To get that floating feeling, I think latex and solid hybrid construction will deliver best. Hybrids with pocketed coils give the pressure relief and help with buoyancy so you don't sink down. feel like the Leesa Sapira Hybrid would match your sleep postion. They use contouring foam and around 1,000 pocketed coils depending on the size of the mattress. Creates responsive support without feeling like quicksand.
A lot of that “floating” feeling comes down to how responsive the materials are, not really a true indication of firmness.
In general, you can think of it like this… Dense memory foam stacks tend to give you that hug-like feel. It has a slower response and gives you a feeling of being ‘stuck’ in the mattress. Not for me personally, but I know a couple people that love it. Responsive foam or latex with a coil support core will tend towards more of a buoyant feel. It’s like the bed will contour to your shape but it also ‘pushes’ back in the sense that you’re not sacrificing support.
Long story short, the second option will give you that weightless/floating feel. You need the coils (some sort of support) with the comfort layers that distribute pressure evenly.
A good example of that style is the Leesa Sapira Hybrid. It uses more responsive foam rather than slow memory foam, so you get pressure relief but still stay “on top” of the mattress instead of sinking into it.
For side/back sleepers around your weight, that kind of responsive hybrid build tends to hit the sweet spot between pressure relief and that suspended, buoyant feel.
I was stalking this subreddit and googling every mattress that came up in my price range extensively for a while-
Then i got the Leesa sapira hybrid because it came up on marketplace and I googled it and and went “wow a few people really like this”
Has been very comfy- i have also upgraded to a queen after having slept on the same broken down full size bed and mattress and horrible topper for 10 years plus so while the benchmark for improvement was low… Jeez Louise i have been sleeping much more cool. Could I be more comfortable on something else, possibly- I guess I will report back in 5-10 years 👍
Mattress shopping is def overwhelming w/ all the options. Look at Brooklyn Bedding or Leesa instead of those big names. Brooklyn Bedding's Signature Hybrid gives you solid support and comes in different firmness levels, plus factory direct pricing keeps it way cheaper. If you sleep hot their Aurora Luxe has actual cooling tech. Leesa's Sapira Hybrid is another balanced option that works.
Different things work for different folks, but I got a Sapira Hybrid from Leesa and love it. Regardless of what brand you choose, definitely get a hybrid mattress. Springs + Foam = Support.
Combining a good mattress with 10 minutes of simple daily exercise to strengthen your core, glutes, and hamstrings should make a huge difference.
[https://www.leesa.com/products/leesa-hybrid-mattress](https://www.leesa.com/products/leesa-hybrid-mattress)
Quite by accident. My wife and I got married and needed a new mattress in 2014. I ended up doing a ton of research, had a terrible in-store experience, and bought a mattress online. That first mattress we liked, but it wasn't amazing, so we returned it and then I bought another bed online.
It was better so we kept that one.
As a fun weekend hobby project I built a website and wrote reviews for those 2 mattresses that I had tried. People really love the reviews and asked me to test other mattresses. So I kept ordering mattresses, testing them, and then writing reviews.
It quickly blew up, was getting a ton of traffic, and within a few months I was able to leave my full time job and started my career as a professional mattress tester.
My salary is whatever money is left over after I paid for all of the company's expenses, including payroll for my employees.
I've been doing this for 12 years, so it seems sustainable to me. I greatly enjoy what I do, get to work with friends and family, and do something that helps people. Really it's a dream job to me.
The first 120 mattresses we tested my wife and just had sex on the mattress a few times over the course of a week. I would document those experiences and use them to determine our sex score.
Our more recent 438+ mattress tests use more objective and quantifiable data. Our sex score is a simple equation where we look at 5 different factors. Each factor is given a specific weight based on how important we think that factor is for most people.
Our sex equation considers bounce (65%), sitting edge support (20%), pressure relief (5%), cooling (5%), and noise (5%). Bounce is the most important, representing 65% of the score.
You can see more about our testing and scoring process for sex here - [https://naplab.com/how-we-test-mattresses/#h-sex](https://naplab.com/how-we-test-mattresses/#h-sex)
Winkbed, Saatva Classic, Leesa Sapira (in that order).
You can see every mattress ranked by overall score here - [https://naplab.com/mattress-comparisons/](https://naplab.com/mattress-comparisons/) \- this tool also lets you sort and filter a ton of options.
As far as mattresses I haven't tested yet, definitely. I have a big list of mattresses that I'd still like to test. Many are relatively newer models that I just haven't had the chance to get to yet. Some are super expensive ($10K) that I just haven't been able to justify the purchase of yet.
If money is no object I really like the Helix Midnight Elite. It's got arguably the best cooling cover on the market today. Check out the review here - [https://naplab.com/mattress-reviews/helix-midnight-elite-review/](https://naplab.com/mattress-reviews/helix-midnight-elite-review/)
Helix Midnight Elite comes equipped with a cool-to-the-touch cover. That's just the standard cover on top of the mattress.
If the Elite feels out of reach you could try the Luxe version, which has the option to add the same cooling cover that the Elite uses. It's a good way to get most of the way there, while saving some money.
And yes, the review above is my review.
Higher end mattresses are usually super thick and using higher density materials. Those aspects greatly improve durability and feel, but they also typically negatively impact response and sex (hence the lower score). So while the Midnight Elite loses some points in those areas, it makes up for it with greater durability, luxury feel, and among the best cooling / pressure relief I've tested.
