Which mattresses are good for back pain

Don't miss your FREE gift. Sign up to get tips for living a healthy lifestyle, with ways to fight inflammation and improve cognitive health , plus the latest advances in preventative medicine, diet and exercise , pain relief, blood pressure and cholesterol management, and more.

Get helpful tips and guidance for everything from fighting inflammation to finding the best diets for weight loss Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School.

Recent Blog Articles. Health news headlines can be deceiving. Why is topical vitamin C important for skin health? Preventing preeclampsia may be as simple as taking an aspirin. Caring for an aging parent?

Tips for enjoying holiday meals. A conversation about reducing the harms of social media. If you have an overly firm mattress , it won't properly shape to your body and that can mean less comfort, more tension and stress for pain sufferers, even with a foam topper or comfort layer.

On the other hand, if you have a soft mattress that's too saggy, it won't offer the proper spinal alignment. When choosing the best mattress for back pain, the goal is to find a supportive mattress that has just the right amount of firmness, equally distributes pressure and allows your spine to maintain its natural curvature. Some people may rely on an adjustable bed for this magic combination, but achieving your desired comfort and firmness level doesn't need to be so complicated -- a new mattress can help you meet that pain relief goal and get better sleep.

When it comes to back pain, it makes sense to opt for something supportive like a hybrid mattress with a soft material or mixture of materials and a medium-firm mattress feel.

There are several excellent mattresses out there that fit the bill. I tested them all to bring you the best mattresses for back pain relief. I'll update this list periodically as I review new products. Note that the prices shown are for queen sizes, and may vary. Looking for mattress accessories?

We've also got recommendations for the best mattresses toppers and the best pillows and best bed sheets. Read more: Best full mattresses in The AS2 Hybrid mattress from Amerisleep isn't just a mattress that can help alleviate back pain, it was a mattress that was designed specifically with the sleeper who needs back pain relief in mind. It's made of a proprietary type of memory foam called Bio-Pur, that's more responsive, breathable and airy than traditional memory foam.

This hybrid memory foam mattress is designed to offer pressure relief, while also providing the right mattress firmness to keep your body properly aligned. When you are a combination sleeper and switch your sleeping position, something that I do pretty frequently while I sleep, the mattress takes some time to adjust to your body.

This hybrid mattress has a faster response time than regular memory foam, so instead of that slow-sinking then slow-rising feeling that you get with other memory foam mattresses, it bounces back right away. I never felt stuck in the mattress, even when I moved around at night, and it felt more like a traditional spring mattress but without the extra bounce and noise. The improved responsiveness from this medium firm mattress also ensures that your body and spine are properly supported throughout the night, reducing back pain and any other aches and pains.

Read more in our full Amerisleep mattress review. As the replacement for the Nectar Lush Mattress, the Nectar Premier bed has a lot to offer if you're a person who loves that feel of hugging, contouring memory foam.

It has a 13 inch all-foam construction, which is thicker than a lot of the other foam mattress I've tested out.

It's stacked with three layers, including a gel memory foam layer at the top which is infused with a phase-change material meant to keep you cool. I don't think it has a cooling sensation when you lay down on it, but I do think it regulates temperature better than a typical memory foam bed.

If the bed's cooling ability is a big value-point for you, take a look at the Nectar Premier Copper. It takes a few moments for the foam in Nectar Premier to start molding around your body, but once it does, it gave me a dense, pressure-relieving feel, especially around my shoulders and hips.

It lands around a 6 out of 10 on the firmness scale, making it ideal for back and stomach sleepers. Though, I think a lot of side sleepers will like it too because of how it hugs your curves. With that said, side sleepers under pounds will likely want a softer mattress. If you prefer a sleeping position on your side, the Saatva Classic has your back, literally.

With the vast variety of mattresses on the market, choosing the right mattress can be difficult. The following practical guidelines are designed to help patients with low back pain choose the best mattress for both back support and sleep comfort:. See Mattress Guidelines for Sleep Comfort. Read more about Posture to Straighten Your Back. Farjoodi says.

Details : The Sleep Number mattress can be adjusted to meet each sleeping partner's preference. You can customize the mattress so that it can be gently raised to provide a variety of head and foot positions. Why it's helpful for back pain: The mattress is designed to respond to your movements and automatically adjusts its firmness to keep you comfortable.

Review : One 5-star reviewer of the Sleep Number mattress wrote, "A year ago I updated my bed to a new flex fit bed. I am very pleased and I strongly recommend anyone that wants a good nights sleep get a sleep comfort bed. Now the only time I have a back problem sleeping is when I am traveling and staying in a hotel with no sleep comfort beds. Let's face it: Spending a few minutes on a mattress at a store can be misleading. Thomas says. Casper mattresses go a step further, offering a night trial period for their mattresses, so you can know for sure whether or not you want to stick with it.

Details : This four-layer foam mattress also has a steel spring layer at the bottom for extra support. And it has individual coils for air flow and body heat regulation to keep you cooler. Why it's helpful for back pain : It has a "Zoned Support" feature in the foam for extra support under shoulders and hips.

Real chronic pain that has become progressive over the years. The first 2 weeks on the Casper I thought 'this is not going to work' but husband loved it. By the end of the 3rd week I realized I was not waking up in pain. The Casper has been a true miracle for me! In fact, some studies have shown that a too-hard mattress may increase pain because there might not be enough "give" near pressure points like the hips and shoulders, Dr.

Anand explains. Sound familiar? Then you might want to switch to a softer mattress like this hybrid memory foam option by Allswell. Details : This medium-firm feel memory foam mattress comes with individually wrapped coils for the perfect blend of comfort and support. It also has a layer of cooling graphite and copper gel, plus a plusher-than-ever quilted top panel for extra comfort.

Why it's helpful for back pain : This hybrid mattress meaning it has foam and creates a super supportive and balanced surface for all sleepers. I have a back injury and I was hurting sleeping on my old standard spring mattress. After my first night of sleep on my Allswell mattress I noticed a huge difference.

My quality of sleep increased a lot also. I advise patients to avoid sleeping on couches and futons and excessively hard mattresses. Why it's good for back pain: The TEMPUR-Response material was designed to precisely adapt to your body, and give you adaptive support, pressure relief, and motion dispersal. Both of us used to wake up during the night and in the morning with severe lower back pain.

We tried firm, soft, pillow top, mattress pads, etc. Hear the word "firm" and immediately bolt for the store's exit? It's hard to kick the idea that it'll be like laying on a wood board. The good news? It's way plushier than any 2 x 4 promise! But there's an in-between option: a little something called "medium firm," which is a ever-so-slightly softer option that's still good for your back.

To score a mattress that's, in Dr. Vad's words, "firm but not excessively firm," consider this buy from Sealy. Plus, when you consider the price, it's a steal. Details : This mattress is designed with Sealy's proprietary CopperChill memory foam that hugs your body, while moving heat away from it to keep you cool. We needed something flexible to get into our loft in our new house. I shopped around for a couple of weeks for a mattress and decided to take the leap on this one and we're so glad we did.

As chronic tossers and turners we would constantly wake each other up. That never happens anymore. My husband has chronic back pain which has diminished immensely.

Take the leap. For a mattress that provides proper firmness, it's a good idea to look for latex.