The IKEA VALEVÅG is a budget hybrid mattress with a simple design, featuring a quilted layer, a polyfoam comfort layer, and a pocket-coil support layer. The support layer is zoned to support your hips and make the edges sturdier. We tested the mattress on its own, but you also have the option to purchase a topper to add extra cushioning and pressure relief.
Our Verdict
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5.8Light Weight
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7.8Average Weight
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8.6Heavy Weight
The IKEA VALEVÅG mattress is well-suited for average-weight side sleepers. These individuals will sink into it enough for good pressure relief when side sleeping, and the highly contouring comfort layers also help cushion pressure points like your arm and shoulder. Heavier people sink in the most, but because this mattress uses very little foam, they're likely to bottom out the mattress and feel pressure along their hips. On the flip side, if you're in the lighter weight category, it's much less conforming and doesn't offer enough pressure relief for comfortable side sleeping.
Very good pressure relief for average-weight side sleepers.
Highly contouring sleeping surface helps cushion pressure points.
Sub-par pressure relief for lighter sleepers.
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7.6Light Weight
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7.0Average Weight
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6.8Heavy Weight
The IKEA VALEVÅG is best-suited for lighter back sleepers. If you're in that weight category, you won't sink very much into it, and your spine will stay mostly aligned. The contouring sleeping surface helps add some pressure relief. It's also a decent option for average-weight back sleepers, and an adequate option for heavier ones. You'll benefit from better pressure relief, but your spine will bend more, so it's not quite as comfortable.
Very good support for lighter people, so your spine stays aligned.
Highly contouring sleeping surface helps cushion pressure points.
Average-weight and heavier people need more support for ideal spinal alignment.
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7.7Light Weight
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6.9Average Weight
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6.6Heavy Weight
The IKEA VALEVÅG mattress is best-suited for lighter stomach sleepers. Lighter people won't sink into it very much overall and get good support, which prevents your back from arching uncomfortably. If you're average-weight or heavier, you'll sink in further, which results in better pressure relief but worse support. Your spine won't stay as straight, which can cause aches and pains if you always sleep on your stomach.
Very good support for lighter people, so your spine stays aligned.
Highly contouring sleeping surface helps cushion pressure points.
Average-weight and heavier people need more support for ideal spinal alignment.
Changelog
- Updated Oct 13, 2026: Review published.
- Updated Oct 05, 2026: Early access published.
- Updated Sep 29, 2026: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Sep 25, 2026: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Aug 28, 2026: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
- Updated Aug 23, 2026: The product has won our suggestion poll, so we'll buy and test it soon.
Test Results
Firmness
The 'Medium-Firm' variant of the IKEA VALEVÅG has a Medium firmness level. It has thin comfort layers that most people will fully compress. Lighter people won't sink in much further overall, which results in good support but sub-par pressure relief. The support layer is made of 16-gauge coils that aren't as stiff as lower-gauge coils. This layer helps provide better body conformity and pressure relief for average-weight and heavier people, who sink into it more. However, that also results in worse support, since it'll let the heavier parts of your body, like your hips, sink in more.
This mattress has a Medium firmness level and performs well for average-weight side sleepers as well as lighter back/stomach sleepers. It provides adequate support for average-weight and heavier people as well, which makes it a decent option for combination sleepers. However, some Medium mattresses, like the Casper Cooling Select or Novaform Serafina Pearl, are more supportive and will do a better job of keeping your spine aligned when you sleep on your back or stomach.
The mattress's quilted top and upper comfort layer are both quite thin. Lighter individuals will only sink as far as the comfort layer, which helps explain the mattress's sub-par body conformity for people in that weight category. Average-weight and heavier people will compress both foam layers and also engage with the spring layer.
