After reviewing Amerisleep’s most popular model (the AS3, which I really liked), I was excited to get the chance to test one of their firmest model. The AS1 Mattress is the lowest priced Amerisleep at $999 for a Queen (with promo code) and is packed with all of the standard goodness you’d expect from Amerisleep. It has a firm feel targeting back and stomach sleepers, great support, and a stylish cover that promotes cooling rounds out the AS1.

But the big question, how will it perform in a Sleepopolis review? Continue reading for my full review below and see if the AS1 is the right choice for you.

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How does the AS1 Compare?

Amerisleep is known for high quality Memory Foam mattresses that sleep cool and incorporate leading mattress technologies like Celliant covers, Bio-Pur foams, and Surface Modification Technology (SMT). Amerisleep has 5 models total, the others being AS2, AS3, AS4, and AS5. The AS1 is the firmest model in the line, most likely best for stomach and back sleepers.

Construction

The AS1 is the firmest option available in the Amerisleep line. The mattress uses memory foam in the comfort layer but has a quick transition to a high density poly foam below, giving it a firm feeling for strong support.

Cover – The cover for all mattresses from the Amerisleep line is made of a soft blend of polyester, Celliant and spandex. It’s a stretchy material and the cover snaps back into place quickly, so you won’t have to worry about it bunching up when changing positions on the mattress.

I found the cover slightly cool to the touch thanks in part due to the Celliant blended into the material. I should note that there have been some studies that show Celliant to have positive effects on muscle recovery. I don’t personally have the expertise to speak on the science behind the recovery benefits of Celliant, but you may want to do some research of your own if you are interested.

Comfort Layer – The comfort layer of the AS1 consists of 2 inches of memory foam. This layer will provide some contouring to the body and allow the sleeper to sink in a little for pressure relief. The memory foam does have a slow response to pressure, but with only 2 inches of it you won’t feel stuck in the mattress when changing positions. Memory foam can have a reputation for trapping body heat, but Amerisleep uses a foam with an open celled structure which will dissipate some heat to help sleep a bit cooler.

Base – Immediately below the comfort layer is the base of the mattress which consists of 8 inches of high density poly foam. This is a firm material that provide support to the mattress and the sleeper on top of the mattress. Because of the thin comfort layer and the quick transition to the base, this layer provides the firm feel to the AS1 mattress. This layer also acts as the foundation and provides the mattress with its shape.

Firmness

When I first pressed into the AS1 the feeling was of the soft memory foam comfort layer. While this is a soft layer that provided some contouring to my hand, it is only 2 inches thick which meant that I easily interacted with the layer below. After I pushed in a bit further there was a quick transition to the high density poly foam beneath, which gave the mattress a firmer feeling.

Everyone will feel the firmness of a mattress a bit differently due to differences in body type and weight. Instead of just giving my opinion on the overall firmness level, I enlisted three other people to give their opinion as well. This will give you a better sense of the firmness range you can expect from the AS1.

All of the Sleepopolis testers found the AS1 to be near the top end of the firmness scale. This goes along with Amerisleep’s intention of having it as the firmest mattress in their line.

I rated the AS1 as a 8/10 on the firmness scale and found that much of the feeling for the mattress was provided by the firm polyfoam base. While there was some memory foam feel and contour to the mattress, thanks to the comfort layer, I pushed through that pretty quickly to the support layer of the structure.

See how the AS1 compares to the other mattresses in the Amerisleep line.

Pressure Map

To give a visual representation of where someone may feel pressure points while lying on the Amerisleep AS1, I placed a pressure map on top of the mattress and lied on my back, side, and stomach. On the image below pressure will be represented from blue (low pressure) to red (high pressure).

When I lied down on my back I found that the initial feel was a classic memory foam feel with an initial firmness and then sinking in a bit into the mattress. My weight is evenly distributed in this position and the results from the pressure map show low pressure across my entire body. This goes along with what I was feeling while lying on the mattress.

Even with the memory foam on top I felt that the AS1 was firm and kept my hips from sinking in while I was on my back. This helped keep my spine aligned and in a good position to avoid aches and pains.

Once I rolled onto my side I did feel some pressure begin to form at my shoulders and hips. The pressure map results above show increased pressure on my side, which I was expecting on a mattress this firm. Side sleepers tend to prefer softer mattresses as they allow them to sink in for more pressure relief. If you are a strict side sleeper I would recommend taking a look at one of the softer options from the Amerisleep line.

