The Helix Midnight Luxe’s thick memory foam comfort layer provides pressure relief and body contouring, while its zoned coil layer supplies targeted lumbar support. This showcases its versatility and broad, overarching appeal. At the same time, its impressive scores of 4 out of 5 stars or above in responsiveness, motion isolation, edge support, cooling, and back and side pressure relief emphasize the versatility and consistent achievement we look for when selecting a product as the best overall mattress for platform beds.

When using a low-profile platform bed frame, a mattress’s edge support is important, as this helps you get in and out of bed easily. A sturdy perimeter also allows couples to use the entire surface of the bed without worry of rolling to the middle or sliding off the side. 

Mattress expert and sleep science coach Cait Giddings gave the Midnight Luxe’s edge support a 4.8 out of 5. She said, “When lying on the edge of the bed, I didn’t feel any risk of tumbling or sliding out. Even those who tuck in along the far side of the bed will get a good night’s sleep and don’t need to worry about the sides sagging or crumbling.” 

To be selected as “best overall,” a mattress needs to benefit sleepers of different weight categories and preferred sleep positions. Cait found that this mattress’s plush pillow top provided plenty of cushioning, while its universally appealing medium firmness gave it balanced support, no matter her sleep position.

When we had an average-weight and heavyweight tester join Cait, our lightweight sleeper representative, to test the pressure relief, we found that it provided great pressure relief for all three weight groups when back sleeping. It was also a solid pain-relieving fit for those under 130 pounds and folks between 130 and 230 pounds who prefer to sleep on their sides. 

As much as our testers liked this mattress, we don’t think it is a great fit for heavyweight side sleepers. My colleague Caine Wilkes represented this group, and he said, “I felt like my hips were sinking more than my shoulders, and I felt some pressure on my lower back.” Also, although Cait said she didn’t find it overly difficult to switch positions thanks to the pocketed coils, it wasn’t the most responsive bed she’s tested. “I felt like I sunk slightly into the puffy cheese bread of the pillow top, and I had to push up out of it to get moving,” she explained.

If you would like a mattress that is better for heavyweight back sleepers, check out the DreamCloud. Think you’ve met your ideal match with the Helix Midnight Luxe mattress? Read our full Helix Midnight Luxe review. Be sure to click here to get the best deal.

As we get older, we may face more sleepless nights and experience some mobility issues that can make getting in and out of bed more challenging. Therefore, to enjoy the best sleep experience possible, it is important for seniors to have a comfortable, high-quality mattress. For those who use a platform bed with no box spring, we recommend the Saatva Classic. Available in three firmness options, this mattress is known for its excellent customer service, including free white glove delivery. Its testing scores of 4 out of 5 in back pressure relief and cooling, 4.8 in edge support, and a perfect 5 in responsiveness further show that it backs up its luxury reputation with high quality. 

When Dr. Joe Tedesco tested this mattress, he found that it was an excellent fit for those with shoulder, back, hip, and neck pain. “The springs on this bed make this very orthopedically customizable; wherever there is pressure applied, the springs absorb just enough of your body weight to make you feel weightless,” Dr. Tedesco said. “The springs are placed appropriately to allow for good spinal alignment. Whether you have rotational scoliosis or anterior/posterior pelvic tilt, you should be able to find a very comfortable sleeping position.”

In addition to scoring well on our in-studio performance tests, two of my colleagues, Melanie Kassel, CSSC, and Livvi DiCiccio, CSSC, proudly own the Saatva Classic. This mattress is offered in Plush Soft, Luxury Firm, and Firm, and Melanie and Livvi both now have the Luxury Firm, which is also the model we tested in the sleep studio. 

