Is Helix Midnight Good for Side Sleepers?

If you are a side sleeper, the Helix Midnight is a good option to consider in the mid-range price category. It was specifically designed to perform well for side sleepers by providing cushioning at pressure points in the shoulders and hips will keeping the spine neutral. It has a hybrid construction that combines foam on top of a coil support system. In this article, we will give our honest thoughts on is Helix Midnight good for side sleepers.

Mattress Millionaires Quick Verdict: Is Helix Midnight Good For Side Sleepers?

Yes, the Helix Midnight is a good mattress for average-weight side sleepers who want a medium firm hybrid with a balance of support and cushioning for pressure relief. It is best for side sleepers who want a cooler, more responsive feel than an all-foam bed.

It is not best for stomach sleepers, heavier sleepers over 230 pounds, and side sleepers who prefer deep contouring and body hugging memory foam.

If you want a more complete breakdown of construction, pricing, and overall performance, read our full Helix Midnight mattress review.

Why the Helix Midnight Works for Side Sleepers

The Helix Midnight is a hybrid mattress designed for side sleepers who love a medium-feel mattress. This 11.5-inch mattress was designed for better sleep by supporting your shoulders and hips to relieve pressure points side-sleepers often experience. At $1,332 for a Queen, the Helix Midnight is an economical mattress option. The brand also ensures its beds are Greenguard Gold and CertiPUR-US certified, which means they’re made without harmful chemicals.

Helix is a bed-in-a-box company. The bed arrives compressed at your doorstep, ready to be unwrapped and set up. A queen size weighs 115 pounds, so it’s best for two people to unbox the bed together. Once the plastic is unwrapped, the bed immediately begins to inflate and can be moved onto a solid surface, such as a box spring, adjustable base, slatted bed frame, or platform base. Helix offers several bed base options for purchase along with your mattress.

Helix offers a 120-night trial to sleep on your mattress. If you are not completely satisfied for any reason, Helix will organize a seamless exchange for a mattress of greater or equal value, or facilitate a free, fast return. Helix offers a limited lifetime warranty, covering mattress deterioration, physical flaws in the foam or springs, and manufacturing defects in the mattress cover.

What We Like About Helix Midnight

• Great for side sleepers, budget sleepers, and hot sleepers
• Medium firmness
• Fiberglass Free
• 120-night trial
• Free mattress returns
• Limited lifetime warranty

Helix Midnight Construction and Materials

Top layer:

Breathe Knit Cover soft, breathable top fabric that promotes airflow and reduces heat buildup through the night.

or GlacioTex Cooling Pillow Top (+$281), which is a heat conductive pillow top that is sewn into the surface of your mattress as an optional upgrade. It draws heat away from the surface of the mattress for a cool-to-the-touch feel while also feeling soft and comfortable beneath you.

Comfort Layer:

Helix’s exclusive Copper Gel Memory Foam: Cushions and supports your body for a naturally cooling and cozy feel, without allowing you to sink too deep into the mattress.

Memory Foam Layer:

Helix’s proprietary ultra-high density SupremeSupport 2.5 Memory Foam.

Custom Firmness Layer:

Helix Premium Responsive Foam custom-created for those who sleep on their sides and prefer medium-feel mattresses.

Side Sleeper Support Layer:

Helix Premium Responsive Foam is specifically designed for side sleepers and people who switch between positions. This layer works with other layers to provide pressure support across the shoulders and hips.

Optional ErgoAlign Contour Layer (+$187):

An additional segment of extra-firm foam under your hips for lower back pain relief. The additional hip support is designed to prevent lower back sagging for those who experience occasional lower back discomfort and pain.

Premium Support Layer:

Up to 1,000 individually wrapped coils, with reinforced side edges that cradles your body, minimizes motion transfer, and provides continuous edge support.

Base Layer:

DuraDense Foam at the bottom of the mattress that secures the base and supports the layers above it for a longer lasting mattress and versatile base compatibility.

