Highest Quality Hard (Firm) Beds in 2021

People who sleep mostly on their backs and even on their stomachs are usually fonder of firm mattresses. The firm sleeping surface makes the bed pleasant, supportive and comfortable enough if you prefer sleeping without sinking into the middle.

No matter what reason you have to pick this type of bed, we can agree that a softer or even moderately firm mattress cannot provide you with such lovely feeling of rest. In this review, we will focus on several mattresses, and we’ll see what benefits you get from sleeping on a firm surface.

Everyone that ever had issues with their back (pain in the spine, hips, shoulders) will benefit more from a firmer bed; also people who are on the heavier side and people who love to remain sleeping on the surface should always look for a firm bed.

Also, stomach sleepers should always pick these beds to avoid any possible lower back pain that will most likely occur if they sleep on a softer surface.

Of course, the firmness is a result of the layers below, which is the crucial part of every construction.

Let’s check some high-quality firm mattresses.

Type of People Who Should Sleep on a Firmer Bed

Firm and Hard Cover

Even though many people are avoiding these beds, those who tried sleeping on a hard sleeping surface claim that they will never go back to softer or moderately firm mattress.

A firm bed is not going to let you sink into the layers (at least not drastically) and you can always expect to remain on its surface. Also, sleeping on a solid surface means that you won’t have to toss and turn until you find your ideal position.

The harder the mattress, the better your sleeping will be, especially if you sleep mostly on your back. Many people who have issues in their backs (middle or low back pain, aches in their spines or shoulders) are recommended to change their mattress with a firmer one.

Sleeping on your back is a position that will only give you the highest quality of comfort if you are laying on a firm bed. This way your spine will be kept in a natural and straight position, and your back muscles won’t work hard during your sleep to keep the pressure away.

Besides that, a firm bed is an ideal sleeping place for people who love sleeping on their stomachs.

Perhaps it sounds more logical to sleep on a softer mattress if you are a stomach sleeper, but that’s not true. Such mattress will keep you on the surface, not letting your body ache, while a soft bed that will drop below your weight will cause you pain in your lower back (as you sleep on your stomach your back muscles will work harder to keep you in balance).

Heavier people should always pick these mattresses because they will not sink drastically and can endure the compression; besides that their weight will get proper distribution and the solid edge support will keep them always on the surface.

Who Should Not Sleep on a Hard Bed?

Sleeping on a Extra Firm Bed

Firm beds aren’t the best choice for people that prefer sleeping on their sides. The reason for that is because a firm mattress (no matter how soft and responsive its top layer may be) will always have firmer mid layers (pocketed coils or high-density foam) that won’t drop further below.

When you sleep on your side, your body weight is not properly distributed; most of your weight goes on your hips, shoulders and your ribcage, making these parts the crucial pressure points.

So when they compress the layers down and the weight isn’t equally distributed, the pressure falls on them; which is why we don’t recommend it if you are a side sleeper. You will most definitely wake up feeling pain in these areas.

Also, the lower your weight, the less comfort you’ll have. These beds won’t cause any problems if you’re slim, but your weight won’t be enough to compress down all the layers (even the softer first layer may not respond well to your weight), so you’ll end up feeling as if though you’ve slept on the floor.

List of Benefits of a Firm Surface

Best Benefits

Perfect Alignment

Keeping your body in a natural posture is essential even when you sleep. This is why these mattresses are the best choice for people who want to improve their sleeping posture, keep their spines aligned and wake up without feeling pains and pressure in their joints.

When you sleep on a firm surface, your spine gets a proper alignment, and your muscles can fully relax instead to work hard even during your rest.

Soft surfaces won’t give you benefits if your favorite sleeping positions are stomach and back and here’s why:

When you lie down on a soft surface (especially on your stomach) the first layer will start melting below you, causing your body to drop into the center; your muscles will continuously work hard, and you will toss and turn until you find comfort that will keep your body relaxed and pressure free.

With firmer ones this won’t happen; your body weight gets excellent distribution on the surface without any sinking. Sleeping on your stomach or your back won’t feel unnatural, au contraire, it will be the perfect position for you and you will thoroughly relax, with no pressure, pain or urge to move.

Correct Weight Distribution

Manufacturers work hard to give you the best level of firmness that won’t have any problems keeping you on the surface.

