This article has been written by the site owner Dan Cartwright – a mattress testing expert who has been testing products and writing online reviews since 2015 to help buyers make the best purchasing decisions for their needs.
Edge support – also sometimes called ‘side support’ – refers to the degree of resistance that a mattress can provide around the perimeter of the bed.
But why is edge support important in a mattress?
Edge support is important in a mattress because it stops the edge of the mattress from sagging; which means that you can make full use of the mattress area and sleep right up to the edge of the bed without the materials compressing so much that you feel like you’re rolling out.
So which types of sleepers need good edge support in a mattress?
Couples, heavier weighted sleepers over 200 lbs, and ‘edge sleepers’ that sleep very close to the edge of the bed need a mattress with strong edge support – but it’s recommended that anyone who wants to make full use of the mattress area buys a mattress with good edge support.
With this in mind, which mattress currently offers the best edge support?
The mattress with the best edge support that I’ve personally tested and slept on is the Nolah Evolution because the edge of the mattress is reinforced with high-density polyfoam that’s ideal for all sleeper types due to the pushback and pressure relief it provides.
In the rest of this article, I have provided more information on the top 3 mattresses with edge support that I have tested myself – with options available for the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and Singapore.
Related: click here to see the best mattresses that I’ve personally reviewed.
The Top 3 Mattresses With Edge Support Reviewed
Below, I have provided a summary of the top 3 mattresses with reinforced edge support that I have slept on for at least 30 nights continuously.
You can watch me test each mattress in the embedded video reviews – I’ve also provided links to my detailed written reviews for each mattress.
Or, you can watch my video summary above.
Otherwise, you can click the red buttons below to buy each mattress directly from the brand with the maximum discount currently available.
1: Nolah Evolution – Best Mattress With Edge Support Overall
The Nolah Evolution is a super-thick 15″ hybrid polyfoam mattress that is available in plush, luxury firm, and firm comfort preferences.
I have chosen the Nolah Evolution as the best mattress with edge support because not only does this mattress have both strong and adaptive edge support, the specs of the mattress make it suitable for every sleeper type – including both heavy and lighter weighted sleepers.
More specifically, the cooling proprietary polyfoam combines with the Euro top to provide 6″ of pressure relief in the upper comfort layer, whilst the 8″ of zoned pocket coils can comfortably support sleepers heavier than 230 lbs.
Click here to read my full in-depth Nolah Evolution mattress review.
Edge Support Analysis – Strong But Also Adaptive
As you can see from the custom image I’ve included above, the edge support for the Nolah Evolution is provided by high-density polyfoam.
Whilst you might think that this foam is too soft to provide edge support, I can tell you that this isn’t the case – I couldn’t believe how strong this foam was when I cut the mattress open and grabbed hold of it.
Yet despite this pushback, the foam does provide some ‘give’ so that the mattress can adapt to your body shape as you sleep close to the edge of the bed.
Because of these qualities, I can say with confidence that the Nolah Evolution is perfect for everyone that’s looking for strong edge support in a mattress – in particular, heavyweight edge sleepers and heavier couples that need to make full use of the mattress area.
Best For
- Front, back, side sleepers – the outstanding support and pressure relief means that the Nolah Evolution can cater to all the major sleeping positions and styles.
- Heavyweight sleepers – the 15″ profile and adaptive support means that the Nolah Evolution is ideal for single sleepers up to 350 lbs and couples with a combined weight up to 700 lbs.
- Edge sleepers – the reinforced high density polyfoam edge support means that both heavyweight and lighter weighted edge sleepers will feel well supported right up to the edge of the mattress whilst also being able to experience pressure relief where required.
- Warmer sleepers – as a hot sleeper myself, I found the Nolah Evolution cool to the touch and breathable to help regulate my temperature.
2: DreamCloud – Best UK Mattress With Edge Support
The DreamCloud is a hybrid memory foam mattress that’s available in both the US and the UK.
Because of this availability, I have listed the DreamCloud as the best mattress with edge support that you can buy in the UK because I have personally tested and slept in the UK version – as you can see in the video review above.
The UK version is 10″ thick, whilst the US version is 14″ thick to provide even more cushioning and support.
This is also a fiberglass-free mattress – so you don’t have to worry about this harmful substance escaping and causing health problems.
