The best memory foam mattresses for a better night's sleep, according to professional mattress testers
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Nothing is more restorative than a good night’s sleep, but for most of us, it isn't quite as simple as just lying down on whatever cheap mattress you've found at first glance online and drifting off. Different mattresses suit different styles of sleepers, and we all have our own personal preferences as well. For the purposes of this guide, we're talking about everything to do with memory foam mattresses- whether that is a mattress made entirely from foams, or hybrids that include springs alongside layers of foam.
Memory foam mattresses, while a relatively new invention, have grown in popularity over the years, offering plenty of benefits, no matter your sleeping style, sleeping position and body shape. Suitable as they are to everyone, they're widely believed to be best for side sleepers, people with aches and pains, or anyone who wants extra levels of support. Some will be all-foam mattresses, while other hybrid styles will have mixed fillings, created from foam bases and tops, with springs cushioned in the middle.
While we'd love to recommend spending a few days visiting your favourite furniture shops, mattress retailers or mattress brands in person so you can get a feel for each mattress yourself, it's near impossible to gauge how you'll actually sleep on a mattress just from lying on it for a few seconds. Deep-diving into the specs online, reading reviews from professional testers (like us) as well as customers, and then shopping from a reputable brand that offers a good mattress trial period is more often than not the best way to go.
- Our top picks: The best memory foam mattresses on the market
- How we tested the best memory foam mattresses and selected our top picks:
- Our hands-on testing system:
- What we look for in a memory foam mattress when we're testing:
- Who we are:
- Why buy a memory foam mattress?
- Everything you need to know about memory foam mattresses, a step-by-step guide from our professional testers:
- What are some of the benefits of a memory foam mattress? The science behind it
- What is off-gassing? Is it safe?
- What is the best memory foam mattress for side sleepers?
- How do I choose a memory foam mattress based on sleeping position or body type?
- Are there memory foam mattresses specifically good for hot sleepers?
- What trial periods are typical for memory foam mattresses?
How we tested the best memory foam mattresses and selected our top picks:
Testing is the key to everything we do here at House & Garden and every mattress we recommend will have been personally tried and tested by a professional. Whether it's one of our sleep editors and writers, a discerning interiors expert from the wider team, or our network of contributing mattress testers, we've spent the last five years working through all of the top mattress brands in the UK, as well as newer, smaller brands, to determine once and for all what the best mattresses to buy now, in 2025, are. Here, we've delved specifically into memory foam mattresses, looking at both pure memory foam mattresses and hybrids, containing springs and foam, to give you a rundown of the best ones for every style of sleeper.
Regardless of the type of mattress, our core criteria for a good mattress remain the same. Tested over a period of at least 30 days, we're rating and reviewing each mattress based on comfort, how well we actually slept, firmness, temperature regulation, contouring, pressure relief, if it helped with any aches and pains, delivery processes and how easy it is to care for. For memory foam mattresses specifically, we pay extra attention to temperature regulation, something memory foams in the past has been known to be quite bad for.
Our team at House & Garden is led by commerce editor Arabella Bowes, who's been writing about everything to do with sleep and interior design for the past five years. She's tried and tested countless mattresses, and oversees the testing process alongside Tilly Wheeler, assigning each mattress that requires testing to a writer who's right for it. They are joined by Daphne Bugler, who's been writing about mattresses since 2021, regularly speaking to experts, interviewing sleep specialists and personally testing new and interesting mattress releases herself.
Our top picks: The best memory foam mattresses on the market
Best overall memory foam mattress: Nectar Memory Foam Mattress
| Nectar Memory Foam Mattress | |
|---|---|
| Firmness level: | Medium firm |
| Type of mattress: | Memory foam |
| Sizes available: | Single, small double, double, king, super king |
| Guarantee: | Forever |
| Trial period: | 365 nights |
| Mattress depth: | 25cm |
| Care: | Rotated as necessary, no specific instructions from the brand |
| Delivery: | Free Named Day Shipping |
Tried and tested by one of our external sleep contributors, Nectar's memory foam mattress is the mattress for anyone who is purely after that foam-like feeling. There are no springs here, just a classic memory foam vibe that's contouring, pressure-relieving, and incredibly comfortable. There's more than enough temperature regulation, and the ideal level of firmness.
Nectar’s Memory Foam Mattress features five layers and provides medium firmness, delivering plenty of comfort while also providing added support for back sleepers. It also comes with a year sleep trial and a very impressive ‘forever’ guarantee, so you really won’t lose sleep with this one.
