The Best Mattresses for 20-Somethings

We spend about one-third of our lives sleeping. You don’t want to waste that much of your life on some raggedy, uncomfortable bed — do you? But I know what you’re thinking: a good mattress is expensive. But that’s not always the case! As a twenty-something, money is tight and stress levels are high which is why we’ve provided you with the best mattresses that are both luxurious and affordable. We’ve rounded up the best of the best mattresses on the market for you. All you have to do is find the one that fits your personal needs and treat yo self to a great night’s sleep!

Eight Sleep Mattress

Eight Sleep’s memory foam and latex mattress is made in the US (like many others on this list) and designed to offer the highest level of comfort so that you can get the best sleep you’ve had in years. But that’s the promise of virtually every mattress company, so what makes Eight Sleep stand out among the rest? First, the mattress itself has a unique cell structure that bounces back to its original shape each day but also gives enough so you won’t have an achy back. Second, it has the bounce of a coil mattress with the memory foam feel—hello comfort and stability! Third, Eight Sleeps mattress is made specifically for couples. So, if you’re having trouble sleeping because your partner can’t stop tossing and turning, look no further!

Aside from those benefits, Eight Sleep also offers a Sleep Tracker starting at $399—its features are comparable to the Eight Sleep Smart Mattress but for a fraction of the price. Here’s how the tracker works: you download an app on your phone which will become the control center of your bed. You’ll set your alarm clock and desired bed temperature, and you can even connect the tracker to other products in your house (like your coffee maker). Each morning you’ll be able to wake up to data about your sleep and much more — your alarm even waits to wake you up at the right time in your sleep cycle so you won’t feel groggy all day.

• Eight Sleep Smart Mattress Price: $525+
• Sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, California King
• Review by Sleepopolis: “The Eight Sleep Mattress is comfortable, supportive, responsive, and an overall good value. Yet, the Eight Sleep technology is what really puts this mattress in more of a unique space. By adding the sleep tracking technology, designed by Eight Sleep, to the mattress, sleepers are able to receive their sleep data and trends. This information works to help sleepers improve their sleep while also sending data back to Eight Sleep so they are able to make necessary changes to their mattress and technology.”

Buy your own Eight Sleep Smart Mattress here!

NECTAR Sleep Mattress

We here are Earn Spend Live love NECTAR mattresses a little more than the others — probably because they sent us a whole freaking mattress to review! One of our own, Elise Williams, has a first-hand testimony of her experience and she can shout from the rooftops about how comfy it is. One of the things that makes NECTAR one of the best mattresses is that it provides the perfect in-between for those who love firm and fluffy memory foam mattresses. It allows for stability while also feeling as though you’re sleeping on a cloud. You can try a NECTAR mattress for 365 days (aka a whole year) and if you decide at any point during that time that it’s not right for you, they’ll gladly pick it up, free of charge.

• NECTAR Sleep Mattress Price: $500+
• Sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King
• Review by Earn Spend Live: “I’ve actively looked for cons here — the only thing I can come up with is the smell in the beginning (but as I said, it goes away eventually). I looked at multiple reviews to find SOMETHING wrong with this thing, but everyone seems to be as obsessed with NECTAR as me. About the only complaint I’ve seen is that it’s “too firm” for some people or that they prefer to try beds out before buying — but if that’s the case, refer back to the wonderful return policy. It’s beautiful. It’s firm but soft. It’s affordable. It’s the best sleep I’ve had in literal years.”

Use our code ESL 125 to receive $125 off your NECTAR Sleep mattress order + 2 free pillows!

Bear Mattress

Image via Bear Mattress

If you live an active lifestyle, play a sport, or do any other type of activity that requires a lot of energy and movement, then the Bear Mattress is the best mattress for you. It was designed by professional athletes, engineers, and sleep experts to allow for the best night’s sleep possible. With a Bear Mattress made of graphite memory foam, you’ll be able to recover faster (which also means you get to train harder). It’s double memory foam construction provides better support and a softer night’s sleep. The bottom layer is also designed to help keep you cool. On top of all that, 1% of the proceeds from each mattress goes to Good Sports Charity — and, I mean, who doesn’t love giving back?

• Bear Mattress Price: $500+
• Sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, California King
• Review by Girl on the Mattress: “If you’re an athlete and you love memory foam, I’m confident it’ll be love at first sleep for you with the Bear Mattress. It gives you great comfort and is made with high-quality materials. Plus, the use of technology especially Celliant is unique and offers a noticeable difference when you sleep. For anyone who’s active, you get superb comfort, great bounce, medium firmness and excellent cooling with this mattress in your bedroom.”

Buy your own Bear Mattress here!

Pacific Mattress Co.

Image via Pacific Mattress Co.

While most companies on this list offer some sort of cooling element in their mattresses, Pacific Mattress Co. finishes all their mattresses with a special “heat and moisture-wicking cover providing cool and luxurious sleep”. They’ve mastered the science of the perfect night’s sleep and intentionally focused on pressure relief, lasting durability, reduced motion transfer, and faster recovery in order to assure each night’s sleep is as good as the last. This float form and latex mattress is best for those who prefer light to medium firmness and value buoyancy.

• The Pacific Mattress Price: $699+
• Sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, California King
• Review by Top Down Reviews: “The Soft gets a 4 out of 10 in our firmness rating while the firm gets a 6 out of 10. (10 being the firmest) This all foam mattress uses a combination of latex and foam cores. The foam density and layers work together to provide the soft or firmer sleep. The more firm Pacific Mattress will give the sleeper a cooler night. Latex is much cooler than foam mattresses, mainly because of the firmness. Soft foam beds tend to surround the sleeper and hold the heat closer to their body.”