Cover and Cooling Options

Sleep hot? The Helix Midnight comes with a Breathe Knit Cover, which covers the top of their Core mattresses. It promotes airflow and reduces heat buildup through the night, for a cozy, comfortable sleep

There is also an option to add a GlacioTex Cooling Pillow Top (+$281) with your mattress purchase. The GlacioTex Cooling Pillow Top is a great option for people who like the feeling of crisp, cool sheets when they get into bed each night. Made from heat conductive fabric, the GlacioTex Cooling Cover draws heat away from the surface of the mattress for a cool-to-the-touch feel — while also feeling soft and comfortable beneath you.

Back pain? The Helix Midnight comes with a Luxe Support Layer, a high-density responsive foam to provide contouring comfort.

If you wake up with lower back pain, you may want to consider adding the ErgoAlign Support Layer (+$187) to your Helix Midnight purchase. Your lower back pain may be caused by your hips sinking into your mattress, creating an unnatural curve in your spine and putting unnecessary pressure on your lower back. The ErgoAlign Contour Layer is an additional layer of firm, ultra-dense foam beneath your hips, bottom, and lower back, aligning the spine, reducing those stress points and giving extra support to the lumbar zone—all without compromising the overall firmness of the mattress.

In-Home Setup & Removal (+$219) is also available in certain zip codes. With In-Home Setup & Removal, our service partner Ryder will:

• Deliver your new mattress on your preferred date and time
• Unpack and set up your new mattress in your preferred position
• Unpack and set up any applicable Helix support base in your order
• Remove and dispose of your old mattress

If available in your area, In-Home Setup & Removal will be displayed as a shipping option on the checkout page. Simply click to select In-Home Setup & Removal by Ryder and complete your purchase. Fees will be determined based on the items in your cart.

Helix offers extra-cost additions for sleepers who want a cooler sleep experience, sleepers with back pain, and sleepers who want new mattress set up and old mattress removal to be completed for them.

Helix Midnight Firmness & Feel

The Helix Midnight is described as a 6 on the firmness scale, best for side sleepers. It’s a cozy mattress with cushioned support, relieving pressure across the shoulders and hips due to its hybrid design of up to 1,000 individually wrapped coils plus several layers of memory foam.

The Helix Midnight will have a bouncier feel than an all-foam mattress due to the innerspring coil layer. It offers ample pressure relief through its cushioning pillow top. The mattress’ strong edge support and easy mobility make it an ideal pick for older adults or anyone who needs stability getting in and out of bed. Couples will appreciate its solid performance in cooling and motion isolation.

However, sleepers over 230 pounds may require a firmer mattress to keep their spines aligned, especially if they sleep on their backs or stomachs.

• Medium firmness (6)
• Good for older adults who need stability getting in and out of bed
• Great for couples due to its cooling and motion isolation features.
• Sleepers more than 230 pounds may want a firmer mattress.
• Stomach and back sleepers may want a firmer mattress.

Price and Value

The queen-sized Helix Midnight is $1,332, but often is running a 25% off special ($999) making it a budget-friendly option for those on the hunt for a new mattress. Helix offers a buy now, pay later option on all of their mattresses through Affirm with financing as low as 0% APR on qualifying purchases.

Every Helix mattress is eligible for purchase using HSA and FSA funds. By using HSA or FSA funds to purchase your new mattress, you are spending pre-tax dollars. This means that reimbursements from these accounts are tax-free.

• $1,332 for a Queen
• Financing available through Affirm with rates as low as 0% APR
• Use HSA and FSA funds to purchase your new mattress
• Free shipping and free returns

Helix Midnight Pros and Cons

Pros:

• The Midnight sleeps cool, due to its hybrid design and breathable cover. An additional cooling feature can be added by purchasing the GlacioTex Cooling Pillow Top (+$281).
• The ~1,000 individually wrapped coils provide bounce and responsiveness that makes it easy for combination sleepers to change positions.
• Greenguard Gold and CertiPUR-US certified, which means they’re made without harmful chemicals.

