Side sleepers can be wishy-washy on what they would like from their mattresses: something soft, but not too soft. It needs to have support, but not so much that it hurts. Also throw in things like keeping a cool feel, easily moving with you, and supporting you at the very edge of the bed. That’s quite the checklist, but nothing the Nolah Evolution Hybrid can’t handle.

See, this was a bed designed by Nolah for side sleepers. You can pick a firmness level (plush soft, luxury firm, and firm) based on what you prefer, but side sleepers will more often than not stick to soft to medium territory. The Evolution has a cooling cover atop a Euro pillow top, all surrounded by a special “Heat Escape Gusset” mesh that helps to keep airflow going. The next few layers of the mattress’s construction really underscore how this was a bed made for side sleepers. An initial layer of AirFoam (memory foam, Nolah’s version) is perforated to keep a softer feel around your shoulders and legs, without compromising firmer support in the center of the bed for the lower back.

Two more layers of transition foam are next, which serve not only as a cushiony barrier between the top foam layers and coils, but parlay pressure relief, motion isolation, and overall comfort. The pocketed coils are responsible for keeping your body level on the surface. Firmer coils are located in the middle, right where your lumbar is, so that the curvature isn’t compromised by sinking too far into the bed. This way, side sleepers enjoy the cushion around the hips and shoulders offered by the Euro top, without risking back pain. Another potential pain point is solved by way of Nolah’s coverage, as you get a 120-night sleep trial and limited lifetime warranty.

Nolah Evolution Hybrid ranges from $1,460 for a twin mattress to $3,454 for a split king.

The medium-firmness version of the Bear Elite Hybrid has been WIRED senior commerce director Martin Cizmar’s pick for side sleepers for the past year. After another round of testing, the firm version is now my pick for back pain support, too. The Elite Hybrid is one of the firmest mattresses I’ve tried, and firmer mattresses are often recommended for people with back pain—the scientific literature suggests you want at least medium-firm. While it was ultra firm at first—firmer than the Plank I usually sleep on!—it was still forgiving enough for me to sleep comfortably as a side sleeper and wake up pain-free from my usual lower back problems. I suffer from both spondylosis and scoliosis in my back, and a mattress that lacks support will leave my back aching the next morning. I didn’t wake up from any side sleeper pressure pains, either.

I’d choose the medium firmness for side sleepers, as we recommend in our side sleeper guide, but the firmest setting is great for back and mixed sleepers, or anyone who wants to be sure they’re getting the most support. —Nena Farrell

Bear Elite Hybrid ranges from $1,998 for a twin mattress to $4,282 for a split king.

Birch’s Luxe organic mattress is WIRED reviewer Scott Gilbertson’s favorite organic model. The Birch Luxe is an all-around comfortable mattress that can help just about anyone get a good night’s sleep since it strikes the best balance between firm and soft. (Birch calls it medium-firm.) It’s a great choice for side sleepers while also working for people who sleep on their stomach or back. It’s also great for people like Scott who sleep every which way.

The medium-firm feel comes from individually wrapped steel coils, which are topped with layers of natural latex, wool, and a Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)-certified organic cotton cover. The coils offer full lumbar support and are arranged to cradle your spine but are also stiff around the perimeter to offer solid edge support. There’s no sag in the Birch Luxe, and Scott had none of the lower-back pain he associates with softer mattresses. The wool and latex top layers provide truly exceptional temperature regulation, and the pillowy top provides a nice bit of softness on the top. (The pillow top is the main thing that separates this from the cheaper, not-Luxe model.)

Birch offers free shipping and a 100-night trial period, and all its products have a 25-year warranty. Birch also offers in-home setup and removal of your old mattress through LoadUp—details can be found on Birch’s website. The Luxe arrived completely compressed, and while it was small, it was definitely heavy. If your mattress is headed upstairs, or you’re not comfortable lifting bulky, heavy objects, we recommend the in-home setup option. —Martin Cizmar

Birch Luxe ranges from $1,624 for a twin mattress to $3,124 for a California king.

Latex has many perks as a mattress material, not just because it is an all-natural alternative to other pressure-relieving materials like memory foam. It is very good at support and temperature control, too. So if you were aiming for the trifecta of organic, supportive, and cool, the Avocado Green Hybrid hits the mark. The latex in this bed garners firmer support especially for stomach and back sleepers, but gives a little cushion where you need it most. When it comes to the most organic certifications in all the land, Avocado takes the crown (based on our testing and research to date, that is). It’s impressive that it’s accrued this much, because many brands out there usually cover basic certifications. However, that may only involve two to four stamps of approval from these organizations. But for proving how natural its latex and organic materials are, there is a whole checklist to contend with here.

