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Best Mattresses for Seniors and Elderly People in 2020

By Andrea Pisani Babich

Seniors or elderly people (aged 65 years or older) have unique mattress needs to address common sleep problems of muscle and joint pain, insomnia, and other challenges in the way of restful sleep.

The best mattresses for seniors should offer outstanding support and comfort so every night leads to a good night’s sleep. Check out our top-rated picks for the best beds that will help seniors sleep soundly.

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Best Mattresses for Seniors

We’ve highlighted our top-rated mattresses for seniors. If you want to read more about a particular mattress brand, we’ve got you covered in the next section.

All of the mattresses we’ve reviewed here have at least a 100-night trial period and free returns. So even though you can buy them online, you can try them out in the comfort of your own home, risk-free, to see if it’s the right mattress for you or a loved one. To learn more about how to evaluate a mattress before purchasing, check out our mattress buying guide.

The Saatva Mattress

Saatva

Editor's Choice

This luxury mattress offers premium comfort. Plus, it comes with free white glove delivery and old mattress removal – making it super convenient for seniors.

This was the best decision ever."

Carla
Customer Rating
4.8 / 5
MA Score
8.7 / 10
Firmness

Available in plush soft: 3/10; luxury firm: 5.5-6.5/10; and firm: 8/10

Trial Period

120 days

Saatva Mattress Highlights

Best Overall Mattress for Seniors

Saatva’s individually wrapped coils contour to each sleeper’s body providing support and contouring where you need it. Because the coils move independently and are covered with a plush euro pillow top, they allow sleepers to move without disturbing their partners.

An additional memory foam layer provides lumbar support to reduce stress and tension in the lower back. Their Dual Perimeter Edge Support System prevents the edge from collapsing and makes it easy for sleepers to get out of bed.

And seniors can choose from three different comfort levels for a perfect match of sleep styles and firmness preferences. An optional adjustable base makes the Saatva mattress perfect for anyone looking for relief from leg cramps, acid reflux, snoring, and lower back pain.

Reasonably priced and delivered to your home with free set-up and mattress removal, the Saatva mattress is tough to beat.

See our full Saatva mattress review.

The Helix Mattress

Helix

Best for Couples

Offering a personalized mattress, Helix is a great choice for senior couples who have specific differing preferences. A simple quiz leads you to the bed of your dreams!

We LOVE our Helix mattress!"

Viktoriya K.
Customer Rating
4.6 / 5
MA Score
8.9 / 10
Firmness

Customizable: Varies based on selection

Trial Period

100 days

Helix Mattress Highlights

Best Mattress for Senior Couples

Helix takes the guesswork out of finding the right comfort level by simply asking customers what they like. By answering a few questions about sleep preferences and body types, seniors get a custom-made hybrid mattress that perfectly addresses their needs.

Couples can choose mattresses that blend their comfort preferences or dual comfort mattresses that deliver personalized comfort on each side.

Custom Motion Isolation: Their combination of individually wrapped coils and personalized foam layer adjust to each sleeper’s weight and position without disturbing their partner.

Breathable for Better Sleep: Extra cooling is provided by Helix’s own super cooling foam to prevent sleepers from sleeping hot.

Seniors may need help with set up. Helix beds are delivered in a convenient box to your door. Just unwrap and allow it to expand to its full size.

Read our full Helix mattress review.

Casper Wave Hybrid

Casper Wave Hybrid

Best for Back Pain

This premium hybrid model from Casper is great for alleviating back pain by balancing comfort and support.

With the Wave, I step out of bed and have NO lower back pain."

Mia
Customer Rating
4.5 / 5
MA Score
9.3 / 10
Firmness

Medium: 5/10

Trial Period

100 days

Casper Wave Hybrid Highlights

Best Mattress for Seniors with Back Pain

Endorsed by the American Chiropractic Association, the Casper Wave Hybrid is a great mattress for seniors dealing with back pain. The construction of this mattress provides ergonomic support that targets specific body points for optimal comfort and alignment.

The Casper Wave Hybrid mattress is extremely breathable, contouring, and responsive, meaning it’s easy to move around on even though it provides a nice hug around the hips and shoulders. If you’re looking for top-of-the-line back support, the Casper Wave Hybrid is the way to go.

See our full Casper Wave Hybrid mattress review. 

Loom & Leaf

Loom & Leaf

Best Memory Foam

This memory foam mattress offers a comfortable and supported night’s sleep. Luxurious comfort at an affordable price point.

This is the first memory foam mattress I have owned and I am sold on Loom & Leaf."

