The 5 Best Queen Mattresses for a Restful Sleep in 2023
Updated: Sep. 02, 2023We put these queen mattresses to the test to find the perfect combo of comfort, support and cool sleep
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The best mattress—and the best queen mattress—suits your sleeping preferences while fitting comfortably into your budget. But shopping for a new mattress is an individualized process, starting with the size of your bed. Thankfully, queen is one of the most common mattress sizes, so you’ll have plenty of options to choose among, from memory foam mattresses to hybrid mattresses and even cooling mattresses for hot sleepers.
To find the best of the best, we tried queen mattresses of all types and price points, from budget-friendly options to luxe memory foam and hybrid models. We tested in our own homes for months at a time, assessing the mattresses’ comfort, support, motion transfer and cooling capabilities in real sleep scenarios. Here are our honest reactions.
The best queen mattresses of 2023
- Best overall: Saatva Classic
- Best budget: Zinus Green Tea Mattress
- Best organic: Avocado Green Mattress
- Best memory foam: Nectar Premier Copper Memory Foam
- Best cooling: Helix Midnight Luxe
Best queen mattress overall
Saatva Classic
With a luxury design and sophisticated construction, the Saatva Classic offers a restful night’s sleep for those who can’t decide between innerspring and memory foam. A hybrid innerspring bed, it features an attached pillow top and a layer of memory foam over the durable steel coils, all enveloped in a breathable organic cotton cover.
The Saatva Classic comes in three firmness levels (plush soft, luxury firm and firm) to choose among based on your sleep position and preferences. It also features two height levels whether you prefer a lower-profile or a taller bed. Thanks to its supportive materials, the Saatva ranks as one of the best queen mattress for back pain.
Take it from our Associate Editor, Madi Koetting, who tried the Saatva Classic and thought it was an “absolute dream” for hitting the perfect balance between comfort and support. “My partner and I completely disagree on the firm-to-plush ratio of a mattress, [but] my Saatva mattress review taught me I don’t have to sacrifice soft, plushness for a strong, supportive mattress,” she says. “We both agreed we’ve never slept better since we can’t feel each other move around in the middle of the night thanks to the responsive coils that reduce motion transfer.”
Pros
- Hybrid design combines spring and memory foam
- Comes in three firmness options and two heights
- Suitable for all sleep positions with the right firmness level
- Strong edge support
- Lifetime warranty
- Free white-glove delivery
- 365-night sleep trial
Cons
-
Returns have a $99 fee
Best budget queen mattress
Zinus Green Tea Mattress
If you’re shopping for a queen mattress on a budget, the Zinus Green Tea Mattress fits the bill. In fact, we named it the top memory foam mattress in our roundup of the best cheap mattresses. But its comfort doesn’t mean you’ll have to skimp on support. The Zinus has three layers of pressure-relieving foam. The topmost layer features Zinus’s Green Tea Memory Foam infused with a special cooling gel to offer a cradling feel that won’t leave you overheated. Below this, a layer of Zinus Comfort Foam provides a “cloud-like feel” to the bed. The base layer is a high-density, durable foam for optimal support.
In her Zinus mattress review, our Senior Shopping Editor, Megan Mowery, calls it “the perfect blend” between the softness of her favorite memory foam topper and the firmness of a more supportive mattress. She says, “No matter which sleeping position I’m in—I alternate between stomach and side sleeping—I feel supported and comfortable. My back and joints are in good condition when I wake up in the morning, with no stiffness or soreness at all.”
Pros
- Budget friendly
- Features cooling gel foam to prevent overheating
- 100-night sleep trial
- 10-year warranty
Cons
-
Takes up to 72 hours to fully expand
Best organic queen mattress
Avocado Green Mattress
While many non-toxic mattresses claim to be made of natural materials, the Avocado Green boasts certifications that verify its composition of organic cotton, wool and latex. The hybrid mattress uses a cotton cover for breathability and to wick away moisture. The layer of latex contributes to its medium-firm feel, while its individually-wrapped coils serve as a responsive base layer, designed in five zones for optimal support. In short, the Avocado Green is an excellent hybrid mattress crafted with materials that have a lower impact on the environment.
Our Executive Editor, Megan Wood, wanted a non-toxic mattress not just for better sleep and health, but also to lessen her environmental impact. “I’ve slept on the Avocado Green mattress for an entire year and I’m thrilled to report that I’m just as happy with it now as I was on the first night,” she says. “The Avocado Green mattress has held up to the addition of my boyfriend and his dog on most nights. I haven’t experienced any sagging, worn spots or discomfort. And I sleep better knowing my loved ones aren’t inhaling fire retardants through the night. Sleeping with a pillow between my knees is a distant memory.”
Pros
- Hybrid mattress made with certified organic latex, wool and cotton
- Zoned support for ergonomic alignment
- Offers one-year sleep trial
- Free returns
- 25-year limited warranty
Cons
-
Organic materials come at a higher price
Best memory foam queen mattress
Nectar Premier Copper Memory Foam
Nectar is a well-known bed-in-a-box brand that makes one of our favorite queen-size beds, the Nectar Premier Copper Memory Foam Mattress. It features four layers of foam, one of which features gel infusion to enhance the mattress’s cooling capabilities, plus a copper cover that also battles night sweats. Overall, the Nectar Premier has a medium-firm feel and, at 14 inches, is the tallest Nectar mattress.
