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 For Seniors – Nectar
• Best Luxury Mattress for Seniors – DreamCloud Premier
• Best Mattress for Senior Side Sleepers – Saatva Classic
• Best Mattress for Customizable Firmness – WinkBed
• Best Mattress for Seniors with Shoulder Pain – Brooklyn Signature Hybrid
• Best Firm Mattress for Seniors – Plank Firm
• Best Hybrid Mattress for Seniors– Bear Elite Hybrid
• Best Mattress for Seniors with Back Pain – Helix Dusk
• Best Memory Foam Mattress for Seniors – 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

What Makes It a Great Mattress for Couples: 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. The Helix Midnight’s motion-isolating properties make it easier to shift, toss, and turn without disturbing your sleep partner.

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 set up by themselves. According to the Helix Sleep website, nationwide in-home delivery services are currently unavailable.
• If you want to contact customer service by phone, support is available noon-6 p.m. Monday-Friday only.

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

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Nectar

What Makes It a Great Value Mattress: 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 pretty good bargain.

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 provide gentle, contouring support for the shoulders and hips.

Cons

• Scoring 7.5/10 for spine alignment in our testing process, the Nectar might not be the best choice for certain types of sleepers, including people with neck pain and back sleepers with lower back pain.
• Speaking of spine alignment, the Nectar’s performance in that category and its 6/10 firmness level could pose a problem for stomach sleepers.

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

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DreamCloud Premier

What Makes It a Great Luxury Mattress: The DreamCloud Premier has one of the hallmarks of top luxury mattresses: a cushiony pillow-top that’s sure to appeal to seniors with aches and pains. 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.
• Although it’s reasonably priced for a luxury mattress, the DreamCloud Premier costs around $1,600 for a queen-size bed, not counting sales or discounts.

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

What Makes it a Great Mattress for Side Sleepers: 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

• Shoppers on limited incomes should take note of the price. Without factoring in sales or discounts, a queen-size Saatva Classic costs nearly $2,000.
• The Saatva Classic scores a mediocre 7.5/10 for motion transfer, so couples might look to an alternative that does better at keeping motion contained to isolated parts of the mattress.

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

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WinkBed

What Makes It a Great Mattress for Customizable Firmness: If you want options in your level of firmness, the WinkBed offers one of four options for your new mattress: Soft, Firm, Luxury Firm, or Plus. This versatility lets you choose softer for side sleepers or firmer for back sleepers and stomach sleepers.

Pros

• 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

• Despite having a pillow-top layer, the WinkBed received a 7.75/10 pressure relief score from our testers. It’s not a bad score, but side sleepers (especially those with shoulder pain) might find the pressure relief lacking.
• Couples should take note of the 6.4/10 motion transfer score, which could be an issue for you and your sleep partner if you toss and turn or frequently get up from bed during the night.

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

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Brooklyn Signature Hybrid

What Makes It a Great Mattress for Shoulder Pain: As a senior, finding a mattress that cushions and supports sensitive areas of your body to prevent aches and pains is probably a top priority. During our lab tests, we found that the Brooklyn Signature Hybrid did a wonderful job of relieving pressure, particularly in the shoulder area.

Pros

• A 9.5/10 score on our pressure relief test is the main reason we named the Signature Hybrid our best mattress for seniors with shoulder pain.The design includes a quilted mattress cover and two layers of pressure-relieving foam, anchored by a support layer of individually wrapped coils.
• 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.
• Currently, Brooklyn Bedding doesn’t offer in-home delivery service. Old mattress removal is available only for California residents.

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

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Plank Firm

What Makes It a Great Firm Mattress: 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 word “Plank” fool you, either—it’s designed for comfort as well as sturdiness.

Pros

• The Plank Firm scores very well for pressure relief (9/10), especially for such a firm mattress. It’s an encouraging sign for people with back pain, shoulder pain, or hip pain.
• It earns an 8.75/10 for spine alignment, a particularly good sign for back sleepers and stomach sleepers. A comfortable alignment at night usually means fewer aches and pains during the day.

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.
• The mattress’s 13.25″ height could be a challenge for people who have trouble lifting themselves out of bed. Also, you’ll probably need to buy a set of deep-pocket sheets to accommodate the height.

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 Elite Hybrid

What Makes It a Great Hybrid Mattress: Hybrid beds like the Bear Elite Hybrid are designed to bridge the gaps between two types of sleep materials. While traditional coil springs provide solid support and responsiveness, they tend to fall short in pressure relief. Memory foam relieves pressure but sometimes overdoes it on the “sinking in” feeling. The Bear Elite Hybrid combines a pocketed coil system and layers of pressure-relieving memory foam.

