Finest Sleep Awards 2022: The 25 Finest Merchandise for All Forms of Sleepers
AD has published dozens of articles about sleep products as we continue our quest to find the most comfortable and stylish mattresses, sheets, pillows, and sleep accessories on the market. To select the winners of our inaugural Best Sleep awards, we analyzed user data from these stories to identify the AD-approved products that are also reader favorites as determined by the number of clicks and orders over the past 12 months.
Read on to discover the 25 products that we—and you—have been obsessing over.
This Nectar mattress, a perennial reader favorite, is designed to minimize motion transfer (which is key if you’re sharing your bed) and made of layers of CertiPUR-US certified quilted gel memory foam, gel memory foam, and “adaptive hi core” memory foam. It even has a foam base and a cooling Tencel cover to prevent overheating. “My biggest concern was that I would take the time and energy to get a new mattress and regret my decision. Which would mean I would have to go through the whole process again,” Nick Mafi said in his review. “Luckily, that didn’t happen, and I’ve been very happy with the mattress.”
Made of three layers of Tuft & Needle’s signature T&N Adaptive foam, this mattress has 30% extra heat-wicking graphite and more gel beads for added breathability. You’ll get a 100-night sleep trial, 10-year limited warranty, and free shipping and returns. “I am usually a big toss-and-turner, but I slept noticeably better in this bed than on my previous mattress,” Anna Fixsen said in her review. “I found that I could find my comfy place quickly and fall asleep faster.”
With pressure point relief and luxury memory foam, the Helix Midnight Luxe is ideal for side sleepers. It’s Helix’s most popular mattress and features zoned lumbar support, enhanced contouring, a premium pillow top, and a breathable Tencel cover that will keep hot sleepers cool. “It’s marketed as a medium firmness, and I definitely agree,” Gaby Ulloa said in her review. “It provides the perfect ‘not too soft, not too firm’ situation and allows me to sink into a deep night’s sleep while still feeling completely supported.”
The Dreamcloud is made of five layers of various types of memory foam for contouring cushion, one layer of natural latex for bounce, one layer of foam-encased pocketed micro coils for support, and a hand-tufted cashmere-blend cover. “The mattress is a great middle ground between firm and soft,” Madeline O’Malley said in her review. “I don’t sink in much, but it’s also quite squishy. My body doesn’t leave an imprint when I get up; the mattress springs back to its shape immediately.”
The Birch Natural mattress is free of any polyurethane foams and harmful chemicals (i.e. fire retardants, formaldehyde, or pesticides) and is sustainably sourced with your complete safety in mind. The brand sets a high standard for eco-friendly mattresses. Plus, as Zoë Sessums said in her review, “This mattress looks really nice—the details in the color and materials made it stand out right out of the box. It’s firm, but doesn’t feel stiff, and soft without making you sink—it’s that Goldilocks perfection.”
The Brick is an attainably priced medium-firm mattress designed to provide support and cooling while promoting motion isolation. Inside, you’ll find individually wrapped coils, copper-infused memory foam, two inches of high-density foam, and a firmer top layer. As David Kaufman wrote in his review, “The mattress is very firm. I felt supported whether sleeping on my stomach, back, or side. I didn’t experience sagging or sinking in any position, but rather buoyancy and comfort.”
As an elite hybrid mattress, the Propel delivers responsive contouring with the exceptional temperature moderation of TitanCool™ and copper-infused foam for added airflow and superior antimicrobial benefits. Plus, it’s made from Upcycle™, a revolutionary textile technology that utilizes a proprietary surface treatment of encapsulated minerals to absorb body heat, which helps promote a more restorative night’s sleep. In his review, Keith Pollock was intrigued to try the mattress because the “description of the mattress online sounds scientific and also a bit mystical.” Ultimately, he could confirm that it is quite comfortable.
This triple-layered mattress topper is designed with pressure points, pain relief, and comfort in mind. It molds to your body and reduces the force of the mattress on places like the hips and shoulders for side sleepers or the lower back for back sleepers. As an added bonus, this super-comfortable mattress topper has a removable and washable cover.
This repurposed wood bed frame is attractive and easy to assemble (no tools required!) and was one of the most popular products among Clever readers in 2020. As Zoë Sessums wrote in her review, “I think this is a really great option out there for a simple modular bed frame that is made from sustainable materials and will hold up over time.”
This set is super classic, smooth, and has a crisp feel. Made of 100% long-staple cotton (Oeko-Tex certified), the sheet set is available in White, Cream, Graphite, and Windowpane. As Rachel Fletcher said in her review, “I’m a hot sleeper with sensitive skin, and they’re really cool on my skin at night, which is a huge relief. I love the breathability of these sheets. They’re really smooth and not at all scratchy or harsh on my skin, like some of the less expensive options I’ve tried in the past.”
Allswell’s 100% organic cotton percale sheets have a special garment-wash process for extra softness and have a luxuriously lived-in feel. “I don’t want to overstate it too much, but I’m not sure I’ve had a fitted sheet go on so easily,” Elise Portale said in her review. “I could live in these sheets. They’re not too hot or too clingy, which is something that drives me a little crazy about microfiber sheets. Imagine the comfort of wearing your favorite shirt and multiply it by a full-size bed.”
Buffy’s eucalyptus sheets are hypoallergenic, earth-friendly, naturally dyed, and are made of a super-soft, 300 single-ply thread count sateen-weave fabric woven from Tencel lyocell fibers. “These sheets are smoooooth and feel like a silk/cotton combo,” Zoë Sessums said in her review. “The cool-to-the-touch nature of the material is ideal for warmer months and hot sleepers, so I found the experience very nice. They only get softer after each wash.”
