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When you lead an active lifestyle, a good night’s rest is key to your recovery and your mattress is an essential part of that equation. The best mattress supports your body as you sleep, relieves aches and pains and promotes quality rest. So if your current mattress is older than 10 years, sagging or just unsupportive, it may be time to explore other options.

As you begin your search for the best mattress, you’ll find that durability, pressure relief and sleep position are all factors to consider. There are also several different mattress types to choose from, like memory foam or innerspring, each with their own pros and cons.

Sound like a lot to keep up with? We’re here to help. While each person has distinct sleep needs and preferences, our comprehensive guide breaks down the most important factors to finding the best mattress.

A step up from a traditional innerspring mattress, the Saatva Classic is our best overall pick for its supportive base, durable construction and varying firmness options. Pick from plush soft, luxury firm or firm based on your body type and sleep position. No matter which firmness you choose, the Saatva has an impressively sturdy foundation. The base is made up of over 400 steel coils and reinforced by a high-density foam perimeter. During testing, we found it relieved nearly all pressure from the lower back, earning a perfect 10 out of 10 in spine alignment (a measure of how well a mattress supports your spine’s natural S curve).

The Saatva Classic’s thick memory foam layer and three-inch pillow top create an ultra-soft sleep surface, allowing you to sink into the mattress just enough without compromising support. It’s great for those with back pain and anyone who loves the feeling of an ultra-supportive bed. White glove delivery takes care of the set-up.

Saatva Classic Mattress ($1,492 for a Queen; saatva.com)

If you’re like more than 50% of people and sleep on your side, it’s important to find a mattress that adequately contours to your hips and shoulders. This design relieves pressure from your neck, shoulders and lower back - the areas that bear the most weight when sleeping on your side. The Helix Midnight’s hybrid construction is a layer of memory foam on top of a system of innerspring coils, which work together to provide the ideal amount of pressure relief and support. Sink into the first two foam layers of soft cushioning, while the coils below support healthy spine alignment.

The testing team loves this mattress for the way it hugs your side, earning it an 8.5 out of 10 in pressure relief. And for side sleepers who occasionally switch to their backs or stomachs, you’ll like how well the Helix Midnight adapts to your movements for easy transitions. Priced at just a little over $1,000, the Helix Midnight is also one of the most affordable beds to make our list.

 Helix Midnight ($1,199 for a Queen; helixsleep.com)

After a long day, sink into the luxurious DreamCloud Premier. Its six-layer construction consists of 8.5 inches of individually-wrapped coils and three layers of memory foam, followed by a pillow top and soft cashmere cover. When we tested this mattress, we found that it neutralized pressure points on the shoulders, torso and hips. It earned a nine out of 10 in pressure relief, with equally high scores in responsiveness and durability.

If you sleep with a partner or pet who moves around at night, it’s important that your mattress limits movement from one side of the bed to the other. The DreamCloud Premier excels at isolating motion: When one mattress tester was blindfolded, they couldn’t feel the other tester tossing and turning next to them. These high-end touches do come at a cost. With a price point over $2,000 for a queen, the DreamCloud Premier is for those ready to invest in their sleep.

DreamCloud Premier ($2,098 for a Queen; dreamcloudsleep.com)

For hot sleepers tired of waking up overheated, the GhostBed Luxe could be the solution. The mattress is made of up of seven layers to keep you cool and sweat-free. The testing team loves this mattress for its cool-to-the-touch cover. Below the surface lies a gel-infused foam layer, two cooling fiber layers, a second gel memory foam layer and a unique layer that’s breathable like latex but contouring like memory foam. Finally, the base is constructed of nearly eight inches of dense memory foam.

The unique layering system of the GhostBed Luxe is designed to drive away heat. Our testers scored it a nine out of 10 in cooling, one of the highest cooling scores we’ve given to a memory foam mattress. The GhostBed Luxe also performed well in both durability and spine alignment, two key areas that measure a mattress’ level of support.

GhostBed Luxe ($2,395 for a Queen; ghostbed.com)

Whether you regularly partake in pickup games or train with a competitive team, it’s important that your bed relieves, rather than exacerbates, sore muscles. Our pick for athletes is the Bear Hybrid, a mattress backed by a near-perfect score of 9.5 of 10 in both spine alignment and durability. It’s made from over 1,300 individually-wrapped coils and topped with two layers of foam, including a unique copper-infused foam that helps to dissipate heat.

