How to Choose the Best Mattress for Back Sleepers
The best mattress for back sleepers is typically medium-firm and keeps your spine aligned while balancing support and pressure relief around the hips, shoulders, and lower back. When choosing a mattress for back sleeping, key factors to consider include firmness, pressure relief, responsiveness, edge support, cooling features, lifespan, and breathability.
If you’ve ever slept on a mattress where you can feel your midsection sink in, that’s a signal that you might wake up with back pain. While we can’t guarantee that any mattress will encourage you to become a morning person and wake up beaming, the right bed can mean the difference between pain and comfort.
Sleeping on your back requires support to let your back muscles fully relax and contour to provide relief from pressure points — so, what’s the best mattress to get those dual features? Well, we will explore the answer in full below. Learn how to choose the best mattresses for back sleepers, how to choose complementary bed accessories like pillows, and read about healthy back-sleeping tips.
Key Takeaways
- Back sleepers typically sleep best on medium-firm mattresses that keep the spine aligned while preventing the hips from sinking too deeply.
- Hybrid mattresses, like the Layla Hybrid Mattress, are a popular choice for back sleepers because they combine supportive coils with pressure-relieving comfort layers.
- Signs your mattress may not support back sleeping include lower back pain, uneven sinking, stiffness in the morning, and difficulty getting comfortable throughout the night.
Why Does Mattress Support Matter for Back Sleepers?
Back sleeping is often considered one of the best sleeping positions, as it keeps the spine in a neutral position while supporting the lower back, hips, and shoulders. The right level of support can improve sleep comfort, reduce pressure buildup, and help prevent stiffness or back pain in the morning.
- Promotes proper spinal alignment: A supportive mattress helps keep the spine aligned and in a neutral position instead of allowing the hips or shoulders to sink too deeply.
- Reduces lower back strain: When your lower back is properly supported, muscles and joints experience less stress while you sleep at night.
- Helps distribute body weight evenly: Even weight distribution helps minimize pressure points around your hips, shoulders, and lumbar area.
- Prevents excessive sinkage: Mattresses that are too soft can cause the hips to dip, which may lead to poor posture and back discomfort.
- Improves overall sleep quality: Supportive materials like individually pocketed coils, responsive foam, and breathable layers can help back sleepers stay comfortable and sleep more consistently through the night.
How to Choose the Best Mattress for Back Sleepers
When you’re ready to invest in a new mattress, it’s important to choose one that will be supportive and comfortable. Consider the features below to decide whether or not a particular mattress will work for you.
Firmness
Firmness is one of the most important factors to consider when choosing a mattress for back sleepers, as it directly affects spinal alignment. Medium to medium-firm firmness levels are the safest choice for mattress firmness when it comes to sleeping on your back. A mattress that feels too soft may cause key areas like the shoulders, hips, or lower back to sink, which can throw your spine out of alignment and cause discomfort or pain when waking up.
A double-sided mattress with a medium-soft and medium-firm side can be a great choice for back sleepers because it allows you to adjust the feel based on your comfort preferences, body type, or changing support needs over time.
Pressure relief
Pressure relief is a key factor to consider in a mattress, as it helps reduce discomfort around areas that press and sink more deeply into the mattress, such as the shoulders, lower back, and hips. Look for a mattress with contouring foam or responsive comfort layers that evenly distribute your body weight, helping reduce tension while you sleep. Back sleepers typically need a balance of pressure relief and support rather than an overly plush feel.
Responsiveness
Responsiveness refers to how quickly the mattress adjusts to movement and changes in sleeping position. Back sleepers who shift during the night or share a bed may prefer a more responsive mattress because it feels easier to move on and prevents the “stuck” feeling that some softer foams create. Memory foam density impacts motion transfer, durability, body contouring, temperature, and foam response time, and is a key feature to consider.
Edge support
Strong edge support helps a mattress maintain stability around the perimeter, which can make getting in and out of bed easier and create a more supportive sleep environment overall. This feature is especially helpful for couples or anyone who uses the full width of the bed. Reinforced edges can also help reduce sagging and improve long-term durability.
Cooling and breathability
Cooling features can make a big difference for back sleepers who tend to overheat at night. Breathable covers, airflow-promoting coil systems, copper gel-infused foam, and moisture-wicking materials can all help regulate and improve comfort.
