Motion Isolation is a measure of how well a mattress absorbs and localizes a person’s movement. It’s all them more important when you’re sharing your bed with someone, because you don’t want to wake up every time your partner moves a bit. If your partner spends the night twisting and turning in bed, getting the best motion isolation mattress is your best bet.
Generally speaking, memory foams offer the best motion isolation, however, there are other products that fulfill the same requirement. Similarly, there are memory foam mattresses that continue to offer excellent motion isolation, while at the same time presenting the bounce that is generally missing from memory foam mattresses. So, here they are, some of the best motion isolation mattresses you can purchase right now:
Best Motion Isolation Mattress Contenders
1. Amerisleep AS4 12″ Memory Foam Mattress (Queen)
The Amerisleep AS4 made our list for best mattresses for couples with different preferences precisely because of its characteristics as an excellent motion isolation mattress. The 12-inch profile of the mattress, along with its foam construction supported by a generous use of memory foam, make it an excellent choice for motion isolation.
The mattress claims it is great for combo and side sleepers. It is rated firm and thus may not be as comfortable as a plush mattress for the side sleeper. On the contrary, this may not be a problem at all, given the 2-inch layer of memory foam, followed by a 4-inch affinity layer may provide enough support and sinkage for the side sleeper. Customer reviews go both ways, and so it really comes down to personal choice.
AS4 also takes a more environmentally-friendly tone with the use of plant-derived Bio-Pur memory foam (better than the usual petroleum derived foam), and the Bio-Core sag-free support layer.
Price: $1499 (Queen)
Highlights:
- Impressive Motion Isolation
- Eco-friendly construction
- 100 night in-home sleep trial
- 20-year warranty
Pros:
- One of the best in motion isolation
- Eco-friendly construction
Cons:
- Poor bounce and edge support
- Starts degrading after a few years
2. Layla Sleep Memory Foam Queen Mattress – Copper Infused Cooling System
Layla combines soft and firm mattress in one package. It starts with a firm base of copper-infused memory foam, followed by a middle-convoluted layer and foam, and finally topped off by another (softer) layer of copper-infused memory foam. Yup, the mattress is flippable.
You can pick the firm side, which is especially good for stomach sleepers (and the mattress offers excellent support to the back), or just flip your mattress and you’ll be on the softer side. Both layers of memory foam are copper infused, and the mattress cover is thermogel infused, all so that you won’t have to deal with ways to cool down your tempurpedic mattress.
This construction, with those two layers of memory foam make the Layla an excellent choice for motion isolation.
Price: $799 (Queen)
Highlights:
- Flippable mattress
- 120 night trial
- Lifetime warranty
- Great Motion Isolation
Pros:
- Flippable design offers greater choice
- Excellent motion isolation
- Good price point for its construction
Cons:
- Poor edge support
- Off-gassing likely
3. Ghostbed Mattress-Queen 11 Inch-Cooling Gel Memory Foam-Mattress in a Box
Ghostbed’s medium-firm mattress with an 11-inch profile presents excellent motion isolation. The mattress has a 2-inch gel memory foam layer followed by a layer of 1.5-inch Continuous Aerated Latex foam. Combined, these two layers work great to handle the sleep-hot problem; add to that the mattress cover, and perhaps a good moisture wicking sheet, and you’ll have dealt with the sleep-hot case of most memory foam mattresses.
The base is 7.5-inch high-density foam, which makes the total performance for motion isolation even better. There will be some bounce due to the latex layer, which perhaps works better for performance of the mattress. Overall, the motion isolation for sudden movements is about as good as the best foam products, and well enough to place this mattress on our list.
Price: $795 (Queen)
Highlights:
- Good bounce and motion isolation
- 100 night trial
- 20 year warranty
- Glowing reviews
Pros:
- Great motion isolation
- Little to no off-gassing
Cons:
- Rated ‘D’ by Better Business Bureau
4. Purple Queen Mattress | Hyper-Elastic Polymer Bed
Purple puts its USP and marketability on pressure relief and motion isolation. To quote from their sales pitch, “This comfortable queen size mattress gives proper spine alignment, equalizing pressure from body weight so you don’t feel movement from others sleeping near you.”