Pros

• The Bear Elite Hybrid tests very well for spine alignment (9.5/10) and pressure relief (9/10). These scores are promising signs for side sleepers, back sleepers, and people with pain in the back, hips, and shoulders.
• The mattress cover uses Celliant fiber designed to promote muscle recovery as you sleep. It’s one of the signature Bear features for promoting restorative sleep.

Cons

• Regular price for a queen-size Bear Elite Hybrid tops $2,100, which could give you pause if your mattress budget is tight.
• Bear mattresses aren’t compatible with traditional box springs. If your current mattress rests on box springs, replacing it with the Bear Elite Hybrid will mean investing in a new foundation.

Read our full Bear Elite Hybrid mattress review. Also, see our roundup of best hybrid mattresses.

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Helix Dusk

What Makes It a Great Mattress for Back Pain: If you have back pain—at any age—you need a mattress that relieves pressure and keeps your spine in a comfortable alignment during sleep. Our testers give the Helix Dusk 9/10 scores in pressure relief and spine alignment, two categories that are especially important for people with back pain.

Pros

• The Dusk’s key features include a top layer of responsive Helix Dynamic Foam, a latex-foam hybrid alternative with medium firmness, and a deeper layer of high-grade polyfoam designed to provide ergonomic support.
• If you have trouble getting into or out of bed, you’ll appreciate the Helix Dusk’s excellent 9/10 score in our edge support testing category.

Cons

• The window for reaching Helix customer service by phone is fairly limited. Phone support is available noon-6 p.m. Monday-Friday only, though you can chat with customer support online 10-a.m.-10 p.m. seven days a week.
• The Helix Dusk isn’t designed to work with box springs, unless you add a bunkie board for extra support. Depending on your current foundation, you might need to get a bunkie board or a new platform entirely.

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

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Loom & Leaf

What Makes It a Great Memory Foam Mattress: 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 premium, high-quality materials. The design includes a soft, 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. For back sleepers, we recommend the 8/10 firmness option.
• The Loom & Leaf 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

• Our testers gave the Loom & Leaf 7/10 in pressure relief, a particularly disappointing score for a memory foam mattress. Side sleepers under 130 lbs are likely to feel some pressure buildup in their hips and shoulders.
• The Loom & Leaf might not be the best option for couples, owing to its subpar testing scores in motion transfer (5/10) and edge support (6/10).

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
• Why Seniors Have Trouble Sleeping
• Sleep Tips for Seniors
• Is it Time to Get a New Mattress?

What Type of Mattress 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 of today’s innerspring hybrids also include layers of pressure-relieving memory 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 the best mattress materials for pressure relief, with memory foam doing a particularly good job of contouring around the curves of your body.

Spine Alignment

Good posture is more than a daytime concern. A quality mattress will support a healthy, neutral alignment that traces a gentle arc through your body—not ramrod-straight or sharply curving. Spine alignment is especially important for people with back pain. Having your neck properly aligned can also help keep your airway unobstructed and reduce the likelihood of snoring.

Edge Support

Having strong support on the edges of the mattress can benefit seniors in two ways. Edge support helps you spread out and use the entire mattress surface without feeling that it’s going to cave in underneath you. That same support also makes it easier to get in and out of bed, a great feature if you have mobility issues or you’re just not as flexible as you once were. Many hybrid mattresses increase edge support by including a row of thicker springs around the edge of the coil layer.

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.

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.

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 that elevates different parts of your body 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.

Why Seniors Have Trouble Sleeping

Trouble falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, and sleep disturbances are more common among the elderly than any other age group. 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.

Changes in Sleep Patterns

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.

Underlying Medical Conditions

While some older people experience insomnia for no apparent reason, others 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:

• Best Mattresses for Arthritis
• Best Mattresses for Sleep Apnea
• Best Mattresses for Acid Reflux
• Best Mattresses for Fibromyalgia
• Best Mattresses for Sciatica

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.

Is it Time to Get a New Mattress?

The Better Sleep Council recommends replacing your mattress every seven years, especially if you wake up with aches and pains or you frequently feel tired during the day even if you’ve had a full night’s sleep the night before. Mattress materials degrade over time, which leads to sagging, uneven support, and less comfort overall.

Fortunately for seniors—and shoppers in general—online mattress shopping makes it easy to replace a bed that’s seen better days. You can compare dozens of mattresses online in a matter of hours without leaving home. Most major brands sell mattresses online these days, often at prices that beat those found at brick-and-mortar stores.

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:

• 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 wind up costing about 40 cents per night.

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 Selections

In evaluating our best mattresses for seniors, we emphasize four testing categories with special importance: 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
Bear Elite Hybrid	8.8
Helix Dusk	8.8
Loom & Leaf	8.1

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.