The best mattress for adjustable beds in 2024

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Hardness: How firm the bed feels is very subjective and will depend on how much pressure you put on the bed. In addition to hands-on tests, CNET recently developed a method to measure the true firmness of a mattress: a machine called the Mattress Smasher 9000. This proprietary device and associated software were developed in-house by our lab technicians. It is pressed into the middle of the mattress and rates each bed on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the firmest and 1 being the softest. We also test each bed personally for firmness and feel, we have data from the MS9000 to back up our conclusions.

Here’s the data we learned from testing the best adjustable bed mattresses with our Mattress Smasher 9000. Sorted from the softest to the firmest beds, here’s how the mattresses scored on our firmness scale.

Feeling: We get physical with the mattress and see how the material feels. This is different from hardness. Depending on the foam and materials of a mattress, we see whether the bed is bouncy, responsive, pressure-relieving, or plush and fluffy.

Endurance: It’s hard to say exactly how long each bed will last because we don’t test it for years. We can guess the firmness of the bed by looking at its construction. Hybrid or innerspring beds are more durable and last longer than foam mattresses.

Best Body Type: Based on a person’s body weight, we determine how firm the mattress is. We use different sized sleepers to test beds and focus heavily on bed construction.

Best sleeping position: Using different bedrooms, we test the mattress in every sleeping position: side, back and stomach.

Motion isolation: We use two people to test how well motion transfer is dampened across the bed, or place a glass of water on the edge of the bed to see how much it moves if we bounce around.

Edge support: We analyze the construction and physically lay on the side of the mattress to assess how supportive the feel is.

temperature: Instead of making things up, we rely on our own experience sleeping on the bed and a temperature gun. We can tell if a bed is cooling, breathable or hot by sleeping on it for a few nights.

smell: Boxed mattresses smell like a new car after being unpacked. Don’t worry, it won’t stay. The smell will disappear after 24 to 48 hours. Some beds emit less odor than others.

Read more at how we test mattresses.