What Type of Mattress Is Right for You? (2025)

This particularly applies to areas where the body’s weight is centralized when you lie down, especially around the hips and shoulders. Bagged coils are also intended to outperform traditional coils in the area of ​​motion isolation, meaning that as you move, the individual coil absorbs heat based on the movement and prevents the bed from replicating a small earthquake. Thanks to the interconnectivity of traditional springs, it doesn’t take much for the sensation of movement to spread across the entire surface of the bed.

Fun fact: You don’t need a box spring with a hybrid mattress. This is a recurring question I see, and the pocket coils in hybrids eliminate the need for one. Box springs were designed to provide more support and improve the performance of traditional box spring beds, which aligned certain spring sections to provide more support. Nowadays you can actually empty your warranty if you use a box spring with a hybrid mattress – be sure to check the fine print.

Courtesy of Nolah

Courtesy of Helix Sleep

Helix Sleep

Midnight Luxury with ErgoAlign

Memory foam

We actually have NASA to thank for this one. If you Google images of these early space missions, it’s no wonder that something was needed to keep the astronauts from being jostled inside the rockets; this is why memory foam was born. It’s evolved a lot since those initial iterations, especially when Tempur-Pedic came on the scene in the ’80s with a vision of becoming the staple of sleep products. Today, memory foam stands out in terms of its unique compressive feel.

Memory foam is more of an umbrella term for all the iterations that mattress brands have offered today, but let’s refer to the mattress manufacturing expert for this one.

“Memory foam is produced by combining liquid polyurethane with various chemicals, like polyols and isocyanates, to improve its viscosity and density,” explains Merwin. Without pulling out the periodic table and giving you a science lesson on the chemical components of this material, here’s what you need to know: These compounds form a malleable foam that contains tiny bubbles within it. How it works, when you lie on it, your body transmits heat to the surface, flowing into these air pockets, allowing it to become softer to conform to the contours of your body.

But for the science nerds reading this, Merwin has just the thing: “The key ingredient is a polymer that creates an open-cell structure, which allows the material to respond to heat and pressure. This is what gives memory foam its contoured or “hug” feel. During the manufacturing process, the liquid foam mixture is poured onto a moving line, where it expands and solidifies into large blocks of foam, which we call “small breads”. At a high level, it is a mixture of chemistry and precision that transforms raw materials into a high quality product.

To say that it’s a natural fit for those who need pressure relief from their mattress may be a bit of an overstatement, but it’s arguably the most notable feature of this material. It also reduces the feeling of movement for more restless sleepers, making it an attractive option for couples as well. Arguably the biggest problem plaguing memory foam is heat retention, because once the heat enters these air chambers, it transforms into something that resembles microscopic saunas that can turn the entire mattress into a nightmare for hot sleepers. This is where the different iterations of foam come into play, as some brands infuse elements like graphite, copper, gel, or more advanced cooling technology like phase change materials into the foams they use.

Photo: bear mattress

Bear

Original foam mattress

Courtesy of Nectar

Nectar sleep

Nectar Premier

Latex

The same elements that go into tires, balls and sports equipment can also be used in mattresses. GOOD stuff too. Latex acts similarly to memory foam when it comes to pressure relief, but it is much more responsive to your movements. Think of a rubber band that springs back into shape when released; It’s pretty close to that. Many brands rely on organic rubber sap to create latex as we know it, and there are two categories of latex foam that you’ll typically find with mattresses: Dunlop and Talalay. These names refer to the production process and the resulting product, as the liquid rubber is poured into molds, burned at high temperatures (called “vulcanization” and yes, I have to resist doing the Spock hand signal “live long and prosper” every time), and frozen to preserve the sensation. Dunlop is a firmer latex foam, and therefore feels firmer. Talalay gives a more luxurious feel. Latex is also generally quite temperature stable, preventing heat from building up in your mattress to maintain a pleasant room temperature feel.

WIRED reviewer Scott Gilbertson applauded the Birch Luxe Natural’s organic latex construction, citing excellent support for the lumbar region and good temperature regulation.

Courtesy of Birch

Birch

Luxury natural mattress

Smart Mattresses/Adjustable Beds

The mechanics behind smart or adjustable mattresses involve air chambers that can inflate or deflate on command, allowing you to adjust your firmness level via a controller or remote control (depending on the model or brand).

Features may vary between brands, including whether you also opt for the brand’s base. On its own, a smart mattress can become firmer or softer at the touch of a button, and some models can consist exclusively of layers of foam over an air chamber core. In the case of the Sleep Number P6 mattress, which I’m testing right now, there are mini zoned air chambers under the cover that instantly respond to high-pressure areas and adjust support levels accordingly.