This mattress has a lot of awards, but will it really help you sleep?

If there is one thing I could fix about myself, it would be that I am pretty much the worst sleeper I know.

Thanks to a combination of getting overheated at night, hypermobile joints that cause chronic muscle pain and a case of chronic insomnia, I’ve tried everything, including melatonin, sleeping pills, all of the advice on the internet and even testing out a $2,000 sleep system to help stay cool.

While some of it helps — the cooling sleep system definitely helps with the heat issue — I still struggle most nights with simply being able to find a comfortable position and therefore even if I do fall asleep, I wake up often.

So, when I was given the chance to test out a new mattress that promised to both keep me cool and be comfortable, I happily obliged. Brooklyn Bedding sent me its medium firm Aurora Luxe Cooling mattress with a pillow top addition and I have since slept on it for three weeks.

$1,398 queen (was $1,865) at Brooklyn Bedding

First off, it’s important to note that I did not change anything else about my sleep area — same bed frame, sheets and pillows — so that I would be fully testing just the mattress with no other influences to my comfort (or discomfort) level.

As I was setting up the mattress, which only requires that you unroll it, I was surprised at how thick it was. I was replacing a different bed-in-a-box mattress that was not nearly as thick, so I was impressed with the quality right away.

After the first few nights of getting used to it (which happens with every new mattress), I found I was falling asleep much faster than I have before. And I’m also falling back to sleep quicker.

I also noticed that the mattress has the best motion isolation I’ve ever experienced. Normally, any movement my husband makes while sleeping would wake me up, but with this mattress it no longer does. Simply put, movement on one side doesn’t affect movement on the other, which means I am waking up far less during the night.

As for how it helps with pain, I have a pinched nerve in my back and have indeed noticed that it is not bothering me as much upon waking up. Because I’ve not changed anything else, it’s most likely the mattress that’s led to this improvement. My neck and shoulder issues are still causing me to wake up during the night, but I don’t expect a mattress to help with that as much as a pillow would, so I am not holding that against the Aurora Luxe.

Lastly, I tested this in August, so I paid extra attention to the “cooling” aspect. While it feels very cool to the touch, sheets and a blanket do take away some of the coolness. I will say, however, that it still seems cooler than my previous mattress, which I count as a positive, but it’s not that much of a noticeable difference.

MORE: The best mattress

Cons of the Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress

The most obvious con of the mattress is the price. Regularly priced at $1,865, if you’re the type of person who can fall asleep anywhere, you probably don’t need to spend that much money on a mattress. If you are not a good sleeper, however, or have pain issues, it’s a worthy investment. Brooklyn Bedding also has sales quite often, so you may be able to find it cheaper at some point. While writing this review, it was actually priced at $1,398.80, a savings of more than $460.

While it’s not technically a downside, if you prefer something firm, I would suggest skipping the added pillow top. While my husband and I both like the extra softness, it is an extra $400, so I recommend skipping it if you don’t need really need it — especially if you already chose the soft option to begin with.

You can see how thick and cushiony the pillow top is below:

Overall, this is by far the best mattress I’ve tried (and I’ve tried a lot of mattresses), but it does come with a hefty price tag that may not be appropriate for every budget.

I only recommend it if you can afford it, of course, and also if you have trouble sleeping or have pain issues. Because I only noticed a small difference on the very hot summer nights, I wouldn’t recommend it if the cooling aspect is the only reason you are thinking of making such a large purchase.

If sleep is something that comes easy for you, you would probably be fine with a cheaper mattress and may instead want to put some money into other sleep accessories like this luxury sheet set from Brooklyn Bedding or the Hatch Restore, a sound machine, sunrise alarm and reading lamp.

Have you been considering a new mattress to help you get a better night’s rest?

MORE: The best cooling pillow