A Buyer’s Guide to the Best Mattress for Back Pain

When you suffer from chronic back pain, simple things like finding a comfortable sleep position can seem impossible. Or maybe you just want to get out of bed without wincing in pain.

Life with chronic back pain can seem terribly unfair. But small changes can make a big difference.

In fact, the right mattress can help you have a more restful sleep and feel better during the day.

But as you might have suspected, not all mattresses are created equal. And some are better for back pain sufferers (and some are worse).

There are some caveats here, though. Because everyone’s comfort levels are different, you may find a mattress more or less comfortable than someone else.

But this guide is meant to give you a starting point on what to look for in a mattress. You’ll have to adjust the firmness to your liking, but that’s the easy part.

Let’s explore the different types of mattresses to find one that might just be the perfect solution to your back-pain problem.

Firm or Soft for Back Pain

If you talk to any old-school doctors, or maybe a grandparent, you might hear the advice that a firm mattress is better for your back.

But is that true?

Actually, that common belief got turned on its head when a study showed that an especially firm mattress made back pain worse.

In this study, 313 patients with a history of chronic lower-back pain slept on either a brand-new firm or medium-firm mattress.

They were asked to rate their pain on a scale of one to 10 when they woke up, and then again after 30 minutes had passed.

Interestingly, those who reported the best results had slept on the medium-firm mattress. And the results were clear by a landslide. In fact, eighty-two percent of those who slept on the medium-firm mattress reported improvements in their level of pain.

Now, it’s important to note that the newness of the mattress may have had an impact. Sixty-eight percent of the people who slept on the firm mattress also reported reduced pain.

But the medium-firm mattress was still the clear winner.

The medium firmness of a mattress provides better support for the spine because it adapts to the body’s natural curves and thus alleviates pressure on the joints.

Memory Foam or Spring Mattress?

Firmness or lack thereof isn’t the only thing to look for in a mattress. The materials it’s made of also matter when it comes to back pain.

There are two main types of mattresses on the market today.

1. Traditional innerspring mattresses
2. Memory foam mattresses

Innerspring mattresses contain hard metal coils that support you when you lay on them. They work by creating resistance to keep you in place.

But the problem with innerspring mattresses for back comfort and support is that they don’t evenly distribute weight, so they can cause pressure points in your body.

Innerspring mattresses also become overly stiff or loose over time, which further reduces the level of support. On this type of mattress, it’s easy for the spine to move out of alignment.

Memory foam mattresses, on the other hand, are designed to distribute weight evenly.

This is important for everyone, but it’s especially crucial for anyone suffering from back pain. When you have back pain, it’s common to get a disturbed sleep because it’s difficult to remain comfortable throughout the night.

The only way to improve upon a memory foam mattress’s supportive quality is to get an adjustable bed frame.

Bottom line: If you’re looking for the best mattress for back pain, choose a medium-firm memory foam mattress. It will provide just the right level of balanced support across your body to keep your spine in the proper position. And, for bonus support, get an adjustable bed frame, so you can change the position of the bed to your liking.

And as you probably already know, not every brand is created equal. So, when you’re shopping for a mattress, look for a brand with a reputation for quality and choose a model that’s at the top of their line.

Memory foam mattresses come in varying degrees of density, and one that is on the denser side will provide more support with a reduced likelihood of sagging.