For one of the most affordable mattresses on this list, we were pleasantly surprised at the Nectar Memory Foam’s generous one-year trial and lifetime warranty. And if full-on memory foam isn’t your jam, the Nectar also comes in a hybrid version.
The DreamCloud Premier is our pick for the best affordable mattress for sleepers with hip pain, thanks to its comfy layers of plush, slow-moving foam on top and supportive individually wrapped coils on the bottom—at a sub-$1,000 price.
Our Tester’s Take
As much as it may feel good in theory to sink deep down into your mattress, it’s actually not very good for your joints. That’s why sleeping on the DreamCloud Premier is such a treat: It has slow-moving memory foam on top for that sweet, sinking pressure relief, and a system of individually wrapped coils that support your joints. Even though the DreamCloud Premier is our budget pick, there’s something luxe about that plush-yet-supportive feeling (the soft cashmere cover doesn’t hurt, either) . Overall, this mattress does land on the firmer side, making it an elite option for back sleepers, stomach sleepers under 230 pounds, and side sleepers over 230 pounds.
Couples need motion isolation to not be disturbed by each others’ movements, edge support to use the whole surface area of the bed, responsiveness for extracurriculars, and cooling to offset double the body heat. The WinkBed’s got it all—plus it’ll hug your sore hips just right.
Our Tester’s Take
The WinkBed contains multitudes. And by that, we mean it comes in four different firmness levels, though our reviewers only got their aching hips on one—the Luxury Firm model. Not only did the WinkBed score high on all the tests that matter when it comes to avoiding mattress-related bedtime fights with your partner (like motion isolation), but our tester also loved how it felt for both back sleeping and stomach sleeping. Initially, they were a bit skeptical of WinkBeds’ lofty claims that its mattresses can eliminate your pain—but after spending time on this bed, our tester was impressed by the amount of pressure relief the WinkBed offered when back sleeping. Our pressure map test even backed up those impressions by showing little-to-no pressure in our tester’s lower back after lying on the mattress. While stomach sleepers, who (as previously reported by GQ) need some serious firmness to keep their hips in alignment, will likely get what they need out of the Luxury Firm model, we’d recommend side sleepers opt for the brand’s softer model for a bit more give around the joints.
We think sleepers with shoulder and hip pain will like the Nolah Evolution, but no pressure. No, really—when we lay on the Nolah Evolution we felt no pressure.
Our Tester’s Take
It’s not often that we give a mattress a perfect score for pressure relief, but the Nolah Evolution earned it. Important to note: While it excelled on our pressure map test for back sleeping, it didn’t perform quite as well for side sleeping. But thankfully, the Nolah Evolution comes in multiple firmness options (we tested the Luxury Firm), and the softer Plush model may be just the thing for those with a penchant for the fetal position. (Stomach sleepers, on the other hand, will likely want to opt for the Firm model to get enough support for their hips.) Other major pros: The Nolah Evolution is made of high-quality materials—like a luxurious organic cotton cover and a graphite-infused cooling foam—and it passed all our couples tests for motion isolation and edge support handily.
Hot sleepers, this one’s for you: The Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe has some major built-in cooling tech, and could be just the thing to turn your sweaty nights into serene ones.
Our Tester’s Take
Bedtime sweats aren’t just unpleasant—they could also be seriously impacting your sleep. If you often find yourself waking up in a puddle, you may want to look into a cooling mattress that’ll help bring the temperature down. One option we love: The Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe, a surprisingly affordable cooling mattress with lots of fancy tech, like specially formulated cooling foams and a cover made of phase-change material that’s cool to the touch. This one doesn’t just talk the talk—our thermal imaging test showed that the Aurora Luxe did a standout job of dissipating body heat. The Aurora Luxe comes in multiple firmness options, and we think the Medium we tested will work well for most sleepers with its balance of pressure relief and support. (Though side sleepers under 130 pounds may want to go with the Soft model, and sleepers over 230 pounds with the Firm model.)
The Bear Elite Hybrid mattress wants to help athletic sleepers recover better, and it earned our pick for the best option for fit folks with ornery hips. Because athletes know that waking up with sore muscles can be a sign of a hard day’s work—or a bad night’s sleep.
Our Tester’s Take
Bear claims that the tech in its Elite Hybrid model promotes muscle recovery while you sleep. We can’t really verify if that’s true (aside from the fact that getting a good night’s sleep on a comfy mattress is always a muscle recovery win), but we can say that our testers loved the luxurious-yet-supportive feel of this mattress, which we’d recommend for sleepers of all positions. Another plus for athletes: The Elite Hybrid performed well on our pressure relief test, which bodes well for waking up to muscles that are sore only for the right reasons. It also has lots of cooling tech, which we found made the mattress cool to the touch and adept at dissipating body heat—ideal for keeping your sweat sessions limited to the gym rather than the bed. Keep in mind: This bed comes in multiple firmness options; we tested the Medium one.
Best Mattress for Combination Sleepers With Hip Pain: Puffy Cloud
Combination sleepers defy categorization and resist simplistic labels, like “back sleeper,” or “side sleeper.” If you switch positions throughout the night, you need the Puffy Cloud—a mattress that’s as versatile as you are.
Our Tester’s Take
Odds are, you’re probably not staying in the exact same sleeping position all night long. So if your mattress is only comfortable in one position, you might find yourself waking up in the middle of the night because you can’t get as comfortable on your stomach as you could on your back. Not so with the Puffy Cloud, the rare mattress that’s supportive enough to keep your hips in alignment when you’re stomach sleeping and give you that cozy, cradled feeling when you’re on your back. It could also work for side sleepers, too, though our testers found that it may not have enough sinkage for side sleepers under 130 pounds or those with especially achy joints. On the plus side, the Puffy Cloud is one of the best cooling mattresses we’ve tested, so even if you’re tossing and turning you won’t be breaking a sweat.
Let’s Compare the Costs of These Mattresses
Here’s what our favorite mattresses for hip pain will cost you, before any discounts or sales. (Prices are for queen sized-models.)
