Recommendations For Heavyweight Sleepers
Its always important to consider ones size and weight when searching for a mattress customers want to make sure that their new mattress will properly support heavier weights. This is even more important when discussing mattresses for back pain, as larger people require even more support under their lumbar area so that they dont get out of alignment. Out of these 10 mattresses, three really stand out among the rest for heavier sleepers.
- Helix: Although we recommended the Helix Midnight Luxe, heavier sleepers should seek out the Helix Plus, the brands bed designed specifically with larger people in mind. It has that medium firmness that those with back pain should be searching for, but is also incredibly supportive and offers the necessary lumbar support.
- Saatva: This is also a fantastic match because it features a nice balance of comfort and support. Heavier back sleepers should receive excellent lumbar support, with the mattress conforming to the curves of their body. As for heavier side sleepers, their hips should sink in the right amount, and the memory foam should press up to fill in their gaps and keep the spine in proper neutral alignment.
- WinkBed: With its supportive coils and plush top, heavier people should also find the WinkBed to be a good fit. Specifically, they should consider the WinkBed Plus, which has high-density Body Impression-Proof foam and even more support in its coils.
Why Your Mattress Is Causing You Pain
Youve confirmed that your mattress is the source of your frequent back pain, and you want to know why its causing you so much pain? Here are six reasons why your mattress may be causing you back pain and how to prevent it.
1. You are using the wrong mattress.
For each type of sleeper, there exist different types of mattresses that suit them best. When you pick a mattress without any care for the way you sleep or your weight and other vital determinants, you sleep to wake up with aches. The right mattresses make sleeping less stressful as they are built to accommodate your body and weight. As a side sleeper, you should be picking a foam that wont give way easily and can support your body. As a back sleeper, pick a mattress that supports and cushions your body.
From the way you sleep to how much you sleep, how much you weigh, and how much time you spend in your bed, consider it all and use it to determine the type of mattress that will help you sleep better. Sleeping without having to wake up to anybodys ache is the goal, work towards it. Heres the perfect guide on how to choose a mattress.
2. You are using the wrong pillow.
You mustnt just buy a pillow without adequately understanding the type of filling it has. Also, know the best type of pillow for your type of sleeper. Thick pillows are suitable for back sleepers, while thin pillows are good for stomach sleepers. Pick a good mattress and use a good pillow if you want to sleep well at night.
4. Your mattress is old.
Best Mattresses Recommended By Chiropractors
I am frequently asked by patients what mattresses I recommend for their back pain or particular condition. Patients want to know where to find the best mattress for back pain, chronic pain, sciatica neck pain, hip pain, shoulder pain, disc issues, muscle spasms, and after spinal surgery.
Nowadays most mattresses for back pain are sold online, which makes picking a bed a difficult task. It is a costly purchase that you will spend a lot of time using, so it is important to make an educated decision.
Choosing the wrong mattress could cost you thousands of dollars and many nights of back pain and restless sleep. I have some knowledge to share with you to make sure this doesnt happen.
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Best Memory Foam: Amerisleep As2 12 Memory Foam Mattress
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Base is designed to prevent sagging
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Open-cell design promotes breathability
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Made to resist dust mites and mold
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May be too firm for some
While it doesn’t come cheap, the Amerisleep AS2 Mattress is heralded as one of the best options for people with back pain and is designed with common sleep problems in mind.
The 12-inch AS2 mattress is described as medium-firm and is popular among both stomach and back sleepers. The mattress includes several layers of material to provide comfort and support and has zones that provide extra pressure relief for your shoulders and lower back.
The mattress is made from a unique type of memory foam thats eco-friendly and keeps you cool throughout the night. Even more, the memory foam bounces back to its original shape in mere seconds, so you don’t get stuck in ruts if you shift during the night. If you buy this mattress through the manufacturer, youll have 100 nights to test it out in a risk-free trial.
Firmness: Medium-firm | Thickness: 12 inches | Type: Memory foam | Trial Length: 100 nights
Best Mattress In A Box For Back And Neck Pain
Helix Dawn
- Type: hybrid
- Height: 12 inches
Helix recommends this firm hybrid for back and stomach sleepers, but a few reviewers note that it also works well for combination sleepers.
The company says the individually wrapped coils provide firm support, and theyre reinforced around the perimeter to keep the mattress from giving way when you roll toward the edge.
The middle polyfoam layer offers extra cushioning, while the top layer made from the companys proprietary latex foam contours to your body to relieve pressure, align your spine, and ease pain. The firmness of the mattress is designed to help you feel supported without causing you to sink into the bed.
Hybrid mattresses are generally cooler at night than those made entirely of foam, and several reviewers say this mattress stays comfortably cool. In general, reviewers praise this mattress. Many reviewers report relief from longtime back pain after just one night.
