Stomach sleepers are the smallest group in terms of sleep positions. There is a general consensus that stomach sleeping is not the best position to take, but then most people cannot consciously decide what sleep position they find most comfortable. What can be individually decided however, is the mattress that caters to this sleep position. The best mattress for stomach sleepers should provide adequate support while keeping the sleeper comfortable and pain-free. Here are our top picks for mattresses for stomach sleepers.
- Purple Mattress
- Tuft & Needle
- Leesa Memory Foam Mattress
- Pure Green Natural Latex Mattress – Firm
- One Sleep Galaxy Hybrid
- Zinus Memory Foam Green Tea Mattress
- Brentwood Home Cypress Mattress
What Are The Risks Of Sleeping On The Stomach?
As noted earlier, there is a general consensus that stomach sleeping is not the best position to take. Here are a few problems associated with stomach sleeping:
- Poor Spinal Alignment: Stomach sleeping puts the spine in an unnatural position. The spine is put in a curved position, with increased pressure on the lumbar region. It is important to keep the spine properly aligned (straight) to avoid back problems.
- Risk Of Neck Pain: Sleeping with a regular pillow can cause the neck to be raised at an unnatural angle. This exacerbates the problem of the spine’s positioning, and also increases the risk of neck pain.
- Sinkage And The Hip Area: For stomach sleepers, a fairly large portion of the weight will be present on the hip area. This can cause the hips to sink into the mattress, creating more problems in terms of proper sleep posture.
Are There Any Upsides For Stomach Sleepers?
It’s not all downhill for stomach sleepers, there are some upsides too:
- Snoring And Sleep Apnea: People who snore or suffer from sleep apnea will find greater comfort in this sleep position. In fact, in some cases, sleep on the stomach may even be recommended.
- Relief From Heartburn: Sleeping on the stomach can provide relief to people dealing with problems like indigestion, heartburn, or GERD.
Mattress Considerations For Stomach Sleepers
What Are The Important Factors For A Mattress And Pillow?
Now that we’ve gone over the pros and cons of stomach sleeping, it would do well to reiterate that stomach sleeping is a bad position for your body. Which is why, you should put extra consideration into finding the best mattress for stomach sleepers; it is a viable option not only for your comfort but also for your health.
Proper back support is important, and you should consider a mattress firmness of medium to firm. On a scale of 1 to 10, you should consider a rating of 4-7, depending on your weight. If you weigh around (or over) 250 lbs, mattress firmness of 8 may be worth a look as well. In case you prefer a softer feel from the mattress, consider a Eurotop made from advanced and soft materials. You can also give some thought to best mattress topper for stomach sleepers, and place a thin topper on your existing medium-firm mattress.
Avoid using a conventional pillow as it raises your neck and puts your spine in a more vulnerable position. If you have back pain, it can make things worse. The best option for stomach sleepers with lower back pain, or stomach sleepers in general, is a lower, flatter pillow. It’s great if you can avoid a pillow altogether, but if you do use one, make sure it is flat, rather than tall and fluffy.
Some Tips For Stomach Sleepers To Get More Comfort
- Consider placing a pillow under your hips to reduce sinkage into the mattress, thus keeping your spine better aligned.
- Avoid a pillow while sleeping, or use a thin/flat pillow.
- Consider a few stretching exercises to keep your sleep posture, as well as general posture in good form.
- Choose a medium or medium-firm mattress.
7 Best Mattresses For Stomach Sleepers 2018
1. Purple Mattress
With its skill in pressure relief, Purple Mattress seems like an obvious choice. Hyperelastic polymer grid on the mattress responds to pressure, and compresses or collapses depending on the pressure applied. Stomach sleepers will find that the polymer does an excellent job at cradling your shoulders and hips, creating a nice, comfortable feel that puts you at ease and helps keep your spine aligned.
As a plus, the smart grid (polymer grid) also keeps the mattress temperature neutral. The space in the grid is mostly empty, and it traps air as it collapses. This trapped air forms pockets that allow easy air circulation, thus keeping the mattress temperature neutral. The grid is followed by two layers of foam for transition and support.
Overall, the Purple mattress does a great job of preventing your pelvis from sinking in too deep, and also provides pressure relief, thus making your sleep far more comfortable. The grid is versatile and easily adjusts to most sleep positions and weights. By virtue of this grid, Purple can be the best mattress for side and stomach sleepers, making it a convenient choice for couples with different sleep position preferences.
Read our full Purple Mattress Review.
| Free Trial | 100 Nights |
| Warranty | 10 Years |
| Pros | Cons |
| Excellent pressure relief | Poor edge support |
| Sleeps temperature neutral | The mattress can be fairly heavy |
2. Tuft & Needle
Tuft & Needle claim their proprietary foam is better than conventional memory foam and latex foam. While Tuft & Needle’s adaptive foam is nothing as radical as Purple Mattress’ hyperelastic polymer, the company does swear by the effectiveness of the foam. According to the manufacturer’s T&N adaptive foam can be fairly comfortable for all sleep positions and preferences.