The support layer is made up of 16-gauge springs, so they're made of thinner wire than most mattress springs, which generally results in a softer spring. The coils in the lumbar area and along each side of the mattress are more tightly wound, which adds stiffness and is meant to create more support for your hips as well as better edge support. This zoned design doesn't result in extremely sturdy edges or a noticeable difference in firmness between the head/foot and lumbar area of the mattress, but average-weight shoulders will sink into the spring layer, which helps add pressure relief. Heavier-weight sleepers may feel like they're bottoming out the springs, however, which is less comfortable.
Longevity
The IKEA VALEVÅG isn't a very durable mattress. Neither polyfoam layer is made of good-quality foam, which makes it prone to forming permanent impressions and indentations before mattresses that include high-quality materials.
Neither foam layer is made of good-quality foam, making it prone to forming indentations.
Pressure Relief
The IKEA VALEVÅG offers different levels of pressure relief depending on your weight. If you're average weight, you'll sink into its comfort layers and also compress the spring layer, so it's very conforming, which makes it a comfortable option for side sleeping. The sleeping surface is also very contouring, which helps distribute your weight and adds pressure relief. Heavier individuals sink in the most, but may feel uncomfortable as they sink through the thin foam comfort layers. If you're lighter, you won't sink into the springs, so it's not as conforming and offers much less pressure relief. The contouring comfort layers still help cushion pressure points, but not enough for comfortable side sleeping.
Highly contouring sleeping surface helps cushion pressure points.
Sub-par pressure relief for lighter sleepers.
This mattress's body conformity performance depends on your weight. If you're average weight, it's impressively conforming, as you'll sink in enough for comfortable side sleeping. Heavier individuals will sink in too far given the mattress' design, as they quickly compress the foam comfort layers and bottom out the springs. However, it's much less conforming for lighter individuals and isn't a comfortable option for side sleepers in that weight category.
It doesn't have a very enveloping feel, since you won't sink very deeply overall into its comfort layer, and you'll feel like you're sleeping 'on' it instead of 'in' it. However, it's highly contouring, so it molds closely around your body, which helps distribute your weight and cushion pressure points.
Support
The IKEA VALEVÅG's support performance varies depending on your weight. If you're lighter, it offers good support and will keep your spine well-aligned whether you sleep on your back, stomach, or side. If you're average-weight or heavier, it offers adequate support. Your spine will bend more, and it's not ideal if you always sleep on your back or stomach.
Very good support for lighter people, so your spine stays aligned.
Average-weight and heavier people need more support for ideal spinal alignment.
This mattress is most supportive for lighter people. If you're in that weight category, it offers good support, so your hips won't sink overly far and your spine will stay well-aligned when you sleep on your back or stomach. It offers adequate support for average-weight and heavier people, so your spine will bend more, and it's less suitable for dedicated back/stomach sleepers.
Cooling
The IKEA VALEVÅG does a fantastic job of keeping you cool. While some mattresses feel cooler during the first hour you're in bed, it offers incredible cooling over eight hours, which makes it particularly well-suited for hot sleepers who often feel overheated later in the night.
Good cooling during the first hour.
Exceptionally cooling over eight hours.
Motion Dissipation
The IKEA VALEVÅG has good overall motion dissipation, with a small catch. The mattress doesn't isolate motion at its source, so you'll feel smaller movements as well as bigger ones all over the mattress. But motion dissipates very quickly, which helps make your partner's movements less noticeable as long as you aren't easily woken throughout the night.
Motion dissipates very quickly, so it's less likely to disturb you.
You'll feel movements all over the mattress.
You'll feel some smaller movements as well as bigger ones.
Responsiveness
The IKEA VALEVÅG is a very responsive mattress. Its resilient polyfoam comfort layers and spring support layer create a bouncy, very responsive sleeping surface, so it's easy to move around on, and you won't feel constricted.
Sleeping surface responds quickly when you move, so you don't feel held in place.
Bouncy design makes it feel easy to change sleeping positions.
This mattress is very responsive. The sleeping surface responds quickly when you move, so it doesn't feel like it's hugging you tightly or holding you in place.