A few reviewers did notice some motion transfer when sleeping with a partner, so it may work best if you sleep alone.
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Ease Aches With These Trusted Buys
Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the bestproducts, and articles are reviewed by healthcare professionals for medical accuracy. Youcan learn more about ourreview process here.We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links.
Verywell / Sabrina Jiang
Anyone who lives with back pain understands what a major difference a restful nights sleep can makeand, on the flip side, how disruptive it is when you wake up already experiencing discomfort. Though there are many causes of back pain, regardless of how it started, you want to make sure that the mattress you sleep on every night is meeting your needs. But finding one that works for you is often easier said than done.
There is no best kind of mattress for your back problems, so you may need to be open to some trial-and-error, says Dr.Gregory Funk, a chiropractor and the owner of Ideal Health Chiropractic in Denver. At the end of the day, you should look for a mattress that not only aligns with your personal preferences, but can also provide adequate support for the natural curves and alignment of the spine.”
We researched dozens of mattresses and evaluated them for firmness, thickness, type of mattress, trial period, cover and cushion materials, and price. Each of the mattresses chosen in this article were determined to be the best of these factors.
Here are the best mattresses for back pain on the market.
What Women With Back Pain Should Consider When Looking For A Mattress:
Firmness. Though you’ll definitely want something that’s more firm than soft, exactly how firm should be determined by your body weight, says Carleara Weiss, PhD, and a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. “For example, medium firmness seems ideal for people weighing approximately 130 pounds and satisfactory for back and side sleepers under 230 pounds.” The higher your body weight, the more firm you may need your mattress to be, thought it really depends on the individual, as sleep preferences differ from person to person .
Where you experience back pain also impacts what kinds of firmness you should look for. “The general concept when thinking about buying a mattress is that low back pain can be alleviated with a mattress that is on the firmer end of the spectrum rather than softer or squishier,” Dr. Hanke explains. If you don’t wake up with low back pain and you like a softer experience, you can prob get away with a less-firm mattress.
Stomach sleepers put pressure on their neck, in addition to the lumbar area, so they may prefer a firm mattress since it’s ideal for spine support and helps alleviate neck tension .
For side sleepers, Weiss also recommends a medium-firm mattress. “Shoulders and hips are pressure points for side sleepers. A medium-firm mattress would be ideal for this sleep position while still flexible to the body curvature.”
Warranty: Forever
Price: $1,199 for a queen
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Best From A Box: Casper Wave Hybrid Mattress
Casper invented the mattress-in-a-box game, then turned it on its head over and over again with further innovation.
Take its Wave Hybrid Mattress, for example. Created with strategically placed gel pods that focus on lower back pain, it promises better alignment and a more peaceful night’s sleep.
Buy it:Casper.com Price:$1,355.75$2,800.75
It Needs To Keep Your Spine Aligned
You may not realize it, but good posture is important when you sleep. The muscles and ligaments in your back need to relax and recover while you snooze. If a mattress is too firm — or too squishy — it won’t support your spine at your neck or lower back the way it needs to. What’s firm enough is different for everyone: If you have wide hips, for instance, a slightly softer surface may be better. You need some more give in order to keep your spine in alignment. Someone with narrower hips might be better off with a firmer surface.
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What Makes The Level Sleep Stand Out
- The company actually spent years perfecting the Level Sleep mattress, and they have conducted numerous studies to test the efficacy of its design.
- People should feel significantly more support from the lumbar zone when theyre stomach- and back-sleeping, and more pressure relief from the shoulder zone when theyre side-sleeping.
- The Level Sleep should be a suitable option for hot sleepers as well. The foam found at the top is breathable and designed to stay nice and cool.
Read our full Level Sleep mattress review.
You Get Your Best Nights Sleep On Vacations
You may be getting better rest on your vacation because you are simply more relaxed. But if youre waking up without pain or with less pain while sleeping on a hotel mattress or a mattress in a guest bedroom, thats a pretty good indicator that your mattress is at least partially to blame for your back pain.
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What Is Back Pain: A Note From Dr Poorbaugh
Before we wrap up, I wanted to include some basic information on back pain that I learned from Dr. Poorbaugh.
According to Dr. Poorbaugh, most medical research is focused on Chronic Low Back Pain. Traditionally, to be defined as chronic someones lower back pain needed to continue for more than three months. But recently, doctors have started using functional brain imaging to illustrate that chronic is not necessarily a time dependent label.
Dr Poorbaugh says that the main determinant of chronic back pain today is central sensitization. According to Dr. Poorbaugh, central sensitization occurs when the central nervous system has lost its ability to dampen or control peripheral stimuli i.e. information from muscles, joints, and nerves.