Bed Thread’s 100% French flax linen sheets come in an incredible array of colors, from ruby to olive, sage, and rosewater, and many in between. The buttery soft sheets only get better over time, so the more you use and wash them, the softer and more comfortable they get. What’s more, linen is antistatic, antibacterial, and naturally temperature-regulating. “I’ve become a real linen-sheet convert and love the structure and sturdiness of these while still maintaining some softness,” Zoë Sessums said in her review.
Botana makes hemp sheets only—specifically 100% hemp sheets. Hemp is known to be a sustainable material, as it uses significantly less water than cotton to produce and is naturally resistant to insects that are traditionally treated with pesticides. Hemp is also said to be antimicrobial, hypoallergenic, and cooling (among other things!). As Rachel Fletcher put in her review, “I can 100% feel the difference between the Botana sheets and a less costly pair, and I appreciate the sense of luxury they bring to my sleep routine.”
Sijo’s Eucalyptus sheet set is made from 100% Tencel lyocell fiber, which is made from a number of wood sources (including eucalyptus) that are turned into a dissolved pulp and extruded into a fiber. When made into bedding, specifically at Sijo, the result is incredibly soft, smooth, and hypoallergenic. “The sheets remind me of my favorite silk shirt, airy and comfortable yet elegant,” Mel Studach says in her review. “They are pleasantly lightweight, meaning that they not only drape beautifully along the sides of the bed, but they are also conveniently breathable—or ‘naturally cooling,’ as the brand puts it.”
If you want lasting linen, sourced from mills in Italy and Belgium, these Linoto sheets are a great option. Made locally in the state of New York, the sheets are smooth, sturdy, and artisanal quality without compromise. As Erika Owen said in her review, “I love the white sheets I bought, but I am tempted to buy them in more colors given what a massive part of my sleeping ritual they’ve become. (Seriously, I have trouble falling asleep on non-linen sheets sometimes, thanks to how cool they keep me at night.)”
Quince’s entire deal is about making high-quality luxury products at an affordable price. According to Elise Portale in her review, “I would absolutely recommend this duvet cover. It may not look fancy, but if you like a softer, more utilitarian bedspread, Quince is a winner. The linen is ridiculously soft from the moment you take it out of the package, and it comes at a price that you really aren’t going to find elsewhere for the same quality. I can just tell it’s going to last me for a long, long while.”
Brooklinen’s Classic duvet cover is made of percale, which can be likened to a crisp cotton button-down shirt. It’s soft and sophisticated in a matte finish, plus lightweight and breathable. “I’m not particularly picky when it comes to my duvet cover material—percale and linen and sateen each have their perfect setting—but this Classic duvet cover has tipped the scales for me!” Mel Studach said in her review. “I love how crisp and smooth the percale is—in both appearance and touch. And inserting the duvet was simple with help from the cover’s ‘long’ and ‘short’ interior tags.”
Riley Home partners with textile mills in Portugal to deliver super-high-quality bedding at an affordable price. The duvet is made of 100% premium long-staple combed cotton, a very durable material that feels luxe and gets softer with each wash. Elaheh Nozari said in her review, “If you’re looking for an affordable and simple duvet cover, this is a great option. It’s soft, feels luxurious, is well made, and is a great year-round option that works for a variety of sleepers and temperatures.”
Buffy’s original cloud-like comforter is covered in our super-soft signature fabric and filled with layers of recycled fluff for that snuggled up feeling. The eco-friendly credentials of a Buffy comforter are many: The fill is made with recycled plastic, it’s sewn with recycled thread, the primary fabric is eucalyptus that is sourced from regenerative forests, and Buffy is developing a closed-loop supply chain that’ll turn old comforters into new ones. Even better, the product is recommended for all-season use, so you’ll get your comfort in for the long haul.
Casper’s original pillow has a polyester microfiber fill (the down-alternative fill mimics the airy softness of down) with a cotton cover, and many rave reviews. The unique pillow-in-pillow design responds to your movements, and the breathable weave keeps you cool night after night. In her review, Madeleine Luckel said: “Somehow the pillow stays pretty cool. And it really is at some indescribable sweet spot in terms of its firmness. But the real key is that the pillow is thick enough to work perfectly as a stand-alone sleep piece. And this is coming from someone who usually swears by sleeping with two pillows.”
Best Pillow for Side Sleepers: Layla Kapok
A supportive cake is how Nora Taylor described this pillow in her review. “Like, not soft enough to be a cloud but deliciously dense. I’m a side sleeper and usually have a knotty back, but I wake up feeling comfortable.” The pillow is made of a mix of Kapok fiber and memory foam to give you a super-plush feel that still supports your head and neck where you need it. Even better? If the pillow is a bit too tall, you can remove some fill to get it just right.
This pillow is made with down fill and a removable foam inner core for adjustable comfort. The outside is a 100% cotton shell. “I run hot and require a lot of neck and back support,” Jacqueline Wladis said in her review. “I am always trying to turn my bed into a firm cloud that feels like it both envelops me like a burrito mummy and also supports my neck and back.” With this pillow, you get just that. Jacqueline would recommend these to any friend who is having back or neck pain and is unhappy with the softness of their current pillow situation.
The inspiration for FluffCo’s pillows comes from the “hotel pillow.” The brand is after an affordable recreation of that high-quality pillow made with sustainable materials. The ultra-soft feeling comes from an outer pillow made of white duck down and an inner pillow made of white duck feathers. In her review, Zoë Sessums recommends this option for those looking for a “very soft and fluffy” pillow.
This Brooklinen pillow is filled with down clusters and feathers and has a 100% cotton sateen shell. “It’s like putting your head on a very firm cloud that supports your neck,” Jacqueline Wladis said in her review. “According to the Edison Spine Center, you want a pillow that keeps your spine aligned from top to bottom, and these provide just that, especially for a side sleeper.”
