Millions of people around the world suffer from chronic back pain. If you are one of them, you know how debilitating the problem can be, and how great a solution a good mattress can be. Choosing the best mattress for back pain can help significantly reduces pain during the night, and even make things better for the day. Broadly speaking, the mattress you choose should be comfortable and supportive. While necessary, these are also abstract terms, so let’s take a deeper dive to better understand the best mattress for back pain.
- Amerisleep AS2
- Brooklyn Signature Hybrid Mattress
- PlushBeds Botanical Bliss Organic Latex Mattress
- Layla Sleep Memory Foam Mattress
- Bear Mattress
- Sweetnight Gel Memory Foam Mattress
- Zinus Memory Foam Green Tea Mattress, 12-inch
Is There A Relation Between Chronic Back Pain And Your Mattress?
Back pain can be caused by a number of factors including injury, posture, and sleeping on a hard or uneven surface. It could be one, or a combination of many factors, including those already listed. Your mattress is where you spend several hours of your day, and indeed, if it not properly supporting your back, you can run into problems.
Many people continue to sleep on mattresses that are ill-suited for them. Worse, they don’t realize how problematic their mattress is, and won’t really really see a difference until they get a mattress more suited to their condition.
A lot of back pain prevention and care information is available for the activities you do throughout the day. However, little is said about your mattress, where you probably spend one-third of your day. Let’s set the record straight!
What Should I Look For When Picking The Best Mattress For Back Pain?
Spinal Alignment And Support
You want your mattress to offer proper alignment and support to your spinal cord. Whatever your sleep position, the mattress should be able to keep your spine aligned and straight. This generally involves providing better support to heavier areas of your body like the shoulders and pelvis. Since these areas represent most of your weight, they may end up sinking in deeper into the mattress. This causes the spine to take an unnatural position, and pressure points can develop in your spine as well as the hips and shoulders.
Mattresses that are too thin may end up “bottoming out” and placing you on the base. Similarly, mattresses that are too plush may cause you to sink, and thus be uncomfortable. Firm mattresses that don’t give in to pressure will cause your shoulders and hips to take on most of the weight, and also put your spine in an uncomfortable situation.
It’s something like the dilemma Goldilocks faced. You have to find a mattress that’s suitable for you. What works for someone else may not work the same for you.
Mattress Firmness — Should I Get A Firm Mattress For My Back Pain?
Years ago, the conventional wisdom was that those with back pain should sleep on a firm mattress. That is no longer the case. The mattress firmness you choose depends on two major factors — your weight, and your sleep position. The best mattress for side sleepers is usually plush or medium on the firmness scale. On the other hand, the mattress of choice for stomach sleepers is usually on the firmer side. In the same vein, the best mattress for back sleepers is usually medium-firm or firm.
Weight plays an important role in choosing your mattress. A mattress that turns to pudding as soon as you lay on it just won’t do. If you weigh above 250 pounds, you should consider the best mattress choices for heavy people.
The goal of your sleep surface – the mattress – is to take away pressure from heavier areas of your body and keep your spine aligned. A one-size-fits-all approach does not work, so consider your own preferences and requirements before randomly selecting a generic firmness option.
Support, Contouring, And Pressure Relief
A contouring and supportive mattress often “hugs” your body. That’s to say the mattress follows the curves of your body, providing support where needed and alleviating pressure points that form in your neck, shoulders, spine, and hips.
Many modern mattresses include targeted support for heavier parts of the body, while others prefer contouring to keep the spine aligned.
Your sleep preference plays a part here as well. Generally speaking, side sleepers may have to look for the best mattress for upper back pain, while back sleepers and stomach sleepers may be concerned with finding a mattress for lower back pain.
Consumer Reviews
If you’re wondering if it is time to replace your mattress and purchase a new one, give special attention to consumer reviews. Often, you can find reviews from actual customers who may have used the mattress to deal with a problem similar to yours. Their opinion and experience might be invaluable in making a decision. For example, consumer reports best mattress for back pain may be exactly the one you are looking for.
What Is The Best Mattress Material For Back Pain?
The most popular materials for mattresses are memory foam, latex foam, and innerspring mattresses. While each option has its own pros and cons, foam mattresses usually perform better where back pain is concerned. Foam mattresses also have a higher overall satisfaction rate over the long term.
Memory foam mattresses are fairly popular and are often presented as a viable option for dealing with various pains. Quite a lot of it is marketing gimmick, but a fair bit is built on the truth. Memory foam works best where contouring and conforming to body shape are important. That is practically one of the best selling points of memory foam, and a role that it performs admirably. Latex foam also works pretty well in contouring and conforming to body shape, however, its performance is somewhat sub-par as compared to memory foam.