Buy your own Pacific Mattress here!

Live and Sleep Mattress

Image via Live and Sleep

This Energex foam and polyfoam mattress is one of the best mattresses for those who prefer a firmer bed (so, if you like to feel as though you’re sleeping on a pile of feathers you should probably look at companies like Nectar or Saatva). The Live and Sleep mattress is available in medium firm and firm which allows you to somewhat customize your sleeping experience — and is actually the only company that has this firmness option. According to their website, Live and Sleep mattresses provide the bounce that one would normally find in a coil bed but without the coils. So, you can get that firm, buoyant feel without the annoying squeaking of coils. As an added bonus, this coil-like aspect keeps your bed from feeling sunken in or deflated after prolonged use.

• Live and Sleep Mattress Price: $399+
• Sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, California King
• Review by Sleepopolis: “The Live and Sleep mattress has a balanced firmness at a 6-6.5 out of 10 on the firmness scale. It also provides a pronounced body hug and contour, without causing the sleeper to feel overly “stuck” in the foam. Good cooling, good support, and stylish design round out this new mattress start up. If you’re looking for memory foam, pronounced contour, and robust support for under $900 the Live and Sleep can be a good option.”

Buy your own Live and Sleep mattress here!

Saatva Mattress

Image via Saatva Mattress

If you’re more of a coil spring mattress type of person, then Saatva is the perfect fit for you. They use a coil on coil structure with an innerspring to give you that extra bounce that memory foam beds are missing. While all mattress companies are largely similar, and oftentimes it’s hard to say whether one is better than another, I can say that Saatva does go above and beyond other companies when it comes to customer service. They were founded on the idea that the customer always comes first and your individual satisfaction is actually important to them. For example, they offer full-service delivery and also set up your mattress for you. You can choose between three mattress options: luxury firm (which is their best seller), plush soft, and firm; they also offer choices in mattress height for those who need a little extra leg room. This is one of the best mattresses because it will last you for years to come and you can rest easy knowing that any problems that arise will be handled swiftly.

• Saatva Mattress Price: 599+
• Sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, California King
• Review by Girl on the Mattress: “I fully enjoyed sleeping on the Saatva mattress. It reminded me of how much I loved the bounce spring mattresses offer. Plus, the quality of the product is superb! An added bonus for me was the visual beauty and the comfort of the euro-style pillow. If you know you like a spring mattress with a traditional feel, Saatva is a great bet.”

Buy your own Saatva Mattress here!

Avocado Green Mattress

Image via Avocado Green Mattress

If you’re extremely environmentally conscious like me, you’ll love the Avocado Green Mattress. This company is all about keeping things natural and 100% non-toxic, eco-friendly, and cruelty-free so that you can feel good about where you’re resting your head at night (and even where your children are as well). Although this company does have the highest-priced mattress that doesn’t involve technology, it’s well worth it for the quality and care that goes into making each and every mattress. Each Avocado mattress is handmade using natural latex, JOMA New Zealand wool, and certified organic cotton. So think green and get yourself an Avocado mattress — the Earth will thank you.

• Avocado Green Mattress Price: $959+
• Sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, California King
• Review by Sleep Sherpa: “If you’re in the market for an all-natural mattress, the Avocado should be near to the top of your list. They have done a phenomenal job of blending traditional coils and tufting techniques along with natural latex, wool, and organic cotton. Aside from the natural benefits this provides, it feels like a high-quality mattress. Avocado has a 100 night free trial period where if you don’t like it for whatever reason you can return it for a full refund. This really tips the scales because there are still many natural mattresses that don’t offer a free trial period and so it can be a gamble when buying online without trying first. Avocado takes away the anxiety of purchasing natural mattresses online.”

Buy your own Avocado Green mattress here!

Eco Terra Beds

Image via Eco Terra Beds

If you’re looking for a comfortable but supportive bed in a medium price range, you should definitely look into Eco Terra Beds. Their mattresses are made with a combination of natural latex and small coils which, together, bring both firmness and plushness. Do you remember watching the Temperpedic commercials that used to run that would set a wine glass on a bed and then have people jump up and down on the mattress to prove that there was no motion disturbance? Well, if you were as impressed with that little trick as I was you’re going to love Eco Terra’s no disturbance mattress which gives you that same guarantee — so you can toss and turn and even get in and out of bed without disturbing your sleeping partner. The unique aspect of this mattress is that, according to their website, the coils actually make the mattress 28% cooler than a foam bed — which means goodbye night sweating. So, if you tend to get hot at night and are ballin’ on a budget, make sure you looking into getting an Eco Terra mattress (you won’t regret it).

• The Eco Terra Mattress Price: $599+
• Sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, California King
• Review by The Bed Buyer: “Being made up of a natural latex this mattress balances the sleeper’s weight uniformly and providing optimum support to the lower back. The mattress has the right amount of stiffness that aligns the spinal cord. This mattress is the best alternative to the memory foam mattress. this will give you no quicksand feel. The memory foam nature in the latex reduces the motion transfer while you are sleeping with your partner.”

Buy your own Eco Terra Mattress here!

You really can’t go wrong with any of the best mattresses listed in this round-up, and it all boils down to what you’re looking for in a mattress. To determine which one is right for you, make a list of the things that are most important to you in a mattress (for example, firmness or buoyancy) and then decide which company specializes in that. You’re not going to be able to be a complete #GirlBoss if you’re always sluggish and groggy so get yourself a bed that’s as luxurious and glamorous as you are!

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