Lifespan
A new bed needs to last a long time — nobody wants to buy a new mattress every six months. It’s essential that the bed you choose is constructed from long-lasting materials, such as high-resilience memory foam or durable coils in a hybrid or spring mattress that hold their shape and resist sagging over time. For back sleepers, a sagging mattress can lead to uneven support and poor spinal alignment, which may lead to discomfort and interrupted sleep.
One way to figure out potential lifespan is if the company is a trusted brand name. It’s never a bad idea to read reviews and research the mattress company. Doing your due diligence can help you determine if a company is reputable or not.
Warranty
Although sitting or lying down on a mattress in a store can provide you with immediate physical feedback, it’s not the same as sleeping on it night after night. When evaluating a mattress company’s warranty, pay attention to the warranty period, terms, and conditions. Although there are a few no-risk warranties on the market, some require you to pay a fee to either change or fix an existing mattress. Make sure you understand your purchase and the warranty in full before you sign on the dotted line and commit.
Cost
The best mattress for back sleepers isn’t always the most expensive. How much you spend on a mattress should reflect the material quality, construction, and added features. When comparing costs, think about long-term value and durability, so you can improve your sleep quality and maintain proper spinal alignment.
What Are the Benefits of Sleeping on Your Back?
Back sleeping can help support healthy spinal posture and reduce pressure on certain areas of the body when paired with the right mattress and pillow setup. Benefits of back sleeping include:
- Supports spinal alignment: Back sleeping spreads weight more evenly across the body, which can help reduce pressure buildup around the shoulders and hips.
- May reduce back and neck pain: A supportive sleep setup can help maintain natural spinal curves and minimize tension in the lower back and neck.
- Can reduce acid reflux symptoms: If you experience acid reflux, sleeping on your back with your head slightly elevated may help prevent stomach acid from moving into the esophagus overnight.
- May reduce wrinkles: Because your face isn’t pressed into a pillow, back sleeping creates less friction and compression on the skin compared to stomach or side sleeping.
What Are the Drawbacks of Sleeping on Your Back?
Unfortunately, sleeping on your back isn’t the right sleeping position for everyone. Potential drawbacks of back sleeping include:
- Increased snoring: If you have sleep apnea or snore, sleeping on your back can make these issues considerably worse, as it allows your tongue and soft tissues to fall backward and narrow the airway.
- Not ideal during pregnancy: If you’re pregnant, finding a position that’s comfortable enough to sleep in can be difficult enough. Pregnant back sleepers might experience back pain because of their heavier midsection.
- May increase discomfort on unsupportive mattresses: If you’re a back sleeper with back, neck, or shoulder pain, you might be sleeping out of alignment. This can happen if the mattress you’re using doesn’t provide support balanced with comfort and softness. In turn, your back muscles and spine never fully decompress, which can lead to tense muscles and pain in the morning.
One major signal that your mattress isn’t giving you the support you need (and deserve!) is if you wake up feeling stiff or sore, but it fades as the day goes on.
What Is the Best Type of Mattress for Back Sleepers?
The best mattress for back sleepers is one that keeps your spine properly aligned while providing enough cushioning to relieve pressure around key areas like the hips, shoulders, and lower back. In most cases, a medium-firm mattress is considered the best choice, as it’s an excellent balance of support and comfort without allowing your body to sink too deeply. Hybrid mattresses, such as the Layla Hybrid Mattress, are especially popular for back sleepers thanks to their combination of responsive coils, supportive structure, and contouring comfort layers. Here’s a closer look at the different types of mattresses and how they work with back sleepers.
Hybrid Mattress for Back Sleepers
One of the best mattresses for back sleepers is a hybrid mattress that combines memory foam materials with traditional innerspring construction. The Layla Hybrid Mattress offers back sleepers an individually wrapped coil system that keeps your spine aligned throughout the night and prevents excessive sinkage around the hips, shoulders, and lower back for a more balanced feel. It’s also crafted with copper-infused memory foam to keep you cool and comfortable.
The Layla Hybrid Mattress features flippable firmness, so you can choose between either the soft side or the firm side based on your personal preference. And, no matter where you sleep, you’ll get unbelievable support and contouring thanks to Layla’s superior edge support system — starfish sleepers, rejoice!
Memory Foam Mattress for Back Sleepers
Back sleepers may also find that their best sleep comes from a memory foam mattress. Foam mattresses contour to a sleeper’s body, without exacerbating pressure points. The Layla Memory Foam Mattress is an ideal choice for back sleepers looking for a mix of comfort and foundational support.