Innerspring mattresses on the other hand, often lack the contouring support offered by foam. While options like pocketed coils do perform better than conventional innersprings, they can’t quite match the conforming abilities of foam. Many people do love the feel of innerprings, and should consider options like hybrid mattresses. If you do pick this option, make sure the mattress of your choice has a thick and robust comfort layer to provide the support you need.
Will My Memory Foam Mattress Sleep Too Hot?
A problem with foam mattresses in general and memory foam mattresses in particular is that they tend to sleep hot. The foam retains heat from the body of the sleeper. Eventually, it becomes a heat trap and the sleeper wakes up feeling hot and sweaty. If you tend to sleep hot, you can consider the best mattress for hot sleepers.
If you are facing the problem with a brand new mattress, it may help to look at these solutions on cooling down a tempurpedic mattress. Many foam mattresses try to combat this problem with varying degrees of success. Most good quality foam mattresses are equipped to handle these problems and work much better than their predecessors at sleeping cool.
7 Best Mattresses For Back Pain
1. Amerisleep AS2
Amerisleep AS2 is the best mattress for back pain, especially for back and stomach sleepers. Side sleepers may find its sibling, the Amerisleep AS3 to be a better choice. The Amerisleep AS2 is rated medium-firm, and has a relatively simple construction of two layers for its 12-inch height profile. The comfort layer on the mattress is 3-inches of BioPur memory foam and that sits on 9-inches of BioCore sag-free support layer.
Its mattress cover is made from Celliant-infused fabric, which is considered to be useful in helping you fall asleep. Additionally, it is claimed to help increase blood flow and help faster muscle regeneration, allowing for a more restful sleep.
While the mattress has two layers, it incorporates five comfort zones for providing targeted support and pressure relief. This is achieved by the inclusion of Amerisleep’s SMT (surface modification technology) system, which adds reinforcements for heavier body areas, as well as support and pressure relief.
As another plus for the AS2, the BioPur foam is more responsive so you don’t get the feeling of being stuck in the mattress. The foam has an open-cell structure, which makes it better ventilated and helps keep sleep-hot problems away.
| Pros | Cons |
| Targeted pressure relief for back pain | Above average price point |
| Foams used are partially plant-derived, unlike conventional foams that are derived from petroleum | Does not work well with box springs. You will have to add an additional layer of plywood for base if you want to use box springs. |
| Excellent motion isolation | Poor edge support |
2. Brooklyn Signature Hybrid Mattress
If you must have the innerspring feel, the Brooklyn Signature Hybrid is an excellent mattress for back pain. Brooklyn Signature Hybrid has a height profile of 11-inches, with 6-inch base layer of individually pocketed coils. One advantage of the use of coils is that the Brooklyn Signature has better edge support compared to most foam mattresses. Those with back pain who have some trouble getting out of bed will surely appreciate this little comfort that can make their life so much easier.
The coils are just the base layer; what makes the Brooklyn Hybrid truly useful is its robust comfort layer. Its comfort layer is composed of two layers of two-inch high TitanFlex memory foam. The top two inches of the TitanFlex foam have been designed to offer a greater response to make the mattress more comfortable, and both layers include the company’s TitaniumGel system for better cooling.
This layer works with the 1-inch quilted cover with gel-infused memory foam. Brooklyn Signature Hybrid is a mattress with 5-inches of memory foam layers. It offers excellent support and pressure relief for back pain sufferers, but as is evident, it must also work extra hard to get rid of any sleep-hot problems.
| Pros | Cons |
| Robust comfort layer offers excellent support and contouring for back pain | Mattress can be heavy and relatively difficult to move |
| Offers great value with a price point significantly lower than average | Some off-gassing is natural, although it goes away soon enough |
| Excellent motion isolation and edge support | Trial policy and returns can be dependent on retailer and may not always apply |
3. PlushBeds Botanical Bliss Organic Latex Mattress
PlushBeds Botanical Bliss is a high-quality organic latex mattress that should put to rest any concerns you could have about the sourcing of the mattress materials or their environmental impact. The mattress claims to be absolutely free of any harmful chemicals, and is built from layers of organic latex. The cover itself is non-woven organic cotton and pure New Zealand wool serves as a natural fire retardant.
It has a core support layer made from Premium Arpico organic Dunlop latex, while the comfort layer is 2-inches of Talalay latex. Botanical Bliss mattress with 12-inch height profile comes in two firmness options, the medium for side sleepers, and the medium-firm for back and stomach sleepers. Other firmness options, as well as height profiles, are also available with different variants.