Cons:

• The softness of this mattress (6) is not ideal for stomach sleepers. Stomach sleepers will need something more supportive to keep hips elevated and in line with your shoulders.
• Sleepers more than 230 pounds will likely want a firmer and more supportive mattress, as the Helix Midnight may create too much sink for them.
• Some sleepers have reported that the mattress feels firmer than advertised, and that there is a breaking-in period for the memory foam to soften.

Helix Midnight Performance for Side Sleepers

The Helix Midnight is designed for side sleepers due to its responsive supportive foam layers that take pressure off shoulders and hips. For added comfort, Helix offers a Side Sleeper Knee Pillow (+$85) for maximum spinal alignment. The pillow is designed with an ergonomic shape that contours with your knees and legs, ensuring hip and spinal alignment in side-sleeping positions.

Side Sleeping: Side sleeping with your legs straight is the second-best position for avoiding back and neck pain, after back-sleeping. It’s also a good position for snorers or anyone with sleep apnea because it keeps your airways open. If you can, stretch your legs out straight and tuck a pillow between your knees, like the Side Sleeper Knee Pillow Helix offers, to keep your spine in a neutral alignment.

Another type of side sleeping — with your legs bent upwards — is less ideal for your back. Known as the fetal position, it may be the most popular sleep style, but it promotes an uneven distribution of weight that can cause back pain and sore joints. Try straightening your body into a relaxed position by untucking your chin and adjusting your knees. If you’re pregnant, it’s a comfortable way to take the weight from your back.

Side sleepers and those of a lighter weight need more cushioning to prevent pressure build-up. They can often benefit from a plush to medium mattress or an all-foam option that allows for a little sinkage. Because the Helix Midnight is composed of several layers of foam and was specifically designed for side sleepers, it is a great option when considering a new mattress.

Final Thoughts

The Helix Midnight is a strong option for sleepers on a budget, couples, older sleepers who need stability, and sleepers who sleep hot and are willing to dish out the extra investment for the GlacioTex Cooling Pillow Top.

Its design should work especially well for average-weight side sleepers who need pressure relief in the shoulders and hips, but dislike the sinking sensation of memory foam. The coil layer also give it a responsive feel and it is easy to change positions and get in and out of bed.

This mattress is also a good choice for couples, shoppers who want to spend less than $2,000 and sleepers who want strong edge support and better cooling than an all-foam mattress. The biggest drawbacks are that it may not feel soft enough for every side sleeper.

If you are very lightweight, prefer a plush surface or want a body-hugging feel, the Helix Midnight might feel too firm. If you are over 230 pounds or a stomach sleepers, you may need a firmer, even more supportive feel.

The Bottom Line: if you are a side sleeper looking for a hybrid with a good bakance of pressure relief and support, a medium feel, and a strong overall value, the Helix Midnight is worth serious consideration. If you want a more plush, or more specialized feel, it is worth comparing against other mattresses before buying.

Is Helix Midnight Good for Side Sleepers FAQs

Is the Helix Midnight soft enough for side sleepers?

For many side sleepers, yes. The Helix Midnight has a medium feel that provides enough cushioning for pressure relief while still keeping hips lifted and the spine supported. However, some side sleepers may want a softer feel, especially if they have a lighter body weight.

Is the Helix Midnight good for shoulder and hip pressure?

Yes, during our testing, that was one of the main strengths. The Helix Midnight has several foam comfort layers to help reduce pressure in the shoulders and hips without sinking too deep, so your spine stays aligned.

Is the Helix Midnight a good choice for heavier side sleepers?

Not always. Sleepers over 230 pounds may need a firmer and more supportive mattress to keep the spine properly aligned and prevent too much sink through the comfort layers. While the Helix Midnight may still feel comfortable at first, some heavier sleepers will likely do better with a firmer model.

Is the Helix Midnight good for couples?

Yes, it can be. The Helix Midnight combines decent motion control with good edge support and a more responsive feel than many all-foam mattresses. That makes it a practical choice for couples who want pressure relief without feeling stuck in the bed.

How long does the Helix Midnight last?

According to the brand, a high-quality hybrid mattress like the Helix Midnight should last around 10 years. Real-world lifespan will depend on body weight, sleeping position, and how well the mattress is supported over time.