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We have an affiliate relationship with and receive compensation from companies whose products we review on this site. We are independently owned and the opinions expressed here are our own.
We have an affiliate relationship with and receive compensation from companies whose products we review on this site. We are independently owned and the opinions expressed here are our own.

Best Mattress for Back Pain

Jake Comfort  |  Updated: August 2023

Jake Comfort  |  Updated: August 2023

We have an affiliate relationship with and receive compensation from companies whose products we review on this site. We are independently owned and the opinions expressed here are our own.

For those who experience back pain, mattress shopping can be an even more stressful experience than it is for most people. The problem isn’t a lack of options, but too many to choose from. That’s why we put together this guide to help you get the perfect mattress for your back pain.

Things to Think About When Buying a Mattress for Back Pain

There’s a few things you want to consider if you’re shopping for a mattress for back pain, including:

Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain can prevent restful sleep and make your day miserable. The best solution to lower back pain is a mattress that provides the right support. It’s important to realize that support is not the same thing as firmness or comfort, although they are related. Support refers to how well a mattress keeps your neck and spine in proper alignment. Getting a mattress with the right support can make a world of difference for those with back pain.

Firmness and Feel

Firmness refers to the feeling of the mattress when you first get on it. Firmer mattresses usually create a floating effect for the sleeper, and softer mattresses allow for more sinking. On a scale from 1-10, with 1 being the least firm and 10 being the most firm, most people with back pain will benefit from something on the firmer side, in the range of 5-7. This gives enough support to help alleviate your pain, while allowing you enough sinkage to be comfortable.

However, it’s important to note that everyone is different. For example, those weighing less than 150 lbs may want to avoid a firmer mattress as the floating sensation these mattresses cause can exacerbate back pain instead of helping it.

Preventing Pressure Points that Cause Back Pain

The best way to prevent the sorts of pressure points that can result in back pain is to make sure that your mattress has the right kind of support in the right kinds of places. Pressure points cause you to shift in your sleep to avoid the uncomfortable feeling, and this shifting can take your back out of alignment. Finding a mattress with the right type of support is the best way to help combat these complications.

MattressNotesPrice (Queen)Learn More

Puffy's mattress uses advanced support systems and careful engineering to ensure that your neck, back, hips, and knees stay in alignment all night.
$850

Official Site

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The 8" Opal Gel mattress from Nature Sleep has the support you need to prevent back pain and wake up feeling rested and refreshed.
$1,300
Official Site 

Amerisleep stands out in this category because of their dynamic support system. This helps maintain your spine's natural alignment, reducing back pain and pressure points
$1,199

Official Site

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Bear's focus on athletics means they've got some great options for back pain. the Bear Pro uses copper foam to provide unique healing properties
$1,090

Official Site

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Understanding the Source of Back Pain

Back pain can come from many different sources, and one of the best ways to help alleviate back pain is by getting a good night’s sleep on a mattress that allows your spine to stay in the appropriate alignment. Stress and anxiety are one of the most common causes of back pain, and stress and anxiety are made worse by a lack of sleep. Moreover, stress can make it harder to sleep, resulting in a painful cycle.

Strained muscles can also cause back pain. Getting a mattress with the appropriate support is one of the best ways to minimize the effects of muscle strains on your body, as this allows your muscles to rest and heal. Pressure points from a lack of support cause you to twist and turn, using your muscles when they should be resting and healing.

Another reason that some people experience back pain has to do with an abnormal spinal curvature. Maintaining a proper posture can help reduce the effects of an abnormal spinal curve. However, it can be hard to maintain good posture while you sleep. Getting a mattress with the right kind of support can help get your alignment straight, reducing the amount of back pain you experience each day.

While we aren’t a medical website and we aren’t doctors, there are plenty of studies that tie getting good, restful, and supportive sleep to an improvement in back pain. However, because we’re not doctors you shouldn’t treat our claims as medical advice. If you have questions about back pain you should contact a licensed health professional for more information about your specific condition.

Puffy

The Puffy mattress may not sound like a good mattress for back pain, but don’t let it’s name fool you. The Puffy mattress was designed with proper alignment in mind. The different layers of the mattress work to provide you with the support you need where you need it.

As a result, Puffy does a great job of keeping your neck, back, hips, and knees in proper alignment while you sleep. In addition to helping reduce back pain, this alignment also helps you stay asleep at night. This means that you get to sleep longer and wake up feeling more rested. Try out their trial offer and see if Puffy is right for you.