Testers describe the Bear Hybrid’s firmness as 6.5 out of 10, classifying it as a medium-firm bed. This means it offers a balance of support and comfort, appealing to many kinds of sleepers. However, we don’t recommend this bed for side sleepers. When we tested this mattress, we found it lacking in pressure relief.

Bear Hybrid ($1,732 for a Queen; bearmattress.com)

If durability is your top concern, the WinkBeds EcoCloud’s solid build makes it a great choice. It combines two of the most durable mattress materials, latex and innerspring coils, to create a supportive construction. To evaluate durability, the testing team assesses the quality of materials, structural support and expected lifespan of the mattress. The WinkBeds EcoCloud earned a perfect 10 in this category, which is why we love this mattress for heavyweight sleepers or couples (more weight increases pressure on a mattress’ structure).

Topped with materials like organic cotton, latex and wool, the WinkBeds EcoCloud is named for its use of eco-friendly materials. The coils are recycled and the Talalay latex is naturally sourced. Due to its latex and coil build, combination sleepers especially love this bed’s bouncy, responsive feel. Latex is a naturally buoyant material.

WinkBeds EcoCloud ($1,999 for a Queen; winkbeds.com)

Combining affordability with high-quality materials, the Nectar mattress packs in a lot of value. It’s a three-layer memory foam mattress topped with a quilted, breathable cover. The testing team loves this mattress for its balanced feel—unlike some memory foam beds on the market, you won’t feel like you’re sinking into this mattress. It’s firm enough to offer pushback against your movements, but soft enough to cradle your body in comfort.

When we tested the Nectar, we found that it was easy to transition between sleeping positions. It earned an 8.5 out of 10 in responsiveness, as well as equally high scores in motion transfer and pressure relief. The one group that may not enjoy the Nectar, however, is hot sleepers. Its dense memory foam construction tends to retain more heat than a mattress made with coils. But at just over $1,000 for a queen, plus a one-year sleep trial and lifetime warranty, the Nectar’s value can’t be ignored.

Nectar ($1,398 for a Queen; nectar.com)

The Casper Wave Hybrid mattress

Hybrid mattresses use two or more mattress materials to create a best-of-both-worlds effect. If you want the contouring feature of a memory foam bed and the support of an innerspring mattress, consider the Casper Wave Hybrid. It uses an innerspring coil base surrounded by a firm foam border. On top of the coils, a layer of gel pods is designed to flex under areas like the hips and shoulders, while providing firmer support underneath the hips. The top of the mattress is made up of two comforting memory foam layers, along with a gel-infused surface to keep you cool.

We love this mattress for its excellent spine alignment results in the testing lab—this bed actually protects your back while you rest. Testers found the Casper Wave Hybrid scored high in nearly every category, solidifying its universal appeal to a variety of sleep positions and preferences.

Casper Wave Hybrid ($2,895 for a Queen; casper.com)

Made from rows of coils and usually only topped with a thin layer of foam, innerspring mattresses are best known for their support and bounciness. This bed type also sleeps cool since the coils leave ample room for air to flow.

Memory foam mattresses contain only foam, a material that hugs the contours of your body and relieves pressure points. Memory foam beds give the feeling of sleeping in rather than on your mattress, as the material creates a sinking sensation. This material tends to retain heat, so memory foam beds can sleep hot unless infused with cooling materials like gel.

A newer mattress type to hit the market, latex beds can be made from either synthetic or natural latex. This style offers the pressure relief of memory foam with the buoyancy of an innerspring bed. Latex is also a naturally springy and breathable material. As one of the most durable mattress materials, latex beds are typically pricier.

Combining the benefits of multiple mattress types, hybrid mattresses use a mix of different materials. The most common construction combines coils with foam, but hybrids can also incorporate latex and other materials. Hybrid mattresses usually give a nice balance of comfort, pressure relief and support, making them a good option for a range of sleep preferences. However, hybrid mattresses are typically the most expensive mattress type available, so budget shoppers might be better off with a memory foam or innerspring option.

Body type plays a central role in determining what kind of mattress will be right for you. Lightweight sleepers tend to lie on top of the mattress surface, while heavyweight sleepers typically sink into the bed. Because of this effect, the same mattress might feel completely different to two people based on their body type.

Be sure to take your specific needs into account when searching for the best mattress for you: Heavyweight sleepers may need a mattress with reinforced support (a bed that contains coils or latex), while lightweight sleepers might be better suited to a softer mattress that conforms to their body.