A softer mattress usually fails to keep the sleeper on the top, without causing some sinkage and deep compression. A lot of people dislike this and prefer going to sleep without feeling as if they drop down to the core.

Proper weight distribution is crucial, and it should provide you with support and comfort; this is why a hard mattress doesn’t have any problems keeping even heavier sleepers on the surface.

So, heavier or moderately heavy people who want to have proper alignment and pressure-free sleep should always choose firm beds (today most manufacturers add soft covers or soft first layer that works as a comfortable transition towards the firmer layers).

More Comfortable

Top Rated Sleep Experience

We always want to debate about what level of hardness gives the top quality comfort; many people believe that a bed should offer softness as if they sleep on a cloud, but trust us, the softer it is, the more you’ll toss and turn constantly seeking a comfortable position.

Plus, soft beds are better for people who sleep mostly on their sides; back and side sleepers will have the greatest comfort on a firm surface.

The body will remain in a natural posture, and the muscles won’t work extra to keep the body in a natural position.

Besides that, this bed won’t cause any pressure to stomach or back sleepers because their body will be evenly distributed. Once you lie down and find your position, you wouldn’t have to toss and turn to adjust; you’ll feel the comfort and you’ll be able to fall asleep faster.

Better Relaxation

You have already noticed that when you have adjusted yourself in your desired position and your body completely relaxed, your sleep and rest are better and have no interruptions of any kind.

When you pick a harder mattress (if you’re a back or stomach sleeper, or are a heavier person), your relaxation won’t be disturbed by pressure, the need to re-adjust or move.

Stomach sleepers who are more prone to lower back pain (usually due to unsuitable beds) will have a perfect and most natural spine and hips alignment. This is a position that requires a surface that won’t indent significantly; the firmer the surface, the better your sleep will be.

Also, back sleepers (and heavier sleepers) will finally be able to relax once they feel how their mattress is powerful and strong enough to endure and distribute their weight without causing any deep compressions or sinkage.

This is crucial because our brain relaxes faster knowing it doesn’t have to send signals to the muscles to re-adjust or find a better position in a certain area.

Buying Guide for Shoppers

Shopping Online By Firmness

How Firm is it?

Make sure you seek a mattress that doesn’t have medium firmness (especially if you have already slept on a firmer one).

So everything that is above 8 is considered to be a firm bed.

Moderate hardness will provide you excellent rest and comfort and will support you in your two favorite positions, but keep in mind the best rest will come from a more solid surface (especially for heavier people or people who specifically seek a firm mattress because of back pain or pressure).

So when you see a bed rated with 9 (or above) know that this is super firm; it won’t compress under your weight, you won’t sink in, and the support will be stable.

Type of Materials

Despite the fact that you can find both all-foam or hybrid constructions (with pocketed coils) they always contain firmer fabrics.

You can expect to sleep on a construction that was made of high-density memory foam mattress, pocketed coils, super firm base that in most cases has extra springs for even more solid support.

This way of constructing is very practical because the manufacturers know that people who seek this level of hardness are heavier and sleep mostly on their backs (and stomachs).

They don’t want to sleep on layers that will drop below their weight, allowing them to sink to the middle.

Will It Sag?

Top Cover Sagging

You don’t have to worry about this thing because a firm mattress is made of solid materials and even if they don’t contain coils, the foam layers are quite thick and firm (especially in the foundation).

No matter how heavy you are or how often you use the bed, it will not sag or drop after a while.

Hybrid constructions as well have the best bounce but are also equipped with thousand of coils including large coils around the perimeter that can endure any body weight, tossing and turning without sagging at all.

In most cases only the surface layer is made of softer materials and responds to your heat, taking your shape, but just to give you a pleasant feeling and to separate your body from the lower firm layers.

The Edge Support

This is the crucial firmness point for this type of mattress. We all seek the highest quality edge support, and no matter how much we tolerate a little sinkage, we prefer sleeping in a bed that will be able to keep us on top.

A firm mattress will have a beyond excellent edge support, and the secret here lies in the great mix of layers that can distribute any body weight equally all over the surface.

This is how it gets its stability and power to keep you on the surface. The perimeter in most firm mattresses is extra equipped with large coils that add support and won’t let you fall or drop.