Best hybrid memory foam mattress: Simba Hybrid Luxe Mattress
- One of the most comfortable mattresses our editor has ever slept on
- Innovative design with aerocoils, cooling covers and breathable materials.
- Simba can be a bit harder to find with major sales so you'll really need to be tuned in and focused if you want to grab one of these at a big discount these season.
| Simba Hybrid Luxe Mattress | |
|---|---|
| Firmness level: | Medium firm |
| Type of mattress: | Foam hybrid |
| Sizes available: | Single, small double, double, EU Queen, king and super king |
| Guarantee: | 10 years |
| Trial period: | 200 nights |
| Mattress depth: | 31cm |
| Care: | After 3 months, turn it 180 degrees, then rotate it every 3-6 months |
| Delivery: | Order by 2pm for free UK next day delivery |
'The most luxurious in its line of hybrid mattresses, the Simba Hybrid Luxe is one of the most comfortable mattresses I've ever slept on. It is supportive, soft and breathable; as someone who runs hot, the latter has been a game-changer for my sleep. And my sound sleep is not borne from placebo effect: my wearable sleep tracker has noted that I've been sleeping better and more deeply, with my REM cycle improving by over 30% and my ability to fall asleep falling from a ten minute latency period to four. Talk about sweet dreams.'
Coined as the Simba’s most luxurious ‘hybrid’ mattress to date, the Hybrid Luxe is undoubtedly a favourite amongst many discerning sleepers. It is made with double stacked titanium ‘Aerocoil’ springs at the top, high carbon spring layers at the base for pressure relief, with a breathable, temperature and moisture-regulating bamboo-in-wool layer.
MAY WE SUGGEST: Simba Hybrid Luxe Mattress review
Best memory foam mattress for side sleepers: REM-Fit® 600 Lux Elite Hybrid Mattress
| REM-Fit® 600 Lux Elite Hybrid mattress | |
|---|---|
| Mattress depth: | 25cm |
| Trial period: | 100 nights, or 200 nights when purchasing a mattress protector at the same time |
| Guarantee: | 15 years |
| Sizes available: | Single, small double, double, king and super king |
| Type of mattress: | Hybrid |
| Firmness: | Medium-firm |
| Material: | Removable, machine washable thermo-regulating hypoallergenic mattress cover, dual-layer spring system, open-cell memory foam |
| Country of manufacture: | UK |
| Care: | Rotate regularly to avoid wear and tear |
The most premium of REM-Fit’s hybrid range, the 600 Lux Elite combines 4,000 pocket springs with responsive foam for tailored support and cooling comfort. It’s especially well-suited to side sleepers and those prone to back pain, striking a rare balance between cloud-like softness and medium-firm stability.
Made in the UK, the mattress arrives vacuum-packed and ready to use within hours, with no lingering chemical odour. Generous trial terms (100 nights, extended to 200 with a mattress protector) and free returns add peace of mind. At £730 for a single, it’s a long-term investment designed for 7–10 years of consistently restorative sleep.
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| The Premium Memory Foam Mattress | |
|---|---|
| Firmness level: | Medium firm |
| Type of mattress: | Memory foam |
| Sizes available: | Double, king and super king |
| Guarantee: | 10 years |
| Trial period: | 200 nights |
| Mattress depth: | 28cm |
| Care: | Rotate it 180° from time to time, washable cover |
| Delivery: | Free delivery |
When it comes to pure memory foam mattresses (no springs in sight, of course), Eve Sleep is one of the best brands in the business. Every detail is paid attention to, everything is engineered to be as comfortable and sleep-inducing as possible, and you're also getting great value for money. If you want a very traditional memory foam feel, with top-tier cooling tech, this is the one.
