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.$999We all have our habits when it comes to sleeping, but the position we sleep in will always fall in one of three categories: back, side or stomach. And while some people switch positions more often than others, there’s usually one predominant position during the night (which may be different than the position you prefer to fall asleep in!).
It’s this predominant position that should guide you when you’re shopping for a new mattress. So, below are a few things to think about for all types of sleeper. It goes without saying that people who sleep on their backs are more susceptible to pain in the spine and the back in general. This is because of the amount of strain your spine undergoes when you lie down. It might seem like that old spring mattress you’ve had for many years feels great when you first lay your head to rest, but as the night wears on the pressure on your spine increases. The first step towards solving this problem is understanding that, as a back sleeper, you will need more support than someone who say, sleeps on their side. For this reason, if you’re on the market for a new mattress (and of course I recommend memory foam), it’s wise to look for a model that’s medium firm or slightly more plush than most. However, going too plush can also pose it’s problems because you need more support for your spine than people who sleep in a different position do.
It may all start to sound very confusing and I understand how you feel. After all, it wasn’t that long ago I was in the same situation. You do have to think about how heavy you are, what you do and don’t find comfortable, and the fact you may need to consider motion transfer if you share your bed with someone else. Choosing a new mattress can be a journey in itself, but if you understand that, as a back sleeper, it’s your spine that needs a little extra help, this should narrow down the choice (if only a little). If you sleep on your side, you may be happy to know this is one of the healthiest positions. Sleeping in this position, for one thing, will help reduce acid reflux. This is why your doctor might tell you sleeping on your side is better for you if you’re pregnant. It also means the blood can circulate better and it reduces the amount of pressure on your lungs. If you have a partner that snores, the chances are this is at its worst when they sleep on their back.
For the most part a snoring partner can be pretty much silenced by helping them to turn on their side. However, it’s not all “plain sailing” if you sleep on your side. If you have a traditional spring mattress for instance, this won’t help in terms of pressure points across your body. This is why a memory foam mattress can do wonders for your posture even if you do sleep on your side. The main problem side sleepers will come across are aches and pains in the shoulders and hips. If you make sure your mattress will adequately cradle these parts of your body you won’t wake up feeling like you’ve aged 10 years overnight. Of course, the thickness, type of memory foam and density you choose is entirely up to you. In fact, I would say this is a very personal decision. Just bear in mind that if you generally sleep on your side, it’s worth looking into medium to soft memory foam mattresses specifically designed to support hips, shoulders and to a certain degree the spine, as these are the areas where the most pressure is experienced when you sleep.
This might seem like the most comfortable position for you, but this is actually one of the unhealthiest ways to drop off overnight. The main reason for this is the majority of our weight falls on the torso area, and when you sleep on your stomach you’re actually putting an awful lot of pressure on your spine because of this. But since the last thing you will probably want to hear is that you should change your sleeping position, it’s important you know what can be done to help alleviate the strain on your spine. The first thing to consider is how well your current mattress is supporting you. If you find you suffer from more aches and pains in your back when you wake up in the morning, your mattress could be the culprit. Coil spring mattresses are probably the last thing you should sleep on because they’re not designed to support the pressure points across the body (let alone help align your spine). So if your mattress is a number of years old, then for the sake of your physical health it might be time to change.
The best type of mattress for someone who sleeps on their stomach is not too firm, yet not too soft. If you go too soft, the spine will arch as you sleep and this can be very painful the next morning. If you have a mattress that’s too firm this won’t let your spine fall into its natural curve and will also cause you problems. In general though, stomach sleepers should look for a mattress that’s more firm than plush. It’s not easy because everyone has their own personal preference when choosing a mattress that suits them best, but honestly, as someone who sleeps on their stomach, you really have to make sure you get the right support. I do have more information on my website that might help. If you are thinking about a memory foam mattress, my section on mattress density is a good source of information when deciding which type will suit you best. Your pillow is something else worth thinking about since this will affect the overall position you eventually fall asleep in.