In extolling its own virtues, Purple shows no love for memory foam. Purple’s top layer is a hyper-elastic polymer arranged in grids. There’s plenty of space and air between the grids to make it temperature neutral, and easily give way to support and cradle the body’s pressure points. The “smart grid” (as Purple calls it) is also an excellent motion isolator, since it collapses under weight and does not need to pull (or stretch) adjoining grids. The base is high-density foam.
Freshly released New Purple Mattress allows you a choice of 2, 3, or 4-inch comfort grid, adding to the motion isolation. The reason we have the original on the list in place of the New Purple, is simply because the new model is a fresh arrival, and we’ll give it some time to settle.
Price: $999 (Queen)
Highlights:
- Hyper-elastic polymer comfort layer
- Excellent alternative to memory foam mattresses
- Great motion isolation
- 100 night trial
- 10-year Warranty
Pros:
- Excellent motion isolation
- Great support
- Excellent for pain and pressure relief
Cons:
- Poor edge support
- The new range is expensive
5. Perfect Cloud Elegance Gel-Pro 12 Inch Memory Foam Mattress (Queen)
Perfect Cloud’s Elegance mattress has three layers of memory foam sitting on a 7.5-inch base of support foam. The first is a 1-inch layer of HD Air Infused memory foam, next comes a 1.5-inch layer of memory foam, and finally, it’s the 2-inches of Gel-pro memory foam. With all that memory foam, airflow is a big priority, so the cover too has a Mesh Gusset Air-Transfer technology. Remember to use breathable sheets with this one!
All those memory foam layers also give this mattress excellent motion isolation (don’t expect much of edge support though). You will sleep comfortably, without being disturbed by the movement of your partner. The Elegance offers medium firmness, and will give you a great feel of “sinking” into the mattress.
Price: $599.99 (Queen)
Highlights:
- Good motion isolation
- 30 night trial
- 10-year warranty
Pros:
- Great for all sleeping positions
- Low off-gassing
- Good motion isolation
Cons:
- Poor edge support
- Low response and bounce
6. Casper Sleep Mattress – Supportive, Breathable and Unique Memory Foam
Much like the Purple Mattress we saw earlier, Casper has an open-cell top layer to keep airflow going, though unlike the Purple, Casper does like its memory foam. The top layer of latex foam is followed by a layer of high-density memory foam, transitional foam, and support foam. Latex gives the Casper some bounce, and some motion transfer. That quality isn’t the best for motion isolation in a mattress, but Casper manages to keep it low, and unless you’re a very light sleeper, the motion isolation provided should suffice.
Construction of the mattress shines in keeping it temperature neutral and providing excellent support to all pressure points on the body. The mattress is rated medium-firm and is good for nearly all sleeping styles.
Price: $995 (Queen)
Highlights:
- Temperature neutral latex top layer
- Good motion isolation
- 100 night trial
- 10 year warranty
Pros:
- Temperature neutral
- Provides zoned support for pressure points
- Good motion isolation
Cons:
- Poor edge support
7. Zinus Memory Foam 12 Inch Green Tea Mattress
Zinus memory foam mattress is your budget option. But don’t let the price fool you, this one is the workhorse that provides excellent bang for your buck. This mattress has a 3-inch memory foam layer at the top, followed by a 2-inch comfort foam, 3.5-inch high-density Airflow foam, and finally another layer of 3.5-inch Airflow high-density base support foam.
All that foam will give you some excellent motion transfer. Some reviews go as far as to say they couldn’t feel their partners getting in bed or getting up. Now that’s an excellent benchmark as far as motion isolation goes. Zinus treats their memory foam with green tea extract, claiming that it maintains excellent product freshness (and presumably masks the chemical odor of the memory foam).
Price: $279 (Queen)
Highlights:
- Excellent motion isolation
- Budget option with great credentials
- 30 night trial
- 10 year warranty
Pros:
- Affordable and budget option
- Several options available
- Surprisingly good motion isolation
Cons:
- Below average durability
- Low profile beds may not work best for couples
Other Considerations When Picking the Best Motion Isolation Mattress
When you start with motion isolation as a primary consideration, most of the mattress options you see will have memory foam. Foam mattresses do an excellent job of containing motion transfer, so keep in mind that it can take some time to adjust to a memory foam mattress. Keep your budget in mind, and do give a thought to other factors like size, feel, and temperature regulation. These factors, combined with generous trial offers from several companies, should help you in picking the best motion isolation mattress that’s a true fit for your needs.