Constructed with copper-infused memory foam that cradles and supports, this mattress is designed to keep you comfortable and cool throughout the night. Not sure where you land in the debate of a firm vs. soft mattress? You don’t have to choose with the Layla Memory Foam Mattress. It’s designed with flippable firmness — one side features an extra-plush softness, while the other side is firmer for those who prefer a bit more support.
And, if you’re worried about hygiene, copper is naturally antimicrobial and repels odor-causing bacteria. It’s a win-win, even if your partner isn’t a back sleeper.
Airbed Mattress for Back Sleepers
Airbeds are basically synonymous with painful awakenings. As you might imagine, an airbed’s best strength is its adjustable firmness level. You can fill or let out as much air as you want to customize your firmness. Sometimes, there’s a pillow top layer with memory foam, cotton, or latex.
Unfortunately, airbeds leak air over time. So, while an airbed might feel comfortable at first, there’s a risk of serious sag that can occur overnight. This might mean a sore back for you in the morning.
Latex Mattress for Back Sleepers
Latex mattresses can be constructed from natural, synthetic, or blended latex foams. Latex tends to spread compression over a wider area, which leads to less sinkage and gives back sleepers decent support.
Sadly, the layers of latex can create a heatsink issue. If you’re already a hot sleeper, this can be a serious barrier to getting great sleep.
Not sure which mattress is right for you? Take our free mattress quiz to find the best option for your comfort preferences, support needs, and sleeping position.
The Best Accessories for Back Sleepers
Just like a pine tree air freshener might be the finishing touch for your new car purchase, your new mattress purchase might need some accessories to complete your ideal sleeping environment. Here are a few accessories you might want to consider after your mattress investment.
Pillows
A mattress can have a huge impact on your spinal alignment, as we discussed earlier. But even if you have the perfect mattress that keeps your spine in a straight line, that can all be thrown out of whack with a bad pillow. After all, if your neck and head aren’t aligned, your entire spine can be misaligned as well. It’s critical to find a pillow that can support both your head and neck, so you don’t wake up with a crick or pain in your neck.
When evaluating potential pillows, check out the pillow’s loft — a.k.a. the pillow’s thickness. When a pillow has too much stuffing in it, back sleepers’ heads are forced toward their chest. On the other hand, a pillow that’s too thin can mean your neck is too stretched out. A medium loft pillow or one that you can adjust by removing or inserting more filling is a good choice.
Some back sleepers also enjoy placing a smaller pillow under their knees to reduce pressure on their spine.
Mattress Toppers
Although a new mattress will make the biggest impact when it comes to your overall comfort for back sleeping, a mattress topper can provide you with an additional layer of contouring comfort. You can also use a mattress topper to test out different materials you might want in a mattress, too.
Mattress toppers can vary from thick to thin, and as you can probably guess, the thicker the topper, the more pressure-relieving effects it can have. One thing a mattress topper won’t give you is additional support, and it, unfortunately, won’t work as a “band-aid” for a mattress that is showing serious signs of wear, like sagging.
With all that said, mattress toppers can come in handy for back sleepers who just want a little bit more comfort.
Best Mattress for Back Sleepers: Frequently Asked Questions
What mattress firmness is recommended for back sleepers?
Medium-firm mattresses are typically the best choice for back sleepers because they provide a balance of support and pressure relief. A mattress that is too soft may cause your hips to sink too deeply and dig into the mattress, while one that’s too firm can create pressure around the shoulders and lower back. The right firmness also depends on your body weight and personal comfort preferences.
How do you maintain neutral spinal alignment while sleeping on your back?
To maintain neutral spinal alignment when sleeping on your back, choose a supportive mattress that keeps your spine in a natural position without excessive sinking or arching. A medium-loft pillow can help support your neck, and placing another pillow underneath your knees can help reduce pressure on your lower back and improve overall posture during sleep.
What are the signs your mattress is too soft for back sleeping?
A mattress may be too soft for back sleeping if you wake up with lower back pain, stiffness, or feel like your hips sink too deeply into the bed. Other common signs include uneven support, difficulty changing positions, and feeling like your spine is not properly supported throughout the night.
When should I get a new mattress?
There are a few different signals that indicate it’s time to replace your mattress. If you’re regularly waking up sore from your sleep or if your bed is sagging in the middle, those are two big red flags that your mattress isn’t holding up its end of the bargain. If you need a hard number, mattresses last between 7 and 10 years, depending on the type of mattress, your weight, and other lifestyle factors.
