Best Mattresses for Motion Isolation of 2023

Amerisleep AS3 Overview

If you want a fantastic mattress for couples that offers enough versatility for two people as well as superior motion transfer control, check out the Amerisleep AS3. This mattress offers a plant-based memory foam alternative that fixes a lot of traditional memory foam’s problems.

All Amerisleep mattresses come with free shipping, a 100-night sleep trial and a 20-year warranty.

Athletes and physically active people looking for a mattress that can perform to the level that they do should check out the Zoma Hybrid. This mattress was designed by and for athletes to offer recuperative and performance-enhancing sleep.

Zoma Boost Overview

If you’re looking for the ultimate in luxury and motion isolation, the Zoma Boost mattress is the way to go. With its high-profile 15-inch hybrid design, combining graphite-infused memory foam and a pocketed support coil base, this mattress delivers exceptional cooling, extremely fast response time, and excellent pressure relief. It’s no wonder the Zoma Boost is a top choice for even the most discerning sleepers.

Vaya Hybrid Overview

If you’re afraid of what getting a hybrid mattress with fantastic motion isolation will do to your budget, say hello to the Vaya Hybrid. While most hybrid mattresses in this price range sacrifice quality in favor of affordability, the Vaya offers both.

Nolah Evolution 15 Overview

If you find yourself waking up in a sweat no matter what you do, check out the Nolah Evolution 15. This mattress offers multiple cooling technologies to help even the hottest sleepers stay cool, and it also boasts motion isolation that makes it one of the best mattresses for couples.

Nolah mattresses come with a lifetime warranty and a 120-night sleep trial you can remove at checkout. If you take off the trial period, you can save further on this mattress.

Spindle Mattress Overview

If you want a pure organic latex mattress that offers all the buoyancy and durability you would expect from Dunlop latex, consider the Spindle Mattress. Not only does this mattress offer all-natural ingredients, but it also features adjustable firmness.

Saatva Classic Overview

Couples who just can’t give up the feel of an innerspring mattress but are sick and tired of its problems with motion transfer and poor contouring should check out the Saatva Classic. With a few tweaks on the traditional innerspring design, the Classic fixes a lot of its issues.

Bear Elite Hybrid Overview

One of the best mattresses for couples with allergies, the Bear Elite Hybrid features a layer of copper memory foam that creates a hostile environment for all kinds of microbes that can trigger allergy symptoms.

Birch Luxe Overview

If you want a mattress for couples that offers the all-natural comfort of wool and latex and the support of a hybrid, check out the Birch Natural Luxe Mattress.

Brooklyn Bedding Spartan Overview

Couples who want a hybrid mattress that has it all should check out the Spartan Hybrid by Brooklyn Bedding. This mattress offers copper infusions, gel memory foam, high-density foam, Ascension™ coils, and more.

Layla Mattress Overview

If you’re not sure what firmness you need to best feel comfortable with your partner, consider a flippable mattress like the Layla Mattress. This mattress offers two different firmness levels, making it the perfect mattress for couples who don’t know which firmness is best for them.

How to Choose the Best Motion Isolating Mattress for Couples

Choosing a mattress for motion isolation does not have to be an ordeal. In fact, there are several different mattress types that are great at controlling motion transfer to prevent you from disturbing your partner or bouncing around in the bed yourself.

Why Motion Isolation is Important

Motion transfer control is important for a few reasons. The most obvious of these reasons is for couples sharing a bed. If you sleep with a partner and your mattress is not good at motion isolation, every little movement you make can keep your partner from getting a good night’s sleep.

However, even if you sleep alone, motion isolation is still something you should pay attention to. If your mattress is not able to isolate motion, it could bounce you around every time you move, and this could leave you disturbing your own sleep. If you eat or drink in bed, it could also leave you with a lot more spills and accidents than you would otherwise have to deal with.

Ideal Mattress Materials for Motion Isolation

While it is true that some types of mattresses are better at motion isolation than others, the good news is that the majority of the most popular mattress types on the market today are capable of controlling motion transfer quite well. You just need to know which ones to choose.