The Avocado’s best trick is that it’s incredibly comfortable and environmentally friendly. It’s 11 inches thick and constructed in California from organic latex, organic wool, and organic cotton. It contains no polyurethane, fire retardants, memory foam, or chemical adhesives, according to the company. It offers a one-year trial, a 25-year warranty, and free shipping. Better yet, the company is also a certified B Corporation that’s purchasing enough offsets to say it operates as a carbon-negative business. The Avocado Green hybrid mattress is the only bed WIRED reviewer Scott Gilbertson and his wife agree on. She likes a soft mattress, and he prefers a firm one. During Scott’s two years of use when not testing another model, there was zero sagging or other issues. Read our Best Organic Mattresses guide for more sustainable options. —Martin Cizmar

Avocado Green ranges from $1,499 for a twin mattress to $2,899 for a California king.

If pressure pain has haunted you from mattress to mattress, then it’s time to try a mattress designed to combat it. The Saatva Rx is designed to relieve pain overnight, and I found it was perfect for relieving pressure pain. While this mattress is soft and comfortable, I didn’t develop any pressure-point pain overnight, as I usually would as a side sleeper (especially on a soft mattress). The Rx has seven layers, including a half-inch memory foam layer placed for lumbar support, a high-density foam layer encasing a micro-coil layer, and a layer Saatva calls the Therapeutic Support Core with a foam module on top of individually pocketed coils.

There’s also phase-change material included in the design, which can help regulate temperature overnight. The top is especially soft and fluffy, but it wasn’t so soft that I sank deeply into it. It’s still a little too soft if you have back pain from spinal injuries or damage, so it didn’t solve all my aches. But the Rx left me with zero pressure-point pain while I slept on my favored side, and erased any hint of the muscle pain in my right leg and hip that comes from supporting my lopsided, scoliosis-wracked body all day. —Nena Farrell

Saatva Rx ranges from $1,999 for a twin mattress to $3,999 for a California king.

If you’re worried about buying the wrong mattress online, this option from Naturepedic is as safe a bet as they come. It’s much more like a traditional innerspring mattress than many on this list if that’s what you’re after. With the right configuration, it’s also a great pick for anyone looking for a firmer organic mattress. I’ve retested this bed in a medium-firm setup for the past three months with great satisfaction, having tested a slightly different setup a few years ago when I liked it enough to make it also recommended but not a top pick.

The EOS (pronounced EEE-oz) is a multi-part zip-together system like the Helix Elite and Airweave below. In this case there’s a cover that you put over separate layers of foam and individually wrapped coils. Be warned that getting these zippered systems to have totally taut and even edges is a chore I have not mastered; you may end up with a funky-looking corner or two unless you invest some time adjusting.

The EOS is made with organic cotton, wool, and latex. It’s a big and sturdy mattress that comes disassembled in three boxes. The biggest reason to buy, though, is the fact that you can swap out the five different latex layers for free for 100 nights, giving you the chance to fine-tune your firmness. After that you can still swap them but you’ll have to buy the new layers—still a nice option if your body or preferences change, or if you get a new partner who has different needs.

Naturepedic EOS ranges from $1,869 for a twin mattress to $3,654 for a California King.

WIRED reviewer Adrienne So likes a rock-hard mattress. She finds sleeping on a quarter-inch of foam over dirt to be both relaxing and good for her back. The Plank’s high-density support foam took a few hours to fully inflate, which left both Adrienne and her spouse with a misleading initial impression of too much softness. But after a few days, it firmed up considerably. The 0.75-inch quilted top is barely perceptible. It’s like sleeping on a clean wooden floor (this is a good thing for her).

If this is too much for you, you can flip it over to sleep on 2 inches of comfort foam on the underside. But let’s be honest, if you’re ordering the Plank, you probably don’t want to do that. The foam also doesn’t move laterally, meaning kids can hop in and out of the parental bed with minimal shaking. Her one complaint is that the edges could use more support; she has slipped off the sides a few times while putting on her socks. —Martin Cizmar

Plank Firm ranges from $749 for a twin mattress to $1,532 for an RV king.

An Airweave mattress is not like other mattresses. Invented by Japanese entrepreneur Motokuni Takaoka, an Airweave mattress is supported not by springs but by airy polyethylene bricks that look for all the world like tangled cakes of dried noodle.

The material is firm to the point of bouncy, but still breathable. This makes the mattress cool, quite literally. Compared to the previous-generation Advance Airweave we reviewed last year, the Takumi 2.0 model released in late 2024 is a half-inch thicker, costs a thousand dollars more, and contains an extra layer of fiber blocks. One is a base layer, while the other layer can be reversed to customize the firmness at your shoulders, midsection, and legs. There are five possible configurations, but the one recommended for my “generous” frame offers more support under the arch of my back, while my shoulders and legs are allowed to sink down more.