However, Melanie said, “We actually started with the Firm model, and it was indeed pretty firm. It was still bouncy and had some slight give, but over time, I felt that it wasn’t ‘breaking in’ enough for my shoulder to be comfortable while I was side sleeping. I’d still definitely recommend that model to someone who wants a firmer bed! We swapped it for the Luxury Firm, and it has that pleasant medium-firm feel, just as advertised. It’s cushioned enough for side sleeping, but it retains all the responsiveness and support that I need when I switch to my back.” After testing in the studio, I think that the middle firmness option will benefit many senior sleepers.

Although this mattress is beloved by our chief medical product tester and several of our mattress experts, it does fall short when it comes to motion isolation. Therefore, if you sleep with a restless partner or pet, you will likely feel every move that they make. Lightweight sleepers should also keep in mind that our tester, who represented sleepers under 130 pounds, felt pressure buildup when she was on her back and side, so you might want to look for something softer with more cushioning if this is a concern.

If you would like a bed with better motion isolation, check out the Nolah Evolution. If you think the Saatva could be the right choice for you, read our full Saatva review and click here for the best deal. Otherwise, take a look at some of your other options when it comes to finding the best mattresses for platform beds. 

As someone who sleeps on a platform bed and has occasional back pain, I know how important it is to find a mattress that provides adequate support, spinal alignment, and lumbar pressure relief. Although that may sound like a tall order, the Nectar delivers across the board. Once testing was complete, the all-foam Nectar Classic earned a 4.6 overall score thanks to a 4 or higher in back and side pressure relief, cooling, edge support, motion isolation, and responsiveness. 

Three testers of different weight classifications tested the Nectar’s pressure relief capabilities. It is important to have a representative for those who weigh under 130 pounds, folks between 130 to 230 pounds, and sleepers over 230 pounds because your weight can affect how a mattress supports and feels to you. 

All three of our pressure relief testers gave the Nectar high marks on its comfort, support, and pain-relieving capabilities when they were on their back. Lightweight tester Asha Birjah said, “I feel very comfortable on my back. I don’t feel a gap around my lower lumbar spine, so my lower back feels supported. Everything feels aligned.” We also had our testers lie on a mat that senses pressure and provides a color-coded map of where it builds up. Our testers’ readings showed blues and greens, indicating that lower pressure was detected. 

Dr. Tedesco was also a fan. “This mattress can be great for those with back pain who need to stay aligned to feel comfort,” he said. “It creates a very supportive feeling.”

If you are a combination sleeper with back pain, you may be a little resistant to try an all-foam bed because of its reputation for wrapping you in a deep hug that makes it hard, and possibly even painful, to reposition. However, certified sleep science coach Kenny Timper said, “For an all-foam bed, it is surprisingly easy to switch between different positions. I think it’s easier to switch positions on because the bed height is pretty short, and it is on the firmer side for a 100-percent memory foam mattress.”

Although we love this mattress for back pain relief, we wish it had better edge support. How well a bed supports you along its perimeter can provide easy entry and exit from a mattress that rests on the slats of a platform bed and provide a sense of security for those who like to sleep along the edges. We were disappointed by the Nectar’s edges in our testing and also don’t recommend it to lightweight side sleepers with back pain.

If you would like a mattress with more edge support, take a look at the Saatva Classic. If you feel the Nectar could be a good fit for you, then our overall top pick may be the best way to go. Check out our full Nectar review to confirm and click here to get the best deal. If you’re looking for something else, though, read on for a look at some of our other favorites.

If you are looking for the best bang for your buck in a mattress for your platform bed, you can’t beat the DreamCloud Classic Hybrid. Simply put, it is one of my favorite mattresses. Given its top-notch materials and outstanding performance scores, including a 5 out of 5 in back pressure relief and responsiveness, and 4.5 and 4.7 in cooling and motion isolation, I am shocked that you can often bring a queen Classic home for around $700 after discounts. With that price tag and a 4.8 overall score, it’s easy to see why we selected it as our best value mattress for platform beds. 

