The best memory foam mattress, tried and tested for sleeping in total comfort

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These are our top picks of the best memory foam mattress around, many of which have been tried and tested by GQ's editors, writers or testers to make sure they really are lovely to sink into and contour around your body. And if you want to upgrade your sleep set-up even further, check out our guides to the best mattresses, mattress toppers, best memory foam pillows, bed frames and duvets.

• Pros: Easy to unroll | Good for all sleeping positions
• Cons: Might be too firm for some
• Sizes available: Single, Small Double, Double, King, Super King, EU Single, EU Double, EU Queen
• Night trial period: 200 nights
• Guarantee: 10 year warranty

With its medium firmness designed to give you peak spinal alignment and support, the Emma Original Mattress comes with three layers of pressure-relieving foam. It includes a layer of Halo memory foam, which is great for spinal support and is both breathable and temperature-regulating as you sleep. In its structure, it includes an open-pored HRX layer to enhance the airflow through the mattress and evaporate moisture so that you feel comfortable, cool and dry, even on the hottest of summer nights. £339. At emma-sleep.co.uk

• Pros: Supportive | Comfortable
• Cons: Takes time to get used to
• Sizes available: Single, Small Double, Double, King, Super King
• Trial period: 365 nights
• Guarantee: Forever

With its 25cm thickness, this medium-firm memory foam mattress hugs your body and keeps you cool thanks to the three layers of premium foam, combined with a seven-zone supportive base. It delivers optimum comfort, whilst supporting your spine, but what we love most about the Nectar mattress is that you get a 365-night home trial, so you have plenty of time to make sure it’s right for you. Pay a little more and make use of the bundle offer, which includes a mattress protector, bedding set, duvet and two pillows. From £475. At nectarsaleep.co.uk

• Pros: Very comfortable | Temperature regulating
• Cons: Might need airing out initially
• Sizes available: Single, Small Double, Double, King, Super King
• Night trial period: 200 days
• Guarantee: 10 year warranty

One of the best-known mattress retailers – and for good reason – Simba offers the Simbatex Foam Mattress which comes in a range of sizes and features four layers of cooling, supportive sleep tech. Made from the company's unique Simbatex foam that offers an open cell structure for airflow and elasticity, while also being infused with graphite known for its moisture wicking properties to draw excess heat away, this mattress will keep even the hottest of sleepers comfortable. There's a removable, washable knitted cover for easy refreshing, as well as a zoned, high density foam base for pressure relief too. From £299. At simbasleep.com

• Pros: Suitable for all sleeping positions | Good support
• Cons: May be too soft for some
• Sizes available: Single, Small Double, Double, King, Super King
• Night trial period: 200 nights
• Guarantee: 15 years

Hypnia's Supreme Memory Mattress is designed for all sleeping types, whether you like to snooze on your front or snore on your back. Featuring four layers within a 25cm deep construction, the Supreme Memory Mattress has a breathable and hypoallergenic cover, a 17cm base foam, a layer of open-cell foam infused with graphite to keep you cool, and a layer of next-generation memory foam. It offers medium support with multiple zones to encourage spinal alignment and help you wake up refreshed. From £901 £330. At hypnia.co.uk

• Pros: Includes a cool touch cover | Good support
• Cons: May be too soft for some
• Sizes available: Double, King, Super King
• Night trial period: 100 days
• Guarantee: 10 year guarantee

When it comes to memory foam, the one brand that should spring to mind first is Tempur. Known best for using NASA-developed technology in its mattresses, this is a mattress company with a reputation for innovation, and the results are almost always impeccable. Made with a firm feel, but by no means the firmest in our guide, the Sensation Elite is one of our favourite Tempur pieces. It’s got 25 cm of depth, meaning there’s plenty of support, catering to your movement throughout the night and ensuring you have enough pressure relief. Combine this with the CoolTouch cover, an exclusive addition to the mattress if you shop with Dreams, and it’ll help prevent it from getting too hot overnight, something which can often be a downfall of memory foam if it traps heat while you sleep. From £1,699. At dreams.co.uk

• Pros: Good temperature regulation | Good support
• Cons: Might be too firm for some
• Sizes available: Double, King, Super King
• Night trial period: 365 nights
• Guarantee: 10 year warranty

Tried and tested over many months by a member of the GQ team, Eve Sleep's Premium mattress is one of our favourite mattresses hands down, whether we're talking memory foam, hybrids or pocket spring styles. New and improved, the Premium mattress features four layers of foam, each of which serves its own individual purpose. The breathable memory foam works to actively cool the sleeping environment to prevent any overheating, while the Eve Sleep patented ‘floatfoam’ is designed to create a comfortable environment which adapts to the body. Even more exciting, is the newly added contour zone structure which works to provide support to the areas of the body that need it. The mattress is billed as a medium-firm support, but we'd say it feels more like a firm, especially when you're just getting used to it. From £649. At evesleep.co.uk

“When you lie on a memory foam mattress, you’ll feel a subtle sinking sensation, which a lot of people find very comforting,” explains Fabio Perrotta at Dreams.

“Memory foam essentially hugs your body and distributes your weight evenly across the surface. Pressure points are eased and that means you’re less likely to suffer from stiffness or aches and pains after waking up.”

There are a number of things to consider when choosing a new mattress and deciding whether memory foam is right for you. Fabio Perrotta of Dreams says to check for the following:

Memory foam mattresses retain body heat more than other types of mattresses, which makes them a particularly good option in the cooler months. Look for cooling elements to ensure your body stays at the optimum temperature and to reduce the chance of overheating as you sleep in warmer months too. Key phrases include ‘breathable’, ‘air flow’ and ‘cooling covers’.

Memory foam adjusts to your body and keeps its shape. This makes it a good choice if you share your bed with a partner who tends to move around a lot as they sleep, or if you aren't exclusively a back sleeper or a side sleeper but are prone to switching throughout the night, as it reduces motion transfer.

Dense memory foam mattresses are ideal for relaxing restless limbs as their responsiveness surrounds the contours of your body shape. They are ideal for relieving pressure and ensuring the correct spinal alignment. The best memory foam mattresses boast extra deep designs with supportive base layers.

Memory foam mattresses are known for their ability to mould and respond to your body shape, offering support and pressure relief, while being very comfortable. Typically foam mattresses are made from memory foam, polyurethane foam or a combination of both and they are traditionally good for side-sleepers.

You may find they offer too much give if you suffer from back pain compared to the firm feel of some spring mattresses, but their ability to adapt to your body shape means they have the ability to support the lower back, whilst offering motion isolation to reduce movement if your partner moves around a lot whilst sleeping.

Now read:

Best hybrid mattresses for all-round sleeping magic

The best double mattresses for double the sleep (we hope)

The best pocket sprung mattresses for hotel-worthy sleeps