Top 10 Mattresses for Side Sleepers of 2025, Expert-Tested and Approved

Why we chose the Titan Plus Elite mattress: We were immediately impressed by how supportive and luxurious this mattress feels. Specifically designed to hold up to 1,000 pounds, the new Titan Plus Elite by Brooklyn Bedding offers the perfect combination of support and cushioning for heavier side sleepers. To top it off, there’s a 2-inch plush pillow top with cooling fibers to help keep you cooler throughout the night.

How it sleeps: This responsive bed has a slight hint of a memory foam feel due to a layer of thousands of individually wrapped micro-coils. These small coils increase the bed's motion isolation capabilities (which is great if you sleep with a partner) and enhance that cushioning sensation. 

Thanks to its heavy-duty coil system and high-density foams, you won't have to worry about sagging with this ultra-durable mattress. It has zoned support and pressure relief in the right places, which is crucial for side sleepers. It lands around a medium (perhaps a hair into medium-firm), ideal for heavy individuals and couples -- the heavier you are, the more you’ll sink into the mattress and the softer it usually feels.

Though it has Titan's GlacioTex materials on the top, this mattress sleeps more temperature-neutral than actively cooling. It offers excellent edge support -- another feature to look for if you share the bed.

At $2,398, it's not necessarily a budget option, but the brand frequently offers discounts that can bring the price for a queen down to $1,800, which we think is a steal for a bed this nice.

Runner-up: The Saatva HD is another great choice designed to support heavier people. This high-end mattress has a super supportive innerspring system and Lumbar Zone technology to promote healthy spinal alignment. One downside is that this bed requires a particular Saatva HD Foundation, as it's not compatible with regular foundations or box springs. At $3,399, it's on the pricier end, but it is worth looking into if you're considering a premium mattress.

Why we chose the Helix Sunset Luxe mattress: The Helix Sunset Luxe is surprisingly soft yet offers a ton of support. This responsive hybrid mattress has a comfortable and plush pillow-top feel that most people like. Thanks to the soft and cradling comfort foam layers, its medium-soft firmness profile is ideal for side sleepers seeking pressure relief around the shoulders and hips.

How it sleeps: The Helix Sunset Luxe has a plush pillow-top feel that's mostly neutral with a trace of memory foam -- it's like sinking into a cloud. We were impressed by how supportive it is despite feeling so soft. Its durable coil system has a specific Zoned Lumbar Support design intended to keep your spine neutrally aligned, which is a great feature to look for in a mattress if you have back issues. The heavy-duty pocketed coils provide plenty of support for all body types, including heavier sleepers.  

The Tencel cover on the Helix Sunset Luxe is a breathable, hypoallergenic material that helps wick moisture away. However, it isn't truly cooling, so if you are a very hot sleeper, you may want to consider adding the optional cooling cover for an additional cost. 

While it's ideal for side sleepers, this mattress could also work for some combination sleepers who favor their sides. The bed's perimeter is reinforced with durable steel coils, creating solid edge support -- important for those sharing the bed with a partner, kids or pets. 

Helix frequently offers discounts that slash the prices way down, often taking the price for a queen from $2,374 to $1,899 or less, which we think is pretty good for a premium bed like the Helix Sunset Luxe.

Runner-up: The Helix Moonlight Helix Sleeps offers multiple mattress lines with varying feels and firmness levels through its Core, Luxe and Elite collections. If you're interested in a Helix bed but need help determining which one is right for you, check out Helix's nifty sleep quiz.

Why we chose the Purple Mattress: The original Purple Mattress is simultaneously soft and supportive, providing the pressure relief needed if you have hip or shoulder pain as a side sleeper. Its responsive GelFlex Grid comfort layer cradles those pressure points while supporting your back and spine. Not to mention, the breathable grid design helps you sleep cooler -- another perk if you're suffering from chronic pain.

How it sleeps: Purple mattresses all incorporate this unique GelFlex Grid feature made of hyper-elastic polymer. This proprietary material is incredibly stretchy and durable, providing a soft surface that cradles and supports your curves. Shaped in a grid with thousands of individual air channels, it naturally sleeps cooler by allowing your body heat to escape.
"One benefit of the GelFlex Grid is it does an excellent job of helping the mattress sleep temperature. Because the material has very little surface area, the bed has amazing airflow, which helps prevent heat buildup and it doesn't retain heat like some types of foam. I slept on a Purple Hybrid mattress for years, and I noticed this benefit a lot during the summer months," says Owen Poole, CNET senior video producer and mattress expert.

Lying on the Purple Mattress, you can feel the grid beneath you more than most of the other more expensive Purple mattresses. Our experts rate the Purple Mattress medium on the firmness scale or around 5 out of 10. Its all-foam construction (meaning no coils) is best for sleepers on the lighter side, under 230 pounds. If you're heavier, we recommend checking out the Purple Restore Hybrid. 

Runner-up: The Nolah Signature Hybrid is a medium-soft mattress with a perforated AirFoam layer that cushions your shoulders and hips. It also has targeted support zones to help relieve tension in high-stress areas. 

Why we chose the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe: The Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe is a super cool bed -- literally. In addition to its exceptional cooling technology, this mattress comes in three firmness options, so you can choose the right one for you. It has a soft, neutral foam feel and a supportive hybrid design that works for all body types.

