Hypnos Pillow Top Select mattress review – as a hot sleeper, this is the most breathable mattress I've slept on

Our Hypnos Pillow Top Select mattress review puts one of the brand's most affordable mattresses through its paces to see how it compares to the best mattresses Ideal Home has tested.

Quick review

If you know your Greek gods, then you'll know that Hypnos is the Greek god of sleep, so I went into this Hypnos Select Pillow Top mattress review with some pretty high expectations.

Hypnos the god encouraged deep sleep via a 'horn of sleep-inducing opium', however, I was hopeful that Hypnos the brand would have an alternative means of lulling me into a restorative slumber. And, thankfully, it delivered. In fact, the Hypnos Select Pillow Top mattress offered the best night's sleep I've had in a long time.

The Hypnos Select Pillow Top is a pocket spring mattress topped with a handstitched and hand-tufted 'pillow top' comfort layer that's packed with British wool, and responsibly sourced natural plant-based fibres Himalayan allo, kapok, and cotton.

In practice, I found this meant the mattress offered a great mix of comfort and support, and brilliant breathability. As a hot sleeper who overheats on memory foam or synthetic mattresses, this mattress made from predominantly natural (breathable) materials was a breath of fresh air – literally. It delivered fantastic temperature regulation meaning that hot and sticky 3am wake-ups are now a thing of the past.

This mattress is an investment, but, in my opinion, its quality, comfort, breathability, and the brand's focus on environmental sustainability make it well worth saving up for. In fact, out of all the mattresses I've tested whilst working as Ideal Home's Sleep Editor, this is the mattress I've chosen to sleep on for the past year, and 12 months into owning it I'm still just as happy with its performance.

Hypnos Select Pillow Top mattress review

Specifications

Type: Pillow top
Construction materials: Pocket springs, polyester, wool, Himalayan allo, kapok and cotton
Sizes: Double, King, Superking
Comfort level: Medium
Height: 29cm
Side handles: Yes
Flip or rotate: Rotate
Manufacturer sleep trial: Differs by retailer

1. Comfort

Not only do I test mattresses for a living, meaning I'm fairly hard to impress on the mattress front, but I'm also a fairly tricky customer to please on the sleep front.

I switch between side, back and front sleeping during the night, positions which really require three different mattress types! Ideally a side sleeper needs a softer sleep surface that cushions joints and allows shoulders and hips to sink into the mattress a little to keep the spine aligned when side sleeping, and back and front sleepers need a firmer sleep surface that prevents hips from dipping too low and pressure being put on the lower back and neck. Plus, I also have some shoulder pain after recently tumbling down a hill whilst hiking.

Generally, I'd recommend a memory foam mattress for anyone who side-sleeps with shoulder pain, as the cushioned support that moulds around hips and shoulders is great for easing aching joints. However, my biggest sleep problem is overheating, so I usually find foam and memory foam mattresses too warm for comfort and prefer a pocket spring mattress packed with natural materials for breathability.

That's why I was so excited to try Hypnos Pillow Top Select. I was hoping its construction – with a pocket spring base layer topped with a cushioned 'pillow' comfort layer would mimic the experience of sleeping on a hybrid memory foam mattress, but with more breathable (and sustainable) natural materials. And I wasn't disappointed.

Whilst the pillow top doesn't cocoon your body in the same way as a memory foam mattress – in my opinion, the Tempur Sensation mattress delivers the best body-hugging experience in this regard – that pillow top layer does offer a very welcome layer of softness and cushioning. It gives the mattress a far more luxurious feel than your standard pocket spring construction and makes it the kind of sleep surface that elicits an exhalation of satisfaction when you lie down.

And whereas I've slept on tufted mattresses before and felt every tuft, there's none of that with the Hypnos Pillow Top Select.

That said, at no point did I feel 'enveloped' by the pillow top, which can often be the case with a memory foam mattress. As memory foam becomes more pliable the warmer it gets, body heat activates the memory foam to mould to your body, making you feel a little like you're sinking 'into' the bed depending on the memory foam's firmness level.

For me at least, this is the Goldilocks the mattress world from a comfort perspective – not too soft, not too firm, instead, just right.

2. Responsiveness

Because the Hypnos Select Pillow Top Select has a pocket spring core, it has a good amount of bounce. This is dampened slightly by the pillow top comfort layer, but it still makes for a fairly responsive sleep surface which it's easy to change position on.