In terms of suitability, I’d say that the medium-firm feel and reinforced pocket coils that run around the edge of the DreamCloud makes this mattress well suited to front and back sleepers over 200 lbs.
Click here to learn more in my full DreamCloud mattress review.
Edge Support Analysis – Reinforced Coils for Maximum Pushback
Unlike the Nolah Evolution, the DreamCloud doesn’t have a barrier of reinforced foam running around the edge of the mattress.
Instead, the edge support comes from the row of coils along the perimeter of the mattress that have more tension in them to guard against compression and sagging.
When I put my weight on the edge of the DreamCloud mattress, I found that there was a lot of pushback and the mattress returned to its shape quickly.
Because of this, I would say that the DreamCloud is very well suited to heavier weighted edge sleepers in the 200 – 325 lbs range.
Best For
- Front and back sleepers – the medium firm feel makes the DreamCloud ideal for front and back sleepers that need more surface tension to help maintain good posture. Side sleepers – especially those over 200 lbs – aren’t excluded, but I feel that the Nolah Evolution offers deeper pressure relief that is more suitable.
- Restless and combination sleepers – if you are a restless sleeper like me that switches positions often during the night, then the DreamCloud is a good choice because I found it very easy to move around in the mattress materials without getting stuck or bogged down. The memory foam may also help to aleviate the pressure points that are causing your restlessness.
- Sleepers with back pain – I have back pain from bad posture and I found that this reduced when I slept in the DreamCloud because the adaptive support allowed me to rest in a more natural shape. I found this to be very useful after lifting weights at the gym.
3: Noa – Best Mattress With Edge Support in Canada and Australia
The Noa mattress is actually very similar in terms of performance and feel to the DreamCloud.
However, I’ve decided to include the Noa in this list because it’s available to buy in Canada, Australia, Singapore, and the UK (but not the US) – which makes it possible for you to buy a high-quality mattress with good edge support in these regions.
More specifically, this is an 11″ hybrid gel memory foam, latex foam, and polyfoam mattress with excellent support that runs all the way up to the edge of the mattress.
Click here to read my full Noa mattress review.
Edge Support Analysis – Good Support Right Up to the Edge of the Mattress
Although Noa doesn’t mention that their mattress comes with specific edge support, I personally found that the excellent level of support in the middle of the mattress extended all the way right up to the edge of the bed.
Because of this – in conjunction with the excellent pressure relief – I would say that the Noa is ideal for edge sleepers of all weights and allows couples to make full use of the mattress area.
Best For
- Front, back, side sleepers – although I would say that the medium firm feel gives the Noa a bias towards front and back sleepers, I personally found that side sleeping was also comfortable. I would only express caution for side sleepers under 130 lbs – in which case the Puffy Lux Hybrid is the better choice.
How to Buy a Mattress With Edge Support
Below are the 3 steps that you should follow to find the right mattress with edge support for your needs:
1: Choose Between Foam or Spring Edge Support
Not all edge support in a mattress is the same.
You should check on the website to see what materials are used to reinforce the edges of the mattress.
You can usually find this information on the sales page for the mattress, or you can contact customer support for more details.
Edge support is typically provided either by coils or reinforced high-density polyfoam.
I’ve outlined the qualities of each type of edge support below to give you an idea of which one is right for you:
Reinforced Coils – Best for Heavyweighted Sleepers Over 200 lbs
Hybrid mattresses that have a coil base and a foam comfort layer – along with traditional spring mattresses – often have reinforced coils running around the edge of the mattress to provide edge support.
These coils typically have a higher spring tension than the coils found in the center of the mattress in order to guard against sagging and roll-off.
Mattresses with reinforced coils running around the edge of the mattress are suitable for all sleeper types but are typically the best option if you are a heavier weighted sleeper over 200 lbs because of the excellent pushback they provide.
I personally look for mattresses with individually encased coils and/or zoned support for the most adaptive level of edge support.
High-Density Polyfoam – Best for Lighterweighed Sleepers Under 150 lbs
Both all-foam and hybrid mattresses are capable of providing edge support through high-density polyfoam that runs around the edge of the mattress.
Having personally tested mattresses with both spring and foam edge support, I’ve discovered that high-density polyfoam is capable of providing edge support that’s just as good as coil edge support.
