Sleepopolis is supported by readers. Product links on Sleepopolis are referral links. If you use one of these and buy something Sleepopolis makes a little bit of money. See how it all works here. For many people, sleeping on their stomach is considered the best sleeping position, despite the fact that it can also be the most harmful. For this guide we’re not going to debate the pros and cons of stomach sleeping (we’ll save that for another time), but instead we’ll focus on helping to ensure you get the very best sleep possible on your stomach. So without any further adieu let’s dive into the best mattresses for stomach sleepers! Want to see the full list of recommendations for stomach sleepers? Click here to jump down to the summary. Stomach sleepers go to bed night after night in one of the worst sleeping positions for your body. That being said, the proper mattress and pillow can help to overcome the negative effects of stomach sleeping. Proper support for your back, a medium to slight firmer feel, and choosing the right pillow are essential to getting a good night’s rest on your belly.
A mattress with these traits will provide your body with the support it needs to sleep through the night and wake feeling refreshed and pain free. When sleeping on your stomach, getting the proper support helps to promote a restful night’s sleep and is critical due to the amount of pressure that is localized at your body’s midsection. Be sure to consider the following key characteristics when shopping for your new mattress. For stomach sleepers, support may be the number one concern. Whether you realize it or not, your mid-section carries an intense amount of pressure and weight throughout the day. When you sleep on your stomach, that pressure continues to build up in your torso and that pressure can not only lead to a restless night’s sleep, but also prolonged back pain. In order to prevent that discomfort, look for a mattress that has great support. Foam mattresses are well known for their consistent support through layers of responsive and pressure relieving foam that conform to the natural curves of your body.
Spring or hybrid mattresses can also a good fit provided they have adequate support, contouring hug, and an appropriate level of firmness (see below). Stomach sleepers keep a very flat profile which results in fewer gaps between your body and the mattress. The best mattress for stomach sleepers should be on the medium to slightly firmer side, around a 4-7 on the firmness scale (where 10 is the most firm). A medium to slightly firm mattress keeps your back from arching and causing stiffness. By comparison, a mattress that is too soft will cause your pelvis to sink down, resulting in the misalignment of your spine. This may cause you to wake with lower back pain or pain elsewhere. This pain can be nagging and reoccurring if you don’t have an appropriate firmness level to help keep your body in alignment. In the population of stomach sleepers, there are many that prefer soft mattresses. If you find yourself in this category, look for a mattress that has either 1) highly advanced foam or other materials that provide both softness and support (some advanced foams do this) or 2) a mattress that has a thin, but soft foam or pillow-top type layer (mattresses with traditional padded covers can provide this, while still offering the support needed).
The right level of firmness is perhaps the most critical factor for stomach sleepers. With the right firmness level you’ll eliminate and prevent many back issues. However, even a firmness level that is just slightly wrong can cause significant pains. I’m a stomach sleeper and my body tends to prefer a firmness of 4-6 out of 10. I’ve tested numerous mattresses that are slightly softer (3-3.5 out of 10) and slightly firmer (7 out of 10). In both of these scenarios I awake with back pain. It’s common for shoppers to put a lot of effort into selecting the right mattress, so why not put the same about of attention into choosing the right pillow? While there are many different styles and densities of pillows, stomach sleepers do best with flatter pillows. Unlike back and side sleepers, which need more and a different type of support, stomach sleepers require pillows that help keep the body as flat as possible. Because your body lays so flat against the mattress, it’s important to use a pillow that continues that position from your head to your feet.
An overstuffed pillow can elevate the head too much and cause pressure points or spinal misalignment in your neck. As a stomach sleeper myself I know the importance of a proper pillow. Pillows for me tend to be very good or very bad (not much middle ground). The vast majority of the time the attribute that makes them a bad pillow for a stomach sleeper is simply the height. Other important pillow factors for stomach sleepers include: moldability, huggability, and cooling. If you’re on the hunt for a new pillow I would highly recommend the Nest Easy Breather pillow. It is leaps and bounds better than any other pillow I have tested to date in terms of meeting the needs of stomach sleepers. It’s a type of shredded foam pillow (noodled foam) that comes in latex and memory foam version (they feel basically the same). Additionally, it’s fully adjustable, so you can make it the exact height you need. Balanced feel, good bounce / hug, great support. Simple design, but great feel.
