After a few scrolls through our very own archive of back pain coverage, we identified a repeat offender: the mattress. While the achy among us are understandably eager to find solutions that don’t involve buying a brand new bed (see: acupuncture mats, workday desk stretches), sacrifices to your wallet must be made. So, if the time has come to invest your hard-earned cash, we found six top-reviewed mattresses to help shoulder-suffering folks sleep the pain away.
Contrary to popular belief, a spine-centric mattress does not need to resemble a slab of concrete. Chiropractor Tom Oddo tells Refinery29, “A good mattress should provide adequate support for your spine, keeping it in a neutral position. Look for a mattress that provides even support throughout your body.” He also warns of a few red flags to look out for in your current mattress: sagging or dipping in the middle, lumps or bumps, squeaking, or general discomfort. If any of those nuisances sound familiar, perhaps it’s time to get a new mattress. From plus-size-sleeper-friendly memory foam to plush Caspers, the best beds for back pain online are myriad and awaiting your tired vertebrae. Below, find six top-reviewed, top-rated, and generally revered comfy mattresses that will have you and your spine chillin’ on cloud nine in no time.
DashDividers_1_500x100Best Back Pain Mattress For Cooling
Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Breeze, $6,299 $5,999
The Hype: 4.5 out of 5 stars and 1,575 reviews
Highlights: Cooling technology, 90-night trial, 10-year warranty, white glove delivery (free with select mattresses)
The Tempur-Breeze is just as cool, comfy, and crisp as it looks, according to on-site reviewers that is. Tempur-Pedic customer Steph now “[sleeps] more during the night with less tossing turning” and, even better, her “back pains are no longer a morning ritual,” after purchasing her new bed. But, what makes it so breezy and spine-friendly? The retailer’s famous Tempur cushions — originally crafted by NASA for in-transit astronauts — feature unique inner springs and hybrid foam densities to help relieve pressure while you lay. As for the cooling, we can thank the Tempur-Breeze’s machine-washable SmartClimate cover and ventilated materials that increase airflow no matter how hot the sleeper is.
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DashDividers_1_500x100Best Non-Memory Foam Mattress For Back Pain
Purple Restore Mattress, $2,295 $2,095
The Hype: 4.4 out of 5 stars and 29,430 reviews sitewide
The Highlights: GelFlex Grid, 100-night trial, 10-year warranty, free shipping + returns
Yes, memory foam filling makes the mattress world go round (and for good reason), but the impressionable material isn’t your only ticket to a happy back. You can also wake up refreshed and limber when you rest your head atop Purple’s famous GelFlex Grid. For one dental hygienist and Purple reviewer, the Restore freed her and her husband from achy mornings: “I am a dental hygienist and my husband sits at a desk all day. Needless to say, we both suffered from back/shoulder/neck pain. With the purchase of our Purple mattress, the pain has lessened significantly for both of us. As the mattress supports is better for back and side sleepers, it allows all the muscles to relax and be restored. Highly recommend.”
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DashDividers_1_500x100Best Back Pain Mattress For Couples
Saatva Solaire Adjustable Firmness Mattress, $3,595 $3,145
The Hype: 4.8 out of 5 stars and 121 reviews on Saatva
Highlights: 180-night home trial, free in-room delivery set-up, 25-year warranty
No, this is not Saatva’s main attraction mattress (excuse us, Saatva Classic), but the stats on this bed are bound to make a spine happy, with 50 precise firmness settings per side, a pillowy “lumbar zone” quilted top, a moisture barrier for extended use, optional Upper Flex adjustable base (as pictured), and more amenities. Its dual-sided customization is great for couples with disagreeable sleeping patterns, so much so that it made one customer compare her and her partner’s first night’s rest to “sleeping on cloud nine.” Another Saatva reviewer named Kathy explains, “I thought I would need hip replacement just two months ago. In less than a week with this bed, all hip pain is gone, as well as back pain. Same with my husband.” She implored fellow pain sufferers to pull the trigger on the adjustable mattress and not to “wait over a year to decide like [she] did.”
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DashDividers_1_500x100Best Back Pain Mattress On Amazon
Lucid 12-Inch Latex Hybrid Mattress, $339.99
The Hype: 4.5 out of 5 stars and 19,453 ratings on Amazon
Highlights: 10-year warranty, temperature-regulating gel memory foam
Amazon is home to a sea of mattresses so finding the right one for your daily snoozes can get a bit tricky. Dr. Otto specifically recommends memory foam, latex, or hybrid mattresses for the best back care. Fortunately, Lucid’s top-rated cushion checks plenty of spine-friendly boxes — from its hybrid construction to its naturally hypoallergenic latex material. Amazon on-site reviewer Raine writes, “This amazing Lucid mattress has changed my life. I’m getting a good 7+ hours [of] sleep now, which for me is a miracle! I would probably get more sleep, but nerve pain still wakes me up, but not as bad. I’ve never slept in a bed as comfortable as this one. Ever. It even sleeps cool!”
