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Athleticism isn’t just about how hard you can push your body—the best athletes know that rest is an essential part of any fitness plan. In fact, improper sleep can negatively affect performance, including accuracy, strength and reaction time. Choosing the appropriate mattress can be the key to getting restorative sleep. The right amount of comfort, support and pressure relief in a mattress can help you keep up with your active lifestyle. Whether you’re a professional athlete or simply enjoy an active lifestyle, the best mattress for athletes will help aid in recovery so you can get the most from your downtime.

With athletes in mind, our mattress experts have homed in on 11 of the top mattresses available. We discuss which mattresses can help recovery, alleviate soreness and have you waking up energized. Read on to discover the best mattress for athletes, so you can add good sleep to your pre-game routine.

Our picks for the best mattress for athletes:

Who it's best for:

After lots of physical activity, it’s important for athletes to get solid rest—and the Brooklyn Spartan is up to the job. Our testers scored this hybrid bed well in the cooling and supportive properties athletes need.

The Spartan comes in four firmness levels, so you can pick a firmness that’s to your liking. Brooklyn had athletes in mind when designers incorporated the smart fabric performance cover, made with an infrared material that the brand claims turns body’s heat into waves of energy and reflects them back. According to Brooklyn Bedding, this technology regulates temperature and promotes muscle recovery, which can be important for athletes prone to waking up with aches and pains.

Within the mattress, the foam-and-coil construction allows for contouring, durability and decreased motion transfer. The top layer of copper-infused foam is designed to ease pressure and relieve soreness. It targets aching muscles to speed up recovery and get you back on the court faster.

Related: The best foam rollers to help athletes recover

The Spartan Hybrid comes with a 120-night sleep trial and a 10-year warranty. The mattress also comes with free shipping and returns throughout the U.S.

Brooklyn Spartan Mattress ($1,999 for a Queen, brooklynbedding.com)

Who it's best for:

Our testers found that the Bear Hybrid keeps the body at just the right temperature and position for restorative sleep. Cooling memory foam works with the system of 1,300 coils to allow additional airflow and rid the mattress of extra heat.

The bed’s responsive foam accommodates different body types and sleeping positions, allowing side, back and stomach sleepers to feel supported. The mattress also reduces motion transfer so if you have to get up for an early morning run, your movement won’t wake your partner as you get out of bed.

The Bear comes with a 120-night sleep trial so that you can test the mattress over a span of four months. The company also offers a lifetime warranty along with free shipping and returns throughout the U.S.

Bear Mattress ($1,732 for a Queen, bearmattress.com)

Who it's best for:

With the Ghostbed Flex, athletes who are hot sleepers won’t lose any sleep to night sweats. Cooling fibers allow for airflow, giving this bed extra cooling properties to regulate the mattress’s temperature for hot sleepers and couples. Our testers note that the Flex’s “Ghost Bounce” layer adds responsiveness and gives sleepers a floating feeling while the coil system adds strong edge support and improves durability.

The Ghostbed Flex comes with a 101-day trial, so you have just over three months to make sure this bed is the one for you. Ghostbed also offers a 25-year warranty and free shipping and returns throughout the U.S.

Ghostbed Flex Mattress ($2,280 for a Queen, ghostbed.com)

Who it's best for:

We know that mattresses aren’t one-size-fits-all and for athletes who want a little extra, the Helix Midnight Luxe can be customized with accessories to suit specific sleeping needs.

For the cover, you can choose an ultra-breathable Tencel cover or upgrade to the “GlacioTex Cooling Cover” to reduce body heat.

Our testers liked the Helix thanks to the mattress’s luxury memory foam construction, which provides pressure point relief on the hips and shoulders. The Helix’s zoning technology also provides lumbar support by contouring to pressure points. We were able to move into different positions without interrupting someone on the other side of the bed.

The Helix comes with a 100-day trial, as well as a 10 to 15-year warranty. The mattress also comes with free shipping and returns throughout the U.S.

Helix Midnight Luxe Mattress ($2,049 for a Queen, helixsleep.com)

Who it's best for:

Our testers who are side sleepers know when they’re on the wrong mattress because they often will wake with soreness in their hips or shoulders. If you are a side sleeper looking to reduce pain, we recommend the Ghostbed Luxe for relief. It features a gel foam bed that provides a soft, but responsive feel.