This makes a pleasant change from a memory foam or hybrid memory foam mattress where changing position can feel a bit 'sluggish' as you wait for the memory foam to adapt from cradling you in one sleep position to reforming around you in your new posture. It's also good news for anyone with mobility issues who might find rolling over trickier on a memory foam mattress.

3. Motion isolation

If you share your bed with a partner, then a mattress with good motion isolation is essential for getting a better night's sleep. Motion isolation reduces the reverberation of movements through the mattress, so if you or your partner toss and turn at night, that means you're less likely to wake each other up.

Pure foam and hybrid memory foam mattresses are particularly good at motion isolation as the solid foam layer dampens movement. Motion isolation becomes a little more tricky with a sprung mattress, as those springs are designed to provide the mattress with bounce, and that bounce can easily travel from one side of the bed to the other.

To combat this, the Hypnos Select Pillow Top uses pocket springs rather than coil springs. Pocket springs are housed in individual pockets and designed to operate independently of each other, as opposed to coil springs that are connected to each other and move as one unit. Pocket springs, therefore, reduce the likelihood of movement travelling across the mattress, plus they prevent two sleepers of different weights who are sharing a bed from rolling towards each other. And then there's the pillow top, which adds an extra layer of movement-absorbing cushioning to the mattress.

In practice, this meant the Hypnos Select Pillow Top mattress delivered a decent level of motion isolation in our tests. I laid on one side of the mattress whilst my co-tester did an exaggerated job of tossing and turning and jumping on and off of their side of the bed and although I could feel their most extreme movements, simply rolling over didn't cause too much vibration.

The movement dampening isn't as good as a pure foam mattress can deliver – the all-foam Tempur Sensation mattress or all-foam Emma Original mattress are the best mattresses we've tested in this regard – but it was certainly good enough to provide an undisturbed night's sleep with two in the bed. And, if you want more movement dampening from your mattress without going the foam route, then the Hypnos Elite Pillow Top and Hypnos Luxe Pillow Top mattresses both add an additional layer of cushioning natural latex to the mix to absorb movement further.

4. Temperature regulation

I'm a hot sleeper, so a mattress that offers good temperature regulation is a must for me.

It took learning a little about materials science for me to realise that the synthetic and memory foam mattresses I had been sleeping on – and the lack of breathability of these materials – were the main factors behind my disturbed sleep. I'd often wake up around 3am because I was too hot and sticky under the covers, and this interruption of my sleep cycle left me feeling tired and unrested.

As I discovered, our bodies naturally give off heat and moisture during the night, and with a synthetic mattress, this heat and humidity is often reflected back toward the sleeper. Whether foam or memory foam, a synthetic mattress is made of materials that are some variation on polyester or polyurethane – both of these forms of plastic derived from petroleum – and, if you think of their essence as being similar to a plastic bag, it's easy to see why a synthetic mattress can lack breathability and get hot and sweaty pretty quickly!

However, natural fibres, like wool and cotton, are breathable by default. Wool especially does a great job at helping to regulate body temperature and allows humidity to pass through its fibres easily, therefore creating a breathable sleep surface that's ideal for hot sleepers, like me.

The pillow top of the Hypnos Pillow Top Select mattress is packed with wool – up to two fleeces of British wool in its largest sizes in fact – along with a mix of Himalayan allo, kapok, and cotton, that all help to create a cushioned yet lightweight and breathable top layer. The outer surface of the mattress is also covered in woven natural cotton, another breathable non-synthetic fibre.

These breathable materials are paired with the Select mattress' pocket spring base – another feature that helps create airflow through the mattress. In Hypnos' words, the use of 'a single continuous pocket spring creates a ‘bellows-like’ affect that drives cool air around the mattress. This extra breathability ensures better ventilation, helping to reduce moisture and maintain a comfortable body temperature'.

The mattress also features neat metal air vents around all four sides of the mattress – 16 in all on the double mattress – to allow heat to dissipate from the centre of the mattress and fresh air to penetrate and keep things aerated.

All in all, I had high hopes for a cooler night's sleep on this mattress, and I'm happy to report it lived up to all expectations. Since sleeping on the Hypnos Pillow Top Select mattress I've very rarely overheated, even in the height of summer heatwaves. Instead its breathable construction really seems to do the trick and allow my body to regulate its temperature throughout the night leading to a more restful night's sleep.

The Hypnos Pillow Top Select is definitely the coolest mattress I've slept on, and I'm now 100% a convert to natural materials – both for my mattress, and the bedding I put on it.

