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. The best mattresses for side sleeping offer strong pressure relief, since more weight is concentrated on smaller areas of your arm and shoulder when you sleep on your side. That means you'll want a mattress with good body conformity, so you can sink in sufficiently and avoid uncomfortable pressure points. Solid support is also important, so your hips don't sink in overly far and your spine stays aligned. Medium and Medium-Plush mattresses are often best suited for side sleeping, with firmer models often performing better for heavier individuals. If you're interested in how we assess mattress firmness and how it affects mattress performance, check our firmness guide.
We've tested over 55 mattresses, and below are our recommendations for the best mattresses for side sleepers. Our picks include options for people in a range of weight categories, and we've also considered other important aspects like cooling to help you sleep comfortably, motion dissipation so you can sleep peacefully with a partner, and longevity so your mattress maintains its performance for as long as possible.
For a wider view of the mattress market, see our recommendations for the best mattresses or best king-size mattresses. If you sleep hot, you may want to consider one of the best cooling mattresses.
We've tested over 55 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 Sleeping8.2Light Weight7.1Average Weight8.5Heavy Weight8.9Firmness LevelMedium (44 Pa/mm)Longevity6.8Motion Dissipation8.2Cooling8.2See all our test resultsResponsiveness8.2The best mattress for side sleepers that we've tested is the Helix Midnight Luxe 2025. This Medium hybrid mattress is best suited for average-weight and heavier side sleepers and also offers good cooling for hot sleepers. This mattress's plush quilted top and memory foam upper comfort layer let you sink in and contour around you quite closely, relieving pressure on your arm and shoulder. However, because of the much more responsive sleeping surface, you don't feel tightly hugged or stuck in place. It also offers great cooling, so it won'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, allowing you to comfortably sit or sleep near the edge of the bed, and increasing the comfortable sleeping space for couples. However, while its motion isolation is good, larger movements can make the mattress bounce or wobble for a moment. As a result, this mattress isn't for you if you sleep with a partner who tosses and turns in their sleep, and you're easily awoken. Finally, while it includes some good-quality foam, the lower-quality foam in the quilted layer may still lead to permanent indentations sooner than mattresses with high-quality, dense foams.
If you want a mattress with a responsive feel, you might also be interested in our recommendations for the best hybrid mattresses.
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Best Mattress For Lighter Side Sleepers
Side Sleeping8.4Light Weight7.5Average Weight8.7Heavy Weight9.0Firmness LevelMedium-Plush (39 Pa/mm)Longevity5.7Motion Dissipation6.5Cooling8.3See all our test resultsResponsiveness9.1If you're a lighter person, it can be difficult to find a mattress for side sleeping, since even plusher options often won't let you sink in enough for good pressure relief. The Saatva Classic (Plush Soft) offers good body conformity for lighter people, so compared to the Helix Midnight Luxe 2025, it does a better job of cushioning your arm and shoulder so that you can comfortably sleep on your side. Its decent support helps keep your spine aligned and makes it suitable for combination sleepers as well. However, its mediocre support for average-weight and heavier people makes it less ideal for people in those weight categories, especially if you sometimes sleep on your back or stomach.
The mattress has an enveloping but responsive feel, so you'll sink into it a lot overall, but it doesn't hug tightly or make you feel stuck in place. Its impressive cooling makes it suitable for hot sleepers. However, its motion isolation is just okay, which makes it less ideal for couples. You'll feel most of your partner's movements, and motion can make the mattress wobble or bounce for a moment, making it more likely to wake you.
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Best Memory Foam Mattress For Side Sleepers
Side Sleeping8.3Light Weight7.6Average Weight8.4Heavy Weight8.9Firmness LevelMedium (47 Pa/mm)Longevity5.3Motion Dissipation8.5Cooling8.9See all our test resultsResponsiveness5.0If you like the hugging feel of memory foam, consider the Casper Snow. This very versatile Medium mattress is a great choice for side sleeping, regardless of your weight, and is also very versatile, offering solid support for combination sleepers, excellent cooling for hot sleepers, and strong motion dissipation for couples. Although it's not quite as conforming for lighter people as the Saatva Classic (Plush Soft), it still does a decent job of relieving pressure on your arm and shoulder, and offers an even better performance for side sleepers in other weight categories. Support is also solid enough regardless of your weight, which helps ensure you sink in evenly and that your spine stays aligned throughout the night. It also offers excellent cooling both when you get into bed and throughout the night, 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, so you feel like you're sleeping 'in' rather than 'on' the mattress. It's also not very responsive, which creates a hugging feel that you might find cozy or constricting, depending on your preferences. Finally, note that the Casper's comfort layers use low-quality memory foam, so it's likely to form permanent indentations sooner than mattresses with at least some good-quality foam, such as the Helix Midnight Luxe 2025.
If you like the feel of memory foam, you might be interested in the best memory foam mattresses.