Frank Z.
Customer Rating
4.8 / 5
MA Score
8.2 / 10
Firmness

Relaxed firm: 6/10; Firm: 8/10

Trial Period

120 days

Loom & Leaf Mattress Highlights

Best Memory Foam Mattress for Seniors

This memory foam mattress is about as good as it gets for foam mattresses! Seniors may be more accustomed to sleeping on innerspring mattresses, since those are the traditional type that have been sold primarily before bed-in-a-box brands came around. If you’re a senior looking to try out a memory foam mattress for its contouring comfort but don’t want to sacrifice quality, support, or long-lasting durability, the Loom & Leaf mattress is the way to go.

This mattress is comparable to the iComfort and Tempur-Pedic mattresses that cost upwards of $4,000-$5,000, but priced much more reasonably around $1,500 for a queen (not including discount or Mattress Advisor exclusive offers). To sweeten the deal, the Loom & Leaf mattress also comes with free white glove in-home delivery and setup, plus removal of your old mattress. This makes the entire process seamless and simple for seniors.

Offered in two firmness options, Relaxed firm (6/10) or Firm (8/10), you can choose just how much “hug” you want to feel from your memory foam mattress. Either way, you’ll be set with a mattress that provides excellent spine alignment and support over time.

Read our full Loom and Leaf mattress review.

Tuft & Needle

Tuft & Needle

Best Budget Mattress

Looking for a true bargain? The Tuft & Needle memory foam mattress has great qualities at a super low price point.

It’s is so comfy and my back feels so much better since we started sleeping on it."

Carrie V.
Customer Rating
4.9 / 5
MA Score
8.7 / 10
Firmness

Medium-firm: 6-6.5/10

Trial Period

100 days

Tuft & Needle Mattress Highlights

Best Priced Mattress for Seniors

The Tuft & Needle mattress is known as the universal mattress – it can please nearly anyone! If you’re a senior who isn’t quite sure what they’re looking for in their next mattress, the Tuft & Needle is a catch-all mattress at a super affordable price.

This mattress is built with Adaptive Foam that offers pressure relief, support, breathability, and bounce similar to that of latex (but without the high price tag of a latex mattress).

The Tuft & Needle scored very well in our testing process in our mattress lab. Take a look at our in-depth review to learn more about its great qualities!

Read our full Tuft & Needle mattress review.

ZenHaven Mattress

ZenHaven

Best Organic Mattress

Shopping organic? The ZenHaven is a top-of-the-line natural organic mattress.

Not only are we sleeping better, there’s no aches and pains in the morning."

Carrie B.
Customer Rating
4.9 / 5
MA Score
8.6 / 10
Firmness

Soft side: 4-5/10; Firm side: 7-8/10

Trial Period

120 days

ZenHaven Mattress Highlights

Best Organic Mattress for Seniors

ZenHaven takes the two most preferred firmness levels and combines them on one mattress for two-sided comfort.

Most seniors will find the Luxury Plush side perfectly suits them (80% of latex customers do). Others who prefer a slightly firmer feel can use the other side with the Gentle Firm comfort layer.

Older sleepers may like to have the different comfort levels in case their needs or preferences change, although some may need help flipping the mattress. Five distinct comfort zones provide greater support where you need it most for better spinal alignment and greater comfort overall.

Zenhaven latex mattresses are naturally hypoallergenic, resistant to mold, microbes and dust mites, and there are no harsh chemicals. Natural latex sleeps cools because of an open cell structure that allows air to circulate and dissipate body heat rather than trap it.

An optional adjustable base allows seniors to choose the best possible sleep position for their individual needs. ZenHaven also comes with free white glove set-up and removal of your old mattress.

Read our full ZenHaven mattress review.

The Purple Mattress

Purple

Best for Pain Relief

The unique smart comfort grid material of the Purple mattress makes it a premium choice for pain relief, a key factor to look for in a mattress for seniors.

It’s the best mattress I’ve ever used."

Rachel C.
Customer Rating
4.6 / 5
MA Score
8.4 / 10
Firmness

Medium firm-firm: 6.5/10

Trial Period

100 days

Purple Mattress Highlights

Best Mattress for Seniors with Arthritis

The Purple mattress is a bed-in-a-box with a big personality. If you’ve ever seen Purple’s branding or commercials, you know what we’re talking about. But it also has a lot of great qualities to boast about.

This bed is ideal for seniors who suffer from pain whether that the normal pains of aging, arthritis, fibromyalgia, or other conditions. Inside the Purple mattress there is a hybrid construction of plush comfort foam and a grid of hyper-elastic polymer – a unique material for a mattress. This Smart Comfort Grid offers responsiveness to your body’s movements, great airflow so you sleep cool, and amazing pressure relief.

Your body weight will be evenly distributed across the surface of the bed so you don’t have to worry about pain at any pressure points like the hips, knees, or shoulders. The overall firmness of the Purple is a comfortable medium firm 6.5/10 on the firmness scale.

With the Purple, you’ll have a 100-night sleep trial period with free returns and a 10-year limited warranty.

