Best Mattress for Seniors of 2023

When it comes to sleep, seniors have a unique set of needs. Changes in the internal clock that controls your body’s sleeping and waking cycles often lead to insomnia. Other age-related factors such as muscle and joint pain caused by arthritis can also get in the way of restful, restorative sleep.

Fortunately, the right mattress can help you meet the challenge. The best mattresses for seniors provide a critical balance of comfort and support so that you can fall asleep and stay asleep more easily.

Check out our top-rated picks for senior mattresses, then read our expert advice on choosing the best mattress for you. Find out how better nights can lead to better days, at any age.

Best Mattress for Seniors: Our Top Picks

• Best Mattress for Couples – Helix Midnight
• Best Value Mattress – Nectar
• Best Luxury Mattress – DreamCloud Premier
• Best Mattress for Side Sleepers – Saatva Classic
• Best Mattress for Customizable Firmness – WinkBed
• Best Mattress for Shoulder Pain – Brooklyn Signature Hybrid
• Best Firm Mattress – Plank Firm
• Best Hypoallergenic Mattress – Bear Pro
• Best Mattress for Back Pain – Helix Dusk
• Best Memory Foam Mattress – Loom & Leaf

Why You Can Trust Mattress Advisor

We hold ourselves to the highest standards of integrity in our product reviews and other content by incorporating real customer feedback, empirical testing and objective evaluations. Our results and recommendations are never influenced by the commission we may receive from brands, and products we receive are never guaranteed a positive review.

In evaluating our featured mattresses, we expand on the criteria in our review process to emphasize performance categories and features that are especially important for seniors:

• Pressure Relief. Alleviating pressure in the shoulders, hips, and lower back
• Spine Alignment. Promoting neutral alignment from the neck to the lower back
• Edge Support. Stability across the entire surface, including the edges
• Ease of Set-Up. Is the mattress easy to unbox? Is in-house set-up available?

See our recap to find out how the featured mattresses stack up against these criteria.

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Helix Midnight

Like other great mattresses for couples, the Helix Midnight makes it easier to shift, toss, and turn without disturbing your sleep partner. A key performance category for people who share a bed is motion transfer, and this Helix hybrid scores an impressive 9/10 in the Mattress Advisor sleep lab.

Pros

The Helix Midnight stands out in another senior-friendly category, with a 9/10 Mattress Advisor score for edge support. Strong support around the edges makes it easier to get into and out of bed. It’s also an important feature for couples, since a mattress with solid edge support lets both sleepers spread out and use the entire surface. The Midnight also has exceptional spine alignment (9/10 score), a good sign for people with back or neck pain.

Cons

A queen-size Helix Midnight weighs about 95 pounds, so people with back problems or mobility issues could have trouble getting it unboxed and mounted on the bed frame. We suggest the Saatva Classic with white-glove delivery service if ease of set-up is a must-have for you.

Read our full Helix Midnight mattress review. Also, see our roundup of best mattresses for couples.

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Nectar

When determining whether a mattress has good value, we look at the quality of the product in relation to how much it costs. At just over $1,000 for a queen size, the original Nectar memory foam model is a high-quality mattress with an affordable price—in other words, it’s a great value.

Pros

The Nectar has a great score in edge support (9/10). Mattresses that test well in this category make getting into and out of bed easier, so you’re less likely to get that sinking feeling when you put pressure on the edges. The solid pressure relief score (8.5/10) is a good sign that the Nectar’s 2″ layer of gel memory foam can help alleviate aches and pains in your shoulders and hips.

Cons

Scoring 7.5/10 for spine alignment, the Nectar might not be best for people with neck or back pain. If you want an all-foam mattress that sleeps cooler, the Leesa mattress has a better cooling score (8.5/10 vs Nectar’s 7.5/10).

Read our full Nectar mattress review. Also, see our roundup of best budget mattresses.

