Best Mattresses For Sex - UK (2022)

Most of us choose a mattress that's the most comfortable to sleep on. 😴

This makes sense, of course.

You spend a third of your life sleeping, so it's important to get a mattress that matches your sleep needs perfectly.

But while some only use their mattress for sleeping, there are just as many who spend a good chunk of time in bed doing other things.

• You may be an avid reader or enjoy catching up on the latest Netflix shows. 📺
• You may enjoy lounging on your bed chatting on the phone. ☎️
• Sometimes, you even want to sit on your bed and look through photographs, write in your journal, or do any other admin-type activity. 📗

And most people would probably also use their mattress for quality time with a significant other.

Ultimately, you need a mattress that fulfils its core function of providing a comfortable and supportive base for sleeping.

But you also need your mattress to meet all your other requirements. 👌

So what should you pay attention to when choosing a bed for sex?

There are a few important factors to consider.

These include bounce & responsiveness, temperature, noise, firmness, support, and durability.

We'll take you through all of these in the following sections. 👇

We've chunked responsiveness and bounce together as they're often interdependent.

Generally, the more responsive a mattress is, the more bounce it will have.

So what do responsiveness and bounce refer to?

• Responsiveness: How quickly the mattress responds to movements.
• Bounce: How well the mattress rebounds after having been compressed.

If you're looking for the best mattresses for sex, you need to find a bed that works with you and not against you. 💪

The ideal mattress for sex should adapt quickly to changes in position, bouncing back to its original shape swiftly so you and your partner will be well supported on a stable surface.

This allows you to easily switch positions and stay active, which is likely during sexual activity. 🏃‍♂️

Mattresses made of latex or springs are particularly suitable - these respond quickly and provide a good amount of bounce.

Other mattresses, like memory foam mattresses, will give you more of that sinking-into-quicksand feeling.

Take a look at the memory effect in the images below:

This is great for orthopaedic concerns, back pain, and relief of pressure points - but not so great for sex.

Excessive sinking makes positional changes cumbersome and hinders free movement. 😩

We'll look at different mattress materials in more detail further down but, for now, remember that a good mattress for sex will be responsive and bouncy!

What about motion isolation?

On the downside, mattresses with great bounce don't always have the best motion isolation. 🦘

This means that you may be able to feel your partner move during sleep.

All-foam mattresses made from materials like memory foam tend to have the best motion isolation.

But:

We'd recommend looking for a mattress that offers good bounce without compromising too much on motion isolation, like a good hybrid mattress or quality pocket sprung mattress.

There are dozens of different mattress firmness options.

Firmness is primarily a matter of personal preference, but your body weight and sleeping position play a role. 🤔

In general:

• Lighter-weight people and side sleepers will sleep better on softer mattresses.
• Heavier-weight people or back sleepers & stomach sleepers will do better on firmer mattresses.

When choosing the right degree of firmness for sleeping, you need to consider both comfort and optimal spinal alignment. 🦴

But how do you choose the right firmness level for sex?

Since sexual activity usually requires quite a bit of movement, you want a mattress that's firm and supportive enough but also soft and comfortable.

We'd recommend that you choose a medium-firm mattress.

In our mattress reviews, you can look at mattresses rated between 5 - 7.5 out of 10 on the Sleep Hero firmness scale, where 1 is the softest and 10 is the firmest. 🥳

The Simba Hybrid, for example, has a firmness rating of 6, making it the ideal firmness for sex.

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You don't want a mattress that's too soft; otherwise, it'll feel like you're sinking into the material, and you won't have freedom of movement.

But if you have a mattress that's too firm, you'll lack responsiveness and comfort. 😔

Ultimately, the ideal mattress for sex will be both comfortable and incredibly supportive to carry you and your partner during sexual activity.

What about edge support?

Importantly, you need your ideal mattress for sex to offer edge-to-edge support.

Many of the modern-day bed-in-a-box mattresses - and especially foam mattresses - lack edge support.

This means that the mattress may feel firmer in the middle, but support will decrease as you go towards the edge of the bed. ⛰

A mattress with good edge support will support you no matter where you lie on the mattress - meaning you can enjoy the entire width of your bed! 👌

It also means that you and your partner won't ever feel like you'd be falling off the sides of the mattress.

Sexual activity creates more body heat, so you're likely to feel hot and sweaty.

The last thing you want is a mattress that stores all of that heat and makes you feel hot and clammy. 🥵

The ideal mattress for sex will regulate temperature well by being breathable & carrying heat and moisture away from you.

Memory foam mattresses tend to store the most heat.

The best memory foam mattresses will contain gel memory foam, which is much more temperature neutral, but these still cannot compare with the best cooling mattresses.

Generally, hybrid, latex foam, and spring mattresses are more breathable. 💨

Even though all mattresses will contain a top layer of foam, springs create natural ventilation channels at the mattress's core.

