines thereafter notably and by 0.79 seconds, we’ve returned to near-zero levels of energy.

Overall, I’m pleased with the below-average level of motion intensity and the motion duration. I don’t expect motion transfer at these levels will be a problem for most sleepers.

The Helix Twilight Elite is a mixed bag for material responsiveness, with a fast mostly recovered response time and a slow fully recovered response time.

In our mostly recovered test, we measured a recovery speed of 0.5 seconds, which is 0.08 seconds slower than the average of 0.42 seconds, based on all of our tests to date.

In our fully recovered responsiveness test, we measured a recovery speed of 1.5 seconds, which is 0.51 seconds slower than the average of 0.99 seconds.

The level of responsiveness is documented in the video below.

Ultimately, this is a tale of two foams, or rather, two foam types. Within the Elite, we have layers of highly responsive poly foam that spring back to shape quickly.

However, we also have layers of slow responsiveness memory foam, which takes a couple of moments to fully recover to its original shape after being compressed.

While the poly foam layers, microcoils, and pocketed coil unit do help to create faster response on the mattress, the memory foam layers are slowing down the total responsiveness.

The slower full responsiveness makes it a bit more difficult to move around on the mattress compared to mattresses with faster recovery and more bounce.

The Helix Twilight Elite has a low level of bounce. During our tests, we measured a total bounce height of 7.17″. This is 2.01″ less bounce than the average of 9.18″, based on all of our tests to date.

The deeper sinkage, thicker than average comfort layer, and 2.75” of memory foam within the core of the mattress are all contributing to the lower than average level of bounce.

In particular, the two 1.0” memory foam layers within the core of the mattress are absorbing a ton of energy, thereby reducing bounce.

The level of bounce is also documented in the video below.

To be fair, those foam layers are also the reason motion transfer is lower than average, so there are pros and cons to consider when it comes to bounce. Nevertheless, the lower bounce does mean ease of movement isn’t incredible and sex performance is also negatively affected.

The Helix Twilight Elite has excellent sitting edge support and outstanding lying edge support.

In our sitting edge support test, we measured a sitting sinkage compression of 3.75″. This is 0.25″ less sitting sinkage than the average of 4.00″, based on all of our tests to date.

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

While lying directly on the edge of the mattress, I felt that the support was outstanding in all sleeping positions.

The Twilight Elite is equipped with two rows of reinforced coils running along the edge of the mattress.

In addition, the firm feel, total profile height, and extra dense memory foam layers are also helping to create better edge support for sleeping and lying.

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

Overall, I’m extremely pleased with the edge support performance and expect it will be more than sufficient for most sleepers.

The Helix Twilight Elite has fair sex performance. On the positive side, noise is minimal and both pressure relief and cooling are outstanding. Edge support earned an excellent score with just 3.75” of sitting edge sinkage.

A more robust and supportive edge is great for sex as it extends the usable surface area of the mattress.

Last but not least, let’s talk about bounce. Bounce is the one notable weak spot when it comes to amorous activities. At just 7.17” of total bounce, it is well below average.

Sex Factor	Factor Weight	Score	Rating
Bounce	65%	7.0	Moderate
Edge Support	20%	9.1	Excellent
Noise	5%	10	Minimal
Pressure Relief	5%	10	Outstanding
Cooling	5%	10	Outstanding

When it comes to sex, more bounce is almost always better than less. The limited bounce on the Twilight Elite means sex will be a bit more strenuous and difficult compared to mattresses with more bounce.

The Helix Twilight Elite has an outstanding level of pressure relief. During our tests, I felt no noticeable pressure points on my body. Quite the opposite in fact, the mattress is fantastically comfortable to lie on.

Often, firm mattresses can struggle to create enough pressure relief. However, that’s not what we experienced here.

The mattress does an amazing job at creating enough comfort, body hug, and alleviating pressure points, while at the same time maintaining strong support and a firm feel.

It’s a careful balancing act that’s really difficult to manage in a firm mattress, but the Twilight Elite nails it.

