Amerisleep AS3 Hybrid Mattress review: the Goldilocks of beds for side sleepers?

Amerisleep AS3 Hybrid Mattress Review: Two-minute review

Particularly suited to side sleepers, the Amerisleep AS3 Hybrid is a medium firmness hybrid mattress that’s similar in style to many of our best mattress picks. The AS3 Hybrid is made from a combination of the brand’s proprietary Bio-Pur foam and pocketed steel coils, and the foam does a particularly good job of keeping sleepers cool at night. Hot sleepers should enjoy this mattress, which feels cool to the touch thanks to its ‘Refresh Cover’ that Amerisleep says can help them sleep up to 7 degrees cooler at night.

I tested the mattress alongside my husband for a month, asking friends of different builds to also come and try out the mattress for different opinions. We are both primarily back sleepers, although we do sometimes sleep on our sides. The best mattresses for side sleepers need to provide enough sinkage to keep the shoulders and hips cushioned, while also supporting the back – I found the AS3 Hybrid delivered just that. Although the foam initially feels quite soft when you sit on it, the layer of coils underneath helps to keep pressure points and the spine supported.

Like many of the best hybrid mattresses the AS3 Hybrid is also a good choice for back sleepers, with the coils doing an excellent job of keeping the spine aligned. I personally prefer a firm mattress for my back and did find the AS3 a little soft under the bottom of my spine, but my husband and other testers thought it was extremely comfortable. I wouldn’t recommend this mattress to stomach or heavier weight sleepers though, as the medium feel is unlikely to keep their spines supported and they could feel as if they’re sleeping on the coils themselves. Motion transfer and edge support were both excellent – we’ll explore those and other areas of performance throughout the article.  

Amerisleep AS3 Hybrid Mattress Review: Price

• The brand has regular sales and discounts on mattresses
• The AS3 Hybrid sits at the lower end of the luxury mattress bracket
• The AS3 is the middle of the range mattress from Amerisleep

The AS3 is a luxury mattress but priced at the lower end of the luxury bracket. It’s Amerisleep’s middle of the range mattress, sitting between the AS2 and AS5 and is available as an all-foam mattress or a hybrid mattress (as we’ve reviewed here). There’s also an organic mattress, which is featured in our round-up of the best organic mattresses. 

Here’s the official MSRP pricing for the AS3 Hybrid Mattress:

• Twin: $1,699
• Twin XL: $1,749
• Full: $1,899
• Queen: $1,949
• King: $2,149
• Cal King: $2,149
• Split King: $3,048

Amerisleep has sales and offers on its entire range at various points during the year. You’re likely to see higher discounts during the 4th of July mattress sales and around the other major sales (Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Labor Day etc.) – keep up to date with all the latest offers on TechRadar’s mattress sales page. There have been offers of up to $450 off the list price of all Amerisleep mattresses, which is an extremely generous discount. All the AS mattresses also come with a free Refresh cover, which Amerisleep says can help you sleep up to 7 degrees cooler at night.   

Amerisleep AS3 Hybrid Mattress Review: Specs

Amerisleep AS3 Hybrid Mattress Review: Materials and design

• Proprietary Bio-Pur foam and Refresh cover keep sleepers cool at night
• Hybrid mattress with a combination of foam and coils
• 12” deep

Unlike many of its hybrid competitors the AS3 Hybrid doesn’t use traditional memory foam. Instead, Amerisleep has developed its own Bio-Pur foam, which makes up the first layer of the mattress. This is a plant-based material that’s far more breathable than conventional memory foam and is both contouring and responsive.

Next up, the main support layer of the mattress is made up of zoned and pocketed coils, which provide pressure relief and support. There’s also a foam encasement around the edge of the coils, which helps to improve the edge support on the mattress. A thin layer of transition foam leads into a base layer of high-density foam, giving the AS3 Hybrid structure and foundation. The mattress is covered with the Refresh cooling cover that’s designed to wick away heat from the body and aid with cooling. Amerisleep says that this can help sleepers stay up to 7 degrees cooler overnight.   

All the foams in the mattress are CertiPUR-US certified, meaning the mattress is lower in volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Bio-Pur is also made partly from renewable plant-based oils and is made without formaldehyde, ozone depleters, prohibited phthalates, PBDEs, mercury, lead, and other heavy metals.