The bed felt at first uncomfortably firm, and then I slept 10 straight hours and awoke refreshed. I’m a back sleeper by preference, and so the aggressive support offered by the Airweave has been helpful in keeping my spine in proper alignment. This is also ideal for stomach sleepers needing firm lumbar support, too. There’s also precious little motion transfer from one side of the bed to the other. But side sleepers might find this mattress too firm to be comfortable over the long haul.

I should note that shipping and assembly are like no other mattress you’re likely to encounter. My Airweave was dropped off as freight, split out into three gigantic boxes strapped to a pallet. I then had to construct the Airweave myself, brick-and-mortar style, layering the Airfiber blocks and pads into a zippable mattress cover. Sure, I could have asked for white-glove service, and someone would have shown up to assemble it all for me. But the time spent messing around with the Airweave’s innards actually helped me appreciate the Takumi a little bit more. —Matthew Korfhage

Airweave Takumi 2.0 ranges from $3,995 for a twin XL mattress to $6,695 for a California king.

Every Bedgear mattress I’ve tested is extremely cooling and comfy, and it comes at a very fair price for the quality. This H Performance Mattress is no different. Like the others, it’s literally cool to the touch with the swirly-design silky Ver-Tex Top Cover that wicks away moisture and regulates temperature. (There are two choices for the H Performance mattress; the H4 is medium-firm, and the H6 is medium-plush). The sides are made from Air-X Side Panels that are netlike, which further aids air circulation. This hybrid mattress uses pocketed coil support at the bottom and multiple layers of memory-like foam up top. The bed is constructed with adaptive gel foam and high-density memory foam, which are super comfy and aid in pressure relief.

This cooling bed-in-a-box offers free shipping to the lower 48, and if purchased through Bedgear’s website, it’s covered by a 10-year warranty. You can also choose this mattress in medium-firm, or medium-plush. This cooling mattress is the most consistently cooling bed I’ve tested and feels more expensive than its price tag. I like it enough that I’ve replaced my personal mattress with the Bedgear H Performance. If you’re a hot sleeper, we do have a full guide to the best cooling mattresses. —Molly Higgins

Bedgear H Performance (H4 and H6) ranges from $1,799 for a twin mattress to $2,499 for a split head California king.

This 12-inch, American-made memory foam hybrid has seven layers starting with a breathable, textured stretch knit cover that aids in cooling, followed by a thin “safeguard” fiber layer before getting to the good stuff—a textured cooling gel foam with another layer of gel memory foam beneath. The bottom half starts with a 1-inch layer of high-density plush support foam followed by 8 inches of individually wrapped coils to help with structure, support, and low-motion transfer. The very bottom has a thin 1-inch layer to ensure more bottom support, and this US-made bed has a 101-night trial and a lifetime warranty.

I absolutely love this medium-firm bed, and it feels much more expensive than it is. The individually wrapped coils give great structural support, while the top gel foams help with the cooling effect and pressure relief. For firmness, this bed feels like a true medium and had enough give to be comfortable for a side sleeper like me. This inexpensive mattress feels luxe and far exceeded my expectations. —Molly Higgins

Wolf 12-Inch Hybrid Medium Firm Mattress ranges from $767 for a twin to $1,100 for a king.

The Tiami does a great job of hitting a precise combination of support, pressure relief, and comfort. That is why I think it’s a great pick for heavier-bodied sleepers. (See my full review here.) In my experience as a professional mattress tester, individuals with larger bodies often struggle to find the right mattress that will work long-term for them.

The Tiami hybrid’s firmness prevents heavier bodies from sinking too deeply into the mattress, which can cause issues like back pain. Despite the support, it also doesn’t feel too rigid, mainly because highly responsive and pressure-relieving Energex foam (highly responsive and pressure-relieving) is so prominent in its design. It’s not just in the foam layers; each pocketed coil also has a foam cap. This was included to help those with joint pain, but it still works in the previous scenario as well. Another common issue with mattresses for heavy-bodied sleepers is that they often fall short in terms of temperature regulation and overall durability over time. However, in my experience, the Tiami didn’t have any issues in these areas. —Julia Forbes

Tiami ranges from $1,995 for a twin XL mattress to $3,495 for a California king.

Sleep Number is renowned for its smart beds, and testing one in-depth was an eye-opening experience. If you’ve ever slept on an adjustable mattress, you also know firsthand how responsive this bed is to your every movement. In the case of the p6 and its “responsive air” programming, this is meant to be literal, as the bed can sense higher pressure areas and adjust that area of the mattress accordingly.

While this mattress is on the higher end price-wise, there’s something to be said about being able to change your preferred firmness level not just whenever you want but on each side of the bed. This isn’t just appealing to couples with different sleep styles, but also to sleepers who require highly specialized mattress features to accommodate their physique, especially in cases such as joint and back pain. —Julia Forbes

Ranges from $3,199 for a queen mattress to $6,798 for a FlexTop California king.