If you suffer from back pain and are looking for the best mattress, then you’ve come to the right place.
A lot of people experience back pain throughout their lives, and the cause of this pain can often be traced back to one’s sleep issues.
A good mattress will help to keep the spine aligned and relieve your body’s biggest pressure points to prevent or reduce back pain. Therefore, choosing the right mattress for back pain is not something to be taken lightly.
Consider scrolling through this article to learn how to buy the right mattress and for insights into the different types of mattresses available on the market today. You can also find our top picks below and choose a mattress for back pain at the bottom of the page.
Mattresses and Back Pain
Depending on how much time you spend in bed, your mattress plays a vital role in your back’s condition. If the spine is poorly aligned in bed, it may lead to pains and aches.
Let’s analyze how a mattress can affect back pain and some important considerations for mattress shopping.
Durability
A mattress that’s giving out and sagging isn’t going to be able to provide the comfort or support your body needs. Therefore, you should prioritize searching for a mattress that can perform well over the entire course of the time you’re planning to use it.
Mattresses built with high-density foams and high-end materials usually have a longer useful lifespan.
Support
Our bodies aren’t proportional in a perfect way. We lie down, and some parts of our body will require more cushioning than others—these parts are called pressure points.
Every individual’s pressure points are different (slightly), and for most of us, the biggest ones are in the shoulders and hips. A mattress that provides robust support for the said pressure points will help to keep your spine in alignment.
A supportive mattress can also help reducing pain and stiffness by supporting the spine natural curvature.
Firmness
This is about how a mattress feels, and firmness is typically described on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being firmest.
Some mattresses can be extremely plush or firm, posing problems in regards to back pain. There’s a lack of support for pressure points on a firm mattress, while on a soft mattress, there’s too much give and parts of your body sink down, causing the spine to become very misaligned. You should look for something right in the middle; medium-firm is the best mattress softness for reducing back pain.
Pillow
Although not exactly part of the mattress, your pillows, nonetheless, are a crucial subject to consider when thinking about reducing back pain.
Pillows play an important role in the spinal alignment. You need to ensure that you’re using a pillow that complements your chosen mattress. Pillows can also help to provide support and cushioning based on your sleeping position.
What to Look For When Mattress Shopping?
Besides looking closely at the characteristics of a mattress that influence the risk of back pain directly, you should also look for the other important factors when mattress shopping.
Solid Comfort Layer
The comfort layer will provide great support to your body’s pressure points. If this layer is made with cheap foam or is too thin, chances are you won’t get the durability or support you seek to fight back pain.
High-End Components
When we look at a mattress, it’s easy to ignore the most important part of it. It doesn’t matter how beautiful and comfortable a mattress looks; what matters is how well it’s built. You need solid materials if you want performance and durability.
Look for mattresses with full specs displayed online. You want to look closely at its composition to see if there are any poorly-designed layers.
Adjustable Frame Compatible
Adjustable frames are usually controlled by a remote that allows you to move the legs or head of the bed up or down. For those who have chronic back pain, an adjustable frame lets them maintain a very comfortable sleeping position.
Bang for the Buck
Regardless of how much money you want to spend on buying a mattress, you should never overpay.
Look for mattresses that are well-designed and competitively priced based in comparison to models online. Also, keep an eye out for coupons and promotions that can further reduce the cost.
Free Shipping
When you’re buying online, look for a mattress that offers free shipping so that you don’t get bamboozled with an unexpected additional cost.
Strong Review History
You’ll learn a lot about a mattress from its reviews. Make sure to check verified customer reviews, like saatva reviews for example, to get a better idea about the real performance of the mattress.
Types of Mattresses
Foam
These mattresses have several layers of foam stacked on top of them. Foams of different thickness are selected with varying characteristics of responsiveness and firmness to create a specific feel for the mattress as a whole.
Latex
When the mattress is composed entirely of latex, we call it latex mattress. Latex is a type of rubber which is a very responsive material with more bounce or resilience than most foams.
Innerspring
This is a tried-and-true mattress design. The innerspring models use coils to form a base of support that gives a decent amount of bounce. These mattresses usually include a foam comfort layer or pillowtop to provide extra cushioning.
Hybrid
Hybrid mattresses have the same support core as innerspring models, but the comfort layers are much thicker. They involve a more balanced combination of materials like foam, coils, and/or latex.
Airbed
With the use of an inflatable air chamber to control firmness, these mattresses offer a high-level of customization. It’s easy to adjust the amount of air using a remote or smartphone. Additionally, there can be a thin comfort layer of latex materials or foam on top of the air chamber.
Top Mattresses for Back Pain In 2019
Tuft and Needle—best value for back pain
Key features:
- Sleeps cool
- 100-night sleep trial
- Medium firmness
- Tested and certified by OEKO-TEX, CertiPUR-US, and GREENGUARD Gold
- 10-year warranty
- Made in America
Check out the latest tuft and needle sale provided by MyBestMattress.
Sweetnight—lowest price of our top picks and hypoallergenic
Key features:
- One of the highest rated mattresses
- Sleeps cool
- Medium firmness
- CertiPUR-US certified
- Hypo-allergenic
- 12” of foam and 3 layer foam & gel system
- 10-year warranty
Bear—best mattress for athletes
Key features:
- A scientifically proven mattress for muscle recovery and endurance
- Sleeps cooler than most mattresses
- 4 different types of foam combined, giving it a mix of both support and softness
- CertiPUR-US certified
- The cover is made with Celliant Technology—a medical device considered by the FDA
- 10-year warranty
- Made in America
Lessa—rated #1 direct-to-consumer mattress by leading consumer group
Key features:
- Provides a Universal Adaptive feel that adapts to all sleeping styles and body types
- 3 layers designed for support, comfort, and recover
- Avena foam provides maximum airflow to keep you cool
- 100-night trial with a full refund
- Highly-rated by many users online
- Made in the USA
Wrapping Up
If you have low back pain, then you should buy the firmest mattress on the market, right? Well, not so fast.
While that kind of thinking used to be common wisdom, there is no one-type-mattress that is best for everyone, including those with back pain. Let your personal preference guide you, and only choose what feels the most comfortable.