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DreamCloud Premier

The DreamCloud Premier is an excellent pillow-top mattress, and seniors with aches and pains are likely to appreciate the extra cushioning. Its design actually includes a pillow top 2-for-1: a cradle layer made of high-loft memory foam and a foam support layer beneath that.

Pros

In addition to the pillow-top layers, this luxury hybrid has a memory foam layer designed for contouring and pressure relief. Put to the test in our sleep lab, the DreamCloud Premier earns a 9/10 score in the pressure relief category. It also scores an 8.5/10 for edge support, which should make the bed very easy to get into and out of. Both the 365-night sleep trial and lifetime warranty meet the industry’s gold standard.

Cons

The only performance category where the DreamCloud Premier doesn’t earn an outstanding score is spine alignment (8/10). It’s something to keep in mind if you have back pain or neck pain, in which case the Nectar Classic Hybrid is a comparable alternative with a better spine alignment score (9/10).

Read our full DreamCloud Premier mattress review. Also, see our roundups of best luxury mattresses and best pillow-top mattresses.

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Saatva Classic

A restful night for side sleepers depends greatly on pressure relief, which is just one of the areas where the Saatva Classic excels. The quilted Euro pillow top and high-density memory foam layers provide cushioning support for the hips and shoulders. We recommend the Luxury Firm option (6/10 firmness) for side sleepers.

Pros

The Saatva Classic scores 9/10 for pressure relief and even better for edge support: a flawless 10/10. It’s a promising attribute for those who have trouble lifting themselves out of bed or those who like to sleep close to the edge of the mattress. If you don’t want the hassle of setting up a new mattress and disposing of the old one, Saatva’s white-glove delivery service handles both chores for free.

Cons

The Saatva Classic scores a mediocre 7.5/10 for motion transfer, so couples might look to an alternative like the Helix Midnight for keeping motion contained to isolated parts of the mattress. In terms of price, the Saatva is a luxury product with a price tag to match.

Read our full Saatva Classic mattress review. Also, see our roundup of best mattresses for side sleepers.

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WinkBed

If you want options in your level of firmness, the WinkBed lets you choose one of four options for your new mattress: Soft, Firm, Luxury Firm, or Plus. On the 1-10 firmness scale, these options correspond with 4.5, 6.5, 7.5, and 8.

Pros

A pillow-top layer makes the surface pleasantly soft, but not so soft that you sink deep into the mattress. The WinkBed scores 9.75/10 for edge support in our sleep lab, which helps the mattress resist sagging while making it easier to get into and out of. Combined with the 8.75/10 spine alignment score, a lumbar support pad placed between the two coil layers helps make the WinkBed a good mattress for seniors with back pain.

Cons

The WinkBed scores 7.75/10 score for pressure relief, which could be problematic for side sleepers (especially those with shoulder pain). The Brooklyn Signature Hybrid is a possible alternative, with a 9.5/10 pressure relief score and firmness options that include (4/10) and medium (6/10).

Read our full WinkBed Luxury Firm review. You can also compare adjustable firmness beds in our best smartbeds roundup.

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Brooklyn Signature Hybrid

As a senior, one of your primary concerns might be finding a mattress that cushions and supports sensitive areas of your body in order to prevent aches and pains. During our lab tests, we found that the Brooklyn Signature Hybrid did a wonderful job of relieving pressure, particularly in the shoulder area.

Pros

Scoring a 9.5/10 on our pressure relief test, it’s no surprise we named this Brooklyn Bedding product the best mattress for seniors with shoulder pain. The quilted mattress cover, top two layers of foam, and support layer of individually wrapped coils combine to create a supportive, comfortable sleep experience. Also, the edge support score of 9/10 means that supporting yourself all the way out on the edges of the bed should not be a problem for you.

Cons

The Brooklyn Signature Hybrid did not perform very well on our motion transfer test (7.25/10), which means you may feel your partner’s or pet’s tossing and turning more than you would care to.

Read our full Brooklyn Signature Hybrid mattress review. Also, see our roundup of best mattresses for shoulder pain.

