Best Mattress for Back Sleepers (2021): Reviews and Buyer’s Guide

As a back sleeper, less pressure builds up on your spine because your body is in a neutral position. As such, back sleepers need a mattress that’s firm enough to support the spine and prevent the hips from sinking.

If the bed is too soft, heavier sections of the body, like the shoulders and hips, will sink too deeply. This throws your spine out of alignment, leading to back pain. And if the mattress is too firm, your lower back won’t get the support it needs. You may experience painful pressure points along your spine.

The following mattresses are excellent choices for back sleepers. They range between medium to medium-firm.

Our Top Mattress Recommendation

View on AmerisleepRead AS2 customer reviews

AS2 Highlights

• 100-night sleep trial
• 20-Year Warranty
• Designed to reduce pain points
• Heat reducing mattress cover
• Comes in King, Queen, Twin, Full, and Splits

Our Runner-Up

View on ZomaRead Zoma customer reviews

Zoma Highlights

• 100-night sleep trial
• 10-Year Warranty
• Designed for faster recovery
• Triangulex™ technology promotes healthy posture
• Comes in King, Queen, Twin, Full, and Splits

Best Mattresses for Back Sleepers

If you’re looking for a memory foam mattress with excellent support and targeted pressure point relief, look no further than the Amerisleep AS2. The Amerisleep AS2 is our favorite mattress for back sleepers.

The medium-firm surface ensures your hips won’t sink too deep.  At the same time, the cushioning foam layers provide targeted pressure relief. The Amerisleep AS2 has three foam layers, each built to improve your sleep.

The comfort layer of the AS2 consists of 2 inches of Bio-Pur®, a plant-based memory foam. This breathable and responsive foam hugs your curves without trapping heat. You can rest easy without worrying about waking up from uncomfortable night sweats.

The second layer of the AS2 is called the Affinity with HIVE® technology. The hexagon-shaped cutouts in this layer offer targeted support and pressure relief. You’ll get more cushioning in your shoulders and hips, and more support in your head, back, and legs.

Bio-Core® gives your body long-lasting support without sagging or developing soft spots from constant pressure. This base evenly distributes body weight for even wear and tear. The AS2 also comes in a hybrid variation called the AS2 Hybrid. In this variation, Bio-Core® is replaced with pocketed coils.

Amerisleep gives you 100 nights to try out the AS2 to ensure it’s the right mattress for you. If it doesn’t work out after a month, Amerisleep will issue a full refund.

Amerisleep also includes a 20-year warranty with any mattress purchase. This warranty is one of the best in the mattress industry, covering manufacturing defects and sagging over 0.75 inches. Most mattress warranties only cover sags 1 inch deep or more.

The Zoma Mattress is an excellent choice and it’s loved by active adults and people with chronic pain issues. Each of the three foam layers is designed to regulate temperature and evenly support your weight. Cooler sleep can lead to faster recovery, so you can wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the day.

The Zoma Mattress has a medium feel great for petite and average-sized back sleepers. However, if you’re a heavier person or simply prefer a more supportive bed, Zoma also offers the Zoma Start, which has a medium-firm feel.

As a back sleeper, you’ll love the top get memory foam layer. Not only does the gel absorb and disperse body heat, but this top layer is also incorporated with Triangulex™ technology. Hundreds of triangle-shaped segments form three levels of support in this layer.

The mattress areas under your head, shoulders, and legs feel softer, while the areas under your back and hips feel firmer. Triangulex™ gives enhanced lumbar support, so there’s less risk of experiencing lower back pain.

Reactiv™ is a transition layer that gives you extra support and cushion. Reactiv™ contours to the body for enhanced pressure relief. This latex-like layer is more responsive than traditional memory foam and makes it easier to switch sleeping positions.

The high-density Support+ base layer consistently relieves pressure in the shoulder and hip areas, while encouraging spinal alignment. You’re less likely to feel lower back pain when your body is adequately supported.

If you’d like to try out the Zoma Mattress, you have 100 nights. You can return the bed for a full refund after an adjustment period.

A 10-year warranty backs the Zoma Mattress. During this time, Zoma will provide a full repair or replacement in case of sagging greater than 0.75 inches or any workmanship defects.

The Avocado Green Mattress is perfect for eco-conscious back sleepers. This mattress contains organic and recycled materials that are sustainably sourced to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The mattress scores 4.7 out of 5 stars from over 15,000 reviews.

The Avocado Green Mattress has latex instead of memory foam in the comfort layer. Dunlop latex is naturally derived from rubber tree sap. It mimics the same properties as memory foam, but it sleeps cooler and feels firmer than traditional memory foam. Dunlop latex doesn’t form as close to the body or trap heat, a feature you’ll love if you’re a hot sleeper. The firmer surface also gives you better back support. You’ll enjoy the cradling sensation in your hips.