Score: 4.5 out of 5

Amerisleep AS3 Hybrid Mattress Review: Comfort

• Particularly suited to side and back sleepers of light and average weights
• A medium firmness mattress with a 6 out of 10 rating
• Zoned coils to support the spine

A medium firmness mattress, the AS3 Hybrid should appeal to a variety of sleepers but I feel it’s particularly suited to side sleepers of a light or average build and is up there with some of the best mattresses for side sleepers on the market. Why do I think it’s so suited to side sleepers? It’s down to the combination of the brand’s proprietary Bio-Pur foam and the pocketed coils underneath.

The AS3 Hybrid initially feels soft when you sit on it and, as you lie on it, you can feel the foam contouring gently around the pressure points at the shoulders and hips. However, after this initial sinkage, the foam and coils underneath offer firmer support and keep the sleeper from sinking too far into the mattress. 

My husband, who is of an average weight, enjoyed sleeping on his back on the AS3 and appreciated the contouring around the lower back. Despite being of a light build, I’m happiest on a firm bed and did find the contouring a little too soft for my sleeping habits. Amongst our other light and average testers though, the consensus was that this mattress is great for back sleepers as well as side. My heaviest testers all found the mattress too soft, and I would also suggest that the AS3 Hybrid is too soft for stomach sleepers, whose spines won’t be supported and will be out of alignment. 

I also tested sinkage by placing a 44lb weight in the middle of the bed and measuring how far it sank in. The weight sank in by 5”, which is average for a medium firmness mattress.

 Score: 4.5 out of 5 

Amerisleep AS3 Hybrid Mattress Review: Temperature regulation

• Great temperature regulation for a mattress with foam
• Well-spaced coils to promote airflow
• Refresh cooling cover to wick away heat

I slept on the AS3 Hybrid with a winter duvet (tog rating 10.5) in a bedroom at around 14C during late winter / early spring. I am quite reptilian and often feel cold at night, whereas my husband is always hot. He praised the mattress for its temperature regulation and its coolness to the touch when lying on it. This is down to the combination of materials used in the mattress.

Amerisleep’s Refresh cooling cover is designed to wick heat away from the body and can, according to the brand, help sleepers stay up to 7 degrees cooler overnight. The Bio-Pur foam sleeps cooler than traditional memory foam and stays cool to the touch, whilst the well-spaced coils help to promote airflow. You won’t feel hot in this mattress and the Bio-Pur’s ability to keep sleepers cool is impressive.

Score: 4.5 out of 5

Amerisleep AS3 Hybrid Mattress Review: Motion isolation

• Bio-Pur foam does an excellent job of isolating motion
• A great choice for those sharing their bed with a restless partner

Motion transfer is the measure of how much movement is felt from one part of the mattress to another, i.e., whether your partner rolling over or moving in bed will disturb you. If you’re a restless sleeper, a mattress with a lot of motion transfer is likely to make for a broken night’s sleep.

I tested the AS3 Hybrid with a simple drop test with a 13lb weight and an empty wine glass to see how well the mattress absorbed motion. Dropping the weight from around 4-5” above the mattress, I started at 25” from the wine glass. At this distance the wine glass didn’t move. It was also completely stable at 10” and only fell over at 5” from the weight dropping. Neither my husband and I were disturbed by the other moving through the night and motion isolation really is excellent.

Score: 5 out of 5

Amerisleep AS3 Hybrid Mattress Review: Edge support

• Good edge support around the whole perimeter of the bed
• Sinkage is the same at the edge of the bed as in the middle

Strong edge support is important in a mattress as it increases the sleeping area that’s available and helps us to get in and out of bed. It also provides a stable seating area and helps to prevent premature sagging around the perimeters.

I was really impressed with the edge support on the AS3 Hybrid, not least because on testing the sinkage with our largest weight it only sank 5”, which is exactly the same as the center. This shows how well designed the edge support is in this mattress, allowing sleepers to stretch out and utilize the full width. Amerisleep has added foam around the edges of the coil layer, which also helps to give a more stable feel. 

Score: 5 out of 5

Amerisleep AS3 Hybrid Mattress Review: Setup

• Free shipping to anywhere in the contiguous USA
• Off-gassing is minimal
• The AS3 Hybrid is delivered rolled, vacuum-packed and in a box

My mattress arrived in a box, with the mattress rolled and vacuum-packed within. All mattresses are delivered via FedEx, with curbside delivery. Expect this to take two weeks (or slightly less). You can choose a preferred delivery day through the FedEx Delivery Manager, and FedEx will text or email to confirm. Delivery is free providing you live in the contiguous USA.

One important thing to note is that while White Glove delivery (where the mattress is delivered by a two-man team to a room of your choosing) isn't offered through the Amerisleep site, you can request it through the support team. I found that moving the mattress upstairs really is a two-person job, so you may well want to take up this option.

