For context, I usually sleep on the Nolah Evolution Hybrid (9/10, WIRED Recommends), which happens to be one of the best mattresses I’ve tested to date. The first thing I noticed with this bed was that the pressure relief was eerily similar to the Nolah’s. Even with a more medium-firm surface, which I’d put right around a 6.5 out of 10, it wasn’t uncomfortable against my hips or shoulders.
This is really helpful for side sleepers in particular. The feel and firmness of the mattress are also right on target for achieving pressure relief and weight distribution for lumbar support. Too soft a mattress and your lower back bends into weird-feeling angles. As sleepers with back pain will tell you, even the slightest pressure applied to your lower back can be a means for a rough night of sleep. That being said, I think average and plus-size sleepers who are in that 150-pound-and-up range are best suited for this bed. If you have really serious hip pain or have a smaller build, this bed’s firmness and pressure-relieving layers are most likely not going to agree with your joints.
Not all mattresses can achieve the right support level, but here is a rare instance where I felt confident sleeping on my stomach, back, and side. That’s no small feat, and I can’t understate that. I picked up on that right away on the first night of testing.
Throughout the duration of my time with the bed (which was a week, to be exact), I also came to appreciate the edge support, cooling, and motion isolation the construction offered. Edge support is just how it sounds—where a mattress makes sure you’re not rolling off the sides in the middle of the night. Given that I love to sleep on the edge, as my two small dogs hog the rest of the bed, this is a feature I’m always acutely aware of while testing. I felt secure the entire time, and I had no issues sitting on the sides or bottom while getting in and out of bed, either.
The Alpha Mattress
Photograph: Julia Forbes
I live in a humid climate that sticks around long after the sun has set. I had thinner, eucalyptus-based cooling sheets on the bed, which helped play to the performance of the Wolf’s cooling cover. I could feel the coolness of the cover permeating through the sheets, and I didn’t note one instance of overheating during testing. Motion transfer I also pay special attention to, because even with small dogs jumping in and out of bed or even with my husband who sleeps like a log, even slight movement wakes me up. One night the dogs were just trying to burn the midnight oil, but their incessant antics of trying to turn the bed into a trampoline park were unsuccessful. Slight vibrations were felt, but nothing that broke me out of my sleep trance—until someone barked at me to go outside.
I don’t take it easy on my critical analysis of mattresses, which is why I don’t land on the high score lightly. Wolf Mattress didn’t just manage to hold its own, but it made its debut on my personal all-stars list. I love the value it delivers straight out of the box. The materials feel high-quality, the performance was top-tier, and the price was on target to match. Based on this experience, I’m excited to see all the things the company has planned.
