Honorable Mentions

Wolf 12-Inch Memory Foam Hybrid Medium Firm Mattress for $899: WIRED reviewer Molly Higgins found herself surprisingly impressed with this affordable mattress. She says the medium-firm memory foam hybrid mattress feels much more luxe than its price point suggests, and that individually wrapped coils give great support and help with overall structure, while the top gel foams conform to your body’s curves and aid in pressure relief.

DreamCloud Premiere Hybrid for $949: This soft mattress was still supportive. I liked sleeping on it, but it didn’t erase my back pain as much as other mattresses we recommend. Still, it was a nice option if you want support without too much firmness as a side sleeper.

Plank Firm Natural for $1,492: I love this flippable firm mattress. It’s super breathable and keeps my back and spine nice and supported so I wake up pain-free, and while the firmest side is too firm for my shoulders as a side sleeper, I’m usually sleeping on this mattress with a mattress topper to give my shoulders some relief. Plank is sadly discontinuing the mattress, but I recommend scooping it up if you find it.

WinkBeds The WinkBed for $1,499: WIRED reviewer Julian Chokkattu recommends this mattress for his fellow stomach and back sleepers. There are three levels of firmness. He tried the Luxury Firm and liked that the plush pillow-top also adds a luxe, hotel-like feel to a relatively firm bed.

Saatva Classic for $1,699: This was a previous pick in our guide to the Best Mattresses. It’s a good option for back support, specifically in the “Luxury” firmness level.

Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid for $1,799: The Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid is marketed as firm, and is designed to support your lower back with cushioning in the center. WIRED contributor Nicole Kinning was a little too short at 5’2″ for the lumbar support, but it could be a good fit for more average-sized folks. There are also cooling properties, but they didn’t stand out compared to other cooling mattresses.

Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress for $1,585: If you’re looking for something akin to the Plank Natural that’s firm without being too firm, this is another good pick. It has cooling features, too, which is a nice bonus.

Purple Restore Cool Touch for $2,395: WIRED contributor Nicole Kinning says this is the absolute best cooling mattress by a long shot. It’s also got a gridlike gel layer, called GelFlex, that adds extra support and makes it easy to get out of bed in the morning.

Essentia Tatami Organic Mattress for $3,435: This mattress is made of a really comfortable organic latex support core that has holes for breathability (and to help with cooling), and the active organic foam center helps spinal alignment and contouring support for pressure points. It doesn’t have coils or springs, but it’s still surprisingly supportive.

Mattresses to Avoid

While the horrible futon mattress that started my hunt doesn’t exist anymore—hallelujah for that!—there are plenty of other mattresses that have flared up my or other WIRED reviewers’ back pain.

Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt for $2,199: This mattress was super soft and conforming, but it wasn’t supportive whatsoever and had more of a sinking sensation when you laid on it. My right side’s muscle pain was worse after nights on this mattress, and my damaged spine felt distinctly unhappy. My sister also tried sleeping on it, and she described it as “sleeping on an air mattress that is losing air throughout the night.”

Magniflex Magnistretch 12 for $3,699: This Italian-made mattress advertises itself as stretching the spine. It’s endorsed by retired Italian soccer player Giorgio Chiellini and current pro basketballer Stefano Tonut, who plays for the Italian equivalent of the Boston Celtics. Well, the Magniflex definitely does something to the spine, though WIRED reviewer Martin Cizmar found it very unwelcome. He lasted only two nights on the Magnistretch before crying uncle and limping over to the next test mattress. He describes the morning-after sensation as similar to sleeping on a hammock made of chainlink fence.