Nature’s Sleep

Nature’s Sleep offers a wide range of mattresses, which means it’s going to be easy to find one that works for you and your needs. All of their mattresses are made from advanced foams.

These foams excel at providing you with the support you need where you need it. As a result, your hips, knees, back, and neck will stay in perfect alignment all night long. This lets you get the rest you need while also helping your body heal and relax, lowering tension and back pain.

Nature’s Sleep mattress also do a great job at cooling you down while you sleep. That means they’re a good option even for people that don’t normally like memory foam mattresses.

Amerisleep

The best thing that the Amerisleep offerings have to offer people with back pain is their dynamic support system. Amerisleep mattresses use Bio-Pur foam to maintain your spine’s natural alignment. This foam does a great job responding to your body and helping it stay in the proper alignment all night long.

Moreover, this isn’t just rhetoric. Amerisleep has clinical tests that show their specific formulations reduce pain-causing pressure points by as much as 49%. That’s a lot more evidence than many other mattress companies can claim to have when it comes to their ability to reduce back pain. Try them out today!

Bear

Bear mattress puts a huge focus on making sure their mattresses provide the support and comfort their customers deserve. The different models available at Bear all do an excellent job of providing support to keep your back in alignment with your knees, hips, and neck.

Bear’s use of specialized memory foam and cover materials also helps with back pain. Their materials are designed to facilitate blood flow while keeping your body in alignment. This can help you heal by allowing your body to get everything it needs to take care of itself. Try their trial offer and see if Bear is the right choice for you.

How Mattresses Help with Back Pain

The primary way that mattresses help with back pain is by maintaining proper alignment for your body. This is because back pain is frequently caused by your spine being out of alignment with your neck, hips, and knees while you sleep.

It’s important to remember that all of the different parts of your body are connected. That’s why wearing the wrong shoes can cause back or neck pain, even though you certainly didn’t wear those shoes on your back or neck.

The same principle holds true for sleeping. When you sleep, the position of your body is greatly influenced by your mattress. The way your mattress does and doesn’t support your body can cause painful cricks and force your body out of alignment.

This matters for people that don’t have back pain as well. One of the primary causes of tossing and turning at night is your body trying to realign your back, neck, knees, and hips. That means getting a mattress to reduce back pain can prevent it from happening in the first place. It also means that a mattress for back pain can help you sleep longer and better with less movement at night.

Things to Be Wary Of With Mattresses and Back Pain

There’s a few things you need to be careful of when you’re considering a mattress for back pain. The most important thing is to avoid taking medical advice from anyone that’s not a medical professional.

There are lots of myths and rumors that claim to know how to fix back pain. Some people say that a soft mattress is the key to back pain. Others say that a hard mattress is the best way to stop back pain. However, neither of these stances is correct, nor is either of these stances wrong.

The thing that matters the most when it comes to back pain and your mattress is getting the right support. You can get support from a soft mattress and you can get support from a hard mattress. It’s the support that matters, not the firmness of the mattress.

Another thing that can influence back pain is the way you sleep. This strongly relates to getting the right support. Some mattresses are designed for certain sleeping positions. Getting a mattress for a different sleeping position can cause the mattress to deliver support at the wrong points for your sleep style. This means your mattress can actually push your body out of alignment while you sleep. The result is a lot of tossing and turning. That means you’re losing sleep while causing damage to your back.

Make sure that you focus on how you sleep when you’re considering what mattress to purchase, rather than focusing on the firmness of the mattress. There are lots of options from companies that create mattresses that are designed for one sleep style or the other. There are also a select few mattresses that are designed to provide support to people no matter what kind of sleep style they have.

The last misconception you need to be aware of when you’re searching for the best mattress for back pain is that everyone is different. What works for one person’s pain may not work for someone else. That’s why you should try and take advantage of the different trial offers that mattress companies offer. You can try out a mattress, sometimes for as long as a year, risk free to make sure it works for you. If it doesn’t, just send it back and try another one until you find the mattress you’ve been looking for.

However, now that you know to watch out for these common myths and misconceptions, it should be much easier to find a mattress that’s perfect for your specific sleeping style and needs.

Final Thoughts

Be wary of anything that seems too good to be true. Most mattresses priced at a very low cost are made from poor-quality materials and will wear out faster. This is especially important for those who experience back pain as even a small amount of increased sag can result in a greater amount of pain and a lack of sleep. It’s also important to note that most mattress warranties don’t cover this kind of slight sinkage, so you may be forced to buy a new mattress earlier than you otherwise would have, costing more in the long run both financially, and in terms of your health.