Sleeping on your side is the most common sleep position. Promoted by experts as the 'ultimate sleep position', sleeping on your side will help keep your knees, shoulders, and hips in place for healthy spinal alignment. Side sleepers will also experience other sleep benefits, such as better breathing, improved digestion, and fewer aches.
But sleeping on an unsupportive mattress – not suited for side sleepers – could cause shoulder and back pain. Side sleepers need a medium-firm mattress that's neither too soft, nor too firm. If you sleep on your side, a mattress that offers enough support to prevent any strain on your spine, with extra cushioning to relieve any pressure on your joints is best.
To help you find the right mattress for you, we've tried, tested, and reviewed some of the best mattresses on the market, paying special attention to pressure relief.
These are the top five beds we'd recommend for side sleepers.. There are no extra selling points or jargon here — we've made it really simple. If you sleep on your side, these are the best mattresses you can buy.
Best mattress for side sleepers overall
You might be surprised looking at that 3.5/5 score, but we think that the Leesa memory foam mattress is the best mattress for side sleepers. If all you want is a mattress that's purely designed for side sleepers, you can't beat this great value option.
Side sleepers will often struggle with pressure relief. Because you're lying on your shoulders, hips, and knees, the wrong mattress can quickly lead to discomfort. Our tests found the Leesa mattress supportive with a sink-in feel. Our reviewer Alex explained that the sink-in sensation prevented any pressure on her joints. In fact, she said that 'If you have joint problems, you need to buy this mattress.' Made from three layers of memory foam, the top layer keeps you cool, the middle softly molds to your body, and the dense 6” core claims to support your joints. It's also excellent value,
However, if you're a side sleeper that likes a firm mattress, this might not work for you. Where this is initially pretty firm, you'll start to sink in throughout the night, and edge support is poor. It gets mushy in the corners, which in turn means the motion isolation isn't very good either, so if your partner moves in the night, you might wake up.
Alex's full Leesa Original Memory Foam Mattress review goes into more detail.
Best mattress for side sleepers with shoulder and hip pain
The Tempur-Adapt has advanced pressure relief, excellent contouring, and motion isolation that's perfect for those who suffer from hip and shoulder pain.
Our reviewer Jaclyn loved the hybrid benefits of contouring foam and extra support from the individually wrapped coils. When we tested this mattress with a kettlebell to simulate the weight of a shoulder, it sank in 6 inches while maintaining firmness in the surrounding areas. That's perfect for side sleepers, as your shoulders and hips can sink into comfortable, supportive foam that offers relief while still keeping your spine aligned.
If you worry it might not work for you, you can personalize this mattress with soft, medium, firm, and medium-hybrid designs, finding the exact softness you need. It has good motion isolation and great edge support, so it feels a lot firmer than the Leesa. This mattress worked its way into our pared-down rundown of the best cooling mattresses too, as its cooling features helped to soothe any aches and pains.
Our big criticism is the high price point. A list price of $3,000 is positively eye-watering, and coupled with a very short trial period of 90 days, in which you have to sleep on the mattress for at least a month, that's not the best value. To add insult to injury, if you want to return it, you'll need to fork out another $175.
Jaclyn's Tempur-Pedic ProAdapt Medium Hybrid mattress review goes into more detail.
Best hybrid mattress for side sleepers
This mattress is the top choice for side sleepers who don't like the sink-in feel of foam. It's our best mattress overall and suits all sleep styles. When it comes to sleeping on your side, a hybrid mattress is a personal preference, hence it being number three on this list.
It's a hybrid mattress, which combines two types of traditional pocket spring coils with a pillow-top layer for comfort and all-around support. The double layers of steel springs add support for aching limbs by cradling pressure points and contributing to better motion isolation. The coil construction also creates good airflow, perfect for those who get hot at night. Thanks to its firmness, and less hugging feel, it also offers excellent edge support, some of the best of any mattresses we've reviewed.
There are three firmness options to choose from, but side sleepers might want to opt for the Luxury Firm, which is what Jaclyn tried.
Jaclyn's Saatva Classic Mattress review goes into more detail.
Best mattress for side sleepers with back pain
If side sleepers have an old mattress that has started to sag, or the wrong mattress that is simply too soft, you may experience back pain. Side sleepers need a mattress firm, with enough support to keep your spine in line. The Nectar memory foam is the best mattress for back pain on the market. It'll gently cradle the body to tackle any potential pains.
Our tester Casey found that this mattress gets more and more comfortable as you break it in. It's made from five layers including gel memory foam, pressure-relieving dynamic foam, and a seven-inch base layer for support. It adapts to your body and keeps you in a neutral position thanks to a responsive design. It’s slightly on the firmer side of medium-firm – great for those with back pain in need of a little more support than sink-in. It did leave something to be desired when it comes to edge support, but not enough that it affected how our tester slept.
It's key to remember that a mattress may alleviate back pain but it won't cure it. Speak to a doctor to help if you're experiencing severe pain.
Casey's Nectar Memory foam mattress review goes into more detail.