The Luxe’s seven layers of foam each take on an important role. Two layers of gel memory foam create comfort and pressure relief. Below, an additional cooling fiber layer allows for airflow. The “Ghost Ice Layer” transfers heat away from the mattress core, while the “Ghost Bounce Layer” gives the bed its responsive feel, so it doesn’t have a sinking feel like other foam mattresses. Finally, the dense support layer enhances the bed’s durability and longevity.

The Ghostbed Luxe comes with a 101-day trial so that you can test the mattress for just over three months. It’s also backed with a 25-year warranty. Ghostbed offers free shipping and returns throughout the U.S.

Ghostbed Luxe Mattress ($2,395 for a Queen, ghostbed.com)

Who it's best for:

Our active testers love memory foam mattresses because their pressure relief can help maintain joint health and prevent pain. When it comes to memory foam, the Leesa mattress offers the right balance for comfort and responsiveness.

The bed’s memory foam construction allows the Leesa to relieve pressure in the back, hips and shoulders, making it a reliable option for side sleepers. But to be clear, this bed works well for the gamut of sleep positions — in fact, our testers couldn’t find a sleep style that they didn’t like on the Leesa.

Cooling is often an issue for foam as it retains heat, but the Leesa performed above average in this category. Its cooling features, like its breathable cover and heat-wicking foam, help hot sleepers to avoid waking up in an uncomfortable sweat. This is essential for those who have trouble regulating their body temperature after a workout.

The Leesa comes with a 100-day trial and a 10-year warranty. The company also includes free shipping and returns throughout the U.S.

Leesa Original Mattress ($1,199 for a Queen, leesa.com)

Who it's best for:

Our testers appreciate the Nectar mattress for delivering many of the features normally found in a high-end mattress at a more affordable price-point.

Despite its budget-friendly price tag, the Nectar is still thoughtfully designed with active lifestyles in mind. First, the gel memory foam technology helps athletes wake pain-free by evenly distributing body weight while cushioning pressure points and joints. The Nectar “Smart Layer” relieves pressure while the “Dynamic Support Layer” adjusts to the sleeper’s body type and sleep position. Finally, the solid base layer ensures support and durability for the layers above.

Temperature regulation can be an issue for athletes who often run warm after workouts, but our testers say this mattress’s cooling technology wicks away heat. This feature also works great for couples, who compound the body heat in the bed and can have issues with overheating. And, with reliable motion transfer, the mattress can work for couples concerned with waking each other by shifting in bed.

Nectar gives athletes an entire year to test the mattress and comes with a lifetime warranty. The mattress also comes with free shipping and returns throughout the U.S.

Nectar Mattress ($899 for a Queen, nectarsleep.com)

Who it's best for:

Our athletic testers found that the Purple Hybrid is a safe bet for those who sleep on their back.

Purple Hybrid’s wrapped coils provide a dynamic response to the sleeper’s body movements — along with airflow that keeps the mattress temperate. The waffle-like grid foam balances weight and eases pressure on sensitive points like the hips, keeping back sleepers aligned. Side and combination sleepers will also find this mattress comfortable and responsive, although stomach sleepers should look elsewhere to meet their needs.

The breathable “StretchMax” cover offers additional airflow for a cooling sleep experience. On cooler nights, the “GelFlex” material also retains body heat for a comfortable bed temperature.

The Purple Hybrid is made in the U.S. and comes with a 100-day trial and 10-year warranty. The company offers free shipping and returns throughout the U.S.

Purple Hybrid Mattress ($2,399 for a Queen, purple.com)

When it comes to the best mattress for athletes, the Brooklyn Spartan ranks highest among our picks. Brooklyn offers multiple firmness options to customize the Spartan to a preferred softness. We especially like the bed’s infrared technology, which doesn’t just help keep hot sleepers cool, but also utilizes your energy to promote muscle recovery — perfect for athletes and those with active lifestyles. Plus, it combats pressure points and alleviates pain so you can hit your morning jog well-rested and pain-free.

The Spartan is great for athletic couples, too, as it boasts great motion isolation for uninterrupted sleep. With the Brooklyn Spartan, you can enjoy the kind of quality sleep that is essential to a strong fitness plan.

