The 9 Best Mattresses for Sex in 2024

Our favorite features: Heating things up in the bedroom is one thing—waking up hot and uncomfortable is another. But with the Bear Elite Hybrid’s copper-infused memory foam and temperature-regulating cover, you won’t get too overheated even if you’re hot and heavy. Plus, the individually wrapped coils add extra breathability and support.

Just so you know: With a 120-night trial period, the Bear Elite Hybrid falls on the shorter end of the spectrum for product warranties. So pay close attention to the return policy and make sure this mattress is the one before committing to it.

Pros

• A winning combination of medium firmness and great body support
• Strong edge support

Cons

• Shorter warranty
• Expensive

Why we chose this: The Avocado Green Mattress hybrid combines an airy, supportive spring base with soft, cooling latex foam, then tops it off with a soft, moisture-wicking organic cotton cover. Why does this matter for your sex life? Essentially, the bed bounces “like a trampoline” (our tester’s words!) and lifts like a bodybuilder, giving you the support and pressure relief you need for a good night’s sleep without sacrificing any bedroom fun.

Who is it for: The eco-conscious. Avocado Green is made with Global Organic Latex Standard Certified organic latex (GOLS) and Global Organic Textile Standard Certified organic cotton and wool (GOTS); both groups examine materials for harmful substances and environmental factors during manufacturing.

How to find the best mattress for sex

Sure, you can get frisky in any bed (or swing, chaise or sofa)—but the best mattresses for sex have certain characteristics in common.

Firmness

As SELF has previously reported, the best firmness for you is largely a matter of personal preference. But that’s for sleeping. To choose the best firmness for sex, May suggests the Goldilocks approach of not too soft and not too firm—but medium-firm. A bed that’s too cloud-like will be hard to move around in. “But get something too firm, and you’ll definitely have trouble sleeping when it’s all over,” May says.

Bounce and responsiveness

May says she typically advises her clients to opt for hybrid, spring, and latex mattresses because they have enough bounce to allow for movement.

Sleeping positions

First and foremost, your bed serves as a place for you to get some shut-eye, so even if you’re considering your mattress options with other nighttime extracurricular activities in mind, you should choose one that’s suited to your sleeping position.

Whether you’re a side, stomach, or back sleeper, Dr. Purdy says you should choose a mattress that’s firm enough to support your spine’s neutral alignment. Back sleepers should consider the bed’s ability to support their lower back, while stomach sleepers should prioritize an option that doesn’t put too much pressure on their neck and lower back. Side sleepers also benefit from solid back support and pressure relief on their joints.

Cooling

Just because sex can get hot doesn’t mean your mattress has to. If things are heating up, also If you find yourself in a bedroom, your mattress material could be to blame. Memory foam beds retain heat faster than innerspring beds (like hybrid or innerspring options) because the latter have space between the springs that allows airflow. That said, some foam beds are built with extra cooling properties, such as Nolah Evolution.

Durability

Even mattresses with lifetime warranties don’t last forever (and many of those warranties are limited to issues like manufacturing defects). “Your mattress doesn’t have to survive a hurricane,” but it should be able to support a healthy sex life, says May. Pay attention to its materials (she recommends hybrids and latex, in particular).

Types of mattresses for sex

The material your bed is made of matters. But what exactly are the best bedding materials for supporting a healthy sex life? Each type of mattress has its pros and cons when it comes to bedroom activities.

Hybrid and inner springs

According to May, the springiness of innerspring and hybrid mattresses makes them a great choice for sex. The built-in breathing space around the springs promotes airflow so you can focus on the heat of the moment, not the heat of your bed.

Latex

Latex mattresses are naturally springy due to the material, which research has also found to be pressure relief. Our testers say latex beds are also cooler to the touch than memory foam options.

Memory foam

This type of mattress retains heat, movement, and moisture the most—not good for a hot romp. So if you can only sleep on beds that wrap you up like a cocoon, try a memory foam hybrid like the DreamCloud Hybrid or the Nectar Premier Hybrid. They include layers of soft foam over springs that help with ventilation and bounce.

How we tested the best mattresses for sex

Rest assured, our testers didn’t have to do the work of determining the best mattresses for sex. Instead, they applied our mattress testing methodology for various models of popular brands, keeping in mind four main qualities that are crucial for bedroom activities:

Responsiveness

The more responsive a bed is, the better it will be at accommodating your movements—and when you’re having sex, that’s a good thing. Our testers score this category by lying down on a bed and moving around in different positions to see how easily they can adjust.