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Best Mid-Range Mattress For Side Sleepers
Side Sleeping7.9Light Weight7.0Average Weight8.2Heavy Weight8.5Firmness LevelMedium (46 Pa/mm)Longevity6.3Motion Dissipation9.0Cooling8.4See all our test resultsResponsiveness8.7If you're a combination sleeper and want more support for occasional back and stomach sleeping without springing for a high-end mattress, consider the Tuft and Needle Mint. This mid-range mattress is best suited for average-weight and heavier side sleepers, but also performs decently for lighter ones, like our top pick, Helix Midnight Luxe 2025. It's also a little more supportive overall, which helps keep your hips from sinking in overly far and makes it a particularly good option for combination sleepers in a range of weight categories.
Despite the more affordable price, it's also quite a durable mattress, since 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 offers fantastic motion dissipation, so you won't feel every move your partner makes. While you'll sink into it quite a bit, unlike the Casper Snow's memory foam layers, its sleeping surface has a responsive feel and won't make you feel stuck in place.
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Best Budget Mattress For Side Sleepers
Side Sleeping8.1Light Weight7.2Average Weight8.4Heavy Weight8.7Firmness LevelMedium-Plush (39 Pa/mm)Longevity6.7Motion Dissipation9.4Cooling8.1See all our test resultsResponsiveness7.7The Silk & Snow Mattress is a great budget-friendly option for side sleep, especially for lighter individuals looking for an affordable option. Its superb motion isolation also makes it particularly worth considering for couples, especially if you sleep lightly. This all-foam bed-in-a-box has a softer feel and better overall body conformity than the Tuft and Needle Mint, which helps it offer better pressure relief, particularly for people in the lighter and average-weight categories. Its memory foam upper comfort layer allows you to sink in significantly, but it isn't very contouring, so while you won't benefit from the extra pressure relief of a highly contouring mattress, you won't feel stuck in place. That said, it's a noticeably unbouncy mattress, which makes it feel more difficult to move around on.
Despite its all-foam design, it offers impressive cooling. Its superb motion isolation performance makes it well-suited for sleeping with a partner, since you won't feel most movements. It's also reasonably durable, since each layer is made of dense, good-quality foam. However, its edge support is just okay, so it's not ideal if you want a solid surface for getting in and out of bed. While it offers strong pressure relief for heavier individuals, it's not as supportive as the Tuft and Needle for people in that weight category, and you may prefer a more supportive mattress for side sleep.
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Best Cheap Mattress For Side Sleepers
Side Sleeping6.7Light Weight4.9Average Weight7.1Heavy Weight8.1Firmness LevelMedium-Firm (54 Pa/mm)Longevity6.0Motion Dissipation8.8Cooling8.3See all our test resultsResponsiveness8.1The Allswell Hybrid is worth considering if you want to spend as little as possible on a mattress that performs well overall, especially if you're in the heavier weight category and want something more supportive than the Silk & Snow Mattress. With a Medium-Firm feel, it's the firmest mattress on the list so far, but it 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 previous pick, which helps ensure you sink in evenly. While its somewhat firm comfort layers aren't very enveloping, memory foam adds contouring and helps with pressure relief. It's bouncy and responsive, so you don't feel stuck in place.
It has good all-around 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 contains only one layer of good-quality foam, which is more prone to forming permanent impressions than more durable materials. 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.
For more less expensive mattress options, check out the best affordable mattresses.
Notable Mentions
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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 -
DreamCloud Premier Hybrid:
The DreamCloud Premier Hybrid is a budget-friendly Medium-Plush mattress well-suited for average-weight and heavier side sleepers. It's a good alternative to the Silk & Snow Mattress if you want something bouncier, but its motion isolation isn't quite as good, and it's not as durable. It's also not as well-suited for lighter side sleepers.
See our review -
Nolah Evolution:
The Nolah Evolution is a mid-range hybrid mattress with excellent pressure relief for average-weight and heavier side sleepers. Its highly contouring sleeping surface gives it a more enveloping feel than the Tuft and Needle Mint, but it's not as suitable for lighter side sleepers and offers worse support for almost everyone.
See our review
Recent Updates
Jun 25, 2026:
We added the Saatva Classic (Plush Soft) as the best option for lighter side sleepers. We also made the Helix Midnight Luxe 2025 our top pick and moved the Casper Snow to the 'Best Memory Foam' category since its hugging feel isn't for everyone.
May 21, 2026:
We checked that our picks still represent the best options and that the products are available.
Apr 14, 2026:
In the budget category, we replaced the Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid with the Silk and Snow Mattress, which offers better motion isolation, cooling, and durability. We also added the Nolah Evolution, Serta Perfect Sleeper Innerspring, and DreamCloud Premier Hybrid to the Notable Mentions.
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.
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. For more information on how we evaluate each mattress's performance for different weights and sleeping positions, see our Test Bench 1.1 Changelog.
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.