The mattress is equipped with 6.0″ of comfort material, which is 1.85″ more comfort material than the average comfort layer thickness of 4.15″, based on all of our tests to date. Beyond just having more comfort material than average, the comfort layers are incredibly high-performance.

In the core of the mattress, we have two 1.0” memory foam layers, one with a PCF of 7.0 and the other at a 3.6. PCF stands for pounds per cubic feet, and it’s a measure of density.

Higher-density foams are almost always higher quality, more durable, resist sagging better, feel better, and last longer.

In my view, these ultra-high-density foams have a huge impact on the total comfort dynamic and strong pressure relief. In our pressure mapping tests, we measured a max PSI of 0.73, which is well within the low-pressure range we look for.

Pressure Map – Side Sleepers

Pressure Relief (PSI)	Average	Maximum
Side Sleepers	0.12	0.73

Pressure Map – Back Sleepers

Pressure Relief (PSI)	Average	Maximum
Back Sleepers	0.08	0.73

Pressure Map – Stomach Sleepers

Pressure Relief (PSI)	Average	Maximum
Stomach Sleepers	0.08	0.54

When I consider our objective pressure maps, material thickness, material quality, and my subjective experience on the mattress, I’m confident most sleepers will find the pressure relief to be outstanding.

The Helix Twilight Elite had a strong smell upon the initial unboxing. The mattress smelled for 7 days. This is 0.5 days longer than the average smell duration of 6.5 days.

The mattress has a fairly typical memory and poly foam type smell, but it was nothing extreme and didn’t last very long.

Helix has an excellent company score with consumer-friendly terms and conditions. The mattress includes a 100-night trial period and a lifetime warranty. Shipping and returns are both free as well.

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

Comparing 99+ brands tested to date, the average trial period is 173 nights, 73 nights more than Helix offers. Helix also offers a lifetime warranty, an advantage only offered by 39% of all mattresses we test.

Helix has been around since 2015, and based on my experiences with them and feedback from my readers over the years, they are a brand that I have a high degree of trust with.

All Helix mattresses are made in the US.

The Helix Twilight Elite is available in single firmness, 8 out of 10, giving the mattress a firm feel.

A mattress with this firmness is generally going to have more pushback, a feel more often preferred by back or stomach sleepers.

Support on the Helix Twilight Elite is outstanding. During our tests, I felt well supported in all sleeping positions, but especially on my back and stomach.

The mattress is equipped with a 9.5″ support layer. This is 1.58″ thicker than the average support layer thickness of 7.92″, based on all of our tests to date. To create the best support a mattress needs to be both supportive and comfortable.

An uncomfortable mattress that creates pressure is one you’ll need to change positions on more frequently, disturbing your rest. The Twilight Elite achieves both of these requirements, delivering both amazing support and amazing pressure relief.

The mattress uses a zoned pocketed coil unit. This unit creates more support in the middle of the mattress, which helps create more support where most sleepers carry most of their weight. In addition, this zonal support system helps better resist sagging and body impressions, especially in the middle of the mattress. This mattress is only available in the firm feel.

Check out the table below to see the sleeper weights and sleeping positions that would be best suited for this mattress.

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

As I mentioned above, a firm feel is a fine choice for stomach and back sleepers, however, some side sleepers, especially lighter-weight side sleepers, will find it simply creates too much pushback to achieve a neutral spine alignment.

For this reason, I would advise caution if you’re a side sleeper. Based on all of my tests to date, an analysis of the materials, and my subjective experiences, I’m confident that most sleepers will find support on the Helix Twilight Elite is outstanding.

Design

The Helix Twilight Elite is a 15.5″ hybrid mattress that comes in a single firmness option—Firm. It has a high-profile design that is a part of Helix’s top-tier collection.

Helix divides its mattress collection into three tiers—Core (Standard), Luxe, and Elite. As you’d expect, higher tiers also have a higher price tag.

The Twilight is the most budget-friendly, the Twilight Luxe is a balance of great performance and still a reasonable price, and the Twilight Elite (this review) is the most expensive and highest-tier model.