My colleague and fellow sleep science coach Riley Otis tested the DreamCloud’s pressure-relieving capabilities. Riley is a lightweight sleeper, which means she weighs less than 130 pounds, and I fall into the average-weight category of 130 to 230 pounds. The difference between our weights suggests that we will experience a bed differently, but we both found that the Classic was a close-to-perfect fit when we were on our backs.

Riley said, “I feel more on the bed than in the bed. It is doing a nice job keeping my hips aligned with my shoulders. It cushioned my hips and shoulders from the foam quilted into the cover, giving a nice initial feeling. I feel very aligned. It’s doing a good job filling in the space at my lower back. I think it is a good match for back sleepers.”

In addition to back sleepers, I think it is an excellent choice for couples. Riley and I performed a ripple test, in which we gauged how much the water in a large clear container splished and splashed as one of us got into bed and then rolled around like a sleeper who is repositioning. “When I got in and out of bed, the water rippled slightly but did not creep up the sides of the tub at all,” Riley said. “This is pretty impressive for a hybrid mattress, as the coils typically allow movement to travel from one side to the other.”

When we did the partner test, Riley noted that she could detect me getting into bed, but only because the bed was adjusting to my weight. When I rolled around, she said she could tell I was there, but she wasn’t affected. “I don’t think most people would wake up on this bed… even if their partner is fairly restless,” she added. 

As much as I like the DreamCloud, as a side sleeper, I wish that it provided better pressure relief for this position. My hips sank too far into the mattress when I was on my side, and I would have liked for the coils to respond faster to lift my hips in line with my shoulders. Also, while the edge support earned a 4 out of 5, those with mobility issues who need a little assistance from their mattress when getting out of bed may struggle on the Classic.

If you prefer a bed with better pressure relief for side sleepers, try out the Saatva RX. Think the DreamCloud mattress is the dream mattress for you? Read our full DreamCloud review to know for sure and click here for the best deal. 

Although quality beds can be found in every price range, if you want to enjoy the lap of luxury when you tuck yourself into your platform bed, you can’t go wrong with the WinkBed. This hybrid mattress comes in three firmness levels and a model specifically designed for heavyweight sleepers, so most people can find an option that suits them. We tested their most popular model, the Luxury Firm, and it earned a 4.3 or above in motion isolation, edge support, back pressure relief, and customer experience. 

Couples who like to sleep like royalty will like that the WinkBed’s superior edge support will allow them to use the entire surface of their mattress without fear of rolling out of bed or bonking into each other in the middle. My colleague Riley Otis, CSSC, tested the strength of the WinkBed’s perimeter and said, “I felt very well supported when lying directly on the edge of the bed. I thought the edges felt just as strong as the center of the bed, and I didn’t feel the mattress sagging anywhere. My weight was evenly distributed along the edge when lying down, and I felt very secure.”

Those who share their bed will also appreciate our top luxury mattress’s ability to dampen a partner’s movements. Riley performed two motion isolation exercises: the ripple and partner test. She was impressed with the WinkBed’s motion isolation. During the partner test, Riley lay stationary on the bed with her eyes closed while I mimicked a bedmate’s movements. “I could tell that someone else was in the bed, but it didn’t affect my side too much,” she said. “The pillow top did a nice job absorbing motion at the source and preventing it from traveling too much. Although I could detect some motion, I think light sleepers could sleep through it, as it didn’t jostle my body. I could barely feel my partner getting out of bed; I could only sense the weight being lifted.”

Although the WinkBed’s plush pillow top contributed to its excellent motion isolation, it was a deterrent to its responsiveness. Riley said that she felt inhibited by the pillow top. “I could move around, but it required noticeable effort,” she said. 

However, if you aren’t concerned with moving throughout the night, Dr. Tedesco thinks this bed could help alleviate or prevent some shoulder, hip, and back pain, including sciatica. He said, “On this mattress, there is adequate support to disburse the pressure across your pelvis, which reduces the need to shift your weight from hip to hip during the night, which people with sciatica may find themselves having to do on other mattresses.”