The support layer contains individually wrapped recycled steel coils. These coils have different gauges to form a 5-zone support system. You’ll feel softness under your shoulders and hips, and firmness under your head, back, and legs. This support system gives targeted support and pressure relief, keeping your body evenly supported on the bed’s surface without sagging.

The Avocado Green Mattress is normally medium-firm, but if you want a slightly softer surface, you can add a 2-inch Dunlop latex pillow top for an additional fee. The pillow top softens the bed to a medium—still a great choice for back sleepers. However, beds softer than a medium may feel too soft for back sleeping and cause your body to sink too deep.

Avocado offers its customers a 1-year sleep trial, but you’d have to hold onto the mattress at least 30 days before Avocado will accept any returns. The 30-day period gives your body time to adjust to a new sleep surface.

The Avocado Green Mattress also comes with a 25-year warranty. During the first ten years, Avocado will repair or replace the bed free of charge. After, you’ll have to pay a prorated amount until the end of the warranty period for repairs or replacements.

The Love & Sleep Mattress is one of Nest Bedding’s most affordable mattresses in their luxury natural mattress line-up. It’s available in two different firmness levels. For back sleepers, the firm option might be the better choice. The firmer surface may feel more stable than the softer medium, but this depends on your comfort level.

Both medium and firm are excellent options for back sleepers, because the surface conforms to your body, but keeps you resting on top of the bed. Either way, you’ll like the soft, yet supportive feel of the Nest Bedding Love & Sleep Mattress.

The top layer contains a special breathable hybrid foam called Energex™. Energex™ is infused with different minerals that draw heat away from your body. You’ll love the cradling sensation of foam without the discomfort of trapped heat. Hot sleepers, especially, can appreciate this cooling foam and enjoy better sleep.

The SmartFlow Air Flow layer is a convoluted transition foam. The convoluted structure creates air channels for heat to escape and draws in cooler air, further regulating body temperature.

A high-density foam base completes the Nest Bedding Love & Sleep Mattress. You may like the constant support and enhanced pressure relief. Plus, the base is built to last, allowing you to enjoy consistent support for years to come.

Nest Bedding includes a 100-night sleep trial with the purchase of the Love & Sleep Mattress. The trial starts the day you receive the bed so that you can enjoy the full 100 nights.

The mattress also has a lifetime warranty, but the warranty only applies to the original purchase and can’t be transferred. The warranty covers sagging greater than 1 inch and manufacturing defects.

The Charles P. Rogers Estate SE Mattress is one of the most expensive options on our list, but you may feel the cost is worth it. Of Charles P. Rogers’ nine mattress line-up, the Estate SE Mattress is one of their most popular beds for its customizability and support.

This hybrid contains a combination of organic latex and innerspring coils to give you the comfort and support needed for a good night’s sleep. The Charles P. Rogers Estate SE Mattress consists of a two-part, eight-layer comfort system.

The first layer is a removable pillow top that contains Talalay latex sandwiched between two thin layers of foam. Talalay latex is softer than Dunlop latex but feels firmer than traditional memory foam. You can enjoy the extra cushioning without the mattress feeling too soft.

The second layer is the flippable base—not a common feature of modern beds. If one side feels too soft, you can flip to the opposite side for a firmer surface.

The base starts with a layer of Talalay latex and a layer of latex bounded natural fiber padding. The latex contours to your body’s curves, relieving pressure points without a deep sink. The firmer feel gives the mattress better edge support, so if you like to sleep on the edge, you’re less likely to roll off the bed.

The pocketed coil support layer automatically adjusts to your body’s shape and weight. You’ll love the targeted support for consistent spinal alignment. The mattress construction finishes with a base layer of Talalay latex, which becomes the top layer if you choose to flip your mattress to the firmer side.

Unlike other mattress models that can require the customer to wait 30 days, Charles P. Rogers lets you return the mattress at any time during the 100-night sleep trial.

The Charles P. Rogers Estate SE Mattress includes a 25-year warranty, protecting against sagging greater than 1 inch and workmanship defects.

The Bear Original is a medium-firm mattress and a good option for back sleepers. The firmer surface keeps the body supported and prevents deep sinkage. You’ll enjoy a good night’s sleep without feeling stuck inside the bed.

While traditional memory foam can feel too soft and retain heat, the Bear implements cooling Celliant® technology to pull heat away from your body in the Bear Original, along with the two other beds they offer. You’re less likely to wake up feeling hot when sleeping on the Bear Mattress. At the same time, the foam layers conform to the body, relieving pressure points for a pain-free rest.

