After 16 Months of Testing, Here’s Our Editor’s Review on the Helix Midnight Elite Mattress
Updated: Aug. 19, 2024
This editor has been sleeping on the Helix Midnight Elite mattress for over a year, and her quality of sleep has never been better.
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Waking up every day with a stiff neck and an aching back is no way to live. Though several factors could be contributing to your discomfort, the biggest culprit may actually be your current sleep situation. And one of our editors found what she needed in the Helix Midnight Elite mattress.
Mattresses are a big investment and, unfortunately, spending a few minutes lying on one in your local mattress store isn’t a good indication of how comfortable it will be to sleep on night after night. But since you can’t test every mattress you’ve got your eye on, we’ve spent years testing and reviewing dozens of the best mattresses on the market. This allows us to give you a clear picture of which models are worth the investment. Over time, we’ve found that Helix mattresses consistently land in our top spots.
Whether we’re rounding up the best cooling mattresses or the best king-size mattresses, Helix mattresses often reign supreme. So when the opportunity to test the Helix Midnight Elite mattress presented itself, senior shopping editor, Katie Bandurski, jumped at the chance. Read on for her full review of the Helix Midnight Elite mattress and all of the product details you should know before ordering one for yourself.
What is the Helix Midnight Elite mattress?
The Helix Midnight Elite is a mattress that’s specifically designed for side sleepers. At 16 inches tall, this mattress is made up of five high-density foam layers, which cradle your hips and shoulders in side sleeping positions, two micro coil layers, which promise a restorative sleep experience by providing cushioning comfort and reducing back pressure, and a 2-inch plush quilted pillow top that features built-in cooling technology.
Each mattress is made-to-order in the brand’s Arizona facility and is only offered with a medium firmness, which Bandurski describes as a five to six on the mattress firmness scale in her full review. It comes in six sizes and is designed to sit on a platform base or modern foundation. It should not be placed on an old-fashioned box spring or lone bed frame.
Unlike other boxed mattresses, which arrive vacuum-sealed in one box and just need time to inflate, the Helix Midnight Elite arrives in two separate boxes and requires some assembly. One box contains the base, and the other contains a comfort insert that zips into the mattress. Bandurski points out that if you aren’t happy with the firmness level of your mattress, you can test out a different insert rather than replace the entire thing. As an added bonus, this mattress is made with Oeko-Tex- and CertiPur-US-certified fabrics and foam, aka the mattress contains no heavy metals or harmful chemicals.
VIA MERCHANT
Editor's Pick
Helix Midnight Elite Mattress
Side sleepers, rejoice! This mattress is made with memory foam and coils to cradle your hips and shoulders.
How we tested it
Bandurski used the Helix Sleep Quiz to confirm that this was the best mattress for her. It also allowed her to compare the features of the Midnight, Midnight Elite and the Midnight Luxe side by side before making her final decision. Being matched with the Midnight mattress, coupled with the ability to compare the entire line and the brand’s 100-night sleep trial, allowed her to make her decision with confidence. This was especially important, given that this mattress is on the pricier side when compared to other boxed mattresses.
The mattress arrived at Bandurski’s front door in two boxes. Though the boxes were badly damaged, the mattress and the plastic it was wrapped in were perfectly fine. Helix offers free delivery with in-home setup and removal of your old mattress for an additional fee. Bandurski opted to do the heavy lifting herself, though she strongly advises having someone on hand to help with the unboxing and set up, given the mattress’s size, depth and multi-step set-up process.
Like all bed-in-a-box style mattresses, the Helix Midnight Elite needed time to inflate. According to Bandurski, it reached its full size in a matter of minutes, though she still let it sit for a few hours before adding her mattress protector and sheets. It’s worth noting here that since this mattress is a whopping 16 inches tall, you’ll want to have a set of sheets, like the Quince linen sheets, that can accommodate a mattress this size. “My old mattress measured a whopping 8 inches, so I didn’t have a set on hand. I said a quick prayer that I wouldn’t need to make a 9 p.m. Target run and got to work. Thankfully, they just fit,” writes Bandurski.
While she thought that the mattress looked like it came from a luxury store rather than out of a box, Bandurski found herself wondering whether her purchase had been a mistake after the first night. “The mattress felt very firm,” she writes. Fortunately, the mattress was broken in and aligned with its advertised medium firmness within a month. Now, 16 months later, it’s still the most comfortable mattress Bandurski has ever slept on. “I’m still very happy with the firmness,” says Bandurski. “It’s not too soft nor too hard, and I can’t say I’ve noticed a major difference from when we first got it.”
Another thing that delights Bandurski is the quality of sleep she gets on her Helix Midnight Elite. Since she began sleeping on it, she wakes up feeling well-rested and no longer experiences neck pain. Moreover, she no longer tosses and turns or wakes up every night. And better still, her mattress has held up even after two moves. “I’m very impressed with how it’s holding up, and I can’t say I’ve noticed any signs of wear,” Bandurski raves.
The only thing Banduski didn’t love was the Dream Pillows she received as a free gift with her purchase. They have a down-alternative filling, which gives them an ultra-plush feel. But as side sleepers, Bandurski and her husband find them to be a little too plush to provide the neck support they need. “But they add a beautiful, crisp finish to our bed, and I love that you can toss them in the washing machine to clean,” she says.
Pros:
- Offers medium support
- You can adjust the firmness level by replacing the insert rather than replacing an entire mattress
- Made with Oeko-Tex- and CertiPur-US-certified fabrics and foam
- No box spring required
- Includes two Dream Pillows
- Free shipping
- 100-night sleep trial
- 15-year warranty
- In-home setup and removal of old mattress for an additional fee
Cons:
- On the pricier side
- Some assembly required
Why you should trust us
At Reader’s Digest, we know that quality sleep is life changing. Whether you’re a hot sleeper, a sleeper who suffers from back pain or someone who has their sleep interrupted by children, pets or restless partners, you deserve a good night’s rest. We have years of experience testing the best sleep products including the best cooling products and Amazon bedding, as well as the popular Cozy Earth sheets and comforter. In many instances, our editors also receive the unbiased opinions of their partners, children or other family members who see, touch, and try the products they are testing.
Our editors spend months and, in some cases, years sleeping with these products in their own homes. For this review, our editor and her partner spent 16 months sleeping on the Helix Midnight Elite mattress to see how it feels and holds up over time. Our goal is to recommend only the very best products using fair testing practices, and we will never recommend a product we don’t love.
VIA MERCHANT
Editor's Pick
Helix Midnight Elite Mattress
After sleeping on this mattress for 16 months, this editor is still pleased with this investment.
Originally Published: August 19, 2024