Memory Foam

When it comes to motion isolation, nothing beats memory foam mattresses. A memory foam mattress isolates virtually 100 percent of motion. This is all thanks to the nature of flexible polyurethane foam. This synthetic foam tends to absorb your motion without responding to it.

Not only is memory foam ideal for motion isolation. It’s also fantastic for pressure relief and contouring. Memory foam can mold its shape to fit yours in a way that no other material can, establishing top-notch mattresses for pressure points.

It can compress under the heavier parts of your body while simultaneously rising to meet the parts that need support. This makes memory foam mattresses ideal for those who need extra flexibility and pressure relief, such as side sleepers.

The bad news is that memory foam’s motion isolating and contouring capabilities come at a cost, and that cost is a lack of responsiveness. Memory foam is often slow to bounce back when you move.

If you do not toss and turn while asleep, this will likely not bother you. However, active sleepers who change positions several times a night will notice that it takes their mattress time to follow suit. This can be a problem for those who like to toss and turn.

Memory foam’s synthetic nature also means that it is not as good at shedding heat as other mattress types. While this may not bother cooler sleepers, those who sleep hot will definitely notice and may need to consider alternatives to a memory foam mattress, such as gel memory foam or natural latex foam.

Latex Foam

If you want a good mix of motion isolation and responsiveness in an all-foam mattress, natural latex foam may be the way to go. Natural latex comes from the sap of the rubber tree. This makes a latex mattress much bouncier and more responsive than its synthetic cousin: memory foam.

Despite its springiness, latex is very good at bouncing back underneath you without transferring your motion to other parts of the bed. The benefits of natural latex also include how highly breathable and much more cooling than memory foam it is.

For these reasons, active sleepers and hot sleepers who would like a pure foam cooling mattress should consider latex over memory foam. Those who want lots of buoyancy and support would do well on Dunlop latex, which is the denser and more durable of the two latex types.

Those who want the springiness of latex and the contouring of memory foam should consider Talalay latex, which is less dense and more flexible. See our guide to Talalay vs Dunlop latex foam.

The trade-off of latex’s natural springiness is that it is not quite as flexible as memory foam. This is especially true of Dunlop latex. Both latex varieties want to hold their shape more than memory foam does, meaning they will bounce back right away, but you will not get as much contouring out of them.

Most people will not notice this or will think the trade-off is worth it. Many active or hot sleepers may be more than willing to sacrifice a bit of contouring in favor of responsiveness and cooling. But side sleepers who do not move around in bed might find latex’s lowered contouring power annoying.

Hybrid

Those who want a mix of responsiveness, cooling, flexibility, and motion isolation should check out hybrid mattresses. A hybrid mattress combines a pocketed coil support core with at least two inches of comfort foam. This foam can be either memory foam or natural latex – or even a combination of both!

The pocketed coil support layer of a hybrid mattress is what gives it its unique feel. Pocketed coils can move independently of one another because they are individually wrapped in foam or cloth cases. This means each coil can compress or rise exactly how it needs to in order to give you contoured, customized support.

Pocketed coils don’t just contour like memory foam. They breathe and spring like latex to offer you coolness and responsiveness. Pocketed coils also do not transfer motion because they are not connected to one another. So they will bounce back underneath you without transferring your motion over the sleep surface.

The main problem with hybrid mattresses doesn’t come from issues with comfort. The coils inside hybrid mattresses will lose tension and break down faster than most base foams. This means hybrids are, on average, less durable than foam mattresses.

Hybrids are also much more expensive than memory foam mattresses, on average, and only a little less expensive than latex ones. If you combine this expense with the decreased durability, you get the most expensive mattress on the market over the course of its lifetime. This can put hybrids out of many people’s price range.

Innerspring

The one mattress you really don’t want if you’re in the market for a mattress that is good at motion isolation is an innerspring mattress. This type of mattress features a comfort layer that may be made of any plush material and a support layer made of open coils.