5. Edge support

When you're choosing a mattress size I'd always recommend opting for the largest mattress your bedroom and budget allow so that no one is sleeping on the edge. However, shrinking home sizes and tight purse strings mean a super king mattress is rarely a viable reality.

If you do find yourself gravitating towards the outer edges of the mattress, then good edge support is what will keep you from rolling off the edge of the bed and onto the floor. Edge support should also keep your body from waking you during the night because it senses that you're about to plummet to the ground, which can be almost as disruptive to a good night's sleep as actually falling! Edge support is also important if you're someone with reduced mobility who can find getting out of bed a little trickier.

The Hypnos Select Pillow Top mattress addresses edge support with its Triple Edge Protection™, a system that uses higher tension pocket springs along the mattress edges to keep your body within the mattress borders.

This worked brilliantly in my tests, with the mattress remaining a flat surface with no dipping at the edges – even when I pushed my luck and laid with half of my body overhanging the mattress edge. It also offers enough resistance to make sitting and standing from the edge of the bed an easy affair.

6. Ease of care

Because of its pillow top, the Hypnos Pillow Top Select is a one-sided mattress, which means that you can only sleep on one of its surfaces, not both. That means it doesn't need flipping over, but instead should be rotated from time to time to ensure even wear and tear.

This is made easier thanks to two side handles on the left and righthand sides of the mattress and two more sturdy handles both top and bottom – a super useful feature that a surprising number of cheaper mattresses tend to scrimp on.

I love the comfort of the Select's pillow top design, but – just like a one-sided hybrid or memory foam mattress – some might question whether a sewn-in pillow top offers optimum longevity. Because the pillow top layer is stitched firmly in place, it can't be replaced. That could mean that if the pillow top layer became compressed in your regular sleeping positions then the whole mattress would need replacing.

A more durable alternative could be to opt for a pocket spring mattress and add your own mattress topper. This would mean you could flip the mattress to use both sides, whilst the detachable mattress topper would offer similar comfort to the pillow top and could be more easily replaced should it become unevenly worn.

That said, I haven't yet tested a natural-fill mattress topper that's as comfortable as the Hypnos Select's pillow top layer. I'll let you know if I do. And although I haven't yet tested this mattress for long enough to see how it performs several years in, Hypnos gives the Select Pillow Top a fairly lengthy guarantee, which is reassurance as to its quality.

7. Sleep trial

It can be very tricky for us to find a mattress that truly suits us, not least because so many variables – such as our preferred sleeping position and body weight – can significantly impact how a mattress feels for different individuals. This is why a sleep trial can be really useful.

A sleep trial usually means that you can buy the mattress and sleep on it in your own home for anywhere between 30 - 365 nights to get a feel for whether its construction suits you.

Hypnos doesn't sell direct from its own website and so doesn't offer a standard sleep trial of its own. However, many of the retailers Hypnos mattresses are sold through offer sleep trials of their own, including John Lewis, Mattressman, and MattressNextDay, amongst others. So, check the small print, and these offer a great way to test drive this investment mattress before you commit.

8. Delivery

Unlike most foam-only mattresses which can be rolled into a convenient box for delivery, the Hypnos Select Pillow Top mattress is delivered flat, wrapped in a sheath of what looks like plastic, but the brand promises is actually eco-packaging derived from plants.

There's no denying that a mattress-in-a-box can be convenient if you have an awkwardly shaped hallway or twisting flight of stairs for the delivery team to navigate, but, as long as you've got your access measurements correct, then there shouldn't be any delivery issues and no decent pocket spring mattress actually benefits from being rolled.

Because Hypnos only sells through third-party stockists, you will just need to check the delivery process of whichever retailer you buy from. Most should offer delivery to the room of your choice, but some charge extra for this and only deliver to your doorstep as standard.

It's also worth considering whether a retailer offers 'white glove delivery'. This is where the mattress is removed from its packaging and installed onto your bed frame (and the packaging removed). Plus, you might also want to consider whether the retailer offers removal and recycling of your old mattress on delivery day – that way you don't need to worry about how to get rid of an old mattress once your new one is on the bed.

Once unpackaged, the natural materials that fill the Hypnos Select Pillow Top mattress also mean that there's none of the unpleasant chemical offgassing smell that tends to go hand-in-hand with unpacking a memory foam mattress. Great news, if like me, you find this pungent memory-foam aroma a headache trigger.

What's more, although this mattress is packed full of natural fillings – including up to two fleeces of British wool – unlike the wool-filled Woolroom Hebridean 3000 mattress I recently reviewed that had a strong 'sheep' smell that lingered for months – the Hypnos Select Pillow Top had no smell at all on unpacking. Bliss!