The Luxury Firm model we tested was too firm for lightweight side sleepers. Asha Birjah, the tester who represented this group, said, “My weight doesn’t feel evenly distributed when I am on my side, and my hips are sinking in, which is causing some strain on my lower back.” I would recommend that these sleepers go with the Softer model of the WinkBed.

Try the DreamCloud Premier Hybrid if you want a more responsive mattress. If you want to learn more about the WinkBed, be sure to check out our full WinkBed review and click here for the best deal.   

By combining soft foam to cradle your body’s natural curves with supportive coils that keep your spine aligned, the Leesa Sapira Chill Hybrid can make side sleepers feel as if they just won the comfortable-sleep lottery. The hybrid construction and 14-inch height also make it a solid fit for platform beds. We picked this bed as the best for side sleepers for platform beds because it received a 4.3 or higher in cooling and pressure relief for back and side sleepers.

Since side sleepers put a lot of pressure on a relatively small section of their body, a bed’s ability to relieve pressure around the hips and shoulders is crucial. To test the Sapira Chill’s pressure-relieving capabilities, we rounded up testers of different body types and weights to test this feature for us. The mattress pulled off a difficult feat by earning a perfect 5 out of 5 from our lightweight and heavyweight testers. It’s rare to find a mattress that those under 130 pounds and those over 230 pounds like in equal measure, but the Sapira Chill accomplished just that. 

Our lightweight tester Asha Birjah said, “My hips feel in line with my shoulders, and my spine is super straight. I love how it fills in the gap at my waist and that there is no noticeable pressure on my shoulders and hips.” Remarkably, Caine Wilkes, Asha’s heavyweight counterpart, expressed similar sentiments, saying he felt a lot of pressure relief when he was on his side. “My spine feels really good on this mattress,” he said.

If you want to make sure you stay cool on your new platform bed, the Sapira Chill can help you out there, too. When my colleague Riley Otis tested the Sapira Chill’s cooling, she was “very impressed.” Riley used a thermal gun to read the mattress’s surface temperature at 68.1 degrees. After she rested on the bed for five minutes, she took the temperature again and saw that it had only gone up 4.5 degrees. Riley noted that the bed had a cool-to-the-touch feel the whole time she was on it. 

All that said, if you share your platform bed with a partner, you should note that when Riley performed the “partner test” with one of our co-workers, she could feel a decent amount of movement when her bedmate got in and out of bed, and she felt “very disturbed” when they were changing sleeping positions. Therefore, if you are a light sleeper or your partner is particularly restless, this is likely not a great bed for you. 

I also wouldn’t recommend this bed for sexually active couples or combination sleepers because Riley found it challenging to move around on the bed quickly. “Despite its springy coils, there is a lot of foam up top that hugs the body,” she said. “This prevented me from seamlessly rolling from one side to the other, as the foam trapped me a bit.”

Interested in learning more about the Leesa Sapira Chill Hybrid? Read our full review. If you would like a bed with more responsiveness, check out the Helix Dusk Luxe.

Hot sleepers know how uncomfortable it can be to wake up feeling warm in the middle of the night. A bed with cooling capabilities can help hot sleepers avoid overheating. The Aurora Luxe features cooling technology in almost every layer, earning it a perfect 5 out of 5 on our cooling test. However, this mattress is certainly not a one-trick pony. It earned a 4.4 or higher in back pressure relief, edge support, motion isolation, and another 5 in responsiveness. When all of the individual test scores were averaged, the Aurora Luxe earned an impressive 4.8 overall rating. 

When I touched the Aurora Luxe, I was immediately taken with how cool the cover felt. I used a thermal temperature gun to take the surface temperature, which was 68.5 degrees. Once I jotted that reading down, I lay on the bed for 5 minutes before taking the surface temperature again. My body heat only caused the mattress’s temperature to rise by 4 degrees, and the cover remained cool beneath my body. When you marry a cooling mattress like the Aurora Luxe with the open slat breathability of a platform bed, you have a match made in heaven for hot sleepers.