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DashDividers_1_500x100Best Back Pain Mattress For Plus-Size Sleepers
Big Fig Mattress, $1,799 $1,399
The Hype: 4.7 out of 5 stars and 4,383 reviews on Big Fig
Highlights: Supports 550 lbs. per sleeper (1,1000 lbs. total), 20-year warranty, 120-night trial, ThermoGel Cooling Technology
Non-inclusive sizing doesn’t just pertain to fashion, it also reveals itself in the mattress industry. The Big Fig Mattress aims to solve that problem with its three layers of high-density poly-foam and 1,600 wrapped coils that prevent common sagging as well as combat back pain.
In one on-site blog post, a reviewer referred to this pad as the love child between The Rock and Burt Reynolds — after a week of rest “it didn’t sag, it hadn’t dropped, and I still felt comfortably supported.” She also mentioned, “My Big Fig Mattress makes for the best bed I have ever slept in to this day. When I’m away from it? I miss it. When I come back home to it? I’m a happy camper. After a few years of regularly sleeping on my mattress I can report with confidence, that the integrity of the bed is still there.” Other well-rested customers gave props to the mattress’s back-pain healing abilities. “My husband played football and is a teacher, so he is on his feet a lot and has old injuries that can flare up from time to time,” wrote reviewer Mindy Scott in a blog post on the brand’s website. “With the support of our new Big Fig, he has been having less back issues and I am so impressed! The targeted support is truly what sold us,” she added.
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DashDividers_1_500x100Best Back Pain Mattress For Side Sleepers
Helix Sleep Midnight LUXE, $2,373 $1,780.30
The Hype: 4.5 out of 5 stars and 5,166 reviews on Helix
Highlights: Zoned lumbar support, 100-night sleep trial, 10-15-year warranty, free US shipping, 2 Dream Pillows included with purchase
Sam Baker, our former VP of Commerce, tipped us off to Helix’s Sleep Midnight LUXE model, calling it “life-changing for spines.” This mattress does the trick with zoned lumbar support, side-sleeper-target memory foam, breathable Tencel fabric, and more. One verified buyer on Helix’s site, Eric H., emphasized how much the mattress changed his and his wife’s snooze patterns for the better. “We’ve been sleeping on our Helix Midnight Luxe for about 45 days now, and we couldn’t be happier,” he said. “It’s made an immense difference in our sleep. My wife is a stomach sleeper and I’m a side sleeper. And we’re both sleeping like babies. No back pain in the morning. No side pain. Sound sleep.”
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DashDividers_1_500x100Best Soft Mattress For Back Pain
Casper Nova Hybrid, $2,295 $1,836
The Hype: 4.6 out of 5 stars and 121 reviews on Casper
Highlights: Zoned Support Pro spine alignment, free no-contact delivery, 100-night risk-free trial, 10-year limited warranty
Most Wanted’s self-proclaimed “scoliosis cutie” (and senior writer) Karina Hoshikawa advocates for the “supportive and amazing” Casper Nova Hybrid. This mattress’ trademarked Zoned Support Pro divides it into seven ergonomic sections that cradle the hips and give your back a well-deserved break. Meanwhile, the pillow-like fabric makes sleeping the ultimate cozy experience. Another happy on-site customer, Marci B. raved about their dissipating body pain. “I never knew how bad my old bed was until I purchased my Casper,” they exclaim. “Long time hip, back and shoulder pain which I thought was related to getting older and being out of shape are gone.”
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DashDividers_1_500x100Best Affordable Mattress For Back Pain
The Nectar Memory Foam Mattress, $1,049 $699
The Hype: 4.8 out of 5 stars and 54,685 reviews on Nectar sitewide
Highlights: 365-night home trial, Forever Warranty, free shipping + returns, no contact delivery
With minimal motion transfer, breathable cooling action, and a seven-inch layer of stable memory foam, Nectar’s classic mattress is a necessary vacay for your bad back. Plus, the under $1,000 Queen-size bed price tag doesn’t hurt either. Nectar on-site reviewer Heather W. raves over this model’s back-pain-vanishing abilities and magical sleep-inducing comfort. “Within a couple of days my back pain went away,” she mentions. “I was sleeping better without tossing and turning all night. This mattress is great especially for the low price.”
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