9. Environmental impact

A mattress that's made from predominantly natural materials is likely to be more expensive than a synthetic mattress, however, it will generally be far more environmentally friendly than one of its synthetic counterparts.

Hypnos has been making mattresses for over 100 years – long before foam and memory foam were invented and adopted by the mattress market as cheaper (yet environmentally damaging) alternatives to traditional mattress construction. The brand still chooses to make its mattresses the traditional way, with a focus on natural and sustainable materials, and a guarantee that every Hypnos mattress is foam-free and 100% recyclable at the end of its lifespan.

Whilst the Hypnos Pillow Top Select mattress isn't entirely made from natural fibres, they do feature heavily in its construction, and Hypnos states that where it does use synthetic polyesters, 'We use polyesters that have been recycled'.

The Select's pillow top layer combines British wool alongside what Hypnos says is 'responsibly sourced' Himalayan allo (a type of giant nettle that's fibres are revered for both their strength and silk-like lightness), kapok (a cotton-like plant fibre procured from the seed pods of trees), and cotton.

These natural materials are mixed with manmade Solotex™, a polymer that the brand says 'unlike foam, allows moisture to dissipate through the mattress to aid breathability', pocket springs, and eOlus™ recycled polyester fibres. Fire retardancy regulations are also met thanks to an odourless treatment derived from natural extracts – perfect if you prefer a chemical-free sleep surface.

Hypnos states that the whole of the Hypnos Select Pillow Top mattress is recyclable at the end of its lifespan, and now packages its products in eco-packaging derived from plants.

In recent years the brand has also demonstrated its commitment to more sustainable design and production by becoming the first carbon-neutral bedmaker in the world. It was a recipient of the Queen's Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development in 2020, and in 2021 was the first bed-maker to be recognised by the National Bed Federation's (NBF) Sustainability Award for its leading position within the industry and its responsible and sustainable ethos.

All in all, if you're looking for a mattress from a brand that takes its environmental impact seriously, Hypnos does seem to be leading the way in offering a more sustainable approach.

10. Value for money

Hypnos is a British manufacturer with over 100 years of pocket-spring mattress and bed-making know-how under its belt. The brand has a Royal Warrant and is the only bedmaker to actively supply all of the royal residences including Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, St. James Palace, Balmoral Castle, Sandringham House, The Palace of Holyroodhouse, and Kensington Palace.

The brand's mattresses are also used by Soho House hotels, and up until early 2023 all Premier Inn beds were made by Hypnos, so the mattress-maker knows a thing or two about delivering a good night's sleep.

Add to that the fact that Hypnos mattresses are made the traditional way, with a focus on high quality natural and sustainable materials (rather than cheap to produce yet environmentally problematic foam or memory foam mattresses), and it's easy to see why a Hypnos mattress tends to come with a high price tag.

The Hypnos Select Pillow Top mattress is one of the brand's bestselling 'entry-level' mattresses. However, as of writing, prices start at £1479 RRP and reach £2466 for the super king size, so 'entry-level' doesn't mean cheap.

You can find cheaper natural-fill mattresses, for instance, the Woolroom Beulah mattress currently starts from £775 RRP, but that could mean some sacrifice in comfort. As such, it might mean that paying a little more for a mattress like the Hypnos Pillow Top Select is worth it for you.

How I tested

Amy Lockwood

I'm Amy, Ideal Home team's Sleep Editor. My job involves putting all manner of products through their paces to find the best recommendations for a good night's sleep, whether that's the best duvets for overnight comfort or the best pillows for your preferred sleeping position. For this review I tested the Hypnos Select Pillow Top mattress for over six months in my own home. Here are my sleep stats:

Usual sleep position: side, front, and back
Tension preference: medium-firm to firm
Sleep problems: overheating, shoulder pain
Height & weight: 5ft 10 & 70kg

In putting the Hypnos Pillow Top Select mattress through Ideal Home's mattress testing process I assessed it for ten factors we deem vital to any successful mattress purchase.

I assessed the mattress for comfort, responsiveness, motion isolation, temperature regulation, and edge support through at home testing. This means that I slept on the mattress for a minimum of two weeks before writing my review – in this case I've slept on the Hypnos Pillow Top Select mattress for a year now.

I also took into consideration ease of care, the delivery process, any sleep trials available, value for money, and, where possible, third-party feedback from other verified owners before writing my review and giving this mattress a star rating.