Read our full Purple mattress review.

Best Mattresses for Seniors (Runners-Up)

DreamCloud

Bear Hybrid

LUFT Hybrid

Avocado

What Types of Mattresses are Best for Seniors?

In general, the best mattresses for seniors have sufficient support to maintain neutral spine alignment, enough contouring to relieve pressure points (think heels, hips, shoulders), and some means for regulating body temperature.

Mattresses with firm edge support will not only prevent sagging and last longer but also make it easier to get in and out of bed.

One of the common challenges for seniors is dealing with pain while they sleep. If you’re a senior with arthritis, back pain, or other joint pain, the best mattress types include latex and high-density memory foam mattresses with a medium to medium-firm level of firmness.

Read More: Best Mattress for Arthritis

If you deal with leg cramps, poor circulation, sleep apnea, snoring, or acid reflux, an adjustable bed frames can be a good choice. These also make it easier to get in and out of bed.

Hybrid Mattresses

Hybrid mattresses, or mattresses made of innerspring and foam, may be the best of all worlds for many seniors.

They combine the firmness and “push-back” of an innerspring, making it easy to move around and get out of bed, with the “hug” of a foam mattress to relieve pressure points, which are important to people with aching joints. Coil support cores allow for significant airflow keeping sleepers cool and comfortable naturally.

Latex Foam Mattresses

Natural latex foam mattresses provide seniors the benefits of memory foam without some of the drawbacks. Latex provides the “hug” and contouring of memory foam without sleeping hot.

It offers superior pressure point relief for those aching muscles and joints and virtually eliminates motion transfer. That means you won’t wake up every time your partner rolls over or goes to the bathroom.

What to Look for in a Mattress for Seniors

There are a few key factors to look out for when shopping for a mattress for elderly people or seniors including:

  • Pressure Relief: Seniors need a mattress that evenly distributes their body weight to avoid pain in the pressure points.
  • Edge Support: Having strong support on the edges of the mattress make it easier and safer for seniors to get in and out of bed.
  • Firmness Level: Firmness is an important factor to determine comfort. We recommend avoiding anything super soft or super firm and stick to a bed with a medium or medium-firmness firmness level.
  • Temperature Regulation: Certain mattress materials are more cooling than others. Gel beads and copper infused mattresses are generally the best cooling mattresses. Hybrid mattresses also tend to be more naturally cooling than memory foam mattresses.
  • Responsiveness: A responsive bed is one that quickly adjusts to your movements and makes it easier to move around. This also makes it easier to get in and out of bed.
  • White Glove Delivery: This convenience makes it much easier for seniors shoppers. Some mattress brands like Saatva offer free white glove delivery and old mattress removal with your purchase.

Seniors and Sleep Challenges

The Golden Years sound downright idyllic and relaxing, don’t they? No worries from work, playing with the grandkids, time to work on the golf swing, and the leisure and money to indulge the wanderlust — sounds like the perfect recipe for fun-filled days and restful nights.

You’d think that seniors would have no trouble at all sleeping at night. But ask any person over 65 how they sleep, and chances are, you’ll hear a host of complaints.

Trouble falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, and sleep disturbances are more common among the elderly than any other age group. And even though retirement may mean less stress from the challenges of achieving a healthy work/life balance, other stressors that come with age plague the elderly, making a good night’s sleep increasingly elusive.

Elderly couple sleeping

Sleep difficulties are so common among the elderly that we often assume it’s just a normal part of aging. While changes in sleep architecture are normal as we age, sleep deprivation is not.

Just because many adults function — often unwillingly — on less sleep as they get older, doesn’t mean it’s healthy for them. In fact, older adults require the same amount of sleep as they did in their 20s, and yet, for a host of reasons, they can’t get it.

Believe it or not, a change as simple as finding the best mattress for seniors could make a world of difference in your or a loved one’s sleep performance. But since there is no one mattress that will address all the various sleep challenges that seniors face, it’s helpful to understand just what is keeping older people up at night.

Why Do Seniors Have Sleeping Problems?

One consolation for seniors who can’t sleep at night is that they are not alone. Studies show that up to 50% of older people have trouble falling asleep and/or staying asleep with women experiencing insomnia more than men.

