Best Twin Mattress for 2024

If you have a smaller space such as a studio apartment or dorm room, check out the best twin mattresses, tested and reviewed by our CNET sleep experts.

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Our Experts With 5+ years of mattress testing experience, we use our different sleeping position and body type perspectives to offer well-rounded, honest reviews. What to consider Firmness A firm mattress will offer more support while a soft mattress will be more pressure relieving. Medium mattresses fall in the sweet spot right in between.

The right firmness level for you depends on your sleeping position. Sleeping position Side sleepers should consider a medium to soft mattress that cradles the hips and shoulders. Back and stomach sleepers should consider a medium to firm mattress that keeps the spine in a straight alignment.



Switch between positions? A medium firmness level can accommodate all sleeping positions. Feel Coils and latex foam give a bed more bounce, while memory foam and poly foam make a bed feel more cushy and pressure relieving. The feel of your mattress will depend on the types of materials it has on the inside.

Construction There are essentially two mattress types, hybrid and all-foam. Hybrid mattresses are constructed with steel coils and foam, but all-foam mattresses are just as their name implies. Body type Hybrid mattresses tend to be best for people who want extra support and durability.

Sleepers over 230 pounds in particular should consider a hybrid over an all-foam mattress because it’s more supportive, durable and long-lasting. Performance Motion isolation, edge support and temperature are important features for couples or people who sleep hot to consider. Hot sleepers should consider a mattress that boasts special cooling features.

Couples want minimal motion transfer and a strong, supportive bed perimeter. Company policies All online brands offer a free trial, free shipping and a warranty, but some brands are more generous with their policies than others. Our Picks While many of use would love to have a luxuriously roomy California king mattress , sometimes you need something a bit more compact and budget-friendly like a twin-size mattress.

Whether furnishing your first apartment, college dorm room or guest bedroom, a smaller mattress should still be comfortable and supportive to give you a good night's sleep. Here are the best twin-size mattresses for different sleeping positions and budgets, tested and approved by our CNET sleep experts. What's the best twin mattress? The Tuft & Needle Nod is the best overall twin size because it's a simple, comfortable mattress that won't cost too much.

It's the entry-level model of one of the internet's most popular beds, the Tuft & Needle, with the same signature feel that so many people sleep soundly on. SCORE It has a medium firmness level, great for almost any sleeping position because it offers a good balance between soft and firm. It's great for kids, young adults, people under 230 pounds and anyone who wants a generally inexpensive bed.

If you have a heavier body type, I recommend the Tuft & Needle Nod Hybrid. Read our full Tuft & Needle Nod review . SCORE The Nectar Premier is 13 inches thick, and this mattress type is entirely made of foam.

All the brand's beds have a dense memory foam feel, and we weren't surprised to find that this model is no different. When you lay down on the mattress, it'll take a few seconds for the foam to mold to your body shape. Once it does, you can feel the bed gently hug your pressure points, and it provides nice relief to your joints.

It comes topped with a nice, poly-blend cooling cover, but there isn't a noticeable cooling sensation when you lie down. Most people, unless they sleep hot, will think it's more temperature-neutral. Read our full Nectar Premier review .

SCORE The organic cotton and wool cover, made from recycled water bottles, provided an additional layer of comfort that took it up a notch from the typical memory foam mattress. It had minimal motion transfer and top-notch edge-to-edge support, so even if you migrate toward the edge of the twin bed, you'll feel comfortable and supported. Read our full Leesa Legend Hybrid review.

SCORE The Helix Midnight Luxe twin bed mattress shone when it came to lumbar support. It immediately took the pressure off my back and provided much-needed relief from the inevitable aches and pains when sitting at the computer all day. This mattress had a little more motion transfer than the Nectar Premier or Leesa Legend, but it still did a great job of absorbing movement when I shifted positions.

Read more at our full Helix mattress review . SCORE Brooklyn Bedding Signature has four layers including almost 1,000 pocketed coils and comfortable responsive foam. It has three different firmness options, but the medium is soft without being too plush and it's perfect for side sleepers.

The firm model will be most fitting for people who primarily sleep on their back or stomach. Brooklyn Bedding Signature is also suitable for a wide range of body types from petite to plus-size, so it's a very accommodating mattress that can appeal to your 10-year-old son or your 45-year-old sister who often comes to visit. Read our full Brooklyn Bedding Signature review .