To open the mattress, I simply placed it on the bed base facing the correct way, sliced the packaging carefully with a knife – taking care not to cut the actual mattress) and let the mattress expand. 

Do be aware that the mattress will expand very quickly once it’s freed from its package. You can sleep on the mattress after five to six hours, but it’s worth bearing in mind that it could take up to 72 hours to expand fully.

Off-gassing, where organic chemicals and gasses are released from the foam as a mattress expands, is normal and to be expected when buying a mattress in a box. The chemical-like odor that’s produced can last several days with some mattresses. However, I found the AS3 Hybrid had very little smell and what there was dissipated within a few hours.

Score: 4.5 out of 5

Amerisleep AS3 Hybrid Mattress Review: Customer reviews

Customer reviews are on Amerisleep’s website and there are currently over 6,000 reviews with an average rating of 4.8 out of 5. However, these are for both the all-foam and hybrid versions of the mattress. Filtering the reviews does give plenty of reviews for the hybrid and brings up some recurring themes.

Customers praised the AS3 Hybrid for helping with aches and pains, and in particular back pain. Many sleepers said that they’d noticed their back pain had either improved or disappeared completely. Motion isolation was also praised, with many noticing how little they were disturbed by a restless partner at night. Customers noted how the Bio-Pur foam did a great job of absorbing motion, despite the bouncier springs underneath.

Most of the negative reviews on the site aren’t actually that negative, as they’re concerned with the firmness of the mattress and how it wasn’t quite right for that sleeper. The AS3 Hybrid really seems to divide opinion when it comes to its firmness rating. Some users said that the mattress was too soft; others felt it was too firm. And this was across both back and side sleepers. However, many customers found it just right. What people find comfortable in a mattress is, of course, somewhat subjective so the trial period of 100 nights is extremely useful here as it gives sleepers the chance to clarify if the AS3 Hybrid is right for them. 

Should you buy the Amerisleep AS3 Hybrid?

The AS3 Hybrid should be on your shortlist if you’re a light or average weight side sleeper. The soft and supportive Bio-Pur foam, combined with bouncy springs offers fantastic pressure relief at the hips and shoulders, with some nice contouring and support. Back sleepers of similar builds should also find this mattress comfortable, providing they enjoy a slightly softer contour and hug along the spine.

I’d avoid this mattress if you’re a stomach sleeper or of a heavier build. The medium firmness means that the mattress is too soft to keep the spine aligned and supported, meaning you’re likely to build up some pressure points and discomfort. 

Motion isolation and edge support are both great – the latter being impressive considering the slightly softer foam in this mattress. The Bio-Pur foam absorbs motion easily, making this a good choice if you share your bed with a restless sleeper, or are a particularly light sleeper yourself. Temperature regulation is great for a mattress containing foam but if you’re a particularly hot sleeper you may want to consider one of our picks in the best cooling mattress category. Overall, this is a comfortable and supportive mattress that’s well-made and a godsend for side sleepers. 

Amerisleep AS3 Hybrid Mattress Review: also consider

Helix Midnight Mattress
If you’re a side sleeper but can’t quite stretch to the price tag of the Amerisleep, the Helix is a great alternative. It’s an excellent choice for side sleepers, providing excellent pressure relief at the shoulders and hips. It sleeps cool but is extremely heavy and edge support is only adequate.
Read more in our Helix Midnight mattress review 

Avocado Green Mattress
This organic mattress is great for heavier sleepers and those who sleep on their back, with firm support around the hips to keep the spine aligned. Temperature regulation and motion isolation are also excellent, but side sleepers will find the mattress lack contouring for pressure points.
Read more in our Avocado Green mattress review

Saatva Loom & Leaf Mattress
If you suffer with back pain the Saatva Loom & Loaf offers amazing pressure relief and pain management. It suits most sleeping styles and has minimal motion transfer, with a plush quilted foam pillow top for extra comfort. However, it does tend to trap heat and isn’t a great choice for hot sleepers.
Read more in our Saatva Loom & Loaf mattress review 

How I tested the Amerisleep AS3 Hybrid mattress

I slept on the AS3 Hybrid for four weeks during late winter / early spring. My bedroom was around 14C overnight and I was using a 10.5 tog winter duvet. I shared the bed with my husband and he and I are of average and light builds respectively.

To gain a wider perspective and views on the mattress I asked friends of various builds and heights to either lie on the mattress in different positions or, in some cases, to sleep on the bed for a night or two. I also ran standardized tests to objectively assess softness, edge support and motion isolation.