There’s nothing quite like waking up well rested after a good night’s sleep. That’s why it’s so important to find the right mattress, pillow and everything else for your particular sleep position and that’s where we can help.
From hybrid mattresses for side sleepers to mattress toppers designed to instantly upgrade your existing mattress to pillows, sunrise alarms and more, there are plenty of options when it comes to upgrading your bedroom and your overall sleep experience.
For the Tom’s Guide Awards 2026, our team of experts has tested and reviewed all of the latest mattresses, pillows and other bedding gear. Below, we highlight our favorite mattresses, toppers, pillows and other sleep tech to help you get the rest you deserve as soon as your head hits the pillow.
Best mattress
Saatva Classic
If mattresses were Beatles albums, then the Saatva Classic would be Abbey Road; a perennial classic, perfect from start to finish, and impossible to forget.
For the fifth year running, we’ve crowned this luxury hybrid innerspring the Best Mattress of The Year. It’s comfy for every sleeping position, and so breathable it could keep a snowball cool during a heatwave.
The support is superb too – our Managing Editor of Sleep, Claire Davies, says it feels like getting a gentle back massage every night: "I climb into bed most nights feeling crooked from a day bent over my desk working, or playing on the floor with my kid, then I wake up each morning feeling straightened out and pain-free."
We developed a new review methodology last year and the Saatva Classic aced every part of it, becoming the highest-scoring lab-tested mattress we’ve reviewed (it scored a 24 out of 25 in our Saatva Classic review). In 2026, the Saatva Classic is still the epitome of sleep comfort.
— Claire Davies, Managing Editor Sleep
Best mattress in a box
DreamCloud Classic
Good sleep needn’t cost the earth, and the DreamCloud Classic Hybrid is the perfect example of that. This hybrid mattress looks like a 5-star hotel bed, yet the price is more attainable at under $700 for a queen on sale.
At the beginning of this year we retested the newly updated DreamCloud Classic Hybrid and watched it ace several of our tests, from pressure relief to temperature control. It delivers a big wedge of comfort and support for the money, outperforming many luxury beds over four times the price.
This newer version of the DreamCloud Classic Hybrid is a little softer than previous models, so the lighter to average weight side sleepers on our review team love it the most. But honestly? We’ve yet to meet a person who doesn’t enjoy sleeping on this breathable beauty.
At a point in the economy where many of us are counting every cent, the DreamCloud Classic delivers an excellent performance for the price, once again taking home our award for the year’s Best Mattress In A Box.
— Claire Davies, Managing Editor Sleep
Best hybrid mattress
Saatva Classic
A good hybrid mattress offers the contouring support of a cradling foam mattress with the bounce and responsiveness of an innerspring bed. The Saatva Classic delivers all of this and more, earning its title as the undisputed Best Hybrid Mattress of 2026.
We’ve retested this handcrafted innerspring hybrid twice in the last year alone, and no other mattress comes close. It’s breathable, offers proper lumbar support to ease back pain, and uses high-density foam rails around the perimeter so that you can sleep right up to the edge.
The Saatva Classic is ideal for bedsharing couples and families. It reduces heavy motion transfer while still being responsive enough for you to move around easily without getting wedged in the bed — a rare feat for any hybrid we’ve tested.
With three customizable firmness levels and two height profiles, the Classic adapts seamlessly to most body weights and sleeping styles. Add in a feast of natural and organic materials, and free set-up in your bedroom (they’ll even remove your old bed for free), and it’s easy to see why the Saatva Classic’s knock-out luxury package is yet to be rivalled.
— Claire Davies, Managing Editor Sleep
Best memory foam mattress
Nectar Premier
Currently No 1 in our best memory foam mattress 2026 guide, the Nectar Premier Memory Foam Mattress is designed to both support and cushion back and side sleepers. After sleeping on the Premier for three weeks and putting it through vigorous lab testing, we have to say its design delivers what it promises.
The Premier is great at cushioning our pressure points when side sleeping, but it also kept our hips upright when sleeping on our backs. As for the overheating that memory foam beds can be prone to, the Premier’s cooling cover eliminates this problem and dissipates heat well. Its foam layers mean that a restless partner’s movements won’t travel to your side of the bed, too. Gone are the days when a memory foam mattress meant sleeping on a cheap, stuffy slab of quicksand, and the Nectar Premier Memory Foam Mattress proves it.
