10 Highest Rated Beds for Menopause & Hot Flashes for 2023

What to Look for In A Mattress for Menopause

During the transition into menopause, which is known as perimenopause, people can experience symptoms¹ like hot flashes, mood swings, and insomnia. As many as 47 percent² of people can experience insomnia while in perimenopause, with that number increasing to 60 percent post-menopause.

This means that finding a mattress to help with sleep is key, and there are specific factors to look out for in a mattress for menopause.

Type of Mattress

Innerspring Mattresses

This type of mattress is one of the oldest around. An innerspring bed contains coils that offer support. The result is a more breathable surface and more airflow throughout the product, which keeps you cooler.

Traditional innerspring beds are affordable, cool, and bouncy, but they don’t have much cushioning for pressure relief, which could be a drawback for side sleepers, lighter-weight people, and those also experiencing joint pain.

Hybrid Mattresses

A hybrid mattress usually combines innerspring coils with several foam layers on top, often memory foam, poly foam, latex, or a combination of them. These beds are beneficial because they provide the supportive bounce of the coils with the soothing comfort of memory foam or latex. The coils provide more airflow, and if the top layers are also cooling, these could be helpful for times when hot flashes emerge.

Memory Foam Mattresses

Although memory foam mattress is often a top pick for people in general, the contouring properties and cell structure of memory foam could make you hotter than you already are – so pick a modern design if you go this route.

If you love the feel of memory foam, look for qualities like “open cell” construction, pinholes, or other features that allow for airflow. There are also foam beds with gel and copper infusions to help draw heat away from the body, and phase-change materials that can be noticeably cool to the touch.

Latex Mattresses

This material is made from the sap of a rubber tree, though if you get synthetic latex, this won’t be the case, or it could be a blend. A latex mattress is another fantastic solution because the process of converting latex into a bedding surface involves creating air pockets that enhance breathability and the material doesn't retain heat.

Latex is also highly durable for longer-lasting use and provides good bounce for easier mobility.

Other Considerations When Shopping for a Mattress for Menopause

Sleeping Position

The type of mattress you get should also depend on your preferred sleeping position. If you sleep on your side, for example, you’ll want a bed that provides a good amount of pressure relief on your shoulder and hip. As such, softer memory foam top layers can be great for side sleepers.

If you sleep on your stomach, though, you’ll want a firmer bed with less give to keep your spine straight. Something like a firm innerspring, hybrid, or foam bed would work well here.
Back sleepers typically need a balance of firm support at the base and some softness on top, so medium-firm beds are often recommended for this group.

Weight/Body Type of Sleepers

Your body type and weight will also determine what type of mattress is the best fit for you. If you’re under 130 pounds or so, you might go with a softer bed if that feels comfortable for you. If you’re average-weight, a medium-firm bed should be a good fit, and if you weigh more than about 230 pounds, you’ll need a more supportive bed. This might mean it includes something like an innerspring unit or highly-dense foam layers.

For More Information: Best Mattresses for Heavyweight Sleepers

Firmness

Finding the right firmness is all about your body type and preferred sleeping position. In general, side sleepers and lightweight sleepers do well with a softer mattress; back and average-weight sleepers with a medium-firm bed; and stomach and heavy-weight sleepers with a firmer bed.

Of course, firmness is subjective and each bed will feel different for each sleeper. Somebody who weighs less may lie on a bed and feel like it is much firmer than if a heavyweight person lied on the same bed. The trick is finding a mattress that feels firm enough to keep your back in neutral alignment through the night, but not so firm that it is uncomfortable.

Learn more about it in our mattress firmness guide.

Cooling

More than 80 percent³ of people going through menopause experience hot flashes, and oftentimes, these occur at night. This is why finding a mattress that doesn’t overheat you further is so important during this time.

Memory foam tends to be a hotter material, so unless your memory foam bed has gel cooling technology or is perforated, we recommend going with a more breathable bed. Beds that include springs and/or latex are naturally more cooling. You may also want to top your mattress off with some cooling sheets for additional comfort.

Interested in exploring further? Check out our complete guide on the best cooling mattresses.

Motion Isolation

Motion isolation measures how well a bed can isolate motion from one side of the bed to the other. This means, if you share a bed and the other person moves at night, you’re less likely to be jolted awake and vice versa.

This is important during perimenopause and menopause because you’re more likely to have insomnia already², so little movements that didn’t disturb you before, might now. Plus, if you’re in and out of bed at night, you’re less likely to wake up your sleeping partner.

Memory foam mattresses tend to be the best at isolating motion because they have the least bounce, whereas innerspring beds with more bounce tend to have worse motion isolation.

Sex

If you’re sexually active, a mattress with more bounce might be a good pick for you. Innerspring and hybrid beds are some of our top-rated beds for sex, but honestly, it is all about personal preference.

Hybrid mattresses are a good compromise because they can still have some bounce but also dampen motion transfer through foam layers and individually wrapping the coils.

Pressure Relief

A mattress with a lot of pressure relief will feel like a deep hug around your joints. A traditional memory foam bed is a great example of this. A mattress without a lot of pressure relief will feel springy and taut; you’ll feel more like you’re sleeping on top of the bed rather than sinking into it.

Many people going through menopause experience joint pain⁴ due to the drop in estrogen. Finding a mattress that has a good balance of support to keep your spine straight and pressure relief to cradle your joints will be important.

Edge Support

Edge support is a mattress’s reinforced edges, either with extra coils, more foam, or some other material that makes the perimeter of your mattress stronger. You’ll know a bed has good edge support if you’re able to sit or lie near the edge of the mattress without it drooping down.

The reason this matters is that without good edge support, you won’t be able to comfortably or safely use the entire surface of your mattress. When the edges start drooping down, this could throw your spine out of alignment, and make it so you and your partner are fighting over the middle space in the bed.

Budget

Menopause commonly increases feelings of stress and anxiety⁵, so we know how important it is not to add another big stress during this time. That’s why finding a bed that is within your budget will matter.

On average, you can expect to spend about this much for each type of bed:

Foam – 1,000 dollars
Innerspring – 900 dollars
Hybrid – 1,000 dollars
Latex – 1,500 dollars

You can spend less than this or more, depending on the brand and quality of the bed. However, we don’t recommend spending too little or buying a used mattress just to ensure you’re getting a quality product.

Learn More: Best Budget Mattress