After I concluded the cooling test, I gave the Aurora Luxe our highest score, which I also gave for its responsiveness. As a combination sleeper, I appreciate not having to propel myself out of layers of material to switch from one position to the other. I found it exceptionally easy to move about. Rather than feeling as if the mattress was hugging me into it, I felt on top of the mattress. However, the bed was also soft and contouring, so I didn’t feel like I was rolling around on a piece of plywood. 

Dr. Tedesco echoed my findings on cooling and responsiveness when he tested the mattress, stating, “This mattress is super-cooling. It feels very good, and I am not sinking into this mattress.” However, he went on to say that he thinks back sleepers with hip pain will likely love this bed. 

“Everything is in a neutral position on this bed; nothing is internally or externally rotated,” Dr. Tedesco said. “I don’t feel any pressure buildup anywhere; everything is very well supported. That alignment and support allow me to relax. This has just the right amount of softness so you feel contouring where you need it without sinking too much into the bed.”

My colleague Caine Wilkes represented sleepers weighing over 230 pounds, and I was the surrogate for folks between 130 and 230 pounds. When we were on our backs, we both sang the praises of this bed’s pressure-relieving capabilities. “I feel very supported and aligned,” Caine said. “There is no extra pressure around the lower back of my hips. I feel balanced.” 

As well-liked as this high-achieving bed was during testing, we don’t recommend it for side sleepers, especially those who weigh less than 130 pounds. It pushes into the firm realm for side sleepers. Lightweight tester Asha Birjah said, “I feel a lot of pressure on my shoulder and neck, particularly around my trapezoids, when I am on my side.”

The Nectar is a better pick for lightweight side sleepers. Think the Aurora Luxe mattress sounds pretty cool? We do too, so check out our full Aurora Luxe review and click here for the best deal. We’ve also got more options for hot sleepers in our roundup of the best cooling mattresses.

Hybrids are popular because they combine the comfortable contouring of memory foam with the support and bounce of innerspring coils. With its perfect 5 out of 5 score in responsiveness, and 4 or higher in cooling, edge support, and customer experience, we selected the Bear Star Hybrid as the best hybrid mattress for platform beds.

When tester Carter Coughlin cut a cross-section into the side of this mattress to evaluate the materials, he noted that it had a contouring and fluffy top layer of comfort foam. He appreciated the sturdy coils and overall height of the bed, which makes it a good choice for lower platform beds.

Although you’re immediately met with a thick foam comfort layer, it doesn’t prevent you from easily repositioning. My colleague and certified sleep science coach Kenny Timper said, “It felt super easy to roll around and switch between different sleeping positions on this mattress.” 

Kenny also headed up the edge support test on the Star and found that the mattress can benefit those who like to sleep near the edge of the bed and those with mobility issues who may need a little assistance getting in and out of it. “I found it very easy to get in and out of bed,” he said.  “I did not have to use my hands to help myself up. I think this would be great for seniors because when I pressed down on the edges, the bed didn’t sink much at all.”

Although this mattress has a lot to offer to many different sleepers, its firmness lands just north of medium-firm, and our lightweight tester, Asha Birjah, found that it caused a lot of pressure buildup for her on her side and back. “I feel like I have to readjust constantly,” she said. “My spine doesn’t feel aligned when I am on my side, and it seems to be causing some pressure around my neck and shoulders. On my back, I don’t feel like my lower back is supported.”

I would also advise that couples consider another bed, especially those where one partner’s movements easily awaken the other. When Kenny and I performed the couples test, he said that he could feel me moving throughout the test, but the most disturbance happened when I was getting in and out of bed.

If you would like a mattress with better motion isolation, check out the Loom & Leaf. Are you leaning toward the Bear Star Hybrid for your platform bed? Read our full Bear Hybrid review to confirm whether it’s the right choice for you, and click here for the best deal.

