Let’s start with an important point: A firm mattress doesn’t have to be a hard mattress. What sets a firm mattress apart from its softer brethren is the fact that it offers more support while you sleep, helping keep your spine aligned and alleviating pain, especially if you’re a larger person or a combination sleeper who tosses and turns. The best firm mattress will have built-in support that comes from extra layers of foam or cushioning that bolsters your body weight and prevents the bed from sagging.
So, if you’re on the hunt for a mattress that feels comfortable and offers ample support, you should first focus on firmness level — you don’t want to sink into the mattress, but you do want enough cushion to help alleviate pressure on your shoulders and hips (remember the all-important spinal alignment). There are also different levels of firmness. You can get a medium-firm mattress, a regular-firm mattress or an extra-firm mattress, depending on your sleep needs. The best mattress type really comes down to preference.
If you have the firmness aspect nailed down, there are a few other factors you’ll want to consider. These may include motion transfer (if you share your bed) and whether you want an adjustable base to optimize your sleep position. The mattress type (foam, gel memory foam, innerspring mattress with pocketed coils, hybrid mattress) is also important to take into account as you make your choice, as well as if you’re a cold or hot sleeper.
So, are you ready to invest in a good night’s sleep? We put together this list to help you sort through them and find the best firm mattress that meets your needs.
Read more: Best mattress for side sleepers for 2022
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The Casper Original is a true memory foam mattress constructed of three layers — a base of traditional memory foam, a second layer of specialized zoned memory foam and a top layer of perforated memory foam. That top foam mattress layer serves two purposes: It expertly conforms to your body and it allows more air to circulate, which meant I felt cool and comfortable all night sleeping on this Casper mattress.
The Casper also features Zoned Support — it’s divided into three separate “zones” that have varying levels of mattress firmness. The foam underneath the shoulders and upper body has a softer mattress feel, so the foam mattress gives the sleeper much-needed pressure relief in those areas. The foam near your hips, waist and lower back has a firmer mattress feel, to provide the proper firmness level of support to keep your body and spine aligned, so you don’t sink or sag into the mattress. Basically, with the Casper mattress you get the best of both worlds. When I woke up in the morning, I didn’t have any lingering aches and pains — something that I had been dealing with with my previous mattress.
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Intellibed
Somehow both firm and soft, the Intellibed Signature Matrix Grand is really the best of both worlds. Squeezed between latex and foam layers, this hybrid mattress features a Gel Matrix, an elastic gel that flexes and moves to contour to your shape and evenly distribute body weight. I don’t know how Intellibed does it, but the firmness of the mattress provides ample support to keep your spine in proper alignment, while the softness allows the right amount of give to alleviate pressure without sagging.
As soon as I settled into the mattress, I could feel the pressure leaving my body. And after a few weeks on it, I was sleeping through the night and waking up free of pain.
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Cocoon by Sealy
Cocoon by Sealy says that most sleepers prefer a mattress that has ample support, but isn’t too firm — something that I definitely found to be true with me — so in response to that, it made a specialized memory foam that’s designed to provide the perfect firmer bed fit. The Perfect Fit memory foam, as it’s aptly named, adapted to my body, providing pressure relief and support where I needed it most.
This Cocoon chill memory foam sits on top of another foam layer, a responsive comfort layer, that provides a little bit of extra plushness (something many traditional memory foam mattress options are missing) and some extra support so the mattress never sank or sagged. And the stretch-knit cover that encompasses these layers is made of a proprietary material that absorbs and dissipates heat, so I stayed comfortable and the mattress remained cool to the touch.
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Lindsay Boyers/CNET
The Saatva mattress is constructed of layers of innerspring coils with luxury latex foam and a comfort layer of cushioning that’s reminiscent of a pillowtop. This provides just enough cushioning to make the mattress comfortable, but not too much that you feel like you’re sinking in and out of alignment. The hybrid mattress also has memory foam in the center of the mattress that provides special lumbar support, so your spine stays aligned, affording pressure relief, especially when you’re sleeping on your side — something that many other firm mattresses fall short on.
With the Saatva mattress, there are two firm options — firm (rated an eight out of 10 on the standard-mattress firmness scale) and luxury firm (rated a five to seven out of 10) — and two mattress heights — 11.5 inches and 14.5 inches. If you go with the deeper mattress, make sure you’re also getting deep pocket sheets.
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Lindsay Boyers/CNET
Rated a six to seven out of 10 on the mattress firmness scale, the Ghostbed is classified as a medium-firm mattress. It’s made of a combination of latex-like memory foams that have a soft, springy feel, but also provide enough support so you don’t feel like you’re sinking into the mattress (and then waking up in pain). It also has two rows of reinforced coils around the edge of the bed that hold the layers up and contribute to excellent edge-to-edge firmness level support.
Out of all of the firm bed options on this list, the Ghostbed mattress brand felt most like a traditional spring mattress, in all of the right ways. Another thing I really liked about this mattress is that it always felt cool to the touch. The quilted cover of the foam mattress has cooling fibers that are directly woven in and help disperse body heat.
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Lindsay Boyers/CNET
The Helix Plus hybrid mattress, rated a seven to eight out of 10 on the firmness scale, is designed to offer extra support for heavier sleepers, although it’s an excellent option for sleepers of any size and shape. It’s made of wrapped coils and several layers of memory foam in varying densities, but the real star of the show is a 4-inch layer of high-density foam. This extra foam held up the other layers, providing adequate support, but also adding some cushioning that provided relief for my shoulders and hips.
Because the mattress is thicker — it’s 13 inches tall — it will feel firmer if you have a lower body mass index, but I thought it had just the right amount of give. It was comfortable in any sleeping position (even for a stomach sleeper or combination sleepers) and provided motion isolation really well, so I didn’t bounce around, even when my boyfriend moved in the middle of the night. Read more in our full Helix mattress review.
Frequently asked questions
Is a firm mattress better for sleeping?
It primarily depends on your favorite sleeping position. If you’re a back or stomach sleeper, a firm mattress does a great job at keeping your neck and spine in proper alignment.
What firmness do hotel mattresses use?
Hotels tend to furnish their rooms with beds that fall in the medium to medium-firm range. That way, they can accommodate a wider range of sleeping position options because the beds aren’t too firm or too soft.
Is plush firmer than medium?
Typically when you see the term “plush” when describing a mattress, it means it’s more towards the soft side of the spectrum. So, a plush mattress is softer than a medium mattress.
Which mattress types are most firm?
Latex foam mattresses are generally the most firm compared to other foam mattresses, followed by innerspring mattresses. With that being said, there are plenty of softer latex mattress and innerspring mattress options on the market, too. It’s difficult to generalize firm bed mattresses when there are so many different ones on the market.
Is a firm mattress better for your back?
If you sleep on your back or stomach, a firm mattress can keep your spine and neck in a straight alignment to prevent you from sagging into the bed and experiencing back pain. However, if you’re a side sleeper, a firm mattress can push into your body and promote a curved spine.
More mattress advice
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.