Materials

The Helix Twilight Elite is 15.5″ thick and contains a combination of foam and coils alike. From top to bottom, here is a full list of the materials used in this mattress:

• 2.25” quilted cover
• 1.0” memory foam
• 1.0” memory foam
• 0.75” micro coils
• 1.0” poly foam
• 0.75” poly foam
• 8.0” pocketed coils
• 0.75” support foam

The table below shows a more detailed look at the exact specifications of the materials used in the Twilight Elite, according to the manufacturer.

Thickness	Layer Type	Density
1.0″	Pillow Top	1.5 PCF
0.75″	Gel Memory Foam	1.8 PCF
1.0″	Memory Foam	7.0 PCF
1.0″	Memory Foam	3.6 PCF
0.75″	Microcoils	N/A
1.0″	Poly Foam	1.5 PCF
8.0″	Pocketed Coils (Zoned)	N/A
0.75″	Support Foam	1.8 PCF

The Cover

The cover of the Helix Twilight Elite is made of GlacioTex Elite cooling fabric and has a cool-to-the-touch feel. This fabric comes standard on the Elite, but is a $199 upgrade for the Helix Twilight or Helix Twilight Luxe.

The cover has a zipper on half of the mattress to allow you to insert or remove the top grouping of comfort materials.

Helix recommends spot-cleaning the cover as needed. The cover is not machine washable, nor can you remove it entirely from the top of the mattress.

Although the mattress we tested did not have them, the Helix Elite series does have the option to include graphite cooling ribbons (aka: CoolForce), designed to pull heat away from the body, at an additional cost of $199.

For reference, the Twilight Elite mattress we tested comes standard with the GlacioTex cooling cover, but did not have the graphite cooling ribbons, yet it still earned a 10/10 for cooling performance.

The Comfort Layer

Unlike other Helix collections, the Elite collection is the only one which has a removable top comfort layer. The comfort insert is shipped separately from the rest of the mattress and needs to be added prior to sleeping on the mattress.

Simply unzip a portion of the cover, slide the comfort insert in, and zip it back up.

The comfort layer is 6.0″ thick, if we include the 2.25″ quilted cover, which is thicker than the average comfort layer. Directly below the quilted cover, we see two 1.0″ memory foams (a gray foam and a yellow foam).

Following the two memory foam layers is a 0.75″ pocketed microcoil layer. Micrcoils can be a great way to improve pressure relief and cooling performance within the comfort layer of a mattress.

Beneath the microcoils is a 1.0″ poly foam (yellow foam) that acts as a transitional layer between comfort materials and support materials.

The Support Layer

The support layer is 9.5″ thick and made of coils and foam. Directly below the foam of the comfort layer, there is a 0.75″ poly foam layer (green foam) which acts as another transitional layer between foam and coils.

The heart of the support layer is an 8.0″ pocketed coil system. Each of these coils is designed to move independently of each other, with targeted zones that place stronger coils in areas where there is stronger pressure (ie: midsection).

Below the coils is a 0.75″ support foam at the very base of the mattress (light green foam). This is a foundational poly foam support foam.

Product Evolution

Helix launched in 2015 with a handful of mattresses that sleepers selected based on the results of an on-site quiz. In 2020, the brand shifted from custom mattresses into a series of collections, starting with the Core collection and the Luxe collection. In 2023, the Elite collection was added as well, providing a total of 3 tiered collections.

In 2024, Helix added the option of ErgoAlign support foam (for Core and Luxe models), and then in 2025, Helix added the optional graphite cooling ribbons. These two features can help customize and improve their mattresses.

In addition, in April 2025, Helix redesigned its entire lineup. Here are the major changes from the redesign:

• Aesthetic changes on the covers
• Improved cooling cover with GlacioTex (optional on Core and Luxe models, comes standard with all Elite models)
• Cooling ribbons (aka CoolForce; optional on all models)
• Slightly different layer stack for foams
• Different / new / updated foams, most notably a new 3.5-4.0 PCF foam that’s included on all Luxe models and a new 7.0 PCF memory foam on most Elite models.

Other Mattresses to Consider

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions? Check out some of the top FAQs on the Helix Twilight Elite mattress below and get the answers you’re looking for.