And whilst foam edge support can potentially cater to all sleeping types, I would say that if you are a lighted weighted edge sleeper under 150 lbs that hugs the edge of the bed as you sleep, foam is the best choice because the extra bit of ‘give’ means that you can still feel well supported whilst also having a bit of extra pressure relief.
2: Look at the Overall Support Quality
In order to find the best mattress with edge support, you should also look at the overall quality of the support provided by the mattress.
To do this, take a look at the different types of support available that I’ve described below:
Pocket Coils – Best for Contoured Support
Pocket coils offer the best mattress support for all sleeper types.
Because unlike the fused coil cores in traditional spring mattresses – where the coils are all interlaced – mattresses with pocket coils contain springs that are individually encased and then connected via the casing materials.
The major advantage that pocket coils have over traditional fused coil cores is that the springs are able to adapt one by one to your weight and body shape so that you’re better supported.
Also, because the coils aren’t connected directly, this means that couples can enjoy a more restful night’s sleep because movements don’t travel through the mattress as easily.
All-Foam – Best for Lighter Weighted Sleepers
Mattresses with a support core made from high-density polyfoam are able to provide good support for lighter weighted sleepers but may struggle with much heavier sleepers over 230 lbs.
Based on the many all-foam mattresses that I’ve tested over the years, I’ve discovered that many of these all-foam mattresses don’t come with reinforced edge support and consequentially, the edge of the mattress often compresses completely to the point where it will touch the base of the mattress.
Therefore, it’s very important that if you’re buying an all-foam mattress, you check that it specifically comes with reinforced edges.
Zoned Support
Some hybrid mattresses with pocket coils will come with a zoned coil arrangement.
This is where the coils in the middle of the mattress have a greater spring tension to better support your hips and lower back, whilst the shoulder and knee regions have more ‘give’ so that these more prominent areas can sink into the materials more.
The outcome is that you’re able to rest in better posture to reduce the chance of pain and discomfort.
In my experience of testing mattresses with zoned support, I’ve discovered that sometimes the zoned support will run right up to the edge of the mattress, but in other cases, the perimeter of the mattress will be boxed off with edge support that provides the same degree of pushback all the way around the edge of the mattress.
3: Select Your Comfort Preferences
The comfort preferences of a mattress refers to the firmness of the mattress (the degree of pushback that the upper ‘comfort layer’ of the mattress provides) and the materials that the upper section of the mattress is made of.
I’ve provided a summary of each quality below to make it easier to choose which preferences you require.
Firmness – Medium Firm Will Suit Most Sleepers
The firmness is the amount of pushback that you initially feel when you lie on the mattress.
A medium-firm mattress will suit most sleeper types in the 150 lbs – 230 lbs range.
If you are on the lighter side under 150 lbs and/or are a side sleeper then a medium-soft or soft level of firmness can provide more pressure dissipation.
Firmer mattresses are better suited to heavier weighted sleepers over 230 lbs – especially if you sleep on your front – because they can keep you in better posture.
Materials – Memory Foam or Latex Foam Offers the Best Pressure Relief
A mattress with good pressure relief is able to dissipate your body weight more evenly and reduce friction points for greater comfort.
Memory foam mattresses offer the best pressure relief because the material conforms very precisely to your body shape.
Latex foam also offers good pressure relief – although not quite up to the standard of memory foam – but it does tend to be more cooling and breathable.
Polyfoam topped mattresses can still provide reasonable pressure relief.
Dan is the founder and head content creator at Bedroom Style Reviews.
He has been working as a professional online product reviewer since 2015 and was inspired to start this website when he ended up sleeping on a memory foam mattress that was too soft and gave him backache.
Through in-depth research and analysis, Dan’s goal with this website is to help others avoid such pitfalls by creating the best online resource for helping you find your ideal mattress, bedding, and bedroom furniture.
Dan is a qualified NVQ Level 2 Fitness Instructor with 6 years’ experience helping clients improve their health through diet, exercise, and proper sleep hygiene.
He also holds several college and university-level qualifications in health sciences, psychology, mathematics, art, and digital media creation – which helps him to publish well researched and informative product reviews as well as articles on sleep, health, wellbeing, and home decor.
Dan also has direct personal experience with insomnia, anxiety, misophonia (hypersensitivity to sounds), and pain from both acute and long-standing sporting injuries – he enjoys writing insightful articles around these subjects to help fellow sufferers of such conditions.
Learn more about Dan here.