The luxury side sleeper mattress that banished my achy hips has dropped to its cheapest price of the year — why I (and my cat) recommend it

The image shows a light haired woman wearing a black and white blouse and black dungarees jumping onto a white mattress with a blue trim. Inset, there is an image of a cat sitting on the same mattress in a different bedroom.

(Image credit: Future)

It doesn't take much to ruin my sleep, so when I tested the Helix Midnight Luxe, a mattress so comfy it all but stopped my 3am wake-ups, I was reluctant to give it back. The Midnight Luxe, which is currently down to $1,751 from $2,398 for a queen at Helix, banished the achy hips and shoulders I felt when sleeping on my side on other beds.

It gently absorbs pressure from my hips and shoulders and prevents a buildup of pain. This 'pressure relief' isn't unique to the Midnight Luxe – all of the top-rated options in our best mattress guide offer excellent levels of comfort versus support – but it is one of the comfiest for side sleepers.

Here's why, based on my experience of sleeping on it on and off for the last two years, and why I recommend it to side sleepers browsing this year's Presidents Day mattress deals...

Bye bye hip pain, hello uninterrupted sleep

What I need in a good side sleeper mattress is excellent pressure relief so that I can stay sleeping comfortably on my side all night long without be awoken by hip or shoulder pain.

With its plush, cloud-like pillow top cover, the Helix Midnight Luxe provides pressure relief in spades. The top layer of padding gently cradles the touch-points of the mattress, which leaves you feeling weightless on the bed.

In my Helix Midnight Luxe review (I first tested this mattress nearly two years ago) I couldn't believe how I was able to fall asleep on my side and pretty much stay sleeping in the same position all night long.

Where was the hip pain that normally woke me up at night?

The image shows a cat sitting on top of a Helix Midnight Luxe mattress during testing — (Image credit: Future)

My back-sleeping husband loves it too

Since then, the Midnight Luxe is the mattress I always come back to in between testing other mattresses. I love it for its unmatchable support for side sleepers, but my back-sleeping husband loves it too (finally, a mattress we can both agree on.)

That's because underneath that cloud-like pillow top are five further layers of high-density memory foam, responsive foam, and up to 1,000 steel coils. These layers and elements work together to hold you on top of the mattress, as opposed to sinking into it.

It's not just my husband and I that love the Luxe; our two kids (and cat) sleep on it any chance they get.

There's also zoned lumbar support, which lifts and supports the 'S' shape of your spine in all the right places. I've had lower back pain since giving birth for the first time just over a decade ago and the Luxe is the best mattress for back pain relief that I've personally tested.

Alongside a panel of testers, we rated the Luxe as 6 out of 10 for firmness, placing it in the true medium-firm category. That's the sweet-spot of firmness options, the one we recommend to most back, stomach and side sleepers, due the blend of comfort and support (the latter being crucial for healthy spinal alignment.)

Tester's manicured hand on the cover of the updated Helix Midnight Luxe Mattress with the Tencel cover — (Image credit: Future / Alison Barretta)

As well as being a good option for couples with different sleep styles (or solo combination sleepers, for that matter), the Midnight Luxe does an excellent job of dampening movement across the surface of the mattress.

That means that if anyone else in the bed is wriggling around, whether that's one of your kids, pet or just someone else in the bed having a restless night, you're unlikely to feel it (that's why we rate it as one of the best mattresses for couples.)

The mattress I'd buy instead if I had a smaller budget...

The Helix Midnight Luxe is the one I'd recommend in a heartbeat to side and back sleepers. However, even after a 27% off in the current Helix mattress sale, the Luxe costs $1,751 for a queen.

So, if I were mattress shopping today on a smaller budget, this is what I'd consider instead...

Nicola is the Sleep Editor at Tom’s Guide, where she helps steer the mattress and sleep content published on Tom’s Guide, including our Best Mattress for Back Pain buying guide. With a career in journalism spanning the best part of two decades, Nicola brings experience to the team and the knowledge of what makes a great article, whether that’s a how-to mattress cleaning feature, a deep dive into melatonin gummies, or an in-depth mattress review. As a sleep editor, few better understand how important a decent mattress is to the overall quality of our sleep, and precisely how our sleep impacts our physical and mental health. As well as tackling the vast topic of sleep, Nicola joins the raft of expert mattress specialists at Tom’s Guide, who test and compare a wide range of mattresses in order to guide readers towards the very best options on the market.

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Bye bye hip pain, hello uninterrupted sleep

My back-sleeping husband loves it too

The mattress I'd buy instead if I had a smaller budget...