The problems with innerspring mattresses stem almost exclusively from their open coil support layers. Open coils do not have a casing and are wired together in a network that spans the entirety of the mattress. This means that when you move, an open coil support core will amplify your motion and transfer it all over the bed. It may also bounce you like a trampoline.

A lack of motion isolation is not the only problem with open coils, however. The metal-on-metal contact in an open coil support court means that your innerspring mattress will start squeaking and creaking with your motion at some point. Open coils also start to sag and break down much faster than base foam and pocketed coils alike.

Potentially the main issue with open coils is their inability to contour. Because they’re wired together, open coils tend to sag under your heavier parts rather than taking the shape of your body.

This can allow your spine to fall out of alignment and also exert pressure on your pressure points. For all these reasons, we suggest a hybrid mattress for those who want coils and a memory foam mattress for those who want affordability.

Ideal Mattress Firmness for Motion Isolation

Generally speaking, a mattress firmness has little to do with its ability to isolate motion. Motion isolation comes from a mattress’s construction and not its firmness. However, you cannot discount firmness when selecting a mattress for couples.

Firmness is one of the most important factors in your mattress selection, and it’s basically impossible to get the right mattress if you get the firmness wrong.

Sleep Position

Your preferred sleep position is the main factor that decides what firmness you need. This is because the way you sleep decides how your body contacts the bed and therefore how much support and pressure relief you need to keep your spine aligned and your pressure points free from pain.

While it’s true that your body type does impact your firmness needs as well, your sleep style determines your firmness baseline, while your body type dictates whether you should go up or down from there.

Back Sleepers

Back sleepers can have problems with both a lack of contouring and a lack of support, depending on whether their mattress is too soft or too firm. Back sleepers need a Goldilocks mattress that’s not too hard and not too soft but offers just the right firmness.

This is because an overly firm mattress can allow your lower back to collapse onto the sleep surface and leave you sleeping without lumbar support. Meanwhile, an overly soft mattress can allow your body to sink into the bed and leave you sleeping in a hunched position. Either way, if you have a too-soft or too-firm mattress, you’ll be waking up with back pain.

To counter both of these problems, back sleepers should select a medium-firm mattress (6 of 10). Medium-firm mattresses offer lots of lift to keep you on top of the sleep surface and just enough contouring to follow the curve of the spine for optimal lumbar support.

Combo Sleepers

Combination sleepers don’t have a strong preference for any sleep position. They may sleep on their stomachs, sides, or backs on any given night. Some combo sleepers even roll from one position to another several times throughout the night.

This means combination sleepers need a versatile mattress that can comfortably accommodate all sleep positions without being designed to accommodate a single one.

Medium mattresses (5 of 10) typically are the best for combo sleepers because they offer an even balance of support and pressure relief. Such mattresses for combination sleepers give them the versatility combo sleepers need to be comfortable in any position.

Side Sleepers

Side sleepers typically have the most problems with pressure, or rather, a lack of pressure relief. When you sleep on your side, the weight of your body presses one shoulder and one hip joint into the sleep surface. A mattress that’s overly firm will push back against your joints, exerting pressure on them and causing pain.

To counter this, side sleepers normally need a medium-soft (4 of 10) or even a soft mattress (3 of 10). Softer mattresses for side sleeping absorb pressure by compressing underneath the pressure points. This helps prevent you from waking up with pain in your hips and shoulders.

Stomach Sleepers

Stomach sleepers often have the opposite problem as side sleepers. Rather than insufficient pressure relief, stomach sleepers usually wind up with insufficient support. Sleeping on your stomach causes your pelvis to sink into the mattress.

When this happens, it pulls your spine out of alignment, overarching your lumbar region and causing pain in your lower back. For this reason, stomach sleepers need firm mattresses (7 of 10). Firmer mattresses for stomach sleeping offer enough support to prevent sinkage in the pelvis and keep the spine aligned when you sleep on your stomach.

Body Type

Though it is true that your preferred sleep position is the main factor that determines your firmness needs, some sleepers cannot discount their body types.