SCORE The Bear Cub mattress has hundreds of 6" coils with reinforced edges intended to help lessen the chance of your child rolling off the mattress. The coils also make the bed more durable as your child ages and grows. Its construction includes a thin layer of gel memory foam and a thin layer of more responsive foam underneath that.

We rank this bed around medium to medium-firm or about 5-6 on the firmness scale for lighter kids. Bear offers a lifetime warranty, a 120-night trial period and free shipping and returns, so you can purchase your mattress with peace of mind. It also lands on the more affordable side, especially when factoring in Bear's frequent discounts.

Watch a CNET sleep expert review the Bear Cub mattress . How we tested the best twin mattresses In full transparency, we primarily test queen-size mattresses because our studio and warehouse accommodate queen-size beds, and the testers ourselves have queen-size bed frames at home. However, a queen-size mattress will feel the same as a twin-size.

When selecting the best twin-size mattress, we ran through our regular mattress testing process and paid special attention to the price, value and how accommodating the mattress is. Read more on how we test mattresses . Firmness and feel: We note the firmness and feel from the start when testing a bed.

These are some of the most subjective factors we deal with. For example, how firm a mattress feels to you depends on your body weight and how much pressure you put on it. To remedy this, multiple team members of different body sizes and weights test and rate these factors to get the complete picture of every bed we test.

Motion isolation: Motion isolation is an essential factor if you sleep with another person. Think of it as how well a bed dampens movement across the top. We test this by having multiple teammates roll around and bounce on the bed to rate it.

Edge support: The strength of a bed’s perimeter is important if you sleep on the edge of the mattress. If the edge caves when we sit or lay on it, it doesn’t have strong edge support. We then compare it to our backlog of data to receive a corresponding score.

Construction: A big part of assessing beds is analzying what they’re made of. We use the bed's construction to inform how durable and supportive it will be. For example, we rate the Saatva Classic mattress as a ten on the support metric because of the dual-coil system and hefty construction.

Learn more about twin-size mattress dimensions and what to consider before purchasing. What to consider when buying a twin mattress If you're in the market for a twin-size mattress, you likely have a small bedroom, are buying a mattress for your child, are purchasing a mattress for your guest room or are on a tight budget. Here are some considerations to keep in mind.

Twin-size mattresses are the most affordable but also the smallest bed models. If you are considering co-sleeping on a twin-size mattress, consider opting for at least a full-size instead. You don't have to compromise comfort or quality to buy an affordable twin-size mattress.

I recommend buying a mattress thicker than 6 inches unless you're buying one for your small child of ten years or younger. Luckily, plenty of options within that range are easy on your wallet. If you're looking to buy a twin mattress for yourself, consider your sleeping position.

Side sleepers fare better on softer beds, while back and stomach sleepers typically prefer firm mattresses. Consider a soft model if you're buying a twin-size mattress for your child. The smaller you are, the firmer a mattress tends to feel.

Kids also tend to like a lighter, plusher feel. If you're searching for a twin-size mattress for your guest bedroom, consider a model with a medium firmness level. This accommodates anyone who decides to stay, from your side-sleeping Aunt Kathy to your back-sleeping and snoring Grandpa Joe.

Of course, budget will play a significant role in the mattress you end up purchasing. The average twin-size mattress price tag ranges from $800 to $1,200, but plenty of great options are below that price point. Determining your budget first will help narrow down the best picks for you -- and you don't necessarily have to sacrifice comfort or quality when purchasing a cheaper bed.

For example, our best overall twin-size mattress choice costs less than $400. Best twin mattress FAQs A good twin mattress should cost around $600 if you're looking for a basic option. For budget options, you can find a twin mattress around the $250 range or less, while premium twin mattresses can run for $1,000 or more.

A twin-size mattress measures up to 38 inches wide and 75 inches long, or 3.25 feet wide by 6.25 feet long.

By comparison, a twin XL bed is five inches longer than a twin, measuring 38 inches wide by 80 inches long. A full-size mattress is about 16 inches wider than a twin, measuring 54 inches wide by 75 inches long. A queen-size mattress measures 60 inches wide by 80 inches long.

No, but two twin XL mattresses will make a split king bed. Twin XL mattresses are 6 inches longer than a standard twin and the same length as a king mattress. Like all other mattress sizes, twin-size beds come in various thicknesses.

The average thickness ranges from 8 to 13 inches. Mattresses thinner than 6 inches may suit small children and very light individuals. Still, we'd recommend looking for a twin-size mattress around 10 inches to accommodate more weight (and provide additional comfort and durability).

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