Our Deputy Shopping Editor, Reina Galhea, rated the quality of sleep she got in her Nectar mattress review according to five categories: comfort, support, heat retention, motion transfer and pain relief. “Nectar passed each of my sleep quality categories with flying colors,” she gushes. “Three hundred and sixty-five days later and my Nectar mattress still feels fresh out of the box—same unbeatable cooling quality, soft yet supportive foam and extremely limited motion transfer. My husband and I revel on a daily basis about how comfortable this mattress is. It’s in an entirely different league than our old spring mattress, and we’ll never ever go back.”
Pros
- Supportive memory foam mattress
- Made with cooling materials
- Near-instant decompression from unboxing
- Excellent motion isolation
- 365-night sleep trial
- Free returns
- Lifetime warranty
Cons
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Lacks strong edge support
Best cooling queen mattress
Helix Midnight Luxe
Shopping for the best queen mattress as a hot sleeper? The Helix Midnight Luxe features materials that promote temperature neutrality while sleeping. The best cooling mattresses employ gel-infused foam to help absorb and dissipate heat, but as a hybrid mattress, the Helix Midnight combines a breathable Tencel fabric cover with copper-infused foam and an innerspring design that allows for natural airflow. Overall, it has a medium level of firmness, but the Helix’s coil support layer zones for better support in heavier areas of the body like the hips and lower back and lighter support at the head and foot areas.
Aside from its phenomenal cooling features, the supportive construction helps reduce back pain. Senior Shopping Writer, Bryce Gruber, has had bouts of back pain ever since she can remember. “After a few weeks of sleeping on the Helix mattress, my lumbar pain improved so dramatically that my husband noticed I was waking up earlier each morning. Now, that may sound like less sleep, but for me, it means restful, uninterrupted sleep.”
Pros
- Cover, foam, and spring design all feature cooling elements
- Coils arranged for zoned support
- 100-night sleep trial
- 15-year limited warranty
- Made in the USA
Cons
-
More expensive than some competitors
What to consider when buying a queen mattress
Apart from setting your budget, you have several types of mattresses to consider as you narrow down the best queen-size for you. Memory foam mattresses are a popular, often affordable bed-in-a-box option, though they can feel overly firm or overly squishy, depending on the density of the materials. Hybrid mattresses combine foam layers with traditional innersprings, often offering a best-of-both-worlds feeling of comfort and support, but they tend to be pricier.
Regardless of the mattress type, make sure the bed suits your sleeping preferences, including your sleep position and whether you’d benefit from cooling attributes if you tend to sleep hot.
Finally, before clicking “add to cart,” look into the brand’s policies, such as whether it accepts returns and if its product comes with a warranty should there be a defect.
How we found the best queen mattress
As shopping experts, our only job is to help you find a winning product. We start with the research and reporting basics—what products are made of, what they look like and how much they cost—to ensure that we’re only recommending the buys that are worth your time and money. Then we research the features that speak to the product’s quality, taking advice from industry insiders and subject-matter experts on what makes a product a smart value (or worthy of a splurge). Finally, we do the work of combing through user reviews to see how real people interact with the product, and if it stands up to the test.
Other mattress considerations
When it comes to keeping a new mattress clean and giving it the longest lifespan possible, it’s worth adding a mattress protector to your cart, too. These often-waterproof covers protect the bed from spills, stains, sweat, dust, pollen and bed bugs.
If your current mattress isn’t providing the comfort and support it once did but you’re not ready to buy a new mattress, consider adding a mattress topper to add a few inches of refreshed support. The best queen mattress topper adds height to a mattress, so you’ll need a deep-pocket fitted sheet for a perfect fit.
Finally, if you find yourself sleeping hot, the addition of a bed cooling system to you current setup might solve the problem without breaking the budget or forcing you to throw out your otherwise supportive bed.
FAQs
Who is a queen mattress best for?
People often use queen mattresses in master bedrooms or guest rooms where a couple likely sleeps. Roomier than a full-size but not as big as a king, the queen size offers plenty of space for two adults or a solo sleeper who likes to spread out.
What are the dimensions of a queen-size mattress?
A queen mattress measures 60 inches in width and 80 inches in length. It’s 5 inches longer than a twin or full, the same length as a twin XL and king-sized mattress, but not as wide as a king.
How much does a queen mattress cost?
Like anything, queen mattresses come in a range of prices from a couple hundred bucks for the cheapest models to thousands of dollars for the most luxurious beds. For a decent price on a new bed, keep an eye out for mattress deals that usually happen around holidays such as Memorial Day and other sale times like Black Friday.
What is a split queen mattress?
A split queen comprises two separate mattresses, each one measuring 80 inches long and 30 inches wide. When placed side by side, they equal the size of a standard queen bed. Split mattresses are a good option for couples who have different mattress preferences as well as those who sleep on an adjustable base where each side adjusts independently. Overall, a split queen mattress size is less common than a split king.
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