The top comfort layer has graphite-infused gel memory foam. Gel memory foam on its own, absorbs and dissipates body heat. Adding graphite enhances the bed’s cooling properties, so you stay cool and comfortable all night long.

The responsive transition layer boosts the pressure relief of the top layer and adapts to your body’s shape. This layer prevents you from sinking and reduces pressure points in your shoulders, back, and hips.

The high-density base layer gives you durable support. You don’t have to worry about soft spots or sagging areas. The stable support distributes body weight across the sleep surface and reinforces the bed’s shape.

Bear gives customers 100 nights to try out the Bear Original. If you don’t like the bed, Bear will pick it up and issue a full refund.

The Bear Original also comes with a 10-year warranty, protecting customers from replacing the mattress prematurely.

How to Find the Best Mattress for Back Sleepers

Before choosing a new mattress, consider mattress firmness, mattress type, and available sleep trials and warranties. These factors narrow down your options to help you find the best bed.

Firmness

A medium to firm mattress is the best firmness for back sleepers, but the right firmness is also going to depend on body weight. Different body types need certain levels of comfort and support.

If you’re a lightweight sleeper (weighs less than 130 pounds), beds firmer than a medium may feel too hard and create more pressure points. Instead, choosing a medium-soft to medium mattress is a better choice if you’re a back sleeper. The softer sleep surface allows your body to sink for conforming pressure relief.

Average weight back sleepers who weigh between 130 to 230 pounds may find medium to medium-firm beds more comfortable. This firmness will conform to the body and maintain spinal alignment.

If you’re a plus-size sleeper (weighs more than 230 pounds), you need a firmer mattress to give you support without sagging. Medium-firm to firm beds are the perfect solution. This firmness level consistently supports your weight without bowing out.

Mattress Type

Mattress materials can affect your sleeping experience. As a back sleeper, you want consistent support and pressure relief, features you can expect from any mattress type. However, specific types also give you additional features.

For example, memory foam conforms to your body for pressure relief. The material doesn’t produce any sound and is generally unresponsive. Innersprings are the opposite. They provide little to no pressure relief, but the bouncy feel of an innerspring mattress makes movement easier.

Memory Foam

Memory foam mattresses are known for their contouring properties and are an excellent choice for back sleepers. Heat and pressure soften the material, causing the foam to form to the body’s natural curves.

For back sleepers, this close conforming feature cradles the body and fills in the gaps between the spine and the sleep surface for healthy alignment. A drawback to memory foam is heat retention.

Traditional memory foam is dense and not as breathable as other mattress materials. It traps heat and could cause night sweats. However, memory foam with cooling materials reduces heat retention and pulls heat away from the body. These materials include gel, plant-based oils, copper, and graphite.

Latex

Latex mattresses are similar to memory foam and are also excellent options for back sleepers. Latex foam doesn’t form as close to the body as memory foam and feels firmer.

It still gives exceptional pressure relief, but its responsive bounce makes it easier to climb in and out of bed. Latex also doesn’t trap as much heat as traditional memory foam, so you may sleep cooler.

Hybrid

A hybrid mattress combines memory foam or latex with innerspring coils. They’re a good option for back sleepers because hybrids relieve pressure points, but pocketed coils prevent back sleepers from sinking too deeply and enhance contouring for better lower back support.

Keep in mind that hybrids can overheat from traditional memory foam and not relieve as much pressure with innerspring coils, compared to other mattress types. But, a hybrid mattress allows you to experience the pros and cons of two different mattress types.

Innerspring

Innerspring mattresses have excellent cooling thanks to the open support structure that allows more airflow inside the bed. But they may not be the best option for back sleepers because they lack pressure relief and long-lasting support.

Innerspring beds have a thin comforter layer, mostly meant to protect your body from the steel coils, not relieve pressure points. Innerspring mattresses are the least durable and usually last less than seven years. Memory foam or latex beds may be better options.

Sleep Trials and Warranties

Sleep trials allow you to try out a new mattress within the comfort of your home. You don’t have to face the pressure of buying a bed from overbearing salesmen. Please note that it can take up to 30 days for your body to adjust to a new mattress.

That’s why some mattress companies require you to keep the mattress at least 30 days before accepting any return. If you don’t like the bed, most companies will issue a refund.

Warranties are extended periods of time, at least ten years, where mattress manufacturers promise to replace or repair the mattress in case of sagging and manufacturing defects. Most warranties cover sagging greater than 1 inch, but this measurement varies by brand.