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Plank Firm

If you’re shopping for a firm mattress, the Plank Firm offers not one but two possible solutions. It’s a flippable mattress with different firmness levels on each side: firm (7/10) and very firm (9/10). Don’t let the name fool you, either—it’s designed for comfort as well as sturdiness.

Pros

The Plank Firm scores very well for pressure relief (9/10) in our testing lab, especially for such a firm mattress. It also earns an 8.75/10 for spine alignment, a particularly good sign for back sleepers and stomach sleepers since a comfortable alignment at night usually means fewer aches and pains during the day. When it comes to ease of set-up, the Plank Firm scores a near-perfect 9.5/10.

Cons

The Plank Firm’s 8/10 score for cooling is good for an all-foam mattress, but turning down the temperature with an optional top cooling panel will cost an extra $125 for a queen-size. Its 13.25″ height could be a challenge for people who have trouble lifting themselves out of bed.

Read our full Plank Firm mattress review. Also, see our roundups of best firm mattresses and best extra-firm mattresses.

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Bear Pro

Allergies can ruin a good night’s sleep, but the Bear Pro offers a natural way to help keep irritants at bay. The Bear Pro’s signature feature is a layer of foam infused with copper, a mineral known for its antiviral and antibacterial properties.

Pros

Bear cites another benefit of adding copper gel to its memory foam, which is copper’s ability to conduct heat away from you. This feature helps prevent the foam from keeping your body heat trapped inside the mattress. The Bear Pro is also GREENGUARD Gold Certified, meeting high standards for limiting exposure to chemicals and pollutants. If you have an active lifestyle, note that the Bear Pro mattress cover uses Celliant fiber designed to promote muscle recovery as you sleep. In fact, the company makes its mattresses with athletes in mind.

Cons

As an all-foam mattress, the Bear Pro is likely to have a “new mattress smell” for several hours after unpacking. It’s not compatible with a traditional box spring, so investing in a new bed frame might be in order.

Read our full Bear Pro mattress review. Also, see our roundup of best hypoallergenic mattresses.

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Helix Dusk

No matter your age, if you’re suffering from ongoing aches and pains, you need a good mattress that not only has the right amount of support, but also pressure relief for your joints and spine alignment for your back. Our testers give the Helix Dusk high marks for all of these, particularly for pressure relief when sleeping on your stomach and back, and spine alignment when sleeping on your side. 

Pros

The Dusk has a medium firmness preferred by most sleepers, as well as a hybrid construction that brings together the best of what latex and foam offer in the way of responsiveness and cushioning. It can support up to 500 pounds (or 1,000 pounds for two sleepers on a queen or larger), making it a good fit for heavier sleepers. The mattress sleeps relatively cool, so night sweats shouldn’t be a serious problem. 

Cons

Like most foam mattresses, this one gives off an off-gassing smell when you unbox it. Just let it air out before you add bedding and give it some time to settle in.

Read our full Helix Dusk mattress review. Also, see our roundup of best mattresses for back pain.

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Loom & Leaf

Although Saatva is best-known for luxury hybrids, the company also offers the all-foam Loom & Leaf mattress. Like other Saatva beds, the Loom & Leaf features high-quality materials. The design includes a hypoallergenic cover made with organic cotton, two layers of gel-infused memory foam, and a high-density memory foam core.

Pros

With a 9/10 spine alignment score, the Loom & Leaf should do a great job of helping you maintain a healthy, comfortable sleep posture. If you like a mattress that’s easy to move around on, take note of the above-average 8/10 responsiveness score. It also has another Saatva feature that makes it a great choice for seniors: free white-glove delivery. Set-up of your new mattress is taken care of, and so is disposal of your old mattress.

Cons

The Loom & Leaf might not be the best choice for couples, owing to its subpar testing scores in motion transfer (5/10) and edge support (6/10). While the Loom & Leaf isn’t the most expensive mattress in this roundup, the regular price for a queen-size bed is nearly $2,400.

Read our full Loom & Leaf mattress review. To see other contouring foam beds, check out our roundup of best memory foam mattresses.