So, if you are looking predominantly for an outstanding edge-support, always look for the harder one.

Air Flow & Cooling Temperature

Air Flow Analysis

This mostly depends on what fabrics were used for constructing, but today most manufacturers tend to use materials that breathe and that let air flow freely, without keeping the heat inside.

Always check the layers to find out more about this feature. A mattress with gel-infused foam or latex will always provide you with a fresh feeling.

Also, a hybrid construction is a great choice, because the layer where the springs are places is usually thicker and emptier (not dense as a foam) which means that air will flow freely, therefore, your sleep will be more pleasant.

Always, double check for the fabrics that were used for the fabrics and whether (if it’s foam only) it has an open-cell structure or if it has any other element that will draw temperature off the surface so you won’t wake up sweaty.

Top 3 Firmest Bed Reviewed

Avocado – Amazing Durability

Features:

  • Eco-friendly mattress
  • Innerspring construction
  • Minimum sinking
  • Great edge support
  • Minimum motion transfer
  • Excellent for heavier sleepers
  • No unpleasant smells

Our Ratings: 9.6/10

Avocado is an exceptionally firm mattress that was made of three layers of Dunlop latex for both top layer and foundation and, pocketed springs in the middle.

It has a perimeter with additional coils which give even better stability and support. The latex on top provides a soft feeling the moment you lay down, but the mattress is super firm in general meaning that no matter how heavy you are, you will never drop into the core (thanks to the pocketed coils and the stable base).

The moment you sit down, there is a fast response from the latex, which is great because even if you prefer these types of beds, you wouldn’t want to have a feeling as if you lay on concrete.

The sinkage is minimal (it only happens on the first layer), and there is no further dropping. The coils give enough bounce so you can move and get up without using too much effort.

It’s excellent for back and side sleepers and for people who are on the heavier side. We don’t recommend it for side sleepers.

Want more information on Avocado? Check our more detailed review here.

Loom & Leaf (Memory Foam) – Perfect Firmness

Features:

  • All-foam layers
  • 4 layers
  • No pressure
  • Little sinkage (depending on weight)
  • Terrific edge support
  • Low motion transfer

Our Ratings: 9.5/10

Loom & Leaf is an all-foam bed made of four different layers of memory foam with various thickness and density.

This is an excellent choice for people whose favorite sleeping positions are back and stomach. It will provide you with the ultimate support and pressure relief (but if you sleep on your side you may feel some pressure mostly on your shoulders and hips).

Since the layers are made of foam you can expect some sinkage, but it’s not that drastic; even heavier people can freely sleep on it without fear that they will cause some significant compression.

Loom and Leaf has wonderful edge support and will properly distribute your weight all over the surface.

Even though it’s foam only, don’t let this fact give you doubts; it’s a high-end bed with an excellent firmness that can endure even the heaviest sleeper.

WinkBed (Firmer) – Budget Friendly

Features:

  • Breathable
  • Hybrid (foam and springs)
  • Edge support (perimeter)
  • Durable
  • Aesthetic
  • Minimal motion transfer

Our Ratings: 9.3/10

This hybrid construction has a great mix of layers that are made of foams and pocketed coils.

All five layers transition naturally into each other, providing the sleeper with exceptional comfort, solid support and no pressure.

Its hardness is excellent if you mostly sleep on your back and your stomach, but you may not be very content if you sleep on your side.

Its cover is soft to the touch and breathable, and the layers below are very responsive to your body (especially the first one that is a mix of foam and gel. The second and the third layer contain pocketed coils, while the foundation is a thick and high-density foam.

The perimeter has extra coils for even better support. No matter how heavy you are, you will remain on the surface, and the pocketed coils will let you adjust quickly (it has great bounce).

Looking for a quality bed? Find our extended review here.

Our Final Thoughts

For those of you who love to sleep on your stomachs or backs, a firm surface is the best option.

Everybody that strongly dislikes sinking into the core should pick this type as well. The firmness will provide you with a proper alignment, natural posture and will spare you from pressure and discomfort.

Usually, these mattresses are ideal for heavier people whose weight needs to get even distribution; they won’t sink down into the center nor will it fail their compression.

The edge support is always on the highest level (just like the low motion transfer) therefore this is an excellent choice for everyone that loves to wake up pain-free and on top of the sleeping surface.

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