What to look for in the best mattress for athletes:

With innerspring mattresses, a set of pocketed coils act as a support system to relieve pressure where needed. The more coils your mattress has, the more contouring, support and durability it offers. They’re typically much cooler than foam beds, which naturally retain heat within the high-density materials.

When it comes to memory foam mattresses, your best option will strike balance between softness and firmness. The best memory foam mattress for athletes also limit motion transfer between sides of the bed and are responsive for those who toss and turn in the night. Hot sleepers want to seek memory foam with specific cooling designs and check reviews around heat retention. Memory foam is a material that is known to trap heat, so often memory foam mattresses are not the best choice for hot sleepers unless they were specifically designed with something like a cooling cover.

Latex mattresses, which can be made from natural, synthetic or blended latex foams, are known to offer pain relief, comfort and have a longer lifespan than standard memory foam beds. We recommend a mixture of the three latex options for the best sleeping experience.

Combining the best of innerspring and memory foam, hybrid beds are popular for offering the comfort of foam with the support and airflow of spring beds. The use of multiple materials can help sleepers get the benefits of different mattress types in one.

The best mattress for athletes can relieve pressure on the spine that comes with strenuous activities. Aligning the spine keeps pressure off pressure points and joints for extra relief.

Some exercise puts more stress on the back, hips, shoulders and other pressure points. Mattresses can either exacerbate that pressure by providing the wrong type of support for your sleep type or work to rid your body of this extra tension.

Some mattress materials use infrared technology, leveraging the body’s own energy to enhance muscle recovery. Some brands such as Bear also claim that copper-infused fibers may improve recovery by increasing circulation and relieving muscle tension.

The correct degree of mattress firmness is based on the sleeper’s preference. You want to strike a balance between feeling supported and comfortable. A firmness level that feels right in the mattress shop might not feel sustainable over weeks or months, which is why we recommend a mattress with a sleep trial, so you can get a realistic picture of daily life with your bed.

Some athletes have a harder time staying cool while sleeping. However, popular brands like the ones on this list tout the latest cooling technology to offer better temperature control. One example is dual phase technology, which is material designed to cool when temperatures run hot, but also recognize cold temperatures and keeps you warm when needed.

For light sleepers, couples and pet parents, motion isolation is key. When you’re getting up for that early morning jog, your movements are limited to your side of the bed and are less likely to wake your partner.

Bed-in-a-box brands are gaining popularity because they’re that easy — after you click purchase, the bed is delivered to your door. You simply unbox it and start your sleep trial. As far as savings, budget shoppers will likely have better luck online where they can more easily comparison shop and find discounts on mattresses.

Part of finding the best mattress for athletes is knowing where you can save in the purchasing process. One way is to shop with companies that offer free shipping and returns. If the bed doesn’t work out, you don’t want to be penalized for sending it back.

Some manufacturers offer trial periods for testing out your mattress so you can be sure that it’s right for your needs. Trial periods can range from three months to a whole year and this idea is central to online mattress shopping. Especially since it’s the only way to know if a bed has the right feel. Be aware that most beds have a break-in period and will sleep differently (usually softer) after a few weeks.

Another way to save money in your mattress shopping is to compare the terms and lengths of the manufacturer warranties. This gives you a chance to return the mattress for free if it has a defect, but this shouldn’t be considered an extension of a trial period. These warranties are often only valid for manufacturer defects.

Online mattresses can range in price from $400 to $3,000, which can make the decision-making process challenging. But if you’re an athlete or simply an active person looking for the right bed, you’ll likely want to prioritize certain factors such as size, cooling properties, high-quality materials and other higher-end add-ons, like pillow tops and cooling panels. This will likely put you in more of the $1,500 to $3,000 range, with a few more affordable exceptions like the Nectar.

The mattress industry typically offers its best discounts and promotions over Black Friday, Cyber Monday and holiday weekends like Labor Day or Memorial Day. These sale events can make a mattress that would be a stretch for your budget more affordable.

There’s no exact science behind firmness levels and athletes — it’s up to your needs. Your preferred firmness will be best able to meet your athletic needs, because sleeping easily and comfortably is the priority. Many athletes like the support of mattresses on the firmer half of the scale. On our list, that range includes the Brooklyn Spartan, Ghostbed Flex or Purple Hybrid.