The Best Firm Twin Mattress
Back in the day, you didn’t have that many options when you went mattress shopping. Innerspring mattresses were everywhere, and the discomfort you started feeling when they were worn and torn, with the coils almost stabbing you between your ribs, was awful. Today, the mattress industry has evolved to a point where we could write books about how to choose a mattress, but this product diversity has extended to more than just mattress types. Now, it’s also about firmness. Understanding more about firmness will help you decide if a firm mattress is a right option for you or not.
| Rank | Product | Highlights |
| #1 |  Loom & Leaf
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| #2 |  WinkBed
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| #3 |  Plank
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| #4 |  DreamCloud
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| #5 |
 Zenhaven |
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Mattress Firmness 101
Firmness is a term that refers to how you perceive the softness (or firmness) of the mattress when you sleep on it. Throughout the years, many experts have talked about how subjective this aspect is because your body will not perceive the firmness of a mattress in an identical way to someone who has a different body configuration.
The firmness of a mattress is given by the layers that are used in the first part of its construction, the ones that lie on top of the mattress. These layers are made from different kinds of materials, with the most common ones being polyfoam, memory foam, and latex. They are also known as comfort and transition layers, and their main role is to provide cushioning and contouring for your body, but also to act as a buffer between the layers on top (which are generally softer) and the denser and firmer layers that make up the core of the mattress.
Another way to define the firmness of a mattress is by looking at how close it can conform to your body. It’s important to note that the support and firmness of a mattress are two different things, as support refers to a mattress’s ability to keep your spine aligned and offer you as much pressure point relief as possible. Otherwise put, the top layers of a mattress are what give it firmness, while the bottom layers are responsible for support.
Firmness is not to be confused with conforming either, as conforming will tell you the consistency at which a mattress can contour to your body. When you’re shopping for a mattress, you will have to pay attention to its firmness, conforming ability, and support, and treat all three as different features to look out for.
Mattress Firmness Levels
If you ever went mattress shopping and found “firmness rating” followed by a number from one to 10 and were confused about it, know that mattresses use this scale to give shoppers an idea about how soft or firm the mattress is. Here is what all those numbers mean:
- 1 is used to label an extra soft mattress, with high conforming abilities and with sleepers sinking into the surface of the mattress a lot.
- 2 – 3 are used to show you that a mattress is soft, offering a significant amount of conforming and sinking.
- 4 is used for medium-soft mattresses, with close conforming and also a bit of sinkage.
- 5 refers to a medium mattress, and it doesn’t allow the sleeper to sink too much into the bed, but still offers a significant amount of conforming.
- 6 is the number that tells you a mattress is medium-firm, and it doesn’t allow your body to sink too much into the bed and has a moderate level of conforming.
- 7- 8 shows that a mattress is firm, with almost no sinkage and very little conforming.
- 9 – 10 are ratings for extra firm mattresses, with almost zero conforming and no sinkage.
Firmness & Mattress Performance
It’s important to note that the firmness of a mattress will inevitably play a role in the other performance features of a bed, such as:
Durability – A soft mattress tends to be less durable than a firm one because it’s more likely to sag faster. This is particularly true for innerspring mattresses.
Off-gassing – When a mattress is softer, that usually means that it’s made with comfort layers and materials of a different density. Mattresses that have a lower firmness level are likelier to produce a chemical-like smell due to their construction, and this is an aspect that people tend to complain about, especially in all-foam beds. A firmer mattress doesn’t have that much foam, which significantly reduces the chances of sensing that strong chemical smell.
Pressure point relief – This refers to a bed’s ability to contour to the heavier part of your body when they push against the mattress (for instance, if you sleep on the side, your shoulders and hips stand out and push down against the mattress). Medium-firmness mattresses are usually designed to give you the ideal balance between comfort and support, meaning they are the ones that offer the best pressure point relief. Mattresses that are too soft or too firm might cause you to wake up with pain.
Temperature neutrality – Have you ever woken up sweating in the middle of the night and found it so hot that it was difficult to even go back to sleep? You might not even have suspected that your mattress might be the primary culprit for this. Some mattresses (especially those made from foam) will absorb body heat and retain it, causing thermal discomfort during the night. Medium-firm and firm beds won’t retain as much body heat, while softer mattresses are likelier to score lower when it comes to temperature neutrality. This, of course, depends on the materials used to make the bed. Latex is known for being naturally cooling, while hybrid and innerspring beds have space between the coils, a feature that helps air travel inside the mattress and results in less heat retention in the top layers.
