If you are constantly waking up with lower back pain and pretty much experiencing aches all over your body, the most probable cause is your mattress. It might not be giving you the proper support that you need and thus, causing aches and pain. The best mattress for back pain is one that can let you maintain a good posture while you sleep so that your muscles are not strained and your spine is aligned properly.

Lower back pain is very common in the US and most of these cases can be attributed to low quality mattresses that do not provide the support that your body needs. A good way to prevent this is to buy a higher quality mattress. However, choosing the best mattress for back pain is not as simple as it sounds. There are factors that you need to consider and this is where we can help you.

The Best Mattresses for Back Pain

Factors to Consider

Mattress Firmness and Your Sleeping Position

When you lay down, your spine should always be in a straight position and the firmness of the mattress plays a big role in this. If it is too hard, it might push back and if it is too soft, you might sink too deep into the mattress. Both of these will place the spine in a peculiar position and as a result, you will wake up with a bad back.

Your sleeping position is also something that you need to consider when buying a mattress.

• Side Sleepers

For side sleepers, the most recommended firmness is soft – medium. When you lay down on your sides, your shoulder and hip will experience the most pressure and if the mattress is too firm, it will push back, resulting in a bad position for your spine. The mattress needs to have enough “give” so that your shoulder and hip can sink into the mattress allowing your spine to stay in a straight line while you sleep.

• Back Sleepers

For back sleepers, a medium – firm mattress is recommended. To keep your spine in an optimal position when you sleep on your back, your lower back should be properly supported without getting pushed too much. A very firm mattress is not ideal as it will push your lower back area too much resulting in a bad position and if it is too soft, the lower back as well as the upper back may dip too much.

• Stomach Sleepers

As for people that sleeping face down, a firm mattress is highly suggested. If the mattress is too firm, there is not enough give for the stomach and it will be pushed resulting in an uneven position for the spine. If it is too soft, the stomach will dip too much into the mattress and this will result in your spine in a concave position.

• Multiple positions

A lot of people do not really have a set sleeping position that they stick to on a regular basis. They can sleep on their side one night then sleep on their back on another. If you don’t have a set sleeping position as well, the best firmness level for your mattress is medium, also called “luxury firm”. A mattress with a medium rating on the firmness scale is the most versatile and can cater to most sleeping positions with minimal compromises.

Support

The best mattress for back pain should be able to fully support your body so that your weight is evenly distributed. This even distribution will alleviate the stress on your muscles as well as your spine and this will eliminate body ache and pain. Also, when you lay down, there should be no gaps, your whole body must touch the mattress and be properly supported.

Mattress Materials

• Latex

Latex is the most recommended mattress for people that suffer chronic back pain. Pain and pressure relief is actually one of the benefits of latex mattresses and these are great in minimizing and eliminating back pain. Latex mattresses are very supportive and they are comfortable as well, especially if it is an all-latex mattress.

• Memory Foam

Memory foam is great in providing both comfort and support. It contours to your body very well so your body weight is evenly distributed. This is especially true if it is high density (5+lbs.). A higher density memory foam will contour to your body more effectively as opposed to lower densities. You can learn more about the density of memory foams here.

• Springs

Spring mattresses, those that use pocketed coil systems or a variant of it, can also be very effective in eliminating back pain. A pocketed coil system is a bunch of springs that are independent of each other and this allows the mattress to contour to your body’s shape as you sleep, maintaining a good posture.

Consider an Adjustable Bed

If you have the budget, we suggest that you consider looking into adjustable beds. These are quite expensive but if you want total control over your mattress, this is the best option. It will allow you to adjust the position of the mattress to your liking so that you can sleep in an optimal position. This can lessen the strain on your muscles and let you maintain a good posture while you sleep, eliminating back pain.

Our Top Pick Reviews

Zenhaven Latex Mattress

The Zenhaven mattress is an all natural, all latex mattress that we consider to be the best overall mattress in the market right now and the best mattress for back pain. The mattress is 10 inches of natural talalay latex in both the comfort and support layer. The mattress has a dual firmness option with one side being relaxed plush (soft – medium) and the other, gentle firm. Since it is a latex mattress, it is very effective in pain and pressure relief and if you are considering an adjustable bed, it is a great match as latex is the most flexible type of foam. Official Website

Saatva Luxury Mattress

Saatva is a very well known online mattress brand and we consider it to be the best innerspring mattress. The Saatva luxury mattress has a coil-on-coil system in the support layer and at less than $1000(queen size), this is a bargain. It has earned the seal of approval from the congress of chiropractic state associations and this speaks volume as to how it performs as a mattress for people with back problems. Official Website

Loom and Leaf Mattress

The Loom and Leaf mattress is a memory foam that we can recommend for people with back problems. The mattress is 12 inches thick and it is composed of several layers of high quality foam and plant based memory foam. There are 2 memory foam layers, one is medium density (4lbs.) and the other is high (5lbs.). A medical grade spinal panel is laminated in the center area of the mattress and it helps in temperature regulation as well as offer additional support for people with bad backs. Official Website

Tuft and Needle

Tuft and Needle is the number 1 selling mattress on Amazon and there are lots of reasons for it. They use their trademarked T&N Adaptive foam in their mattress and it is very comfortable and supportive. When it comes to the firmness level, it’s not too soft and not too hard so it’s great for people that have multiple sleeping positions. We recommend it as one of the best mattresses for back pain because the T&N adaptive foam does a good job of providing both comfort and support in areas of the body that experience excess pressure. Check Price on Amazon

Dynasty Mattress

The Dynasty Mattress Cool Breeze is a mid ranged memory foam mattress that is good for people that suffer from chronic lower back pain. It’s a 12 inch mattress with a firmness level of medium – firm so it’s good for people that mostly sleep on their back. We recommend it because the mattress offers great support with its high density therapeutic support layer. Check Price on Amazon

Aviya Mattress

The Aviya mattress is a spring mattress with a pocketed coil system in the support layer of the mattress. It is a 13 inch mattress that use several high density foams in the comfort layer. The combination of high density foams and a pocket coil system is very good in providing support for people with back problems. Official Website

Summary

Waking up with back pain is very common and almost 80% of the entire population will experience it at some point in their lives. Sleeping on a low quality mattress can be the reason why you are experiencing it right now and a simple solution is to buy one that can properly support you. However, buying the best mattress for back pain is not as simple as picking one and calling it a day, there are factors that you need to consider and we listed them above.

For now, the best mattress that we can recommend is the Zenhaven Latex mattress but if you think that it is too expensive, we also have some alternatives that are easier on your budget. Hopefully, this guide on buying the best mattress for lower back pain has been helpful.