How it sleeps: Many mattress brands claim their beds are cooling, but few actually are -- Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe being one of them (which is why it also took the crown as the best for hot sleepers on our top cooling mattresses list). I was impressed by how cool-to-the-touch its GlacioTex cover is, which truly helps you sleep cooler rather than just temperature neutral.

This supportive hybrid design of the Aurora Luxe includes a high-density foam base, durable pocketed coils and Brooklyn Bedding's proprietary foam layers: Gel Swirl memory foam, Supreme Response comfort foam and CopperFlex.

For strict side sleepers, we recommend opting for the Soft model. If you're on the heavier side or more of a combination sleeper, check out the medium firmness option. The firm version, which we think is more medium-firm, is best for stomach and back sleepers.

Runner-up: If you're looking for another maximum cooling mattress and budget isn't a concern, check out the Tempur-Pedic Luxe Breeze. At $5,599, it’s one of the more expensive beds we’ve tested. It comes in multiple firmness options, with soft being the best for side sleepers.

Read more in our Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe review. 

Why we chose the Nolah Original mattress: Though a queen-size Nolah Original 10" retails for $1,449, it's typically on sale for as low as $999 -- a smoking deal for the quality. This all-foam mattress has a unique yet accommodating mixed or blended foam feel. It has some sinking sensation like memory foam but is much more responsive and bouncy.

How it sleeps: The Nolah Original has a simple design of three layers of various foams and a Tencel cover on top. The foams include Nolah's 8-inch SolidSleep foam foundation, 1 inch of AirFoam Ice and 1 inch of Zoned AirFoam Ice. The zoned layer is perforated around the shoulders to add pressure relief and softness for side sleepers, while it's firmer in the middle for lumbar support. 

If you're of average to heavy weight, you'll likely find this mattress to feel somewhere between medium to medium-soft, like most of our CNET sleep experts found. If you're lighter like me, this mattress may feel slightly firmer than that, around a 5 to 6 out of 10 on the firmness scale. 

We recommend a hybrid mattress if you are on the heavier side or weigh 230 pounds or more. The Nolah Original Hybrid is $300 more and offers a medium firmness profile and a neutral hybrid feel, another great option for heavy side sleepers.

Runner-up: The Dreamfoam Hybrid mattress retails for $799 but is often a couple of hundred dollars cheaper during the brand's frequent sales. Thanks to its supportive comfort foams, it offers a soft neutral foam feel and an accommodating medium firmness level. This is another option for side and combination sleepers that offers impressive bang for your buck.

For more discounts, check out our Best Mattress Deals. 

Why we chose the Leesa Legend Chill Hybrid mattress: Side sleepers with back pain need a softer bed with enough support to keep the spine in healthy, neutral alignment. That's where the Leesa Legend Chill Hybrid mattress comes in. Its medium-soft to medium firmness profile provides ample pressure relief for the shoulders, hips and knees and sufficiently supports the back and neck.

How it sleeps: The Leesa Legend Chill has a dual coil system with zoned support and a micro-coil layer for increased motion isolation and enhanced pressure relief. It features a cushioning cool-to-the-touch quilted cover that can also help reduce pain by preventing overheating at night.

In testing, we found this bed between medium-soft and medium, confirmed by our Mattress Smasher's rating of a 4 out of 10 on the firmness scale, which puts it right in the sweet spot for side sleepers and combination sleepers who favor their sides. It also has reinforced edge support, a huge plus if your partner is a bed hog. 

A queen-size retails for $2,800, which is expensive. Thankfully, Leesa often runs significant sales, bringing the price down by at least a few hundred. It's a luxurious mattress that's worth the money if it's in your budget and you're looking for a five-star hotel feel.

Runner-up: The Casper Dream Max is another great option for side sleepers with back pain, thanks to its medium-soft profile and zoned support for spinal alignment. It's also expensive, but it will be a lot less if you catch Casper during one of its frequent sales.  

Why we chose the Sonu Sleep mattress: Designed explicitly for strict side sleepers, the Sonu Sleep System is one of the most unique beds we've ever tested. It has a patented "comfort channel" in the top third of the mattress, a large cutout designed to keep your arm comfortable while lying on your side. 

How it sleeps: Sonu has three firmness options: Push, Hybrid and Firm. Our sleep experts found the Hybrid model to be a flat medium on the firmness scale, and it has a soft and accommodating neutral foam feel -- it's not sinking like dense memory foam, yet not overly bouncy, either. This mattress is an excellent choice for couples who sleep primarily on their sides. With your arm and shoulder nestled in the cutout, they won't fall asleep or go numb as they might on regular mattresses. It makes cuddling a whole lot more comfortable. This bed also offers solid edge support and sound motion isolation, two great features for couples to look for in a bed. 

There are a few downsides to this bed's unique construction, one of which is that Sonu's custom-made fitted sheet is required to accommodate the comfort channel. Sonu's sheets are 100% long staple cotton; no other materials are currently offered. So if you strongly prefer a certain material for your sheets, this mattress may not be for you. Given its firmness level and the comfort channel cutout, we don't recommend this mattress for back sleepers.