Best Firm Twin Mattresses
If you’re looking for a Twin-sized mattress that’s firm, we’ve gathered some of the best picks for you to look at. Remember that firmness is quite subjective, which means that your height, weight, and favorite sleeping position will alter your perception about how soft or firm a mattress is. Don’t worry, we’ve been as objective as possible when reviewing the following products so that you can form an opinion as accurately as possible. Note that we’ve only included products that have a firmness rating of at least 6, as that’s the rank for a medium-firm bed.
Loom & Leaf
Specs:
- Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King, Split King, Split Cal King
- Mattress height: 12 inches
- Construction: 2″ 4 PCF convoluted gel memory foam + 2.5” 5 PCF memory foam + 2” 1.6 PCF polyfoam + 5.5” 1.8 PCF polyfoam
Best firm memory foam mattress
Made by Saatva, a brand with experience in the mattress industry, the Loom & Leaf bed is one of the best firm foam mattresses you’ll ever see. It’s important to note that the company sells this bed in two firmness options, so today we’re going to be reviewing the construction of their firmer version, with a firmness rating of 8/10. The 12 inches of mattress height are divided into different well-chosen layers of foam, all wrapped up in an organic cotton cover that has been coated with antimicrobial treatment to serve people that suffer from allergies.
The mattress’ comfort layer is made from two inches of convoluted memory foam (designed with an egg-crate shape meant to maximize airflow) that has been laminated with cooling gel and further uses phase change material to avoid heat retention. Then, you have a 2.5-inch layer of memory foam for better cradling. The transition layer is made from two inches of polyfoam, while the support core consists of 5.5 inches of HD polyfoam. The result is a firm mattress that performs well in terms of motion isolation, pressure relief, noise, and durability.
Pros:
- Two firmness options.
- Great motion isolation.
- Good for back pain.
- Great pressure relief.
Cons:
- Slow response to pressure/not good for combination sleepers.
Who Should Buy This?
The firm version of the Loom & Leaf mattress is recommended for couples who share a bed because of its excellent motion isolation, for an individual that weigh at least 230 pounds and like to sleep on their backs, but also for people who suffer from back pain and could make good use of that high-density memory foam.
WinkBed
Specs:
- Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
- Mattress height: 14.5 inches
- Construction: 1″ 1.5 PCF Gel Polyfoam (17 ILD) + 2 1/2″ Latex (12 ILD) + 7 1/2″ Pocketed Coils + 2″ 1.8 PCF Polyfoam Encasement (28 ILD)
Best firm hybrid mattress
We have to start by mentioning the fact that the WinkBed is available in four different firmness options: Soft (4.5/10 firmness rating), Luxury Firm (6.5/10 firmness rating), Firm (7.5/10 rating), and (8/10 firmness rating). Those of you that are looking to buy a firm mattress should exclude the soft version of this bed and focus on the other three. The firmest option of all, the Plus, is created with a one-inch layer of gel polyfoam, 2.5 inches of latex, and a 7.5-inch layer of pocketed coils, plus two inches of poly foam encasement.
The Plus version of this bed has a different construction than the rest, looking to offer additional support for heavyweight sleepers. It lacks the micro-coil layer that’s found in the other three versions and replaces it with a 2.5-inch layer of extra-soft latex. It is a rather expensive mattress, so it’s not something you’ll buy if you’re on a more limited budget. It is a highly responsive mattress that can offer superior pressure relief, and it comes with a lifetime warranty.
Pros:
- Four firmness options.
- Superior edge support.
- Sleeps cool.
- Little to no off-gassing.
- Lifetime warranty.
Cons:
- Expensive.
Who Should Buy This?
The WinkBed mattress is great for people who suffer from back and hip pain, for people who tend to sleep hot and could benefit from the great temperature neutrality of this bed, but also for sleepers of various weights since there are four different firmness options for them to choose from.
Plank
Specs:
- Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King, Short King, Short Full, Short Queen, Split Cal King, 3 x RV king sizes
- Mattress height:
- Construction: 1.5″ 1.5PCF Quilted Polyfoam (50ILD) + 7″ 1.8 PCF HD Polyfoam (36 ILD) + 2″ 3.5 PCF TitanFlex Polyfoam (30 ILD) + 0.75″ 1.5 PCF Quilted Polyfoam (36 ILD)
Best flippable firm mattress
The Plank mattress is giving us a lot to talk about, and whilst it is one of the best firm flippable mattresses on the market, it’s also a great option for those looking for a firm mattress for their RV. Regardless of the side you choose to sleep on, the Plank mattress is one firm soldier, with a firmness rating of 7 on one side and a solid 9 on the other. The least firm side comes with a comfort layer that’s made from 1.5 inches of high-density polyfoam, while the firmer side brings from 0.75 inches of polyfoam and two inches of TitanFlex foam. The core of the mattress is given by a 7-inch layer of polyfoam, leading to a mattress profile of 11.5 inches.