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How to Choose the Best Senior Mattress for You

Can a mattress really make much of a difference in sleep quality? There’s scientific research that says yes. For instance, a study at 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.

In this section, we’ll provide tips on choosing the right mattress for your needs and explore some of the challenges that seniors face in getting a restful, restorative night’s sleep. We’ll also offer advice on how to get your best rest, night after night.

• What Type of Mattress is Best for Seniors?
• What to Look for in a Mattress for Seniors
• Seniors and Sleep Challenges
• Sleep Tips for Seniors

What Mattress Type is Best for Seniors?

You might have grown up sleeping on an all-spring mattress, but it’s worth reconsidering your options at this stage of your life. Here’s a look at how different types of mattresses stack up with the unique sleep needs of seniors.

• Hybrid mattresses. Mattresses made with layers of innerspring, foam, latex, and other materials, may be the best of all worlds for many seniors. They combine the even support of coil springs with the pressure-relieving “hug” of memory foam or latex to relieve pressure points.
• Memory foam mattresses. If you’re a senior with arthritis, back pain, or other joint pain, body-contouring memory foam with a medium to medium-firm level of firmness could make your nights easier. Top memory foam mattresses do a fine job of providing pressure relief and helping keep your spine aligned in a neutral position.
• Latex mattresses. Latex foam offers many of the benefits of memory foam without some of the drawbacks. Latex provides the “hug” and contouring of memory foam without retaining as much heat. It also has a buoyant springiness, and all-natural latex is also hypoallergenic.
• Innerspring mattresses. Steel coils aren’t known to provide the targeted support and pressure relief that many seniors need to ward off aches and pains. Fortunately, most innerspring hybrids also include layers of pressure-relieving foam or latex.

What to Look for in a Mattress for Seniors

There are several considerations to keep in mind as you shop for a mattress. Most of the factors listed below are included in the comprehensive review process that we use to evaluate mattresses.

Pressure Relief

A good pressure-relieving mattress allows your hips, back, and shoulders to sink in gently as it cushions these pressure-sensitive areas. Pressure relief helps you sleep comfortably and feel fewer aches and pains when you get up. Memory foam and latex are among the best materials for pressure relief.

Spine Alignment

Good posture is more than a daytime concern. A quality mattress will support a healthy, neutral alignment from your hips and lower back up to your shoulders as you sleep. Spine alignment is especially important for people with back pain.

Edge Support

Having strong support on the edges of the mattress makes it easier to get in and out of bed. Edge support also helps you spread out and use the entire mattress surface without feeling that it’s going to cave in underneath you.

Firmness

The right mattress firmness lets you feel comfortable and adequately supported at the same time. We recommend avoiding anything super-soft and sticking to medium, medium-firm, or firm (between 5/10 and 7/10 on the mattress firmness scale).

Related: Best Medium-Firm Mattresses and Best Firm Mattresses

Cooling

Getting overheated as you sleep can trigger your body’s natural thermoregulation process, which explains how you wake up with night sweats. Some of the best cooling mattresses are hybrids, thanks to their breathable coil layers. If you prefer memory foam, look for foam that’s infused with semi-liquid gel or copper to make it less likely to trap heat.

Responsiveness

A responsive mattress quickly adjusts to your movements and makes it easier to move around. Responsiveness also makes it easier to get in and out of bed and helps restless sleepers toss and turn without exerting too much energy.

White-Glove Delivery

With white-glove delivery service, the delivery person brings the bed to your home and sets it up for you. It makes the mattress-experience less stressful and less strenuous. Some mattress brands offer free white-glove delivery and old mattress removal, while others charge a fee.

Look for a Mattress That Fits Your Lifestyle

Who says you have to think of your mattress as merely therapeutic? Today’s active, vibrant seniors can choose a mattress that matches their lifestyle.

