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.$999If you suffer from chronic back or neck pain, you know just how difficult it is to get a good night’s sleep. Being in pain, in general, is enough to keep you awake, but back and neck pain can be especially difficult to sleep with. Your sleep position, pillows and mattress type can all have an impact on how well you sleep and how rested you feel upon awakening.
If you’ve tried everything else, including seeking help from a physician, to alleviate your back and neck pain, it might be time to try a new mattress. Are firmer mattresses better for back pain? The short answer is no. If a hard mattress is uncomfortable, then it’s generally not relaxing the muscle of our back and provide the necessary support. Many people wrongly believe that “extra firm mattresses” are the best mattress choices for chronic back pain. There is even an old wives tale that suggests sleeping flat on the floor is best for men with bad backs. In reality, an extra firm mattress is too firm for the average sleeper and may cause circulation issues and not properly support the curves of the human body in different sleep positions. Generally, a medium firmness is best to provide comfort and support to the curve of the human body in all of the positions we sleep in. Also, extra soft mattresses may cause a hammock affect, bowing instead of providing a neutral position to sleep in.
If someone is exclusively a back or stomach sleeper and like a hard mattress, then an extra firm mattress may be best. If someone is exclusively a fetal position sleeper and loves the extra soft feel, then an extra soft pillowtop mattress may be best. Otherwise, choose one with an in-between feel! Have any scientific studies shown a mattress that is best for back pain?The only company that has completed large-scale, scientific studies about their mattresses is Tempur-Pedic. Tempur-Pedic mattresses & adjustable beds have been shown to have a very high owner satisfaction rating. 94% of owners say they’re satisfied over-all with their Tempur-Pedic mattress (Blackstone 2011) and when compared to other companies it is very high indeed. Additionally, Tempur-Pedic mattresses include a trial period to test the mattress at The Bedding Experts. Other companies make ridiculous, unbelievable statements about their products solving back problems, none of which are backed by a real scientific study.
Sleep Number, for example, claims that ‘93% experience back pain relief.’ This claim, used today in Sleep Number advertising, is based on a 1996 study of 30 individuals who were provided a Sleep Number adjustable bed to replace their coil mattress. The researchers reported “that most patients with chronic non-specific back pain will have improved sleep on the [Select Comfort] adjustable bed.” The Sleep Number Beds claims are misleading in the least. So, is there a scientific study that shows a mattress is the best for helping back pain? No, but some mattresses help people sleep better overall, including those with back pain. It’s about finding the one that is comfortable for you that provides pressure relief, support, and is durable. What mattress types does Bedding Experts recommend for people with back pain? Firstly, we recommend consulting with a physician about any back related issues before thinking that a mattress will solve your back problems. The mostly highly recommend bed in America though is…you guessed it: Tempur-Pedic.
In general, we recommend pressure-relieving mattresses that support a neutral sleeping position. Tempur-Pedic: Tempur-Pedic mattresses are the most popular mattresses in the world and have a very high consumer satisfaction rating. Not only do the statistics back up Tempur-Pedic’s claims, but in our personal experience we have had a lot of happy customers that were overjoyed with their Tempur-Pedic mattresses helping their back issues. Tempur-Pedic is also the mostly highly recommend bed in America. Memory Foam: Memory foam is a very similar material to TEMPUR foam and is popular because it conforms to the shape of your body, providing comfort and support throughout the night. The Bedding Experts offers some of the best memory foam brands available today and we often recommend this memory foam mattresses if someone is interested in a pressure-relieving mattress, but don’t like the unique TEMPUR feel. Hybrid Mattresses: For our clients that don’t want to make the leap to an all-foam product and like the support structure and feel of a solid innerspring, but still want the pressure-relieving qualities of memory foam, we recommend a hybrid style Beautyrest or Posturepedic mattress.
These products feature a supportive coil system below a comfortable layer of pressure-relieving memory foam. Proper Alignment for a Better Sleep and a Better Back Besides mattresses that offer a relaxing sleep surface for your back muscles to relax and your posture to be neutral, there are other options that really help with great sleeping posture. Pillows – A pillow that is the right size is the most important. Choosing a pillow really takes two to determine correctly. Have the other person make sure your neck is straight while the curve feel supported. A pillow that is too thick or too thin can put pressure on neck and lower back. We also offer pillow fitting at our Chicago Mattress Stores. Adjustable beds – an adjustable bed can elevate your torso or feet to get the best possible sleeping position, thus reducing strain on your lower back and other parts of your body! This can also be a wonderful product to rest your feet and may be beneficial for those with sleep apnea, chronic heart burn, inflammatory conditions, and other ailments that may benefit from elevation of the legs or torso.