What Mattress Is Best For Stomach Sleepers

Find The Right Mattress Firmness

The optimal firmness level for a stomach sleeper depends on body weight. The same sleep surface usually feels firmer to a lighter individual and softer to a heavier person. Therefore, the perfect firmness for one sleeper may be uncomfortable for another.

As a general rule, stomach sleepers require a medium firm to firm mattress to prevent midsection sinkage that could misalign the spine. However, they may also appreciate surface-level cushioning so that the bed doesnt feel hard against the front of their bodies.

Why Stomach Sleepers Need A Good Mattress

Stomach sleeping is the rarest sleep position out there, accounting for only 7% of the adult population. People gravitate toward sleeping on their stomachs for a variety of reasons, from habit to comfort, but like any other sleep position, most who choose it cant imagine sleeping any other way.

The problem is that getting stuck in this particular rut can make it very difficult to enjoy a restorative nights sleep on a consistent basis.

How Sleeping on Your Stomach Affects Your Body

When you consider the pros and cons of the various sleep positions, stomach sleeping really has only one advantage: it eases snoring. On the other hand, you could fill an entire sleep journal with the disadvantages of stomach sleeping, which can lead to problems including:

• Neck pain
• Added pressure on muscles and joints
• Difficulty breathing

All these factors can make it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. If you want to change to a healthier position like back sleeping, youll need to make a plan that includes everything from committing to a start date to strategically arranging pillows.

But we understand thats a pretty steep request. Read on to learn which mattresses can provide optimal comfort and support in this position and more about what stomach sleepers should look for in a mattress.

Why Does My Back Hurt After Waking Up

If your back hurts upon waking, its probably due to your sleeping position. If your spine falls out of alignment or is arched throughout the night, youll wake up with aches, stiffness, and soreness. Try side sleeping with a body pillow to remain in alignment all night. Over time, you should begin to wake up feeling pain-free.

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Which Type Of Mattress Is Best For Stomach Sleepers

The best mattresses for stomach sleepers are firm mattresses or ultra-firm picks. They tend to support the body most evenly and consistently, and thus will prevent your hips from sinking during the night. This in turn will ensure your spine stays as close as possible to its natural alignmentand warding off potential back and neck pain. The key is to find a bed with adequate support for your bodys contours, and many of our favorites from this list have the versatility to do just that.

For example, the Helix Dawn , is one of our favorite mattress picks for stomach sleepers. Its got the right level of firmness for stomach sleepers, but offers plushness that will allow side and back sleepers to get a good nights rest, too. Were also big fans of the The WinkBed, whose hybrid coil-and-memory-foam sturdiness makes it a great option for all kinds of bodies. Its cooling properties are also a big plus, given that stomach sleepers make more body contact with their mattress than others. Last, for something completely different, Bears Original mattress provides great support for folks who are especially athletic, cushioning pressure points while keeping you cool in the meanwhile.

Q: How Can Stomach Sleepers Reduce Back Pain

A: Researchers have found that sleeping prone places a great deal of pressure on the spine, increasing the risk of back pain. So what’s a stomach sleeper to do? The answer: pillows. The Mayo Clinic recommends placing a pillow under your lower abdomen and hips to maintain the natural “S” curve of the spine. You can also use a thinner pillow under your head to reduce strain on your neck and upper spine.

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Best Luxury Mattress: Brooklyn Aurora Hybrid

This luxury hybrid uses CopperFlex memory foam to provide responsive deeper compression support to the sleeper. The multi-layered mattress also uses cool memory foam gel, making it one of the coolest sleeping mattresses on the market today. The compressed coils that make up this hybrid provide superior motion isolation and edge support both very important factors for people who share mattresses. An additional perk of this mattress is that you can choose your mattress firmness level from soft, medium, or firm. For stomach sleepers and those that require additional lumbar support, the firm mattress option is recommended.

Customers provided positive feedback for this mattress, particularly rating it as a great mattress for side and stomach sleepers, and couples with mixed sleep preferences. Many reviews also list their weight and how it affects their mattress experience. This can be helpful as the weight can be a factor in how soft or firm mattress you find comfortable. Heavier sleepers especially seem to have good experiences on this mattress based on the comments.

Pros and cons of Brooklyn Aurora Hybrid

*The pricing listed above is pre-promotional and verified as of 05/11/2020.

The Best Mattress For Stomach Sleepers In 2022

Of all the sleeping styles, sleeping on your tummy usually means courting major back pain. Luckily the best mattress for stomach sleepers will alleviate some of that discomfortand help you get a deeper nights sleep.

