The 10 Best Hybrid Mattresses for 2022

What is a hybrid mattress?

A hybrid mattress contains more than one type of material. Most hybrid mattresses are made with a combination of coils and foam, but they can also include latex or materials like gel and copper.

Who is a hybrid mattress best for?

• Couples: Couples with differing preferences can find a happy medium with hybrid beds. The coils on the bottom provide enough support for two sleepers, while the comfort layers on top create a cozy sleep surface. Plus, the foam layers isolate motion, allowing one sleeper to rest undisturbed even if the other is tossing and turning. Hybrid beds also have an innately bouncy feel, making this type a good option for sex.
• Combination sleepers: Combination sleepers, or sleepers who switch positions throughout the night, will sleep comfortably on a hybrid mattress due to its responsiveness. The bounce provided by the innerspring coil layer makes it easy to move around, so combination sleepers can seamlessly change sides or positions.
• Hot sleepers: The breathability of hybrids can save you from having to invest in cooling sleep accessories, like bamboo sheets. Sometimes you'll find hybrids with gel-infused foam on top, or ones that incorporate breathable materials like latex, which amps up the cooling factor even more.
• People with back pain: An innerspring support base helps keep the shoulder, hips, and lower back in neutral alignment, while foam layers on top fill in your sides for much needed pressure relief. The added support can be vital toward alleviating and preventing back pain, especially because memory foam alone may offer inadequate spinal alignment for certain positions like stomach sleeping.

Benefits of a hybrid mattress

Balanced feel

If you struggle with finding the perfect fit when shopping for a new mattress, a hybrid bed may be the solution. Hybrid mattresses use a coil system and foam comfort layers to create sturdy support and a soft contouring feel. This combination of materials in a hybrid bed allows you to balance breathability and cushioning to suit your sleep habits.

Cooling

Many hot sleepers shy away from memory foam mattresses because they tend to trap in body heat. But hybrid mattresses incorporate breathable materials—like coils—into the design to promote airflow through the center of the bed and break up heat retention. Bonus points if the foam used is infused with gel, which also works to dispel heat and keep you cool.

However, it's important to note that hybrid mattresses made with latex typically sleep cooler than ones made from foam since latex is naturally aerated. If hot sleepers are looking for the ultimate cooling experience, they should choose a hybrid bed featuring latex and coils.

Bounce

Because hybrid mattresses use a base layer of coils, they're incredibly responsive and can spring back against your movements for easy transitions between sleep positions. If you're a combination sleeper—aka you tend to move around at night—a hybrid mattress will adapt quickly to those changes. This also makes it a great mattress for sex.

Versatility

Hybrid mattresses offer the most versatility of any mattress type because they contain a variety of materials. Plus, they work well for all sleep positions thanks to universally appealing qualities like breathability, support, and lasting comfort.

How to buy a hybrid mattress

Take a closer look at materials

Hybrid beds are often described as having "support" and "comfort" layers. These terms describe the hybrid bed's basic premise: A supportive innerspring coil base, and comfort-adding memory foam top layers.

Comfort layers

The comfort layer will almost always consist of one or more layers of foam or latex (or a combination of both). The particular materials used can range from less expensive, highly malleable polyfoam, to luxurious, organically sourced latex. You might think of the comfort layers as being your hybrid bed's built-in mattress topper that balances out the sturdier layers below.

Support layers

Beneath the cushioning layers up top lie the more durable, supportive layers. Hybrid beds use a coil system at the base, which typically consists of several rows of either individually wrapped or upright coils.

Hybrids with individually wrapped (also known as pocketed) coils should have certain metrics on hand, including how many coils are in the mattress (coil count) and how thick the coils are, i.e. their "gauge." A hybrid with a higher coil count doesn't automatically make it a higher-quality mattress—the more important factor that dictates quality is coil gauge. Coil gauge can range anywhere from 13 to 18, but a gauge on the lower end tends to offer more support.

Understand firmness

Mattress firmness is designated by a scale that goes from numbers 1-10 with the most soft being 1 and the firmest on the latter end of the scale. It's a telling indicator of how your hybrid bed will feel. Hybrid mattresses are traditionally furnished to feel more firm than memory foam, but more soft than a purely innerspring bed. Most hybrids rate at or between a 5 to 6.5 on the firmness scale, falling in the medium to medium-firm category that suits a broad cross section of sleepers. Some brands also allow you to select your hybrid's preferred feel from multiple firmness options.

Know your sleep position

Your preferred sleep position—stomach, side, back, or a combination—may factor into which hybrid mattress you buy. While there aren't hard and fast rules, if you're wrestling with what to look for in a hybrid, consider the following criteria:

• Side sleepers often prefer a hybrid mattress with a robust, soft comfort layer that contours to the body's sharper contact points, like the hips and shoulders.
• Stomach sleepers do well atop a firmer surface, and should look for firm hybrids that will adequately hold up the hips.
• Similarly, back sleepers may also want a medium-firm to firmer hybrid build to prevent the spine from falling out of its proper "S-curve" shaped alignment.
• Combination sleepers do best on medium to medium-firm hybrids that maintain a responsive sleep surface. With overly plush mattresses, combination sleepers may experience more of a 'stuck' feeling that doesn't allow them to easily transition between positions.

Budget accordingly

Hybrids typically outpace memory foam mattresses in terms of price, so you can expect to pay a little over $1,000 for most queen-size hybrid mattresses. On the plus side, hybrids are also typically one of the most durable mattress types due to the combination of materials. If you want to stay under $1,000, you may have to compromise on quality, which might come at the cost of the bed's longevity. Be sure to note the length and limitations included in the warranty's fine print.

Check the sleep trial

Sleep trials, or the period within which you can return your mattress risk-free (although some brands may require you to cover shipping) can be as long as a year or as short as a month. They typically fall somewhere in the middle, around the 100-night mark. A robust sleep trial is important, as some hybrids have a "breaking-in" period that will affect their comfort during the first month or so. In fact for this reason, some brands will not accept returns until at least 30 nights have passed in the sleep trial.

How long does a hybrid mattress last for?

Materials are an important consideration when it comes to hybrid mattress longevity. For example, a hybrid mattress with lesser-quality materials will typically last 7-8 years, while pricier models still perform at their peak 10 years onward. Hybrids constructed with the finest of materials, such as latex, high-density memory foam, and coils with a lower gauge, are known to last some sleepers upwards of 15 years.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully by now you've got a solid grasp of what a hybrid mattress is, and the unique sleep experience they provide. Hybrid mattresses offer a ton of versatility, making them a good fit for a variety of people. Just remember: Keep your personal firmness and sleep preferences top of mind when exploring options. That way, you can be sure to find not only a highly-rated hybrid, but a mattress that fits your needs.