It’s a mattress that performs well in terms of noise, motion isolation, edge support (quite uncommon for an all-foam mattress to rank this high in edge support, but the high level of firmness justifies that rating), and durability. However, if you are a lightweight sleeper, this is one mattress that you should run away from. It doesn’t rank that high in pressure relief and has a little bit of off-gassing that should go away if you air out the mattress properly before sleeping on it.
Pros:
- Multiple size options.
- Excellent edge support.
- Great motion isolation.
- Good durability.
Cons:
- Poor pressure relief.
Who Should Buy This?
The Plank mattress is a bed for people who love a firmer feel, for those who want to have it easy when getting in and out of bed (due to the above-average edge support of this all-foam mattress), but also for sleepers who weigh more than 230 pounds.
DreamCloud
Specs:
- Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
- Mattress height: 14 inches
- Construction: 1″ Polyfill + 1/2″ 1.5 PCF Polyfoam + 1/2″ 2.5 PCF Memory Foam + 2 1/2″ 1.8 PCF Polyfoam + 8″ Pocketed Innerspring Coils + 1 1/2″ Firm Polyfoam
Best for heavyweight back sleepers
The DreamCloud mattress is another perfect example of how a good hybrid mattress should be constructed. It comes with a top and bottom cover, with the top part being made from soft Mongolian cashmere. The Euro-top is extremely comfortable, being made from quilted layers of polyfill, polyfoam, and gel-infused memory foam. The transition layer of this bed is made from 2.5 inches of polyfoam, while the support core is divided between the 8 inches of pocketed coils and 1.5 inches of firm conventional polyfoam. All of these layers together lead to a high-profile mattress that measures 14 inches in height.
When all of these materials are brought together, they create a bed that performs well in terms of durability, edge support, and temperature neutrality, but have a medium rating when it comes to motion isolation, pressure relief, and off-gassing. With a firmness rating of 6.5/10, this is considered to be a medium-firm mattress.
Pros:
- Superior lumbar support.
- Sleeps cool.
- Great for heavyweight sleepers.
- Excellent edge support.
Cons:
- Not very conforming.
Who Should Buy This?
Not sure if the DreamCloud mattress is right for you? It is if you are a heavyweight sleeper in need of support and comfort. It is if you sleep on the back because it has excellent lumbar support. And it is for you if you have chronic back pain and need that balance between firmness and support.
Zenhaven
Specs:
- Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King, Split King, Split Cal King
- Mattress height: 10 inches
- Construction: 1 1/2″ Talalay Latex + 6″ Talalay Latex + 1 1/2″ Talalay Latex
Best firm latex mattress
Another excellent mattress by the well-known brand named Saatva is the Zenhaven. This is a flippable mattress with a Luxury Plush side (with a firmness rating of 4/10) and a Gentle Firm side (with a firmness rating of 7/10). It sports an organic cotton cover that received the antimicrobial treatment Saatva likes to add in its mattress covers. It is combined with a one-inch layer of New Zealand wool. The flippable design of the bed comes with Talalay latex on each side, measuring 1.5 inches in thickness and having an aerated profile. The soft side uses softer latex, while the firmer side has medium-soft latex in its construction. The support core is made from two layers of three inches each, with medium to medium-firm latex on the soft side and medium-firm to firm latex on the firmer side.
Latex is a material well-known for its durability, which makes the Zenhaven mattress rank very high in terms of durability. It also performs exceptionally well in chapters such as pressure relief, monition isolation, and off-gassing. It does, however, have poor edge support and medium temperature neutrality.
Pros:
- Very durable.
- Flippable dual-firmness mattress.
- Sustainable construction.
- Minimal off-gassing.
- Great motion isolation.
Cons:
- Poor edge support.
Who Should Buy This?
The Zenhaven mattress is one of the best latex beds on the market, designed for eco-conscious shoppers (as latex is a sustainable material), for people who like to sleep on their back, but also for average-weight side sleepers.
Bottom Line
Before you buy a new mattress, there are a few questions that you need to ask yourself to make sure that you have chosen wisely. Consider the weight of your body, your favorite sleeping position, your budget, whether or not you have any pain or injury that might alter the expectations and demands you have from a mattress if you are comfortable with a little off-gassing if you sleep hot, and whether or not you share the bed with someone that might have different mattress preferences compared to yours.