The Tuft & Needle mattress is a budget option that offers the comfort and features usually available in the premium segment at a lower price. They do give up a few extra features, but as a budget option, this mattress is pretty good. It will keep your spine aligned, and be comfortable enough. Customer reviews have several people swearing that T&N is the best mattress for stomach sleepers, which bodes well considering its price tag. Even so, always remember that the “best mattress” is a personal preference depending on how comfortable you feel on a mattress.
| Free Trial | 100 Nights |
| Warranty | 10 Years |
| Pros | Cons |
| Great value for money | Lacks edge support |
| Great pressure relief | Some off-gassing issues |
| Built as a baseline for different sleep positions, so can be useful for couples | Some consumers say the mattress is firmer than expected |
3. Leesa Memory Foam Mattress
Leesa Mattress uses a combination of memory foam with the company’s own proprietary LSA200 foam to create a mattress that’s comforting and does very well on pressure relief. LSA200 is a new foam created by the company, and is replacing their previously used Avena memory foam. The new foam has a microcell structure that traps air to make the mattress better ventilated (thus avoiding sleep-hot problems), and gives it a response that is better (and quicker) than memory foam.
This 2-inch top layer is followed by another 2-inches of memory foam, and finally, a support layer made of 6-inch base foam. Leesa says the new LSA200 foam offers nearly 20% more pressure relief than the previous variant and performs as well as Avena in keeping the mattress temperature neutral. The firm feel of the mattress is great for stomach sleepers, and its pressure relieving qualities can be much useful.
| Free Trial | 100 Nights |
| Warranty | 10 Years |
| Pros | Cons |
| Excellent pressure relief | Some off-gassing troubles |
| Mattress firmness is great for stomach sleepers | Poor edge support |
4. Pure Green Natural Latex Mattress – Firm
Offered by Sleep on Latex, the Pure Green Natural Latex Mattress is a great choice for those who want to avoid memory foam, without giving up on the contouring and conforming support that makes it so great. As an added bonus, this mattress has great eco-credentials, which make it a lot more desirable.
The Pure Green Mattress is squarely targeted at back and stomach sleepers – both groups that need excellent support and firmness. Showing its targeted approach to be the best mattress for stomach sleepers, Pure Green sticks to the ideal firmness settings. The mattress has 6-inches of support foam made from natural latex, topped by a 2-inch comfort layer. At 44 ILD, the base foam is in the firm category, while the comfort foam takes a plushier route at 30 ILD. Wrapping up the mattress is a quilted, organic cotton cover packed with organic New Zealand wool.
| Free Trial | 100 Nights |
| Warranty | 10 Years |
| Pros | Cons |
| Natural latex mattress at an excellent price | Insufficient edge support |
| Great firmness setting provides pressure relief for stomach sleepers | Some off-gassing issues |
| Eco-conscious construction, and the use of natural materials | Minimal 30-day trial required for return to be processed |
5. One Sleep Galaxy Hybrid
If you’re on a budget and are considering a hybrid, the One Sleep Galaxy Hybrid might be exactly the mattress you’re looking for. One Sleep Galaxy Hybrid has five layers to keep you comfortable, starting with individually wrapped pocket springs as the base layer. This layer of individually encased coils is designed to present greater pressure relief to the neck, shoulders, and hips.
One Sleep Galaxy Hybrid mattress has gel memory foam as its top layer, providing pressure relief. Gel memory foam also aligns well with the pocketed coils on this hybrid mattress and practically removes any sleep-hot issues. Transition layers are made from high-density polyurethane foam.
| Free Trial | Amazon 30-day standard |
| Warranty | 10 Years |
| Pros | Cons |
| Minimal motion transfer | Many customers complain that the mattress does not completely expand to its full 13-inches height |
| Good support for stomach sleepers | Questionable longevity |
6. Zinus Memory Foam Green Tea Mattress
Rated firm, the Zinus Green Tea mattress is another budget option – one that seems to hold particularly well in public opinion. The mattress has thousands of positive reviews, and continues gaining more. Zinus Green Tea mattress is available in various size and height options, making it easier for you to find the correct fit.
To cover its height, the mattress starts with 3.5-inches of high-density base support foam. This is topped by a layer of 3.5-inch Airflow high-density foam. Now comes the comfort layer with 2-inches of comfort foam, and 3-inches of memory foam at the top. All of these placed together means the mattress is capable of providing excellent pressure relief, and good spinal alignment — and all that at a budget price!
| Free Trial | Amazon 30-day standard return policy |
| Warranty | 10 Years |
| Pros | Cons |
| Minimal motion transfer | Some off-gassing troubles |
| Excellent pressure relief | Poor edge support |
| Great value for money | Budget mattress with questionable longevity |
7. Brentwood Home Cypress Mattress
Brentwood Home Cypress Mattress has been gaining interest and consumer support, and is amongst the best firm mattresses you can buy. It’s that quality that also makes it one of the best mattresses for stomach sleepers. Of course, firmness alone doesn’t cut it, the mattress takes its spot due to pressure relief, and its organic/natural construction.
Cypress Gel Mattress starts with a removable zipper cover lined with natural New Zealand wool. The cover wicks away moisture and helps the sleeper stay cool. The top layer on the mattress is 2-inches of memory foam, followed by 7-inches of “therapeutic base foam”. Brentwood also ensures that all materials used in the mattress meet exacting standards for environmental responsibility.
| Free Trial | Amazon 30-day standard return policy |
| Warranty | 25 Years |
| Pros | Cons |
| Excellent support and pressure relief for stomach sleepers | Poor edge support |
| Use of non-toxic, eco-friendly materials | Some off-gassing troubles. The smell can last for several days |
| Good motion isolation | May not work very well for heavy sleepers (above 250lbs) |
Best Mattress For Stomach Sleepers — Final Word
Rare as stomach sleepers are, it can be quite an effort to find the best mattress for stomach sleepers. Well stomach sleepers, you have to be extra careful about your sleep position and how it affects your spine and posture. Should you see trouble, it is time to consider your sleep comfort. Our list here has the best mattress for stomach sleepers 2018 to get you started with a better mattress and more satisfying sleep.