Why would you want the best firm mattress to sleep on every night? Almost everyone has experienced a restless night of tossing and turning and the subsequent exhaustion and inescapable grogginess that clouds the next day.
In order to feel your best and have enough energy to take on the many things you do in a day, it’s imperative that you get enough deep sleep every night.
Yet, since many of us don’t sleep as well as we’d like to, investing in a high-quality mattress may be the easy first step in solving your sleep problems.
While some sleepers prefer soft mattresses, firm mattresses often provide the support your body needs to maintain proper alignment and minimize aches and pains. A firm mattress is particularly beneficial for back sleepers and stomach sleepers since it maintains spinal alignment, and a firm mattress supports the hips and stomach.
Heavier individuals are also usually best served by a firm mattress because the density and materials in a firm mattress are less compressible under any load and therefore can contour appropriately and prevent a heavier body from bottoming out.
Whether you prefer a fairly standard firm mattress or want rigidity that rivals the bare floor, there’s a firm mattress that will give you the supportive sleep foundation you’re looking for. Our picks for the best firm mattresses are below.
Best Traditional Firm Mattress
Saatva Classic Mattress
Though the bed-in-a-box trend works for some, those who prefer a more traditional mattress experience and white glove delivery service should consider the Saatva Classic Mattress. This hybrid innerspring mattress comes in either an 11.5- or 14-inch thickness. The “firm” variety has a firmness rating of 8 out of 10, and it provides all the support and density you’d expect from a very firm mattress while being surprisingly plush and comfortable on top, a luxury afforded by the 3-inch contouring Euro pillow top.
This quilted layer combines plush fibers and foams to adapt to your body. Covered in naturally breathable and hypoallergenic certified organic cotton treated with antimicrobial botanicals, this outer layer of the mattress is designed to promote cooler, healthier sleep.
Under the pillow top, the Saatva Classic Mattress has a layer of high-density memory foam with zone support features to maximize back, neck, and hip support. The innerspring layer disperses 884 individually-pocketed steel coils that support your body while reducing motion transfer.
Unlike bed-in-a-box mattress companies, the Saatva Classic Mattress comes with free white glove delivery and setup. They’ll also remove and dispose of your old mattress for free if you’d like. There is a 180-night trial, but a $99 fee is incurred should you return the mattress.
Best for Back Pain
Casper Wave Hybrid Mattress
Designed to optimize spinal alignment and relieve back pain, the Casper Wave Hybrid Mattress is one of the best firm mattresses for back pain. The hybrid mattress is 13 inches thick. The mattress makes use of over 80 gel pods, strategically located in areas like the waist and lower back that require additional support to prevent sinking into the mattress. As such, the Casper Wave mattress supports ideal spinal alignment to minimize back pain. There are also zoned support regions with different densities of foam to best contour and cradle your body to prevent pressure build up, sagging, or muscle tension.
The Casper Wave Hybrid mattress is made from safe and environmentally friendly materials. Shipping is free and Casper backs the mattress with a 100-night trial and a 10-year warranty.
Best for Bigger People
WinkBed
WinkBed is an award-winning mattress made from high-quality materials. While there are several varieties, the WinkBed Plus is their firmest mattress and the first luxury mattress specifically designed for heavier individuals (though you can be of any weight to enjoy the benefits of this firm mattress). The WinkBed Plus is extremely durable and stable and is said to have a firmness rating of 6.5 for those weighing more than 300 pounds and 8 for those under 200 pounds.
The WinkBed Plus mattress achieves these impressive firmness ratings from the high-density, “anti-sag” foam cushioning. This foam provides a minimum density of 1.8 pounds per cubic foot — a density nearly twice that of foams in most standard mattresses. The result is a nearly sag-proof foundation.
Under the foam, the WinkBed Plus mattress has a 2.5-inch layer of pure latex. This layer has seven distinct zones of support and promotes airflow to keep your body cool at night. The bonded, reinforced, and individually-wrapped coils below the latex layer are manufactured to support heavier weights and also provide significant edge support.
The WinkBed Plus has special lumbar support regions, heat dispersion materials, and motion isolation technology to further improve sleep comfort. All WinkBed mattresses are backed by a lifetime warranty and are shipped for free in a compact box.
Best Extra Firm Mattress
Plank Luxe Hybrid
For those who want the firmest of the firm, the Plank Luxe Hybrid by Brooklyn Bedding is the answer to your rock-hard mattress dreams. Not only is this Plank mattress very affordable, but it’s also an especially good value because its flippable design incorporates two different firmness levels, giving you added flexibility.
The firm side of the Plank Mattress has a firmness rating of 6.5 to 8 (on a scale from 1 to 10), which is slightly firmer than most firm mattresses. Yet if you flip the Plank Mattress over to the ultra-firm side, you now have a firmness level of 8 to 9.5.
If you're starting to worry whether this is any better than pulling out a sleeping bag and lying on the floor, rest assured that the Plank Luxe Hybrid utilizes a six-inch core of individually encased TitanCaliber™ coils for superior responsiveness and pressure point relief, and its 0.75-inch quilted top layer with continuous stitching — paired solely with a 2-inch high-density support layer — ensures an ultra-firm sleep experience that also feels good.
Best for Side Sleepers
Layla Hybrid Mattress
If you are the type of sleeper that likes to have the ability to enjoy the support of a firm mattress some nights and the plush comfort of a soft mattress others, you can now find this flexibility in the Layla Hybrid Mattress. The Layla Hybrid not only combines the memory foam and innerspring system of other hybrid mattresses, but it is also a hybrid of soft mattresses and firm mattresses.
In a unique design, the Layla Hybrid Mattress is flippable and allows users to select their desired firmness: one side is soft (4 out of 10), while the other is firm (7 out of 10). The firm side offers all the rigidity you’d expect from a high-quality firm mattress.
The Layla Hybrid Mattress has superior edge support due to the unique coil system, which makes getting out of bed easier. There are a few additional features we particularly like, including the copper-infused memory foam and pocketed coils, which work together to support the body, regulate your temperature to prevent overheating, and limit motion transfer for a more sound sleep.
The Layla Hybrid Mattress also has a removable, washable cover, which makes cleaning the mattress so much easier than most standard mattresses. It also comes with two comfortable memory foam pillows. In addition, the Layla Hybrid Mattress comes with a 120-night trial and a 10-year warranty.
Best Value
Helix Dawn
The Helix Dawn is a 12-inch hybrid mattress with a firmness rating of 8-9. It’s an excellent option for back sleepers and front sleepers because it has targeted support and reduces pressure areas through its body-contouring technology. The mattress feels strong, stable, and consistent.
Underneath the breathable cover layer, the Helix Dawn mattress has a firm, dynamic foam layer, which is designed to react and adapt to your body. Below that, a high-grade polyfoam serves as a transition layer while providing ergonomic support and cushioning. The bulk of the Helix Dawn Hybrid Mattress is composed of hundreds of wrapped coils designed to provide firm support and minimize motion transfer. The coils along the perimeter of the mattress are reinforced, lending great edge support to the mattress.
The Helix Dawn Hybrid Mattress comes with a 100-night trial and a 10-year warranty. There is also a Helix Dawn Luxe upgrade with additional targeted support.
We hope this guide to the best firm mattresses helps you get better sleep at night. If you need some more help in making your bedtime more restful, take a look at our picks for the best pillows for neck pain, our complete guide to rest and recovery, and our guide to melatonin as a dietary supplement.
The cover photo was taken by Manishl33, licensed under Creative Commons, and made available by Wikimedia.