This means that they allow for a steady flow of air, which carries heat and moisture away to keep you cooler and more comfortable. ❄️

A mattress like the DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid, for example, may have a top layer of memory foam but it also features cooling technology and 15 cm (5.9 inches) pocket springs.

These create space within the actual mattress and allow air to move freely.

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How to protect your mattress from sweat

While we don't want our mattress to store heat, sexual activity will undoubtedly make things a little sweaty. 😅

That's why you need to take extra care to protect your mattress.

Most mattresses contain removable and washable covers - but these will not protect your mattress against moisture! 🛀

Instead, you'd need a waterproof mattress protector.

A mattress protector is a thin layer of waterproof material that you place over your mattress to safeguard it against dirt, sweat, stains, and moisture.

It'll also help keep your mattress in mint condition and extend its lifespan. ✅

Our favourite UK mattress protectors:

Sometimes, there is a need for discretion. 🤫

But even if there isn't, there's nothing worse than a noisy bed that squeaks with every movement.

The ideal mattress for sex will limit noise.

All-foam beds will generally be the quietest, while very bouncy and responsive spring mattresses tend to be noisier, especially if they're of lower quality. 🎵

Hybrid mattresses are a good compromise.

They feature pocketed coils and generally give you good bounce and responsiveness, but they also feature layers of foam, which help keep things quiet.

A high-quality pocket sprung mattress, perhaps even with a foam pillow top for extra comfort, is also a good choice. 👍

The Brook + Wilde Lux mattress is an excellent hybrid option that combines memory foam with multiple layers of pocket springs and support foams.

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Most mattresses have an expected lifespan of 8 - 10 years, but wear and tear - including frequent sexual activity - can "break it down" more quickly. 🤸‍♀️

That's why it's vital to choose high-quality, durable mattresses.

Generally, the higher the quality of your mattress, the more durable it will be and the longer it will last.

Most of the beds we recommend are high-quality mattresses that you can count on. 🧮

But how do you determine quality?

• For spring mattresses, consider the number of springs used. We'd recommend sticking to a minimum of 350 springs for the smallest available size.
• For foam mattresses, consider the density of foams. We'd recommend sticking to a minimum density of 40 kg/m3.

The material used also plays a part.

Pocket sprung mattresses last the longest, followed by latex foam and memory foam. 🗓

We've mentioned mattress materials throughout this article and, by now, you should have a good indication of which mattress materials are best for sex. 💋

But let's look at this again in more detail:

Our recommendation?

Unless you're adamant on foam or have the budget for a high-quality latex mattress, we'd suggest sticking to pocket sprung or hybrid mattresses. 🙌

These will offer you the best combination of support, comfort, breathability, and durability.

And this, in turn, makes them excellent mattresses for sexual activity.

They also happen to be great mattress choices to catch a good night's sleep. 💤

While other accessories may influence comfort, your bed frame will influence the noise levels of your nighttime activities. 🛏

Padded bed frames and divan bases tend to be the quietest, but frames (especially wooden & metal frames) with slats have a tendency to squeak.

Well-designed frames, though, should also serve their purpose squeak-free.

Make sure to tighten your bed frame regularly and invest in a high-quality structure to provide a stable base for your mattress. 🔩

If you like the look of headboards, consider the following:

• Floor-standing headboards may be more expensive but they're also more sturdy and quieter.
• Strutted headboards are cheaper but they also tend to wobble a bit more.
• If you want to add some play to your bedroom activities, it's best to opt for wooden or metal headboards.

Always look for the highest quality you can afford.

Some of our favourite beds:

Choosing a good mattress for sex may be the most important, but don't forget that your pillows play a role too.

A good pillow not only supports your head but can also come in handy to spice up your sex life. 🔥

As Tim Ferriss explains at length in The Four Hour Body, certain positions would require you to lie on a firmer pillow to lift your hips - or other body parts.

So which pillow should you choose?

We'd recommend opting for a firmer adjustable pillow, like the Nectar Whole Night's Sleep pillow.

The Nectar pillow contains three individual layers of memory foam, and you can adjust both the height and the firmness of the pillow depending on how many layers you keep in the pillow cover. 🤩

This means that the pillow could prove very handy during sexual activity.

You could also try the Emma Original pillow, which is a tad more expensive but similar in style and composition.

Read more about our favourite customisable pillows:

Your mattress and pillow will fulfil more of a functional role during sexual activity, but your bed linen will affect your overall comfort. 🤗

After all, is there anything better than smooth and silky bedding?

We'd recommend opting for organic cotton bedding with a high thread count or even silk and bamboo bedding for more of a luxurious feel. ⭐️

Our favourite luxurious bedding:

There are several factors to consider when choosing the best mattress for sex.

Ultimately, you want a mattress that's:

• Bouncy and responsive
• Supportive but comfortable
• Temperature-neutral
• Quiet
• Durable

We'd recommend that you opt for pocket sprung or hybrid mattresses. 👍

But, don't forget that you also need a quality mattress that will allow for a great night's sleep.

Any of our top mattress choices will be a great fit.

Our favourite mattresses for sex: