This Could be the Mattress for You If:

You have a sleep partner and need to keep motion transfer at bay

You love that traditional memory foam feel but not the night sweats that often come with it

You sleep on your stomach

You suffer from hip and shoulder pain

Spoiler alert: if you carry a lot of weight, you’re definitely going to want to keep reading!

I recently got the opportunity to try out the Nectar mattress and am excited to share my findings. Nectar uses a combination of memory foam, base foam, and gel quilting foam to offer an incredibly supportive sleep surface that still provides the contour expected from memory foam.

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Video Review

Don’t want to read the full review? Watch our video review instead.

You may want to read: Nectar vs. My Green Mattress

Industry-Leading Sleep Trial

Much like how you take special care when purchasing a new car, you’ll want to analyze any mattress before committing. Fortunately, you’re often allowed a sleep trial of around 90-120 days. This takes into account the fact that you don’t get the chance to lay on it before clicking “Pay Now” as well as the understanding that it can take up to 30 days to break in any mattress.

Nectar goes above and beyond the call of duty by allowing their customers a full 365 days to try out a mattress before commitment. Nectar also remains committed to their customers throughout any mattress’ lifespan, offering a free cover replacement at anytime and a ‘bed bug replacement guarantee.’ It’s always comforting to know that a mattress company won’t abandon you.

Firmness and Sinkage Expectations

Nectar comes in one firmness setting and I would say that it’s a little on the firm side. This can prove to further accommodate those who carry a lot of weight, along with stomach sleepers. To give you a sense of what this means, consider the indentation load deflection. This number represents firmness with 12 being very plush and 50 being very firm. Most of your comfort in the Nectar mattress comes from the top two layers with ILD’s of 14 and 15.

When we get to the soft base, the ILD shoots up to 45 with the bottom base layer featuring an ILD of 55. I took a look at sinkage in the middle of the mattress by applying 130 pounds to a nine by seven inch area. Medium products tend to sink around 6 ¾ inch. Here, you can see that I sink in about six inches, so this confirms a slightly firm mattress on the medium spectrum.

Comfort and Support

I bought my first memory foam mattress in 2006. Since then, memory foam technology has come a long way. Back then, it could be difficult to get in and out of bed, move around, and sleep cool. I think Nectar did a great job accentuating the benefits of memory foam while counteracting those common downsides. I was particularly impressed by the weight limit on this mattress, which is capable of adequately supporting up to 400 pounds of individual weight and an impressive 800 pounds of combined weight.

If you do carry a lot of weight and have struggled in the past to find a product that would support you and stand the test of time, I definitely think Nectar is worth consideration. Now, it is a little on the firm end, so this may not be the ideal choice for those who don’t carry much weight. However, you may find the comfort of the upper, plusher layers of the mattress to offer the contour that you need.

One other important thing to mention is that the Nectar doesn’t really feel like any other memory foam mattresses you may have slept on in the past. There is a general expectation of memory foam to be very soft and have superior sinking abilities. The Nectar mattress isn’t about hugs and high sinkage, it’s about providing body support for particular sleeping positions.

Keep in mind that the core of the mattress is high-density polyfoam, which not only makes this firmer than most memory foam mattresses, but also ensures that this product is made to last.

Tencel Cooling Cover

For those concerned about bedbugs, you’ll be pleased to hear that Nectar utilizes their Tencel cooling cover as a preventive measure to ensure that you aren’t part of the 20 percent of Americans who fall prey to these frustrating parasites. But that’s not all! The cover also blends Tencel and cotton to create a soft surface that feels as cool as it looks.

The Four Nectar Layers

Right beneath the cover is a one-inch layer of gel quilting foam. It serves a few purposes, providing a comfortable loft for proper circulation and adding that contour you crave from memory foam. No matter what position I laid, I found that the mattress easily conformed to my body. This provide that floating feeling found in all of the best mattresses. This top comfort layer is quilted using a premium process that most mattress companies avoid due to cost. One sleep on the Nectar and you’ll understand why it’s worth the added investment.

Next, we arrive at the three-inch layer of gel memory foam. It’s at this layer that weight distribution occurs, which effectively reduces painful pressure points. Nectar’s semi-open Lush Foam holds five patents and is the most premium gel foam available. It’s expensive to produce and typically manufactured for use in the medical field. The Lush Foam directly absorbs and distributes heat and recovers perfectly to its original, untouched state after use.

The third layer is comprised of a ½ inch of adaptive hi-core memory foam. If you’ve never heard of this material, it’s probably because no other direct-to-consumer bed company builds Hi Core Adaptive foam into their mattresses. This is largely because the material is heavy and expensive to ship. Premium adaptive foam is an optimal inner layer for proper contour to your pressure points. If you carry a lot of weight, this is a feature that could significantly improve your quality of life. Finally, we arrive at the 5 ½ inch breathing base layer. It’s moulded to draw fresh air in through special channels.

Edge Support

Next, let’s take a look at edge support. Since edge support is often lacking in all-foam products, I assumed the Nectar would disappoint in this department. However, I was surprised by how well the very firm base layers were able to support me. I sat in various areas of the mattress noting the sinkage I experienced. For an all-foam product, I was impressed at the degree of support Nectar was able to maintain.

With some all-foam mattresses, I’ve noticed that I can feel the baseboards of the frame beneath me when I sit down forcefully. Thankfully, the Nectar was supportive enough that this didn’t happen. Furthermore, since edge support isn’t the strong point in bed-in-a-box models, I was surprised by the minimal compression created when placing all my weight on the edge of the mattress. This is where edge support is typically at it’s worst.

The important thing about having a mattress with solid edge support is not merely the fact that you can comfortably put on a pair of socks or fold the laundry while sitting on the edge of the bed. When compression on the edges is kept to a minimum, you are much more comfortable while switching positions or sleeping close to the edge of the mattress. Good edge support allows you to enjoy the edges of a mattress almost as comfortably as the middle.

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Nectar Motion Isolation Capabilities

If you have a sleep partner who makes it difficult to sleep when they move around or get in and out of bed, motion isolation is a component you’ll want to examine closely. One of the primary benefits of memory foam is its ability to counteract motion transfer and Nectar is no exception. When I dropped a 20 pound medicine ball on the mattress, it bounced a few times before coming to a rest. This demonstrates why it is pretty easy to move around. I then scooted that ball to the side and dropped another 20 pound ball next to it. The resting ball was barely impacted even when I dropped the other ball. I think Nectar is a great option for sleep partners to consider as the layers of memory foam absorb motion quite well.

Breathability and Temperature Regulation

We got a look at how Nectar incorporates the Tencel cooling cover, Lush Foam, and circulation ventilation techniques to facilitate a cool sleep. Using my thermal imaging camera, I watched to see how long it would take the mattress to cool down after laying on it for 30 minutes in a room temperature of 64 degrees Fahrenheit.

In my experience this takes about 10 minutes on average. It took Nectar twelve and a half minutes, so, it’s a little bit higher than average. It’s important to understand that since Nectar uses memory foam, this time actually isn’t bad, and I was able to sleep cool through the night. However, if sleeping hot is major problem for you, seek out a product designed with heat transfer capability as a primary goal.

You may want to read: Best Queen Sized Memory Foam Mattresses

Nectar Certifications

There are various watchdog organizations in place to ensure that mattresses offer environmental stewardship and quality that customers can rely on. Nectar is both Certi-PUR US and OEKO-TEX certified. Some of the regulatory standards this ensures include:

Mattresses are made without banned Azo colorants, formaldehyde, pentachlorophenol, cadmium and nickel.

Mattresses are made without ozone depleters.

Mattresses are made without mercury, lead, and other heavy metals.

These certifications give you peace-of-mind in knowing that Nectar is willing to be scrutinized by these watchdogs to ensure the production of quality products.

You may want to read: Nectar Lush Mattress Coupon Page

How the Nectar Mattress Works with Different Sleep Positions

When choosing the right mattress for you, it’s important to factor in your own unique sleep requirements. What works for me may not work for you, so let’s take a moment to see how different sleep positions will impact your experience with the Nectar mattress layer construction:

Stomach Sleepers

You’ll likely notice cradling of the hips, but the supportive lower layers keep them from sinking in too deep. This can help reduce back pain, especially if your current mattress has degraded to the point where support is minimal.

If you do carry a lot of weight and sleep on your stomach, you may want to seek out a firmer product to ensure you have adequate support.

Back Sleepers

If you sleep on your back, your lumbar area requires the right combination of support and contour, and the use of high-density base foam and memory foam comfort layers does an excellent job at giving this area of the body what it needs.

Side Sleepers

When you sleep on your side, areas like your hips and shoulders jut into the mattress with increased force. This makes uniform pressure relief very important, and Nectar was able to do a great job at catering to these pressure points in my experience.

Considering the firmness of the Nectar mattress, I think this could be a good fit if you sleep primarily on your stomach. It could also be preferable if you like to feel like floating atop your mattress rather than sinking into it. If you’ve always preferred a firmer mattress and shied away from memory foam, I think this is the product you’ve been waiting for. Not only can you enjoy the contour of memory foam, you’ll also be able to enjoy your ideal firmness level.

Consider Your BMI Before You Buy

Many think soft and plush when they hear a product contains memory foam. Keep in mind, this isn’t always the case. As mentioned, Nectar is slightly on the firmer end of the spectrum. Because of this, if you don’t weigh a whole lot, you may find it to be too hard.

I have come across several reviews of people likening sleeping on this product to sleeping on a board or laying awake tossing and turning. Before you buy, I’d strongly suggest you consider your body mass index. Based on your weight alone, it’s difficult to determine how you’ll experience any sleep product. However, your BMI (which reveals your body fat based on weight and height) can provide a better idea of what to expect.

If you have a BMI of less than 19, I don’t think Nectar is going to be the best option for you. You would likely prefer something plusher. If your BMI is between 19 and 25, there’s a good chance this will work for you. Keep in mind, Nectar does offer their industry-leading sleep trial. There are many excellent qualities to be taken advantage of with this product. If you’re unsure if the firmness will be right, it never hurts to try! You’ll get a full year to return it for your money back.

Catching National Attention

If you watch much television, you’ve probably seen one of Nectar’s commercials. CNBC even recently ran a piece regarding their efforts to boost sales. The brand is taking off!

I think much of Nectar’s success has to do with the fact that they let you try out their product for a full year. In less than one year, Nectar sold more than 50,000 beds and generated more than $35 million in revenue (as reported in November 2017). The company has steadily grown by 20 percent each month. Aside from the impressive trial period, a few other reasons behind their success include:

Helpful Sleep Tools, Even if You Don’t Make a Purchase

I liked the fact that, even if you don’t purchase their product, Nectar offers various tools on their website to help you enjoy better sleep. These include:

A sleep calculator that helps you determine what time to go to bed based on the time you need to wake up. It also provides useful information regarding:

Sleep cycles

REM sleep

How much sleep you need based on ages from newborn to older adults

2. A mattress size guide that maps out how beds are sized and the terminology used for mattress sizes so you can find the right one for you. They provide detailed information on the following bed sizes:

Twin

Twin XL

Full

Queen

King

California King

3. A sleep position guide that provides useful information about the various sleep positions and what they say about your personality and mattress needs. It also offers a very thorough FAQ section. Positions covered include:

Side sleeping:

Log Roller

The Yearning Dreamer

Back sleeping:

Sleepy Soldier

The Shooting Star

Stomach sleeping:

The Skydiver

The Baby

Couples Sleeping Position

Better Sleep e-Book

You’ll have to enter your email address for this one, but Nectar’s Better Sleep eBook helps you optimize your sleeping habits by partnering with top sleep experts to create the ultimate sleep guide. They provide tips on how to get the most restful sleep, like adding room-darkening shades to your bedroom.

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Maintenance, Protection, Care, and Warranty

Overall, I found the Nectar mattress to be highly supportive. It also offers a high degree of comfort through the use of contouring memory foam. If you struggle with painful pressure points or have a sleep partner, I think Nectar is worth serious consideration. If you think this mattress could be the one for you, let’s take a moment to discuss protection and maintenance as well as the warranty.

365-Night Sleep Trial

Nectar features the industry-leading 365-night sleep trial. This allows you a full year to try out the mattress before you have to make your final decision. Along with your sleep trial comes an equally-impressive Forever Warranty.

Important Things to Remember

Every time you invest money into a product that’s designed to help you sleep better, there is no such thing as too much research. I’ve included all the need-to-know information in this review, but I want to quickly wrap-up the most important features that one must take into account if they’re still hovering over that “Buy Now” button:

The durability expectations of the Nectar mattress are somewhere in between six to eight years. That’s because the memory foam used in the construction of the mattress is above average, meaning it should last longer before being subject to wear and tear.

The Nectar mattress is not the most breathable product I’ve tested, but considering that it’s made entirely out of foam, it’s not that bad either. However, those of you that have problems with high temperature during the night might want to look for a hybrid mattress. Perhaps something that combines latex and innerspring.

The Nectar mattress does show a slight off-gasing, but leaving the mattress in a well-ventilated space for 24 hours should solve that problem.

Motion isolation is excellent, as one would expect from a memory foam mattress. Tests have shown minimal disruption in many scenarios, which means that you and your sleep partner won’t disturb each other’s sleep with any of your movements.

The mattress is medium firm. So if you want a bed that will allow your body to sink in deeply, this isn’t it. Nectar provides support where needed and contours to your body to alleviate those nasty pressure points.

You may want to check: Nectar VS Purple Bed

Nectar Mattress Cost

Nectar is a great example of how far memory foam technology has come over the years. This product allowed me to move around with ease and sleep cool, quite unlike my first memory foam mattress in 2006. I think Nectar’s 365 night sleep trial allows plenty of time to break in your mattress and make a very informed decision before you’re tied down. So, let’s take a look at the cost of the Nectar mattress.

Nectar Reviews and Feedback

While the Nectar mattress might be a little on the firm side for those who don’t weigh very much, I think it has a lot to offer for:

Those who are heavier.

Those who sleep primarily on their stomachs.

Those who suffer with painful pressure points.

Who We Recommend the Nectar Mattress For

The Nectar Mattress offers a high degree of support while incorporating the use of contouring memory foam. We recommend it for sleepers that carry more weight. If you think Nectar sounds like the mattress for you, let’s do a quick recap of it’s strengths:

A good mattress to accommodate sleep partners.

A good mattress for those who carry a lot of weight and need a product that can offer both comfort and the appropriate support.

A good mattress for those who are developing painful pressure points on their current mattress.

A good mattress for those who like the feel of memory foam

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You may want to read: Nectar Luxury Sateen Bed Sheets Review

Our Final Verdict

Since Nectar is a little on the firmer end of the medium spectrum, I think it could be an excellent sleep solution for those who carry a lot of weight. It could also be a good product to consider if you spend a lot of time sitting or lying on the edge and want to take advantage of the feel of memory foam. While it did take slightly longer than average to eliminate body heat, I still think it did pretty well considering the top two comfort layers are comprised of memory foam. This is a rare mattress that offers all of the benefits of memory foam with few of the drawbacks. So don’t hesitate to take advantage of Nectar’s generous trial period if this sounds like the mattress for you!

The Nectar Mattress Specs Table

Offgassing: Minimal offgassing

Firmness Level: 7

Trial Period: 365 nights

Warranty – Forever warranty

Materials

Material Thickness ILD Density Tencel Fiber Cover n/a n/a n/a Gel Quilting Foam 1 inch 14 n/a Gel Memory Foam 3 inches 15 n/a Adaptive Hi-Core Foam ½ inch 45 n/a Breathing Base Layer 5 ½ inches 55 n/a

Pricing

Size Cost Twin $399 Twin XL $469 Full $599 Queen $699 King $899 California King $899