What makes the best mattress for side sleepers? Being a side sleeper myself, I can personally attest to firmness, support and pelvic rotation all being factors in determining the best mattress. Side sleepers can suffer from back, neck and hip pain but tend to have better air flow and snore less than back sleepers. In this guide we outline what the criteria are for choosing the best mattress for side sleepers and give our recommendations for which mattresses we like the best. FAQ: Read about our overall favorite picks in our Top 10 Best Mattresses of 2016 Guide Firmness is a very important factor. A mattress that is soft to moderate on the firmness scale is going to the best option for side sleepers. In order to provide the proper support that side sleepers need, the mattress must be able to conform to and contour the curves of your body. A soft or medium firm mattress allows your body to sink into the mattress a little bit more than one that’s very firm which helps it to hug your body.
This ability to conform and contour to your body’s shape will alleviate pressure on your neck and back as well. Support is the other important factor in choosing the best mattress for side sleepers. As a side sleeper, your spine may be misaligned due to this sleeping position. A mattress with the best support is going to relieve pressure points throughout your body and keep the spine, neck and back in alignment. Be sure to understand that a softer mattress on the firmness scale can still provide great support because this type of support is not relative to a mattress being firm or soft. When shopping for the best mattress for side sleepers, you want to look for a mattress that contours to the shape of your body. Memory foam mattresses are especially advantageous for side sleepers due to the ability of the foam to contour to your body and provide support and alignment to the spine. We should note that a side sleeper’s body position can change drastically even during one nights sleep.
Some popular positions are: Due to a side sleepers’ varying positions on a nightly basis, mattress support is crucial in providing your body the contouring it needs throughout the night.When you sleep and twist or curl your legs up in the opposite position to your upper body, you cause pelvic rotation. This can lead to or worsen any lower back and neck pain so it is important to choose the right mattress to prevent this. You can do a few things to help with pelvic rotation, such as sleeping in a side position that keeps your spine in alignment and using a pillow between your legs to maintain spinal alignment. Choosing the proper mattress such can help prevent pressure points that may cause you to adjust your sleep position during the night which causes pelvic rotation. We recommend that for side sleepers, you choose a mattress that has: These mattresses are some of our favorites for side sleeping. While not an exhaustive list, they are the best of the ones we have tested as we are side sleepers ourselves.
The Loom and Leaf is an excellent choice for side sleepers, for a variety of reasons. This 12″ thick mattress is made up of 5 different layers of high quality foams and other materials including medical grade cooling gel in the comfort layer. The Relaxed Firm model provides enough softness for comfortable sleeping on your side, while at the same time providing excellent support for the spine and body. The Loom & Leaf is one of the best mattresses for side sleepers due to the exceptional comfort and support, as well as the classic memory foam feel of hugging and contouring the body during sleep. The Loom and Leaf doesn’t make you feel like you are sinking into foam like other mattresses, however, which is something that other lower quality mattresses in this price range can’t promise. The Loom & Leaf is available in two different firmness models, a Relaxed Firm, which we rate as a 5-6 out of 10 (10 being firmest), and the Firm model, which we rate at an 8 out of 10.
For side sleepers, the Relaxed Firm is the best option in our experience sleeping on this mattress for a long period of time as our personal “go-to” mattress. At $999, the quality and comfort are hard to beat.According to WebMD, 63 percent of Americans are side sleepers. That means that a large percentage of the population needs to be looking for mattresses that have certain properties best suited for a good nights sleep. It makes perfect sense that side sleepers are interested in finding the best mattress for side sleepers.What might come as a surprise however, is the fact that side sleepers need different things from mattresses than people who sleep on their backs. Sleep posture can have a significant impact on your overall health as well as the quality of the sleep you get. The right mattress ensures you get a full night’s sleep as well as a comfortable night’s sleep.Sleeping on your side can provide quite a few health benefits. It can help reduce some types of snoring (which is great for your partner), relieves back pressure, reduces heartburn and/or acid reflux, and it’s a neutral position that’s easier for your joints to maintain while sleeping.
While back sleeping provides benefits for preventing pain to joints and helping to reduce acid reflux, it is not, however, good for snoring.Support is the number one concern of the average side sleeper. It’s important to find a mattress and pillows that provide adequate amounts of support without putting unnecessary pressure or tension on joints and bones. While firm mattresses provide a great deal of support, if the mattress is too firm it will not make for a comfortable night of sleep. Don’t overlook the importance of a good pillow either. You’re going to need a pillow that’s fairly thick and supportive so that your neck is able to maintain proper alignment throughout the night. There are special pillows available that are contoured to accommodate side sleepers very nicely. Some side sleepers like to have a pillow between their knees.Not only is it important to have the best firm mattress (medium-firm at the very least) to provide an adequate support system for your sleep needs, but you must also use a mattress that’s in good physical condition if your goal is to get quality sleep night after night.
It’s not enough to buy a top of the line mattress and hang onto that mattress twenty years past its prime. You need to take care of the mattress with proper flipping and turning—as necessary and replace mattresses when needed.Natural latex mattresses provide a few benefits you might want to consider if you’re having trouble sleeping or need a little additional support for your aching bones and joints. One of the biggest benefits about latex for people who have difficulty with sleep quality enjoy is the fact that it doesn’t hold in the heat from the body. Some other mattress types are notoriously hot, which leads to many other sleep problems. Finally, latex mattresses may very well be the best mattress for the money for anyone suffering from sleep problems that can be corrected or limited with a mattress—especially when you consider their long lifespans.No matter how great the mattress you decide to buy happens to be, it can only do so much to help improve your overall health or the quality of sleep you’re getting.