— Frances Daniels, Senior Sleep Staff Writer
Best mattress for side sleepers
Helix Midnight Luxe
We’ve tested and retested the Helix Midnight Luxe multiple times over the past two years and it still offers unparalleled support for those who primarily sleep on their sides, fending off some stiff competition (we’re looking at you, Saatva Classic).
The real star of the show here is the plush pillow top layer, which gently contours around the touch points of the mattress to remove pressure from your shoulders, hips and knees. The result? A superbly comfortable bed that you can stay sleeping on your side all night long.
The Helix Midnight Luxe is undoubtedly the best mattress for side sleepers on the market in 2026. However, it’s also comfortable and supportive for back sleepers, too. Which, for co-sleeping couples with different sleep needs, is a dream.
— Nicola Appleton, Sleep editor
Best mattress topper
Helix ErgoAlign Mattress Topper
The best mattress toppers should offer a literal slice of a luxury mattress, and the Helix Ergo Align Mattress Topper is a prime example.Premium sleep brand Helix adds enhanced lumbar support to its luxurious hotel-style mattresses with the trademark ErgoAlign Layer. While Helix mattresses featuring the ErgoAlign upgrade can cost over $2,000 in a queen, a queen-sized Helix ErgoAlign Mattress Topper boasts this back pain-relieving layer for under $350.
Not only is the ErgoAlign Mattress Topper excellent for those waking up to back pain every morning, but it’s comfortable for all sleep positions and will keep hot sleepers cool, too. Its cooling cover is made from GlacioTex, a heat-dissipating fabric that’s also found in Helix’s most deluxe mattress models. As tester Alison Barretta summarises in our Helix ErgoAlign Mattress Topper review, ”No matter your sleep position, the Helix ErgoAlign Mattress Topper will add meaningful support and pressure relief to an older or less-than-perfect mattress.”
— Frances Daniels, Senior Sleep Staff Writer
Best pillow
Helix Talalay Latex Pillow
With two lofts to choose from and crafted from natural materials, the Helix Talalay Latex Pillow is a responsive (read: bouncy) and naturally cooling pillow which suits practically every type of sleeper. Whether you opt for the low or high loft, the pillow immediately adapts to your new shape with every toss and turn — no plumping required.
Design-wise, it’s simple. Its core is a block of natural Talalay latex, which is known for its temperature regulating properties (that’s great news for hot sleepers). This is wrapped in a quilted and breathable Tencel layer, which you can remove to machine wash.
The Helix Talalay Latex Pillow isn’t a pillow that your head sinks into, like you might with a squishy memory foam pillow. Our lead teaser Ruth Jones describes sleeping on it as “a bit like resting your head on a bounce house...but we mean that in the best way possible.”
— Nicola Appleton, Sleep editor
Best sunrise alarm clock
Hatch Sleep Clock
As one of the best sunrise alarm clocks and a sleep tracker rolled into one sleek package, the Hatch Sleep Clock is one of the most exciting launches of 2026. It’s a sunrise alarm clock which delivers circadian lighting for brighter and easier mornings, while simultaneously tracking your sleep.
Lead tester Ruth Jones took the Hatch Sleep Clock for a spin and loved that she could ditch the health wearables and still get an overview of her sleep. Sleep tracking aside, the Hatch does everything you would expect from a sunrise alarm clock of this pedigree, with a vast library of sounds and light options at your fingertips.
In addition to helping you wake up, it actively helps you drop off, too. We love how you can program your own turndown service to activate on command, which initiates a sunset simulation with lights and sounds of your choosing.
— Nicola Appleton, Sleep editor
Best sleep tracker
Oura Ring 5
The Oura Ring 5 was launched this summer, promising more accurate sleep data and a slimmer design than the 4th generation. As we were blown away by the previous model’s sleep tracking, we started testing the Oura Ring 5 as soon as it became available.Three months of testing later, and we’re already convinced it’s the best sleep tracker we’ve tested..
Its improved sensor precision and extended week-long battery life are the new standout features, but we also love its streamlined, stylish build that’s much more comfortable to wear than chunky smart watches. While the ring itself is screenless, the Oura Ring 5 has an intuitive accompanying app which presents visual breakdowns of sleep duration and stages via easy-to-read charts. The smart ring also measures sleep debt, nighttime breathing, and heart rate, while the app’s library of bedtime stories and guided meditations is a nice touch beyond key sleep metrics.
— Frances Daniels, Senior Sleep Staff Writer
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