Made with four foam layers, the Eve Premium Memory Foam Mattress is just the thing for those looking for the perfect combination of firm support and softer comfort. Two of the softer foam layers contain cooling technology, which is perfect for hotter summer days or if you are a hot sleeper. Then there is the firmer layer towards the base layer, to aid with spine alignment and ease back pain. It's medium-firm and designed to work for all sleeping positions: side sleepers, front sleepers and back sleepers. The mattress has universally excellent reviews on the Eve website.
| Emma NextGen Premium Mattress | |
|---|---|
| Firmness level: | Medium firm |
| Type of mattress: | Foam hybrid |
| Sizes available: | Single, small double, double, EU double, EU queen, king and super king |
| Guarantee: | 10 years |
| Trial period: | 200 nights |
| Mattress depth: | 25cm |
| Care: | N/A |
| Delivery: | Free delivery in 5 - 10 working days |
‘As a hybrid mattress that has a higher proportion of pocket-springs-to-foam than others, it does feel closer to the traditional ‘sprung mattress’ than some of its competitor hybrid mattresses, which I really like. It feels properly supportive and structured, and that, to me, makes it less likely to end up in a skip when someone moves house. Plus, the four layers of memory foam on top of the springs does give it that suppleness that makes memory foam so appealing.’
There’s plenty to love with Emma’s Hybrid Premium Mattress which adds an extra touch of luxury to the well-loved original. This mattress has five layers which all perform a different function, from the breathable cover, to highly supportive foam, and a layer with seven zones of pocket springs that specifically support different areas of the body, from head to feet. All of which combine for a truly blissful night’s sleep.
MAY WE SUGGEST: Emma Hybrid Premium Mattress review
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| Memory Foam 2,000 Pocket Sprung Hybrid Mattress | |
|---|---|
| Firmness level: | Medium firm |
| Type of mattress: | Hybrid |
| Sizes available: | Single, double, king and super king |
| Guarantee: | 1 year |
| Trial period: | 100 nights |
| Mattress depth: | 25cm |
| Care: | No flipping, just rotate regularly |
| Delivery: | £19.99, dispatched in 3-7 days |
'Once you're stretched out, the mattress lives up to its medium-firm name, and feels no less supportive than the firm sprung mattress that was its predecessor, but with a comforting plushness to its texture. There's also no need to turn this mattress - indeed it would be a bad idea as you'd end up with gel on the bottom and springs on the top - just a rotation every few months will keep it in shape. A few weeks in, and the mattress seems to get more and more comfortable, its yielding yet firm surface a welcoming presence.'
Crafted in Yorkshire, Dusk's Memory Foam 2,000 Pocket Sprung Hybrid Mattress mattress is perfect for regulating body temperatures. The mattress comprises four layers, with a breathable fabric at the top as well as a layer of individually-wrapped heat tempered pocket springs in the middle.
MAY WE SUGGEST: Dusk Hybrid Mattress review
Other memory foam mattresses we love:
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| Emma Original Mattress | |
|---|---|
| Firmness level: | Medium firm |
| Type of mattress: | All-foam mattress |
| Sizes available: | Single, small double, double, king and super king |
| Guarantee: | 10 years |
| Trial period: | 200 nights |
| Mattress depth: | 25cm |
| Care: | N/A |
| Delivery: | Free delivery in 5 - 10 working days |
Priced from £469 (though it's frequently on sale), Emma’s Original Mattress certainly offers plenty of value for money. Made entirely from foam, it has three breathable foam layers and moisture-wicking materials, making it a perfect starter mattress for those looking to explore the world of memory foam.
| Panda Hybrid Bamboo Mattress | |
|---|---|
| Firmness level: | Medium firm |
| Type of mattress: | Hybrid |
| Sizes available: | UK single, EU single, UK small double, UK double, EU double, UK king, EU king, UK super king and EU emperor |
| Guarantee: | 10 years |
| Trial period: | 100 nights |
| Mattress depth: | 27cm |
| Care: | Cover can be washed at 30 degrees. Do not tumble dry. Wipe clean the mattress with a damp cloth. For a deeper clean, use a household steamer |
| Delivery: | Free delivery |
Warm sleepers will love Panda's Hybrid Bamboo mattress, which lays claim to being the ‘world’s most advanced, breathable bamboo mattress'. It's medium-firm and features six layers of optimised airflow, orthopaedic grade support. It also focuses on perfecting pressure point comfort, but our favourite feature has got to be its multi-zoned springs which isolate movement and means you can sleep soundly even if the person next to you is tossing and turning.
| Dormeo Fresh Deluxe Memory Foam Mattress | |
|---|---|
| Firmness level: | Medium/Soft |
| Type of mattress: | All-foam mattress |
| Sizes available: | Single, double, king, super king |
| Guarantee: | 15 years |
| Trial period: | 200 nights |
| Mattress depth: | 20cm |
| Care: | Rotate once a week for the first 4 weeks of use and then once every 4 weeks thereafter |
| Delivery: | Free delivery |
This Fresh Deluxe Memory Foam mattress from Dormeo’s extensive range is a luxurious option for those who prefer a slightly softer mattress, as this one has a medium/soft rating. It's perfect for people who are allergy-prone or concerned about dust mites, as it has been given their sanitising treatment, as well as being reinforced with silver fibres, known for their antibacterial, anti-static and anti-odour qualities.