Stomach sleeping is the least ideal position when it comes to neck and low back pain, Naimish Baxi, MD, physiatrist at Hospital for Special Surgery, tells SELF. As SELF has previously reported, you want to get as close as you can to neutral spinal alignment while you sleep if you want to prevent upper and lower back pain. But when you sleep on your stomach and with your head turned to one side, its harder to find that kind of alignment.

In fact, sleeping in this position causes your midsection to arch and your shoulders to hunch up, so its no surprise if you wake up to uncomfortable pressure points. While experts will tell you its difficult to avoid back and neck pain when you sleep on your stomach, the right type of mattress can help reduce those aches and pains in the morning.

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Best Spring Mattress: Saatva Classic Mattress

Nicole M. Avena, PhD, assistant professor of neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and visiting professor of health psychology at Princeton University, appreciates the thickness of this luxury mattress, which helps fully support a stomach sleeper’s position all night long .

“It is a spring mattress that is accompanied by a memory foam quilted top, making it perfect for back support and prevention of aches and pains,” she says.

It’s also ideal for hot sleepers who have a tendency to overheat through the night, as its organic cotton cover and dual coil design helps ensure proper airflow so you’re never feeling too hot in a single spot.

âBuy it:â ââSaatva.com â ââPrice:â ââ$812 to â$2,146

Is Memory Foam Good For Stomach Sleepers

Generally speaking, memory foam mattresses are not always the top-recommended type for stomach sleepers. This is because memory foam is known to trap heat due to its dense and non-porous construction. Beyond this, stomach sleepers, whose bodies make the most contact with the surface of the bed, tend to sleep hot in the first place. The combination of the two can make for a result thats, well, hot. Memory foam is also a bit on the softer and plushier side, which, for the reasons we stated above, doesnt always suit a stomach sleeper.

All that said, not all memory foam mattresses are made the same, and there are definitely some models that are good for stomach sleepers. The key is to look for a mattress with several layers of foam: The base layers of which should ideally be high-density in nature, and the ones above it slightly plusher while also being breathable. Caspers Original mattress and Brooklyn Beddings Plank mattress both have these properties and are in roughly the same price range.

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Tips For Sleeping On Your Stomach

If you are a stomach sleeper, here are some tips on how to sleep on your stomach comfortably:

• Try sleeping without a pillow. It may sound unfathomable, but sleeping without a pillow can help keep your neck in proper alignment, meaning less long term aches. It is something you stomach sleepers may need to get used to, but give it a few nightsyou might come to love it.
• Place a pillow under your hips. Lose a pillow under your head, gain a pillow under your hips! The most common problem with sleeping on your stomach is spinal misalignment due to your hips sinking too far down into the mattress. Placing a pillow under your hips keeps your body in a neutral position, which helps alleviate this issue and also decreases pressure on your lower back.
• Sleep with your legs straight. A common tendency for stomach sleepers is to sleep with their legs spread out. This can lead to even more spinal misalignment. Sleeping with your legs straight at a natural angle can help improve spinal alignment.

For more information, take a look at our guide on how to properly sleep on your stomach.

What Firmness Level Should Stomach Sleepers Look For In A Mattress

For stomach sleepers, the firmer the better, Dr. Baxi says. A firm mattress will help with optimizing your spine position, keeping it as neutral as possible. A softer mattress, by comparison, encourages sinkage around your shoulders, hips, and knees. When these points sink too low, your back arches more. A mattress thats on the firm side wont let your body sinkrather, itll provide pressure relief through these parts of your body.

For those who are curious, back sleepers will also benefit from a firmer mattress. Side sleepers, on the other hand, should sleep on a medium-firm mattress.

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Exactly How Do I Choose The Very Best Mattress Model

Consider your sleep style. Is A Firm Mattress Best For Your Back

The goal is to maintain your spinal column in neutral positioning, so there should be much less tension on the stress points like your shoulders, hips, and also knees.

Heres what you require to understand:.

Stomach sleepers need a firm mattress model.

Side sleepers ought to go with a softer surface.

Back sleepers fall somewhere in between at a medium firmness.

More Tips To Support Your Spine & Neck When Sleeping On Your Stomach

Avoid bringing your leg up towards your side as this twists your hips and can cause lower back pain.

Ensure your neck isn’t twisted at an awkward angle – sleep on a pillow for stomach sleepers or no pillow at all.

Train yourself to sleep on your side by supporting your body with a pillow to prevent it from rolling over.

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Keep Your Legs Down At A Natural Angle

Stomach-sleeping is also known as the freefall position, because many people hitch their legs out to the side while lying on their stomachs. But this can cause your spine to get even more misaligned. For better spinal alignment, you should try to keep your legs down and straight or let them splay out just a bit.