The Effects of Sleeping on Your Back

Even though only 16 percent of Americans sleep on their backs, this is one of the best sleep positions. Lying on your back aligns your shoulders and hips and reduces pain. However, sleeping on your back can worsen snoring and sleep apnea symptoms.

Benefits

The benefits of sleeping on your back include natural spinal alignment and less pain from pressure points. Back sleepers also don’t need additional pillows for support, like side and stomach sleepers.

Spinal Alignment

Sleeping on your back places your spine in a neutral position. There’s less pressure build-up, and you’re more likely to sleep with fewer aches and pains. But, you want to make sure you’re sleeping on the right mattress.

If a mattress is too soft, your hips may sink too deep into the bed, misaligning your spine. If a mattress is too firm, the surface won’t form to your spine and leave gaps. These gaps can create painful pressure points, especially in the lower back for back sleepers.

Reduce Pain

As a back sleeper, you may not experience as much pain as other sleeping positions. Lying in a neutral position reduces pressure in your spine, and can minimize existing back pain. Your weight is evenly distributed, so there’s less strain on your body.

Drawbacks

Back sleeping does carry some health risks, including snoring and developing sleep apnea. These conditions can inhibit breathing due to gravity.

Snoring

Sleeping on your back can cause your tongue and throat muscles to relax, potentially blocking your airways. The vibrations from air trying to force its way in and out of your lungs from restricted breathing create a sound called snoring.

If you snore, you may want to consider sleeping with your upper body slightly elevated, with either a wedge pillow or an adjustable base. That way, your airways stay open, allowing for easier breathing. If left untreated, snoring can worsen and lead to sleep apnea.

Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder when breathing repeatedly stops for short periods of time. You may feel tired the next day, even after getting a full night’s sleep. Sleep apnea occurs when the tongue falls back, obstructing airways, or when soft tissue collapses at the back of the throat. Both sleep disorders are aggravated when you lie on your back.

If you have sleep apnea, it would be better to switch to the side sleeping position. Sleeping on your side opens up your airways and allows you to take in more oxygen. If you’re still determined to sleep on your back, try to elevate your upper body with a pillow or think about purchasing an adjustable base.

Consider an Adjustable Base

An adjustable base is an excellent addition to your sleep system. This mechanical foundation elevates your upper and lower body to boost comfort.

While they’re expensive, many enjoy the health benefits of an adjustable bed. Elevating your upper body reduces the likelihood of gravity, causing your airways to be blocked if you suffer from sleep apnea or snore. Plus, being in an upright position improves oxygen intake.

FAQs

What is the best type of mattress for back sleepers?

Memory foam is the best type of mattress for your back. The material closely conforms to your body, pressing to your spine and filling in the gap between your lower back and sleep surface. Memory foam mattresses also provide consistent support by maintaining their shape throughout the night.

Are hard or soft beds better for your back?

A firmer mattress is a better choice if you’re a back sleeper. The firmer surface evenly distributes weight and keeps the body resting on top. Plus, the surface gives better support to the lower back, pressing against the spine. Back sleepers should choose a mattress that’s medium to firm for the best comfort and support.

Soft beds won’t give the support back sleepers need to their spine, especially in the lower back region. The softer surface could cause the hips to sink too deep, misaligning the spine and causing pain.

Is a memory foam mattress good for back pain?

A memory foam mattress is an excellent choice for back pain. Memory foam contours to your body, relieving pressure and relaxing tense muscles. You may be able to sleep better on a memory foam mattress. In contrast, an innerspring mattress usually creates more pressure, which leads to worsening pain.

Are pillow top mattresses bad for your back?

Pillow top mattresses may be better for your back than traditional innerspring beds. A pillow top mattress is an innerspring bed topped with a pillow top comfort layer. The pillow top improves pressure relief in an innerspring mattress.

Innersprings are not known for their pressure-relieving capabilities because they have a thin comfort layer. A pillow top mattress can better cradle your hips and support your lower back.

Why does my back hurt after waking up?

If you regularly experience back pain when you wake up in the morning, the problem could be your mattress, especially if that pain fades away during the day. It could be the bed is too soft or too hard for your sleeping position, creating painful pressure points instead of pressure relief. Also, look at the mattress surface—if you notice a visible sag in the area you usually sleep, it might be time for a replacement mattress.

Conclusion

When it comes to sleeping on your back, the best mattress gives you full-body support without deep cushioning. You can enjoy the supportive surface against your spine and enhanced lumbar support for better sleep.

Your mattress should also relieve pressure points and cradle your hips. Back sleeping doesn’t create as much pressure as side sleeping, but choosing a bed with some form of pressure relief can soothe tense muscles and help you relax.