There are four main sleep positions: side, back, stomach and combination. Side sleepers need a mattress that eases pressure on their hips and shoulders, while also maintaining spine alignment. Back sleepers are a bit easier to accommodate—their main concern is spine alignment.

Those who rest on their stomachs also need to prioritize spine alignment but might require a firmer bed to keep the hips raised. When a stomach sleeper’s hips sink too far into a mattress, it can cause the spine to fall out of alignment. Combination sleepers, or those who toss and turn, need a mattress that quickly responds to their changes in position.

The right mattress firmness will depend on your sleep position, body type and comfort preferences. We measure a mattress’ firmness level on a scale of one to 10, where one is the most plush and 10 is extra firm. The majority of mattresses fall somewhere in the middle, around a five to six on the scale. We classify that as medium-firm, a level that tends to work for a wide variety of sleepers.

Responsiveness measures how well a mattress adapts to your movements. The more responsive a mattress is, the easier it is to move around. If you’re a combination sleeper who switches positions in the night, this factor is especially important. Mattresses made with coils or latex tend to be the most responsive.

Pressure relief describes how well a mattress contours to areas of stress, alleviating tension. This is an important consideration for side sleepers, or anyone struggling with aches and pains. Memory foam and latex tend to do the best job of relieving pressure.

A new mattress is a good investment in your sleep, as long as it’s durable. Durability describes how well-made a mattress is, dictating its lifespan. Most mattresses should hold up between five to seven years, but the most durable can last upwards of 10. Hybrid and latex mattresses are typically the most durable bed types.

If sleeping hot is a concern of yours, be sure to take cooling features into account. Cooling may also be an important factor for couples, as two bodies tend to create more heat than one. Look for materials like coils, latex, gel-infused foam or perforated foam (where specially designed holes create airflow) to ensure your mattress is cool and comfortable.

Professional athlete or not, back pain is a common complaint for many sleepers. A mattress can either help or hurt that problem. The best mattresses for back pain are supportive and maintain spine alignment as you sleep. A supportive mattress should also relieve pressure from your sides and back, helping to cushion sensitive spots.

Medium-firm to firm mattresses tend to provide the best relief for back pain, while something more plush may not provide adequate support.

When purchasing a mattress online, shipping is a common concern—when can you expect your new mattress to be delivered? Most online mattresses ship and deliver anywhere from four to 14 days after placing your order. Shipping and delivery are free for most brands unless you’re placing your order from certain areas, like Alaska or Hawaii. In that case, you may have to pay a fee depending on the company’s policies.

An advantage to buying a mattress online is the trial period that comes with your purchase. This allows you to test run the mattress for a period of time. If you’re not satisfied with the bed, you can return it for a full refund if you’re within the trial period.

The industry standard is typically a 100-night trial, but some online mattress brands are generous enough to offer refunds up to a full year.

A mattress warranty protects the mattress from certain defects (which are typically outlined in the brand’s policies) within a specified period of time. Should your mattress show physical flaws like splitting or cracking in one of the layers, brands will replace or refund a mattress that’s still under warranty. The typical warranty length for online mattresses is about 10 years, although some may come with lifetime warranties guaranteeing protection for as long as you own the mattress.

To keep from accidentally voiding your warranty, make sure you’re using the right foundation, such as a platform, box spring and bedframe for your mattress. Most mattress warranties require the buyer to use a sufficient foundation.

Mattresses can range in price from $900 to over $2,000 for a queen. Most well-made mattresses hover around the mid-$1,000 mark. Inexpensive options may be tempting, but mattresses at a higher price point often last longer and provide better quality sleep.

Mattress sales take place multiple times throughout the year, mainly on holidays like Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day. If you’re trying to score the best deal possible, aim to mattress shop on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. These sales typically offer the biggest markdowns on mattresses, allowing you to purchase a high-quality bed at an affordable price.

Also, keep on the lookout for discounts and deals like free accessories that mattress brands can offer at any time throughout the year.

The best mattress for back pain isn’t exclusive to one single mattress type or firmness level. A good fit depends on individual factors like your body type and sleeping position. That said, those with back pain often choose mattresses somewhere around the medium-firm to firm mark, a range that supports healthy spine alignment in most sleepers.

Mattresses come in a wide range of firmness levels. The mattress firmness that appeals to the most sleepers is at the middle of the scale, where the bed is plush yet responsive. Remember that, just like with most other mattress factors, the best firmness for you will depend on your own comfort preferences and sleep needs.

Prices are accurate and items in stock at time of publishing.