• Are you into tennis, golf, hiking, or running? A mattress for athletes can help keep you feeling fit and energized.
• If you’re enjoying your retirement years on the road, don’t forget to outfit your motor home or camper with an RV mattress.
• A national poll found that 40% of people ages 65-80 are sexually active. Don’t be bashful—there are no age limits on mattresses for sex.

If you find a specialty lifestyle mattress that also meets the criteria mentioned above (good for pressure relief, edge support, responsiveness, and so on), then so much the better.

Don’t Forget About Mattress Accessories

Sometimes the right accessory can make a serviceable mattress into an outstanding one. If you deal with leg cramps, poor circulation, sleep apnea, snoring, or acid reflux, an adjustable bed frame can be a good choice. These frames also make it easier to get in and out of bed. You can also add mattress toppers for some cozy cushioning or additional cooling.

Common Sleep Challenges for Seniors

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 can make a good night’s sleep increasingly elusive.

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.

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 Some Seniors Have Sleeping Problems?

Older adults require the same amount of sleep as they did in their 20s, and yet, for a host of reasons, many of them can’t get it. One consolation for seniors who can’t sleep at night is that they’re not alone. Studies show that up to 50 percent 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:

• Joint pain caused by arthritis
• Obstructive sleep apnea and snoring
• Leg cramps caused by poor circulation
• Breathing issues related to COPD
• Insomnia related to post-menopause
• Frequent urination
• Restless leg syndrome
• Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia
• Parkinson’s disease
• Side effects from medications such as beta-blockers, bronchodilators, corticosteroids, and diuretics

Fortunately, many mattresses are designed specifically for people with certain medical conditions. If you have a health problem that interferes with your sleep, consider getting a mattress in one of these categories:

• Mattresses for arthritis
• Mattresses for sleep apnea
• Mattresses for acid reflux
• Mattresses for fibromyalgia
• Mattresses for sciatica

Changes in sleep architecture due to aging

Sleep architecture refers to the cyclic pattern of four sleep stages that repeat 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.

Sleep Tips for Seniors

The good news is that certain habits can help anyone, seniors included, overcome some of these sleep challenges. These improvements to sleep hygiene include:

• Exercising regularly
• Limiting caffeine intake
• Going to bed at the same time each night and waking up at the same time each morning
• Having a quiet, comfortable bedroom, including a comfortable mattress

You might also consider making your bedroom a safer space to get around in. Getting into or out of bed can be a hazardous moment if you have mobility issues or your vision and balance aren’t what they used to be. You can reduce the risk of slipping and falling by making sure your furniture isn’t spaced too far apart or too close together, or even adding a set of bed rails.

Signs It Could Be Time for a New Mattress

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’re frequently tired even though you had a full night’s 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. 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.

Living Better By Sleeping Better

Since a new mattress has the potential to improve sleep performance, seniors can reap significant health benefits from the investment. Scientific research has linked poor sleep to everything from bad moods to memory impairment. Consistently sleeping well on a comfortable mattress could result in:

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

With the prospect of so many benefits, the cost of a mattress that will increase your 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.

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A Closer Look at Our Selection Process

In choosing our best mattresses for seniors, we emphasize four testing categories with special importance for elderly sleepers: pressure relief, spine alignment, edge support, and ease of set-up. Here’s a look at how our picks performed in the Mattress Advisor Sleep Lab:

MATTRESS	AVERAGE SCORE (OUT OF 10) FOR PRESSURE RELIEF, SPINE ALIGNMENT, EDGE SUPPORT, EASE OF SET-UP
Helix Midnight	8.8
Nectar	8.3
DreamCloud Premier	8.5
Saatva Classic	9.8
WinkBed	8.4
Brooklyn Signature Hybrid	8.8
Plank Firm	8.8
Helix Dusk	8.8
Loom & Leaf	8.1

Testing scores for the Bear Pro are coming soon.

Note: The testing categories we focus on in this chart don’t reflect overall performance. Depending on your needs and preferences, you might put more or less value on particular qualities.

If you have any questions about our featured mattresses, or sleep in general, feel free to contact us.