| Silentnight Just Calm Premium Mattress | |
|---|---|
| Firmness level: | Medium |
| Type of mattress: | Hybrid |
| Sizes available: | Single, double, king and super king |
| Guarantee: | 10 years |
| Trial period: | 100 nights |
| Mattress depth: | 24cm |
| Care: | Turn it once a week for the first 4/6 weeks, then about once a month after that |
| Delivery: | Free delivery |
Another hybrid mattress, Silentnight's 'Just Calm' Premium mattress is all about the support. It's made with an impressive seven layers, and includes a supportive foam border around the base and sides of the mattress. Where it really comes into its own is with the edge-to-edge zone support design, meaning you won't get that 'falling out' of bed feeling here.
There's limited motion transfer and the ReVo foam is designed to help reduce body heat making it a great option for anyone who wakes up hot during the night. Its soft outer layer isn't removable though, so do consider a mattress protector.
Why buy a memory foam mattress?
Memory foam mattresses have many health benefits, which is why so many restless sleepers have decided to make the switch from spring to foam. Memory foam mattresses are known to suit many body types, relieve joint pain on pressure points, offer ergonomic support, and protect allergy sufferers from dust and mould. The best memory foam mattress to buy will always be whatever suits your specific sleep needs, regardless if you are a side, back or stomach sleeper, suffering from lower back pain, or in need of some temperature regulation.
Looking for more mattress content? Take a look at our selection of the best mattresses available to buy in the UK, or our top tips for how to clean a mattress. To enhance your mattress, consider our pick of the best mattress toppers, or if you're looking to save some pennies, find out what we think is the best cheap mattress in our dedicated guide. Finally, if a buying a mattress that's mindful of the environment and your health is important to you, head over to our best organic mattress round up.
Everything you need to know about memory foam mattresses, a step-by-step guide from our professional testers:
What are some of the benefits of a memory foam mattress? The science behind it
Memory foam mattresses were designed to follow the contours of your body shape. They are pressure-relieving and isolate motion, so you’re less likely to feel your partner, kids or pets, tossing and turning at night. Those looking for a bit more support without the firmness of a spring mattress, can always go down the hybrid route, which combine springs with layers of memory foam – offering the best of both worlds.
There are three types of memory foam mattresses: traditional, open cell and gel-infused. Each type boasts its own distinctive benefits. Traditional memory foam follows the shape of your body, though has been known to retain body heat. This type is ideal for cold winter nights, but not for sleepers who have a tendency for overheating in the early hours of the morning. Open cell allows for better air flow, while gel-infused absorbs heat – both these mattress types are ideal for sleepers who need temperature regulation.
What is off-gassing? Is it safe?
Off-gassing is the term for the release of chemicals under normal temperature or pressure levels. The phenomenon can be experienced when you have recently painted a room, had a new piece of furniture delivered or, in this case, have unwrapped your new memory foam mattress.
Given the small amount and low concentration of the chemicals, most people are in agreement that there is very little risk. We advise that you unwrap your memory foam mattress in the morning and leave the windows open to help ventilate the room before sleeping.
What is the best memory foam mattress for side sleepers?
In general, memory foam mattresses are much better for side sleepers than traditional spring mattresses. This is because the foam relieves pressure on the hips and shoulders. Now all you need is one House & Garden's best duvets on top, and one of our approved pillows for side sleepers.
How do I choose a memory foam mattress based on sleeping position or body type?
Look for mattresses with zoned support or hybrid designs: side sleepers benefit from softer surfaces to cushion hips and shoulders, while medium-firm ratings are commonly recommended for managing back pain.
Are there memory foam mattresses specifically good for hot sleepers?
Yes – hybrid memory foam mattresses often incorporate cooling materials like gel, bamboo or open-cell foam to regulate body temperature, making them ideal for those prone to overheating at night.
What trial periods are typical for memory foam mattresses?
Many memory foam and hybrid mattress brands offer risk-free sleep trials of 100 to 200 nights, often extending the period if you purchase a mattress protector. This allows ample time to adjust and return if needed.
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