Is It Healthier To Sleep On A Firm Mattress

A mattress is a good fit for you if its comfortable, doesnt cause or worsen aches and pains, and promotes a good nights sleep. When sleeping on a firm mattress, the bones absorb most of the pressure and put less stress on joints and muscles. A firm mattress may be better for back and stomach sleepers, while a slightly softer mattress might be the best choice if you sleep on your side.

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Best Mattress For Stomach Sleepers: Our Top Picks

• Best Innerspring Mattress WinkBed

trial period

120 days

If you like the bouncy feel of innerspring mattresses, the WinkBed has you covered with not one but two coil layers. Combined with multiple foam layers and a lumbar-support pad, this advanced hybrid provides balanced support from top to bottom.

We recommend the Luxury Firm option for average-weight stomach sleepers. Heavier sleepers who may require a bit more support should opt for the Firmer or Plus version. The WinkBeds Mattress Advisor score for responsiveness is also good news for combination back-stomach sleepers, since a highly responsive mattress is easier to move around on.

The WinkBed is pricier than comparable mattresses, but we believe its high-quality materials make it a great value . The 120-night sleep trial is in line with industry standards, but the lifetime warranty is far above average.

trial period

365 days

With a 9/10 cooling score in Mattress Advisor testing, the Saatva Classic is in the top tier of best cooling mattresses. The hybrid beds dual-coil design and organic cotton cover help promote airflow and breathability through multiple layers. Also, its three firmness options include two that can support stomach sleepers: Luxury Firm and Firm .

The Saatva Classics 365-night sleep trial and lifetime warranty are first rate, which could alleviate budget shoppers concerns about price .

Choose your preference: Available in soft, medium or firm

trial period

120 days

trial period

120 days

365 days

Best Foam Mattress For Side Sleepers

Nolah Original 10-inch

• Mattress type: Foam
• Height: 10 inches

Theres no perfect mattress that can meet everyones sleep needs. But the Nolah mattress is a great option to consider if youre in the market for a foam mattress.

The company describes this mattress as being specifically designed to support spinal alignment and sleep health. This mattress is made with their proprietary foam, which contains air bubbles designed to promote air flow and provide added comfort.

Many reviewers say this mattress helped relieve shoulder soreness and back pain right away. Others appreciate the medium firmness and call it an excellent mattress for the price.

This foam isnt specifically designed to cool, but the company does say the absence of heat-trapping chemicals keeps the mattress temperature neutral by channeling body heat through the mattress and several reviewers confirm this mattress does help them sleep cooler.

Some reviewers also say that it took some time to get used to the mattress, which isnt uncommon when getting a new mattress.

An additional bonus: The company donates to Defenders of Wildlife with each mattress sold, so your purchase also supports an eco-friendly company and helps protect American wildlife.

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How Can I Avoid Sleeping On My Stomach

If stomach-sleeping is causing neck or back strain, you may want to break the habit. Try sewing a tennis ball into the front of your shirt or packing pillows around your body to keep you on your back or side. Try a supportive pillow that cradles your neck and head and makes it more difficult to sleep on your stomach.

Motion Isolation And Edge Support

All these reviewed models here have been chosen for their ability to offer motion isolation. This refers to how well a mattress can absorb or isolate any motion. If you sleep with a partner, motion isolation will ensure that you dont disturb one another as you move around the bed or get up when the other one is asleep. Memory foam is well known for offering contouring qualities, and therefore generous edge support.

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Best Memory Foam Mattress For Stomach Sleepers: Leesa Original Mattress

The all-foam Leesa Original Mattress is breathable and contours to your body. Its medium firmness makes it one of the best mattresses for side and stomach sleepers alike, and perfect for couples with different sleep styles. The memory foam core support and contouring layers relieve pressure and reduce lower back pain. Plus, its multi-foam construction gives a little bounce with the mattress and its top layer of cooling foam is great for hot sleepers because it promotes breathability and airflow.

Customers strongly recommend the Leesa Original Mattress. Out of the over 19,000 reviews, it received a 4.5-star rating. It was most recommended by stomach and stomach/side combination sleepers, stating they love how the mattress conforms to your pressure points and provides a restful nights sleep.

Pros and Cons of Leesa

The Top 5 Best Mattresses For Stomach Sleepers

• Best luxury mattress: Brooklyn Hybrid

Methodology: We compiled this research by reading and analyzing consumer intelligence reports, customer feedback, expert advice, and product specifications presented by each respective company. We compared many different factors like price, warranty, and shopping perks, as reported by the company and the consumers. We made sure to note not only recent reviews but older reviews as well.

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