Absolutely.
Zenhaven, Amerisleep AS2/AS3/AS5, Endy, Leesa Original, DreamCloud Luxe, Novosbed, and Loom & Leaf are just a few of the high performance foam, memory foam, and latex foam mattresses I've tested.
You can see more (ranked by performance) here - [https://naplab.com/mattress-comparisons/?\_mattress\_type=memory-foam%2Cfoam%2Clatex&\_mattress\_shipping=usa](https://naplab.com/mattress-comparisons/?_mattress_type=memory-foam%2Cfoam%2Clatex&_mattress_shipping=usa)
The mattress I've personally slept on since 2017 is a mattress called Loom & Leaf. It's a higher-end memory foam mattress. Memory foam as a material type isn't ideal for everyone, but my wife and I simply love the body contouring hug, low motion transfer, and incredible pressure relief it creates more than the drawbacks. You can see my review here - [https://naplab.com/mattress-reviews/loom-leaf-review/](https://naplab.com/mattress-reviews/loom-leaf-review/)
Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid is arguably the best value mattress on the market today. We just recently tested the newest version and it is incredibly impressive. Review here - [https://naplab.com/mattress-reviews/brooklyn-bedding-signature-hybrid-review/](https://naplab.com/mattress-reviews/brooklyn-bedding-signature-hybrid-review/)
Leesa Original, Glacier Original, and Boring Hybrid are also all solid choices. You can see the full ranked list here - [https://naplab.com/best-mattress/best-affordable-mattress/](https://naplab.com/best-mattress/best-affordable-mattress/)
For sure, go with a California King size. It's a bit longer than a standard King, which will be helpful for your height.
Beyond that, you may also benefit from an HD mattress. You didn't mention your body weight, but I guess at 6'5" you have more body mass than average. An HD mattress can help to better support your body type than a typical mattress.
Take a look at the options here - [https://naplab.com/best-mattress/best-mattress-for-heavy-people/](https://naplab.com/best-mattress/best-mattress-for-heavy-people/)
I haven't tested anything from Sam's yet, but I have tested 27 models from Costco.
In general, I've been really unimpressed with the models that Costco carries. That said, there are a handful that perform well. You can see the complete list of rankings for Costco here - [https://naplab.com/best-mattress/best-costco-mattress/](https://naplab.com/best-mattress/best-costco-mattress/)
Really depends on the brand.
Sleep EZ I really like because it's harder to mess up. All of their materials are high performance, high quality, and within a reasonable firmness range.
That said, many DIY type mattress places provide so many options that it's really easy to create a mattress that looks great on paper, but feels terrible in your bedroom. Over the years I've come across far more DIY-fail stories than I have success stories.
Nectar are about average performers, with some of their models earning modestly better than average scores.
If you like memory foam and need something on the less expensive side I think Nectar can be a perfectly good choice.
You can see how every Nectar ranks here - [https://naplab.com/mattress-comparisons/?\_mattress\_shipping=usa&\_mattress\_brand=nectar](https://naplab.com/mattress-comparisons/?_mattress_shipping=usa&_mattress_brand=nectar)
Mattress brands are always changing, though typically more gradually and over many years.
Unfortunately, I don't have the complete historical data on the oldest Tempurpedic models to compare to the newer models. That said, it's reasonable to think that foam formulations have changed over time and foam densities have likely lowered over time (especially in Tempurpedic's less expensive models). Decreasing foam densities is something we've seen from many other brands as well, so I think it's a reasonable guess to make here as well.
Those changes may be beneficial to some sleepers, while at the same time causing them to be worse for others (like yourself).
For pillows, what I recommend for most is the Nest Bedding Easy Breather. It comes overstuffed with a memory foam + poly fiber fill. Most notably, it's fully adjustable. So you can get the exact height and density that works best for your body. This one has been in my rotation with handful of other pillows over the last decade.
Other pillows my wife and I have been using for personal use since 2017 include Oreous (another adjustable pillow), Casper Original, SHEEX, and Ghostbed Down Alternative.
I'd say Easy Breather and Oreous are the best choices for most, due to their adjustability.
For most people, Winkbed, Saatva Classic, or Leesa Sapira.
Full ranked list of options here - [https://naplab.com/best-mattress/best-mattress-for-side-sleepers/](https://naplab.com/best-mattress/best-mattress-for-side-sleepers/)
Firm - Plank
Soft - Bear Elite
Brand - Winkbed
Pillow Top - Saatva Classic
Full list of my favorites here - [https://naplab.com/best-mattress/](https://naplab.com/best-mattress/)
As far as I can tell, most of the major mattress review sites are owned by Pillar4 and One Care Media / Sleep Doctor Holdings. Those companies own multiple review and content sites that do sleep / mattress content, as well as other health / wellness content.
As far as if those parent companies are owned by mattress companies? I just don't know.
Overall, excellent. Their mattresses have consistently earned better than average scores in our tests.
I've been sleeping on a Saatva Loom & Leaf mattress for personal use for the last 9 years.
You can find all of my Saatva reviews here - [https://naplab.com/mattress-comparisons/?\_mattress\_shipping=usa&\_mattress\_brand=saatva](https://naplab.com/mattress-comparisons/?_mattress_shipping=usa&_mattress_brand=saatva)
Anxious-Dig-688