The mattress industry considers 130 to 230 pounds to be the average human weight range. If you fall into this range, then you do not have to worry about accounting for your body weight when choosing a mattress firmness. You can just choose the firmness that goes with your sleep position. However, if you fall outside this range, you may have to make some adjustments.

Petite Sleepers

Those who weigh less than 130 pounds are considered petite sleepers. Petite sleepers often do not get enough compression from the mattresses that correspond to their preferred sleep positions. This means they may not get sufficient pressure relief.

To counter this, petite sleepers should choose a mattress for lightweight sleepers that is a firmness level softer than the one that would normally match their sleep position. For example, petite stomach sleepers should consider a medium-firm mattress rather than a firm one.

Plus-Size Sleepers

Plus-size sleepers are above 230 pounds. At this weight, your body may compress the bed too much, leading to insufficient support and spinal misalignment. Therefore, you may need to increase your mattress firmness above what would typically be the best for your sleep position.

For example, heavier combo sleepers may need to upgrade from a medium to a medium-firm mattress. You might also want to look for mattresses for heavy people that stress support for plus-sized bodies.

FAQs

What is the best mattress type for motion isolation?

If you want the absolute highest level of motion isolation you can get, a memory foam mattress is likely best for you. Memory foam mattresses absorb just about all motion, which means they will almost never transfer any amount of motion to any part of the bed. However, the trade-off of this is that memory foam mattresses are typically not very responsive.

If you want a responsive mattress that will bounce back underneath you without transferring much motion to the rest of the sleep surface, latex foam or hybrid mattresses may be the way to go. Both of these mattresses are very good at isolating motion, but they are much better than memory foam at bouncing back underneath your body when you move.

Is an innerspring mattress a good mattress for motion isolation?

Innerspring mattresses are the worst mattresses for motion isolation. Not only are they all-around terrible at controlling motion transfer. They actually amplify your motion. This means that not only do they transfer motion all over the bed, but they will also bounce around underneath you in a way that may disturb your slumber.

Hybrid mattresses offer a better solution for those who want a spring mattress. Hybrid mattresses have coils that are not wired together and can move independently. This means you will get some bounce underneath you but not so much that it disturbs your sleep. You will also get superior motion isolation at the same time.

Do I really need to worry all that much about motion isolation?

Motion transfer can be anything from a minor annoyance to a major barrier between you and a good night’s sleep. Those who sleep alone don’t have to worry about motion transfer as much, but they still need mattresses that are not going to bounce their bodies as they move.

Couples sleeping in the same bed are the ones who will have the most issues with motion transfer. If you get a mattress that is not good at motion isolation, you will likely disturb your partner with your movements, and they will disturb you with theirs. This is why it’s vital for couples to select mattresses that offer good motion isolation.

Should single sleepers care about motion isolation?

It is true that single sleepers don’t have to worry about motion isolation as much as couples. But that doesn’t mean you should discount motion isolation altogether if you happen to be sleeping alone.

One of the main problems single sleepers can face with mattresses that offer poor motion isolation is that these mattresses can create a situation where single sleepers disturb their own rest. For example, an innerspring mattress may bounce like a trampoline to the point that you wake yourself up if you move in your sleep.

Mattresses that are bad at motion isolation may also make it harder to eat or drink in bed. So those who like to unwind at the end of the day with a good book and a cup of tea may have a harder time doing so. This is why you shouldn’t discount motion isolation even if you’re sleeping alone.

Are hybrid mattresses good mattresses for motion isolation?

Hybrid mattresses offer some of the best motion isolation around. The pocketed coil support core design of a hybrid mattress is the reason it is so good at controlling motion transfer. Each coil can move independently of all the others.

This means that each coil can bounce back underneath your body without amplifying your motion or transferring it to any of the other coils. This creates a fantastic mattress that will not have any issues with body impressions or slow response time while simultaneously offering excellent motion isolation.

Bottom Line

Whether you sleep alone or with a partner, motion transfer control is not something you can ignore. But if you snag one of the best mattresses on our list, it’s also not something you’ll ever have to worry about again.