Slightly firm feel at a 7 out of 10 firmness.$799 Great support, balanced hug, very good cooling. Best in the medium for stomach sleepers (available in 3 firmness levels). Gel polymer + polyfoam. Instant response, good bounce, great cooling. Pronounced sinkage / hug, great bounce. Nice softness, but backed with excellent zoned support. Good bounce, response, edges, and cooling. Available in two firmnesses (medium and luxury firm).$999 Fully customizable / personalized mattress. Can split for two different feels.$945 Coil-on-coil pillow top design. Excellent bounce, edge support, response, and cooling. Available in soft, medium, and firm.$999 Ratings > Mattresses and Bad Back Problems Unbiased Comparisons Based on 22,478 Owner Experiences Some mattresses perform significantly better than others in preventing / relieving pain, including back, hip and shoulder pain. Before discussing which are best, three interrelated terms are important to understand: support, conforming ability, and firmness.
Support refers to how well a mattress keeps the sleeper's body on a flat and level plane. Owner experience data shows that support is a key factor in preventing and alleviating pain, especially back pain. Support can be undermined by excessive softness and excessive firmness – but it is most often undermined by sagging of the mattress. Sagging is the top complaint of mattress owners overall with at least 30% reporting a significant problem. Sagging occurs when part of a mattress, usually the middle, becomes compressed and lower than the rest. Sagging often puts a person's spine into an unnatural position – especially for side and stomach sleepers. Consequently, mattress owner experience data shows a clear connection between sagging and pain, especially back pain. The greater the sagging depth the more likely it is that sagging will cause a person to have discomfort or pain in bed and possibly out of bed. * especially for side and / or stomach sleepers.
It should be noted that despite the fact that back pain for many people may occur with less than 1.5 inches of sagging depth, many mattress warranties cover sagging only if it has a depth greater than 1.5 inches. Conforming ability refers to how well a mattress conforms or molds to the contours and curves of a person's body. A mattress has good conforming ability if all of one's body is supported equally by the mattress. A lack of conforming ability means there are gaps in support. The result can be that at least one part of the body – such as the lower back – is placed in an unsupported, unnatural and therefore stressed position which can cause pain. A lack of conforming ability also often results in some parts of the body – namely shoulders and hips of side sleepers – feeling more pressure than other parts because of unequal support. Such pressure can be a source of significant discomfort. Having the right firmness is an important factor in preventing / relieving pain.
Learn more: Mattress Firmness Guide & Comparison. The graph below shows the pain-relieving ability of the different mattress types based on actual owner experiences. The types that are better at reducing (back, hip and shoulder) pain are more supportive, less likely to sag and more likely to have effective conforming ability. Keep in mind that the chart represents what is often but not always the case; model or individual mattress may go against these findings somewhat. Sagging and loss of support (barring mechanical breakdown) is usually less of a problem with airbeds compared to most other bed types. And the air chambers inside an airbed provide at least fair conforming ability and allow for adjustable firmness / support to suit personal preference and sleep position. Airbeds, however, with little or no comfort layer can be too firm on hips and or shoulders of small- to average-sized side sleepers. While memory foam mattresses can develop problems (sagging, excessive softness, and loss of support) these problems tend to not be as common or serious as they can be with innerspring-based mattresses (memory foam's main competition).
Memory foam also provides good conforming ability for average- to large-sized people. Firmness levels tend to be mostly medium to medium-firm. Smaller-sized people may experience excessive pressure points as they tend to not exert adequate pressure on the mattress to benefit from the foam's conforming ability. Latex can develop body impressions and soften to some extent, but these problems tend to not cause widespread pain problems. Latex often conforms moderately to the body. Firmness tends to be medium to firm (but soft varieties are available). Hybrid mattresses often provide above-average support, but such support breaks down for at least 18% of owners within three years due to sagging. Conforming ability tends to be good if at least two inches of memory foam is present. A variety of firmnesses are available. While waterbeds are often highly conforming, their support is questionable. At least 15% of owners claim that their waterbed causes back pain because of poor support.
Firmness can be adjusted somewhat by adding or removing water. Innerspring mattresses often provide at least fair support, but such support breaks down for at least 20% of owners within three years due to sagging. Models with a significant comfort layer often provide fair conforming ability, while models with a minimal comfort layer often provide poor conforming ability especially for small- to average-sized people. Futon mattresses offer mostly fair support and conforming ability. Futons tend to be more firm than soft. While mattress support, mattress conforming ability, and mattress firmness are crucial factors for preventing / relieving pain, they are not the only factors. One's choice of pillow is important as well. If your pillow – specifically its loft or height – is not compatible with your mattress – specifically its firmness level – then neck, upper spine, head and shoulder discomfort or pain are possible. See our pillow loft guide and calculators to learn how much loft may be best for you.