I moved onto my stomach and the pressure map again shows low pressure as my weight is evenly distributed. Stomach sleepers tend to prefer firmer mattresses which keep their hips from sinking in, causing the back to be put in a bad position. I found that the AS1 did an excellent job of keeping my hips up and my spine aligned while I was lying on my stomach.

Motion Transfer

If you are sharing the mattress with a partner, you will want to know what it will feel like when the other person gets into and out of bed or tosses and turns during the night. This next test is helpful in showing the intensity of disturbance that is detectable from one side of the mattress to the other.

For this test I dropped a 10 lb steel ball from heights of 4 inches, 8 inches, and 12 inches and measured the disturbance on the other side of the mattress. This should be pretty intuitive: the bigger the lines, the bigger the disturbance.

The 4 inch drop, which simulates someone changing positions on the other side of the bed, shows very little motion transfer. This is a very good result on this test and I believe the memory foam in the comfort layer really helps to muffle some of the low level of disturbance.

The readings for the 8 inch drop, think someone climbing into bed, also show a great result for the AS1 on this test. This level of motion transfer is impressive for a firmer mattress such as this one. While the 12 inch drop does show a higher spike in disturbance, as expected in this test, the tail of the disturbance is cut off pretty quickly. This means that there isn’t much rebound on the motion transfer, which can be found in bouncier mattresses.

When compared to other Amerisleep mattresses I would say that the AS1 performs similarly to the AS2 and AS3. I did find that the AS4 and AS5 had more impressive results on the motion transfer test, but that should be expected as those mattresses have thicker memory foam layers.

Sinkage Test

In order to get a good idea of how someone might sink into the mattress, I used four balls of varying sizes and densities (a 6 lb medicine ball, a 10 lb steel ball, a 50 lb medicine ball, and a 100 lb medicine ball) and placed them on the AS1 to measure how much they compress the surface.

These different sizes, weights, and densities help to imitate different body parts or different sized people to show how far into a mattress you may sink.

• 6 lb medicine ball: 1 inch of sinkage.
• 10 lb steel ball: 2 inches of sinkage.
• 50 lb medicine ball: 3.5 inches of sinkage.
• 100 lb medicine ball: 5 inches of sinkage.

Edge Support

If you plan on sharing your bed with a partner, and need to use the entire surface area of the mattress, then edge support is something you are going to want to take a look at. I have found that all foam mattresses can struggle to live up to the edge support of traditional innerspring mattresses, so I wanted to have a look at AS1 to see how I would feel near the side of the mattress.

While lying near the edge of the AS1 I felt well supported on my back. When i moved close to the side of the bed there was some compression through the soft comfort layer, but it did not cause me to feel unstable on top of the mattress.

You can see in the image above that once I rolled onto my side I again compressed the soft top of the AS1. Even with the compression through the comfort layer I still found there to be a firm feel and strong support near the edge of the mattress.

Once sat on the edge of the AS1 and concentrated all of my weight was concentrated over one area of the mattress. While I continued to see a little bit of compression through the top layer, I was pretty impressed with how the firm base layer held up to the increase weight. Overall I thought the AS1 performed well on the edge support portion of the review.

Basic Information

• Sleep Trial: There is a 100 night trial period for this mattress.
• Warranty: Amerisleep offers a 20 year warranty.
• Shipping: The mattress ships free to the contiguous United States and will arrive compressed in a box.

Size and Pricing Information

Convinced the AS1 is for you? Be sure to click this link to take an extra $50 off!

Is the Amerisleep AS1 right for you?

Now that we’ve taken a deep dive into the Amerisleep AS1, it’s time to discuss who I think would be a good fit with this mattress.

• Firm Feel – There is a soft memory foam layer on top that provides a bit of pressure relief but, as all four of the testers noted, the overall feel of the AS1 is very firm. The high density poly foam base layer provides much of the feel for this mattress, leading to a very supportive and firm structure.
• Sleeps Cool – Amerisleep uses a special memory foam that helps to draw heat away from the body to help people sleep a bit cooler. The cover is also made with Celliant, which will also help with temperature regulation and cooling.
• Strict Back and Stomach Sleepers – The mattress is extremely firm which will help keep your hips from sinking too far into the mattress. By keeping your hips up, the AS1 will align your spine in a better position while you sleep, helping to avoid aches and pains in the lower back when you wake up.

Click here to visit the Amerisleep site for more information about the AS1.

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