Best value mattress for side sleepers
The Helix Midnight is rated as the best mattress for all sleep styles in our best mattress guide. If you're a side sleeper, with a partner who isn't, this is the perfect comprise. It's not the most expensive, nor the cheapest mattress on the market, and since it suits all sleep styles at a good price point I've put this as the best value mattress for side sleepers.
The Helix Midnight is a hybrid mattress that uses a combination of coils and memory foam to guarantee a comfortable and supportive night's sleep. This mattress was tested by our reviewer Jamie, a side sleeper, and her partner, a combination sleeper. Where Jamie prefers a 'firmer feel' and doesn't like to sink in, her partner is partial to a 'softer mattress' that might ease his back pain. It worked well for them both and even helped her husband alleviate some of his back pain.
The edge support in this mattress is not the best, but that can be expected given the price – the luxury Saatva mattress seems to be the only that's ranked well in that area.
Jamie's full Helix Midnight Mattress review covers all the detail.
How we test mattress for side sleepers
There's more detail in our guide to how we test mattresses, and for more general insight into our hands-on review process, refer to our how we test review guidelines.
Our mattress reviews are based on the first-hand experience of using these products at home. Testers sleep on each featured mattress for at least a month and will often return to their reviews months later to keep you up-to-date with how a mattress fares in the long term.
When it comes to testing for side sleepers, our reviewers pay special attention to pressure relief and how well the mattress balances comfort and support. A good mattress for side sleepers will offer enough plushness to contour to joints and relieve any pressure on them while being firm enough to keep the knees, hips, shoulders, and spine in place. As with all of the mattress reviews, our team takes into account the value for money and uses various tests to see how well the mattresses rank for edge support and motion transfer.
You can meet our team of expert testers below:
Louise is our dedicated Sleep Editor, covering mattresses, mattress toppers, pillows, bedding, and anything else you need for a good night's sleep. She has plenty of experience in the industry. She previously covered on mattress reviews and news for Real Homes, as well as a stint on the other side of the aisle as a PR representative for a mattress company.
As former sleep commerce editor, Jaclyn's tested out all things mattresses and bedding. She's took on the Tempur ProAdapt, finding a mattress that makes it easy to sleep through the night. In addition to Homes and Gardens, you can find her work in sister magazines Real Homes and Livingetc.
Alex is a 35-year-old mom, wife, and journalist in Cincinnati with four sons under 7 and a passion for product reviewing. She tested the Leesa mattress for more than a month before writing about it and still uses it to this day.
Camryn Rabideau is a freelance writer and product reviewer specializing in home, kitchen, and pet products. In her five years as a product tester, she's tested hundreds of items firsthand, and her work appears in publications such as Forbes, USA Today, The Spruce, Food52, and more. Camryn does her product testing from her small homestead in beautiful Rhode Island.
Jamie Davis Smith is a writer, attorney, and product reviewer with more than ten years of experience. She has tested hundreds of items first-hand, sometimes with the help of her four children. As a working mother of four, Jamie values a good night’s sleep above all else.
Her review of the Helix Midnight Mattress is based on her first-hand experience, as she and her partner slept on the mattress for just under a month before writing this review.
How to choose a mattress for side sleepers
If you're a side sleeper, there are certain mattress features you should consider. Choosing the right firmness and material will transform how well you sleep.
Firmness: Most side sleepers will do best on a medium-firm mattress. A mattress too soft will cause your knees to overlap, your shoulder to fall forward and your spine to sink. This can cause potential aches and pains as your spine is not aligned as you sleep. If your mattress is too firm, it can cause significant pressure on your hips, knees, and shoulders where they rest on the mattress surface. Finding the perfect middle ground will do wonders for keeping you comfortable.
Type and material: When it comes to mattress types and the materials they're made from, hybrids will be best for side sleepers. This is because they offer the perfect balance between comfort and support. Supportive coils will allow for a harder yet bouncier sleep surface your body won't sink into. Combine with a pillow-top design your joints can be cushioned. Hybrids ensure you feel you are sleeping on top of a mattress, rather than inside it.
FAQs
Can a mattress for side sleepers relieve back pain?
The short answer is yes, but — and we cannot stress this enough — this is no substitute for seeing a doctor. An old mattress can be the cause of back pain, but you need to rule out medical problems first. There's no guarantees a mattress can fix back pain, and given how expensive mattresses are, that's a gamble that could cost thousands of dollars.
What type of mattress is best for side sleepers?
Hybrids or memory foam, if you like the sink-in feeling. The keen-eyed among you will have noticed that the mattresses featured here are either hybrids or memory foam, and that's no coincidence. Side sleepers need a responsive, soft material that takes the pressure off their joints but a firm base that still cradles their spine and keeps everything in alignment. Memory foam is best for this because its firmness varies depending on temperature and pressure. Latex and innerspring mattresses can't quite compete with side sleepers.
Finding the mattress that suits you best is key to great sleep. But make sure you consider all your sleep needs, not just the way you lie. If you're a hot sleeper, check bed sheets with cooling features that will keep you sweat-free. Suffer from neck pain? Find the perfect pillow for your sleep style. Personalize your sleep set up and you're guaranteed your best sleep yet.
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