Most adults sleep on their sides at least some of the time, and there's no shortage of mattresses that manufacturers claim are designed for this purpose. Side sleepers need mattresses that allow the arm and shoulder to sink in enough to relieve pressure, while still offering enough support for spinal alignment. While Medium and Medium-Plush mattresses are often the best firmness level for side sleepers, it depends on the specific mattress's performance and your specific needs. We recently updated our testing methodology so you can see how a mattress performs based on your sleeping position and weight, and you can read all about it in our Test Bench 1.1 Changelog.
We've tested more than 50 mattresses, and below are our recommendations for the best mattresses for side sleepers. For a wider view of the mattress market, see our recommendations for the best mattresses. If you prefer the contouring feel of memory foam, check out our picks for the best memory foam mattresses, or see the best cooling mattresses for more options for hot sleepers.
We've recently started testing mattresses. We purchase each unit independently from major retailers, just like you, to keep our reviews free of manufacturer influence. Each mattress undergoes the same tests to measure objective data on characteristics like firmness, cooling, and motion isolation, so you can easily compare results. Since we buy all our mattresses, we can tear them down layer by layer and isolate the mechanical properties of every component: quilted tops, foams, coils, and any special materials.
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Best Mattress For Side Sleepers
Side SleepingLight WeightAverage WeightHeavy WeightFirmness LevelMedium (47 Pa/mm)LongevityMotion DissipationCoolingSee all our test resultsResponsivenessThe best mattress we've tested for side sleepers is the Casper Snow. This Medium mattress's upper comfort layer is made of very soft memory foam, which helps make it suitable for a wide range of side sleepers. It performs best for average-weight and heavier people, but regardless of your weight, it'll do a decent job of relieving pressure on your arm and shoulder. It also offers solid support for most people, which helps ensure you sink in evenly.
It also offers excellent cooling, so it's a good choice for hot sleepers, and its amazing motion dissipation means you can sleep peacefully with a partner. However, keep in mind that its soft, slow-moving memory foam comfort layers give it an enveloping feel. It's not very responsive, which makes it feel harder to move around on, and you might find it constricting. If you prefer to sleep 'on' and not 'in' your mattress, our next recommendation, the Helix Midnight Luxe 2025, is a better choice. Finally, note that the Casper's comfort layers use low-quality memory foam, and it may form permanent indentations sooner than mattresses that use higher-quality foams.
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Best Upper Mid-Range Mattress For Side Sleepers
Side SleepingLight WeightAverage WeightHeavy WeightFirmness LevelMedium (44 Pa/mm)LongevityMotion DissipationCoolingSee all our test resultsResponsivenessIf the Casper Snow's slow feeling, plush memory foam sounds like your worst nightmare, then we recommend checking out the upper mid-range Helix Midnight Luxe 2025 instead. Like the Casper Snow, it's a Medium hybrid mattress best suited for average-weight and heavier side sleepers as it'll offer decent support, while its soft upper layers allow your arm and shoulder to sink in, relieving pressure when sleeping on your side. The plush quilted top and memory foam upper comfort layer create a slightly enveloping feel. However, because of its much more responsive sleeping surface, you don't feel tightly hugged or stuck in place.
It offers great cooling, so it shouldn't make you feel overheated, even if you're usually a hot sleeper. The mattress's sides are reinforced with firmer coils and are difficult to compress, so you can comfortably sit or sleep near the edge of the bed. Its motion isolation performance is good overall, as well, although larger movements can make the mattress bounce or wobble for a moment. It's also moderately durable, but lower-quality foam in the quilted layer may lead to permanent indentations sooner.
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Best Mid-Range Mattress For Side Sleepers
Side SleepingLight WeightAverage WeightHeavy WeightFirmness LevelMedium (46 Pa/mm)LongevityMotion DissipationCoolingSee all our test resultsResponsivenessIf you're looking for a slightly cheaper option, the Tuft and Needle Mint is the best mid-range mattress for side sleepers. This mattress has a Medium firmness level, but its upper layers are softer than the Helix Midnight Luxe 2025's. This helps it offer better body conformity for lighter individuals, making it more suitable for side sleepers in that weight category. It also offers great pressure relief for average-weight and heavier side sleepers and at least satisfactory support for most people, which helps keep your hips aligned with the rest of your body. Most of the foam layers are made of good- or high-quality foam, which will help it resist sagging for longer.
It's cooling enough for hot sleepers and also stands out for its fantastic motion dissipation performance, so you won't feel every move your partner makes. While you'll sink into it more overall than the Helix, its sleeping surface is responsive and not very contouring, so it has a less hugging feel. That said, it's not very bouncy, which can make it feel more difficult to change sleeping positions.
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Best Budget Mattress For Side Sleepers
Side SleepingLight WeightAverage WeightHeavy WeightFirmness LevelMedium (44 Pa/mm)LongevityMotion DissipationCoolingSee all our test resultsResponsivenessThe best budget mattress for side sleepers is the Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid. This Medium hybrid mattress isn't as cooling as the previous pick and has worse body conformity for lighter side sleepers, but it offers similar pressure relief for average-weight and heavier side sleepers, who will sink into it enough to relieve pressure. Its bouncy, responsive feel helps ensure you don't feel stuck in place, while its contouring upper comfort layers help with pressure relief.
