Read our guide to see this year's best memory foam mattresses for every sleep style and budget, tested by experts
To me, the term 'memory foam mattress' conjures up a bed you'd sink into like a marshmallow. So as someone who sleeps on their stomach and moves around in the night, memory foam seemed the antithesis of what I need in a mattress.
But with several memory foam beds earning a place in our expert-tested guide to this year's best mattresses, I decided I couldn't dismiss this popular material forever. And I'm glad I gave it another shot.
Testing all-foam beds like the Zinus Green Tea and the Nectar Classic proved there might be more to memory foam than I'd initially believed, but it wasn't until I tried the Plank Firm mattress that I became a memory foam convert.
This ultra-firm all-foam bed underscores the diversity of memory foam and has changed my opinion on this material forever. Here's why...
What is memory foam — and why don't people like it?
The original mattress memory foam is widely regarded to be Tempur-Pedic's Tempur Material, a squishy, sink-in polyurethane foam that first came onto the mattress market in the early 90s.
When most of us picture memory foam, we're mostly (inadvertently) thinking of Tempur Material.
This classic memory foam is known for a few key features: its body-contouring feel, excellent motion isolation (the ability to stop movement from traveling across a bed) and a tendency to overheat.
But the mattress market has expanded massively over the past 30 years and sleep brands have moved away from the Tempur-Pedic feel to make memory foam their own.
Nowadays you can buy support memory foams, cushioning memory foams and even cooling memory foams. So perhaps it's time we had an all-foam rethink.
3 ways the Plank Firm changed my opinion on memory foam mattresses
Testing the Plank Firm for my Plank Firm mattress review opened my eyes to the possibilities of memory foam. Here are two ways it changed — and one way it reinforced — my opinion.
1. It prioritizes support
Memory foam is often known for its pressure relief; the way it cradles the body to distribute weight and reduce pressure build up.
That's great for side sleepers who need relief at the shoulders and hips (some of the best mattresses for side sleepers are all-foam) but it can come at the expense of support.
But the Plank Firm mattress bucks that trend by delivering support above all else. It keeps the body lifted from head to toe, holding the spine straight so you don't have to worry a sinking lumbar will lead to back pain.
This isn't unique to the Plank — several of the best firm mattresses we've tested are all-foam — but it's not a feature I'd have expected from foam.
The Plank's support is so good it even earned it a place among the best mattresses for stomach sleepers.
2. It's strong at the edges
Speaking of support, the Plank Firm maintains its firm feel right up to the corners of the bed, an area that's traditionally a weakness in memory foam mattresses.
Edge support refers to how strong a mattress is at the perimeter — when you sit on the edge, does it feel like the mattress will collapse beneath you?
It's an area where the best hybrid mattresses tend to come out on top, as the spring base adds stable support to the sides and edges.
But the Plank Firm has some of the best edge support I've ever tested, only outclassed by the Saatva Classic, our all-time top-rated mattress.
This allows me to sit or lie right up to the edge and never worry about slipping off. It's the sort of feature my mom, who has bad knees and needs to push off the mattress to get out of bed in the morning, would particularly appreciate.
3. It still delivers memory foam-style motion isolation
The Plank Firm doesn't feel like a 'standard' memory foam mattress (although as I've explored here, a 'standard' memory foam is tricky to nail down.) But there's one area in which it matches the high performance we'd expect from a classic all-foam mattress: motion isolation.
Memory foam mattresses often excel at motion control because the thick foams absorb movement, so a disturbance on one side of the bed won't travel to the other.
I wasn't sure the rock hard Plank would deliver but it went above and beyond, deadening motion for peaceful sleep even next to a restless partner.
Because while there are some aspects of foam I'm happy to leave behind, top notch motion isolation isn't one of them.
3 memory foam mattresses to buy today
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