I sleep on the Nolah Evolution on a platform bed every night. And, I will tell everyone who will listen and some who won’t, that this bed changed my life and saved me from a sleep divorce. 

If you think I’m being hyperbolic, just check out the Evolution’s performance test scores: 4 stars for responsiveness, 4.3 stars for pressure relief, 4.5 stars for cooling, 4.6 stars for edge support, and a perfect 5 stars for motion isolation. These scores culminated in an overall score of 4.6 (which would have been even higher had we not had to knock off a little over a point for the mattress’s boxes being consistently banged up and tattered). 

This bed was selected as our top pick for back sleepers. Although I am a side sleeper, my husband is a back sleeper, and he attests that it provides him with an excellent combination of support and contouring. Product expert Erin Chiles also appreciated this medium-firm hybrid when she was on her back. “The top of the mattress provided gentle contouring around my lower back, relieving any pressure I might’ve felt there,” she said.”My spine felt supported, but my hips seemed slightly raised above my shoulders. There was no sinking at all — I felt like I was floating on top of the soft, pillow-top layer.”

My husband and I are average-weight sleepers; he loves the Evolution on his back, and I love it on my side. However, in a rare move, our heavyweight and lightweight testers also gave this mattress perfect back and side pressure relief scores. Caine Wilkes, the tester representing heavyweight sleepers, said, “This bed provides excellent contouring in my lower back, and I feel no pressure.” Our lightweight tester, Asha Birjah, said, “When I am on my back, I feel like I’m melting into this mattress, but I am also totally supported. I feel so balanced. It’s just great!”

As someone who switches from side to side throughout the night, I can attest to the doughy pillow top adding some resistance. However, it’s not a huge deal, and I like everything else so much that I am willing to just put more effort into my tossing and turning. The only issue we found is that Nolah mattresses tend to arrive in boxes that look like they just lost a WWE main event. 

Check out the Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid if you want a bed with more response. Interested in the Nolah Evolution for your platform bed? Read our full Nolah Evolution review and click here for the best deal.

Larger-bodied people need an ultra-supportive and durable mattress for their platform bed. The Titan Plus is designed for heavier people and offers exceptional support with heavy-duty coils and high-density support foam. It earned a 4.6 overall because of individual scores of a 4 in pressure relief, 4.5 in cooling, 4.6 in edge support, and a flawless 5 out of 5 in motion isolation and responsiveness. 

Our chief medical tester, Dr. Joe Tedesco, is an average-weight tester, but he still appreciated the benefits of the Titan Plus. He pointed out that besides being great for bigger bodies, it would also make an excellent choice for those with neck pain. “Make sure you use a pillow to relieve pressure from the occiput (that bump on the back of your head) if you’re a back sleeper,” he further advised. “Even without a pillow, my neck was very neutrally aligned, but you may find additional relief using a pillow. If you’re on your side, you should use a pillow, and with the use of an appropriate pillow, your neck should remain aligned.” 

Although we have a lightweight, average-weight, and heavyweight tester try out all of the mattresses that we test for pressure relief, when it came to the Titan Plus, I paid special attention to what our tester over 230 pounds had to say. When he was on his side, he thought the pressure relief was like a C student, not the worst or the best, mainly because it felt too firm.

However, it was a different story when he turned to his back. He said, “I feel wonderful. This is great for back sleeping…especially for a bigger guy like me. Great alignment and overall support are fantastic. Much better for the back. No big standouts. Just a solid flat surface for back sleeping.” His pressure maps, graphics produced by a tactile sensory mat that records pressure, showed all light blue, the color used to indicate little to no pressure was detected. 

Considering that this is a firm mattress designed for larger folks, it probably isn’t a surprise that we don’t recommend this for lightweight sleepers, and we think that most average-weight people can likely find better choices, too. 

For sleepers looking for a softer mattress, check out the Helix Sunset Luxe. Interested in the Titan Plus for your platform bed? Read our full Titan Plus review for more information and click here to get the best deal.