Nectar Premium Hybrid mattress review, according to a thirty-something with back pain

The Nectar Premium Hybrid mattress is one of the most popular mattress models in the UK – from one of the most-trusted sleep tech brands. Here, one writer with back pain put it through its paces for two whole months.

As most millennials will be aware, aches and pains appear in new places and seem to get worse every year you progress into your thirties. Since entering said decade, aches and pains have certainly become ever more present in my life. Low back aches, namely.

For months I have been complaining to my partner about lower back pain in the morning. His answer was that I sit at my desk for too long and don’t exercise enough. And although both of these statements may be true, I had a hunch that our old lumpy mattress was actually the main culprit.

As a front sleeper, the softness of my old memory foam mattress meant that I’d often find myself sleeping in odd positions that put a lot of strain on my lower back. Unable to find a comfortable way to sleep, my already restless slumber then became progressively worse as the night went on.

After months of waking up tired, achy and moody, I knew it was time for a change – and my partner couldn't agree more. Wonderfully, for the past eight weeks I have been testing the Nectar Premium Hybrid mattress, and have been busy noting down all its pros and cons, from set-up to comfort, in a bid to help other pain-ridden shoppers. Here is my honest review.

Nectar Sleep Premier Hybrid mattress review at a glance

Nectar Sleep Premier Hybrid first impressions

The Nectar Sleep Premier Hybrid arrived neatly packed up in a compact cardboard box and vacuumed sealed in a plastic container. Once unpacked, the wrapped mattress was fairly heavy to move, which is why Nectar recommends two people for the job. Nonetheless, I was able to move it and set it up by myself – as I was too impatient to wait for help.

Once out of the packaging and positioned on my bed frame, it took between five and six hours to inflate. Definitely worth noting, so that you don't wind-up trying to unbox it just before bedtime. Although Nectar advises that it would take up to 72 hours to fully inflate, I didn’t find this to be an issue – and my sleep wasn’t badly affected on the first night.

The mattress also came with a warning about a possible smell after opening. Although we noticed a chemical smell, neither of us found it overbearing, and it disappeared fairly quickly within a couple of days of airing the mattress and the room.

The very first thing I noticed once set on the frame was how firm and sturdy the Nectar Premier Hybrid was. With eight layers of comfort enhancing technology packed into a depth of 28cm, the first impression was that of a truly supportive and high-quality mattress. A slightly thicker-than-average build might require deeper bed sheets for a proper fit.

GLAMOUR road test: comfort and design

Nectar describes the firmness of their mattress as 6-6.5 out of 10. While I initially thought it was firmer than this, over time, the mattress softened and the comfort noticeably and progressively improved over the first week. It was by the end of the first week that I could truly feel an enhancement in comfort and quality compared to my previous mattress.

The high breathability and constant airflow through the mattress provided by the quilted cooling, dynamic support and microspring layers made it perfect for those (rare!) stuffy summer nights. Most importantly though, the remaining layers are there for comfort. The soft upper layers supported my back, hips and shoulders so well that sleeping is now luxurious and my back is incredibly grateful for it.

For a restless sleeper like me, who twists and turns a lot at night, another great feature of this mattress is its lack of motion transfer. When sleeping on my old and soft memory foam mattress, my constant twisting and turning meant that I often ended up rolling towards my partner's side of the bed, inevitably waking both of us up every night. The motion transfer control on the Nectar Premier Hybrid is so impressive that I often don’t even realise my partner is sleeping next to me rather than me rolling into him. I knew at this point this mattress was for me and couldn't go back to sleeping on anything else.

Nectar Sleep Premier Hybrid review: the verdict

After sleeping on the Nectar Sleep Premier Hybrid for almost two months, both me and my partner can’t believe we didn’t change our mattress sooner. This change has improved my sleep so much so, that even my wearable sleep tracker is showing consistently impressive high scores. Although it took some time to get used to its firmness, and I didn't notice the improvements in back pain immediately, those benefits have now appeared after a few weeks and the wait was worth it. This is a really great mattress, and I would say that it's nicer than many I have slept on in high end luxury hotels.

The price is certainly on the higher end, and albeit not the most expensive in the mattress world, I see this purchase as an investment for the future to improve my quality of sleep. Indeed, knowing all the more recent evidence demonstrating the importance of sleep to our health and wellbeing, a new mattress is difficult to put a price tag on.

The easiest and most reassuring part of this purchase is that I get a whole year to decide whether it’s right for me or not. Nectar Sleep offers all their customers a 365-day trial – the longest on the market – which gives anyone plenty of time to decide whether this is the right mattress for them.

As for my back pain, I was a bit sceptical about the impact a mattress change would have, especially as I had already tried to improve it in a number of ways. Nonetheless, I am pleased to report that two months after sleeping on the Nectar Premier Hybrid, the nagging back pain has almost completely gone. Not having made any other significant changes to my lifestyle over this period, I can comfortably say that the new mattress had a lot to do with it.

After more sleep content? We've got weighted blankets and mattress toppers, best duvets and the best pillows, plus anti-allergy pillows, cooling pillows and silk bedding. Elsewhere in the world of mattresses, shop the best mattress for back pain, best mattress for side sleepers, and read our Panda Hybrid mattress review or Simba Hybrid Ultra review.