While some older people experience insomnia for no apparent reason, many elderly people have underlying medical conditions or take medications that can disrupt normal sleep patterns. Some reasons for seniors to lose sleep include:

  • Depression and/or anxiety
  • Joint pain caused by arthritis
  • Leg cramps caused by poor circulation
  • Breathing issues related to COPD
  • Acid reflux
  • Frequent urination
  • Obstructive sleep apnea and snoring
  • Restless leg syndrome
  • Sleep-walking (Rapid Eye Movement Sleep-Behavior Disorder)
  • Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Side effects from medications such as beta-blockers, bronchodilators, corticosteroids, decongestants, diuretics as well as medications for cardiovascular, neurologic, psychiatric and gastrointestinal conditions

Changes in sleep architecture due to aging

Sleep architecture refers to the cyclic pattern of four sleep phases that repeats through the night. A normal sleep cycle consists of:

  1. Stage 1: introduction to sleep when muscles begin to relax and brain activity slows
  2. Stage 2: light, dreamless sleep
  3. Stages 3 and 4: deep sleep or slow wave sleep
  4. REM sleep: includes dreaming and high brain activity

For people who experience healthy sleep patterns, this sleep cycle repeats four or five times each night. But as people age, they tend to spend less time in deep sleep stages, sometimes skipping them altogether.

This change in their sleep architecture can make them feel sleepy during the day and lead to napping. In addition, frequent sleep disturbances like those listed above disrupt seniors’ sleep cycles, leading to daytime sleepiness.

About 1% of seniors also experience a circadian rhythm disorder called Advanced Sleep Phase Disorder (ASPD) that signals an earlier bedtime (between 7 and 9:00 pm) and an earlier rising time (about 3 or 5:00 am) than the rest of society.

Now there’s nothing wrong with following an “early to bed, early to rise” schedule, but it can be isolating from family and friends.

Sleeping Tips for Seniors

Certain lifestyle changes can help seniors overcome some of these sleep challenges. These improvements to sleep hygiene include:

  • Limiting caffeine intake
  • Increasing exposure to bright daylight
  • Exercising regularly
  • Going to bed at the same time each night and waking up at the same time each morning
  • Following a soothing bedtime routine every night
  • Having a quiet, comfortable bedroom, including a comfortable mattress

Can a mattress really make much of a difference in sleep quality? Absolutely. A good mattress is crucial for healthy, restorative sleep.

A study conducted at the Oklahoma State University found that newer, more comfortable mattresses reduced back pain and stress and improved sleep performance among participants with chronic aches and pains that compromised their sleep.

Older people can easily convince themselves that they don’t need a new mattress. Difficulty with mobility can make shopping at a brick and mortar store too taxing. Others may think a new mattress will cost too much money and may be reluctant to spend money on something they’re not sure they need.

But buying a new mattress doesn’t have to be difficult or costly and could be the best investment in health seniors can make. Researching mattresses online before you shop will reduce the time spent trying mattresses in stores.

Alternatively, online mattress companies offer some of the best mattresses for seniors, delivered right to your front door or set up in your home, at prices that often beat those at mattress stores.

How do you know if you need a new mattress? Even if you think a mattress is fine, the Better Sleep Council recommends replacing your mattress every seven years especially if:

  • You wake up with aches and pains
  • You sleep better away from home than you do in your own bed
  • You are usually tired even though you had a full night’s sleep

These are all signs that a mattress should be replaced.

Finally, since a new mattress will improve sleep performance, seniors can reap significant health benefits from the investment. Consistently sleeping well on a comfortable mattress results in:

  • Improved memory
  • Lower stress
  • Improved mood
  • Better weight control
  • Greater creativity
  • Less inflammation
  • Longer life span

On the other hand, according to WebMD, people who sleep poorly put themselves at risk for:

  • Heart disease
  • Heart attack
  • Heart failure
  • Irregular heartbeat
  • High blood pressure
  • Stroke
  • Diabetes

With so much at stake, the cost of a mattress that will increase the quality of sleep seems well worth the money. In fact, a mattress that costs $1,000 and lasts seven years will cost about 40 cents per night — a small price to pay for good health and well-being.

And while new mattresses will not overcome all sleep challenges seniors face, they can help alleviate some common issues that keep older people from getting the sleep they need.

Summary

As a reminder, here’s a recap of our top picks for the best mattresses for seniors:

Mattress Type Best For Firmness
Saatva Hybrid Overall 3 options: Plush Soft, Luxury Firm, Firm
Helix Hybrid Senior Couples 3 options: Plush, Medium, Firm
Casper Wave Hybrid Hybrid Back Pain Medium: 5/10
Loom & Leaf Foam Memory Foam Relaxed Firm (6) or Firm (8)
Tuft & Needle Foam Affordable Price Medium-firm: 6/10
ZenHaven Latex Organic Soft side (5/10) and Firm side (8/10)
Purple Hybrid Seniors with Arthritis Medium-firm: 6.5/10

If you have any questions about any of our picks or other mattresses, drop us a line.

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Comments (1)

  1. These are some very valuable tips. Mattresses are expensive but more importantly your sleep is very important. You dont wanna wake up in pain a bed is made to make you feel good and you can relax. Should have a mattress that you love to sleep in. I found a lot of tips here that i really will use to find my next mattress

    Reply

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