Edge Support
The IKEA VALEVÅG has adequate edge support. The edges sink a bit when you sit on the side of the bed and form a ramp outward. This makes sitting or sleeping on the edge of the bed less comfortable overall, and while it's not extremely noticeable, it's not an ideal mattress for people who need sturdy edges for getting in and out of bed.
Edges sink a bit when you sit or sleep near the side of the mattress.
Edges form a slight ramp outward, which can make you feel pushed off the bed.
The edge support is just okay. The sides of the mattress sink a bit when you sit or sleep on the edge of the bed. Instead of compressing evenly, they form a slight ramp outward.
The edge coils are more tightly wound at the edge of the mattress, which is intended to give the edge coils a stiffer feel and provide additional support. However, the edges still compress more than is ideal and form a slight ramp, making it more difficult to get into and out of bed if you have mobility issues.
Popular Mattress Comparisons
The IKEA VALEVÅG is a budget-friendly hybrid mattress best suited for lighter back and stomach sleepers, as well as average-weight side sleepers. It's a decent option for average and heavier combination sleepers as well, but if you spend much of the night sleeping on your back or stomach, you might prefer a more supportive option, such as the Allswell Hybrid. This mattress is well-suited for hot sleepers who often wake up late at night feeling overheated, since it does a fantastic job of keeping cool over eight hours, while hot sleepers who need a cooling feel as they fall asleep might prefer the SweetNight CoolNest Pro or Purple Mattress. The IKEA's good motion isolation makes it suitable for couples, although if you want to maximize sleeping space without getting a bigger size, you might prefer something with better edge support, like the DreamCloud Classic Hybrid.
Check out the best affordable mattresses for options in the same price range, or the best mattresses-in-a-box if you want doorstep delivery. If you're a hot sleeper, you might also be interested in the best cooling mattresses.
The Allswell Hybrid and IKEA VALEVÅG have different strengths. The Allswell is firmer and more supportive, making it a better option for most back/stomach sleepers. It also offers significantly better motion isolation, so you'll feel fewer of your partner's movements. The IKEA VALEVÅG offers better pressure relief, so it's much more comfortable for side sleepers, especially in the average-weight and heavier categories. If you're a hot sleeper, you might prefer it for its significantly better cooling.
You might prefer either the DreamCloud Classic Hybrid or the IKEA VALEVÅG. The DreamCloud is more conforming and comfortable for average-weight and especially lighter side sleepers. It has significantly better edge support, which makes the sleeping surface feel more spacious. The IKEA's better support makes it more suitable for lighter back and stomach sleepers. It also provides significantly more cooling and is a better choice for hot sleepers.
The Casper Cooling Select Hybrid is better than the IKEA VALEVÅG for most people. It offers better pressure relief and a more comfortable feel for lighter and average-weight side sleepers. It's also much more supportive for average-weight and heavier people, making it a more comfortable option for back and stomach sleeping. Its much better motion isolation makes movements less noticeable, and it uses more durable foam. That said, the IKEA VALEVÅG is a more supportive option for lighter individuals and better for back or stomach sleepers in that category. Its significantly better cooling performance makes it more suitable for hot sleepers as well.
The Beautyrest Mattress and IKEA VALEVÅG have different strengths. Both are best suited for average-weight and heavier side sleepers, but the IKEA is much cooler and better suited for hot sleepers. It also uses denser foam, so it's much more durable. The Beautyrest isolates motion much more effectively, so you'll feel fewer of your partner's movements. Its edges are also significantly sturdier, which gives you a more comfortable sleeping space and makes it a better option for people with mobility issues.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The IKEA VALEVÅG is available in Twin, Full, Queen, and King sizes and comes in Medium, Medium-Firm, or Firm. We bought and tested the Queen-size Medium-Firm mattress. It's also available for purchase with a variety of toppers. Here's a picture of our unit's label.