What’s exceptional about this mattress is its ability to closely conform to body shape, providing support where necessary and helping relieve back pain. The wonders of natural latex! Another advantage is that the mattress has a fairly high lifespan and can be expected to last several years.
| Pros | Cons |
| Excellent motion isolation | Significantly higher price range |
| Significantly higher than average lifespan | Average edge support |
| Deeply conforming and supportive, offering great support for back pain sufferers |
4. Layla Sleep Memory Foam Mattress
One of the best mattresses when it comes to pressure relief, the Layla Sleep memory foam mattress is popular with customers. The mattress tackles most comfort-related issues in a product that offers excellent value. Layla mattress has dual firmness, with one side rated firm while the other is medium-soft. Technically, that covers most sleep-style requirements, unless you have a partner with radically different sleep preferences.
The comfort layer on either side of the Layla mattress is made from copper-infused memory foam. Coupled with the quilted thermogel-infused cover, this layer keeps the mattress cool and avoids sleep-hot issues. The comfort layer measures 1-inch on the firm side, and 3-inches on the medium-soft side. An additional layer of convoluted polyfoam provides extra support for the medium-soft side. This layer touches the support layer, which in turn leads to the firm-side memory foam comfort layer.
Layla mattress shines through in matters of pressure relief, and is one of the best mattresses you could have not just for back pain, but also other conditions like scoliosis and fibromyalgia.
| Pros | Cons |
| Excellent pressure relief, with conforming and contouring memory foam layers | Some off-gassing issues |
| Dual firmness options available in the same mattress | Single set of firmness options available, dependent on flipping the mattress |
5. Bear Mattress
The Bear is an impressive mattress; one targeted to people with active lifestyles. Bear mattress backs up its claim with a deep and supportive memory foam comfort layer topped by a Celliant-infused cover. Celliant is an FDA-approved system that helps you to sleep faster and encourages better blood flow and faster muscle recovery, leading to a comfortable and refreshing sleep.
The mattress is designed to work with most body types and sleeping styles. Bear mattress goes on to claim enhanced pain relief that is apparently made possible thanks to its use of Quick-Response foam. This feature is especially useful for back pain sufferers, who can count on the Bear Mattress to keep the spine well-aligned and handle pressure points.
To stay cool while sleeping, the Bear Mattress employs a 1-inch layer of graphite-infused memory foam at the top, followed by a ventilated 2.5″ of quick response foam layer, and finally, 6.5-inches of support foam.
| Pros | Cons |
| Excellent pressure relief as well as correct spinal alignment | Only one firmness option available |
| Very low motion transfer | The mattress could have a better edge support system |
6. Sweetnight Gel Memory Foam Mattress
Sweetnight memory foam is a budget option to consider. The memory foam mattress has a height profile of 10-inches and offers a flippable firmness setting. One side of the mattress is rated medium-firm that is suitable for most sleeping styles, but should you aim for something plushier simply flipping the mattress will handle it for you.
The mattress has 2-inches of gel memory foam comfort layer, followed by 5-inches comfort foam and 3-inches of high-density foam. Its comfort foam layer handles quite a lot and works with the memory foam layer for enhanced support and pressure relief. Sweetnight mattress comfort layer is divided into three zones to provide better and targeted support intended to relieve pressure points.
| Pros | Cons |
| Budget option that offers good value | The mattress may not last very long; several customers say it does not go beyond a couple of years |
| Good pressure relief and comfort zone system adds to available support | Some off-gassing issues |
7. Zinus Memory Foam Green Tea Mattress, 12-inch
As budget options go, the Zinus Memory Foam Green Tea Mattress is one of the most popular ones. With an excellent price and high customer satisfaction, the mattress makes great value for money. Its availability in several height profiles as well as sizes also makes the mattress easily accessible and useful for most customers.
The Zinus mattress is rated firm and is best suited for stomach and back sleepers. Its 12-inch height profile includes 3-inches of memory foam, and 2-inches of comfort foam. The comfort layer is supported by two layers of Airflow high-density foam, each at 3.5-inches.
Zinus has a robust comfort layer and that makes a whole lot of difference. Sure, the other mattresses listed on this list may beat Zinus when it comes to pressure relief and conforming support, but it does an excellent job where its price is concerned. The foam used in the mattress has been treated with green tea extract, which according to Zinus keeps it antimicrobial and prevents any foul smells.
| Pros | Cons |
| Excellent value for money | Off-gassing smell, even with the green tea extract treatment |
| Good support and pressure relief | Questionable longevity – the mattress may not last beyond a couple of years |
Best Mattress For Back Pain — Conclusion
Millions of people around the world are affected by back pain. Having the best mattress for back pain can provide significant relief from the pain. While the condition itself can be debilitating, a bad mattress can exacerbate the troubles. It’s also worth a shot to make sure your mattress isn’t the root of the troubles. You spend nearly one-third of the day on your mattress, you certainly can make sure it keeps your comfortable and pain-free.