It's not ideal for hot sleepers, but its cooling performance is still very good, so it shouldn't make you feel overheated if you don't usually sleep hot. Its very good motion dissipation means you won't feel every move your partner makes. Unfortunately, although it includes one layer of good-quality foam, most of the foam layers are made of lower-quality materials.
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Best Cheap Mattress For Side Sleepers
Side SleepingLight WeightAverage WeightHeavy WeightFirmness LevelMedium-Firm (54 Pa/mm)LongevityMotion DissipationCoolingSee all our test resultsResponsivenessThe best cheap mattress for side sleepers that we've tested is the Allswell Hybrid. This inexpensive mattress has a Medium-Firm feel and offers excellent body conformity for heavier side sleepers, relieving pressure on the arm and shoulder. It's also more supportive for people in that weight category than the Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid, which helps ensure your hip and shoulder sink in evenly. While its somewhat firm comfort layers aren't very enveloping, a memory foam layer adds contouring and helps with pressure relief. It's bouncy and responsive, so you don't feel stuck in place.
It offers a solid overall performance as well, with impressive cooling and excellent motion dissipation. Firmer coils along the sides help give it very sturdy edges, so you can comfortably sleep near the side of the bed. However, it only contains one layer of good-quality foam, so it's not a very durable mattress. It's also not as versatile as some of the previous picks: it doesn't offer enough pressure relief for lighter side sleepers, and while it's not a bad choice for average-weight side sleepers, you might prefer a more conforming mattress if you mostly sleep on your side.
Notable Mentions
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Casper Cooling Select:
The Casper Cooling Select is a budget-friendly mattress with better motion dissipation than the Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid. It offers similar pressure relief and better support for average-weight and heavier people, which is helpful if you also sleep on your back or stomach. However, it won't offer enough pressure relief for lighter side sleepers.
See our review -
Casper Snow (Canadian Version):
The Casper Snow (Canadian Version) offers even better pressure relief for lighter side sleepers than the Casper Snow (U.S.). Its cooling and motion dissipation are similar, but its edge support is worse, and people in other weight categories can get better support and similar pressure relief from the U.S. version.
See our review -
Saatva Classic (Plush Soft):
The Saatva Classic (Plush Soft) is a Medium-Plush mattress that offers slightly better body conformity for lighter people than the Casper Snow, so it offers better pressure relief for side sleepers in that weight category. It's cooling enough for hot sleepers as well, but its weaker motion dissipation makes the Casper a much better option if you sleep with a partner.
See our review -
Saatva Rx:
The Saatva Rx is a good alternative to the Casper Snow if you want a mattress that feels easy to move around on. Like the Casper, it has a great balance of pressure relief and support for side sleepers, especially in the average and heavier weight categories, but it's also extremely responsive, so you won't feel stuck in place. However, its motion isolation and edge support are much weaker.
See our review -
Silk & Snow Mattress:
The Silk & Snow Mattress is a budget-friendly all-foam mattress that offers better pressure relief for lighter side sleepers than the Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid. It offers fantastic motion isolation and great cooling, but the mattress has very little bounce, which gives it a sluggish feel and makes it feel harder to move around on.
See our review
Recent Updates
Mar 13, 2026:
We've added the Silk & Snow Mattress to Notable Mentions because it's a good budget-friendly option for lighter side sleepers.
Feb 17, 2026:
We've updated our recommendations, adding mattresses that have recently been tested. The Allswell Hybrid and Helix Midnight Luxe 2025 have been added as picks, and the Saatva Rx and Casper Cooling Select have been added as Notable Mentions.
Jan 28, 2026:
We've updated the article to present recommendations by price. The Casper Snow, Tuft and Needle Mint, Beautyrest Mattress, Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid, and DreamCloud Classic Hybrid were added as picks.
Jan 13, 2026:
We removed the Sealy Posturepedic Plus Hybrid as the 'Best Medium-Plush Mattress For Side Sleeping' as it offers similar body conformity and doesn't perform as well as the Nectar Premier. We added the Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid as an alternative for lighter side sleepers. We also added the Casper Snow as a memory foam pick, since it performs well for many side sleepers, and added the Saatva Classic (Plush Soft) to the Notable Mentions.
Nov 27, 2025:
We've reorganized the article to focus on 'Medium' and 'Medium-Plush' mattresses and to include price-based picks. Removed the Purple Mattress and Beautyrest Silver BRS900, as most side-sleepers need a softer mattress. Also removed the Nectar Premier Copper, which has been discontinued. Added the Sealy Posturepedic Hybrid and Nectar Premier as options under $1,000 and the Stears & Foster Lux Estate as the 'Best Medium-Plush Mattress For Side Sleepers.'
All Reviews
The recommendations above are what we think currently represent the best mattresses for most side sleepers. We factor in performance, price, availability, and feedback from our visitors.
Of course, the best mattress for you depends on your specific needs and preferences. If you'd like more options to consider, here's a list of all our mattress reviews so you can find the right fit.