When your nervous system cant control those stimuli, your peripheral nerves get irritated. This eventually affects your entire nervous system and makes normal activity feel painful .
Back Pain Pressure Points
If there is an overly vital area to be attentive to when suffering from back pain, its the pressure points that an improper mattress can cause on your body. These points mean that there is extra push back to a specific area. This can cause misalignment throughout your body and your spine.
Once it has moved out of alignment, there is an increased amount of pressure placed on your spine. Thats one of the common causes of back pain. Thinking about it that way may just help you answer the question, Is a firm mattress good for your back? from a whole new angle.
With this said, its essential to ensure that you arent sleeping on a bed that places too much pressure on your spine. This is also true for any major joints. Thats whats going to allow your body to rest in a relaxed state. The chance of pressure points forming along the spine as well as the lower back is diminished dramatically when the appropriate product is picked.
Pressure points are capable of causing long-term deformations and pains along your spine. This isnt something that you can likely afford as it can quickly turn into a chronic condition.
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What Happens If Your Mattress Is Too Firm
If your mattress is too firm, this can cause pressure around the shoulders, hips and knees. It can also reduce blood circulation and cause numbness, aches and pains. A firm mattress prevents the body from sinking into the mattress due to its lack of cushioning. This can be particularly problematic for side sleepers as the resistance that the mattress provides can cause discomfort around the shoulders and hips.
On the other hand, a mattress that is too soft will put the spine out of natural alignment, causing the body to slouch. This can also cause discomfort and make it harder to turn over in bed.
A mattress should conform to the bodys natural curves and put minimal stress on your joints.
Other Bedding That Can Help Back Pain
Some mattress companies also sell pillows designed to alleviate back and neck pain. People can adjust the heights of these pillows to better support their spinal alignment.
Also, if a person wants to keep their mattress but adjust its firmness, they might try a mattress topper which may be made of memory foam, wool, or latex.
In addition, some people may benefit from adjustable beds, as a change in positioning might provide better back support.
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How To Pick A Good Back
In contrast with side-sleepersmany of whom prefer softer mattresses to relieve pressure at the shoulders and hipsback-sleepers distribute their weight more evenly when they sleep. If youre a back-sleeper, a medium-firm mattress is a good choice because it prevents the heavier portions of the body from dropping too deep into the mattress, so it limits over-flexion of the spine while still cushioning your shoulders, hips, and lower back. As we explain in our mattress buying guide, poor alignment can lead to aches and pains in your back, neck, and other parts of the body.
Because people have different body proportions and weights, there is no one perfect mattress for all back-sleepers. We recommend that you try several mattresses out in a store . Spend a good 10 to 15 minutes lying down, and pay close attention to how your back feels. If youre shopping with someone, ask them to take a pictureyou should be able to draw a straight line from the neck to the lumbar region to the knees.
Vincent Verhaert, founder of Belgian mattress company Equilli, recommends lying face up and trying to slide your hand beneath your lower back. It should be able to just squeeze through. If that space is too tight, the mattress is too soft, said Verhaert, who holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering and biomechanics. If your hand slides through too easily, chances are good that the mattress is too firm.
How Do I Know If My Mattress Is Too Firm
If you are a side sleeper, look for the following signs to determine if your mattress is too firm.
- You experience pain and stiffness near pressure points, such as your hips and shoulders.
- Your arms quickly fall asleep with little pressure.
- You frequently wake with back pain due to a misaligned spine.
Back sleepers tend to benefit from a firmer mattress. However, if you can place a hand between the lumbar and the mattress, you may want a bed with a bit more softness, such as a medium-firm bed.
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How Can Your Mattress Affect Back Pain
The lower back has more curvature and range of motion than the rest of your back, which makes it more susceptible to injury from incorrect alignment. If a mattress offers insufficient support, your lower back may twist or bend in an unnatural way. If the bed is too soft or dips in the middle, your hips may sink deeply into the mattress and out of alignment with your lumbar area. Conversely, if the mattress is too firm, your hips may sit too high. Respected medical journal The Lancet has published a study finding that moderately firm or medium mattresses provide the best support with contouring for your impact points, and help relieve and prevent lower back pain.
Eight Sleep The Pod Pro
- Price: $$$
- Type: foam
- Height: 12 inches
This mattress boasts four layers of high density foam to provide cushioning and support. While it can be comfortable for back sleepers with back pain, some side or stomach sleepers may find it too soft. Since its not as firm as other options, it may be too soft for some.
A high-tech option, this smart mattress offers temperature regulation and sleep tracking. Small tubes filled with water are concealed in the removable knit mattress cover.
Dual controls allow you to heat or cool the water, setting the temperature on each side of the bed. Sensors can adjust the temperature levels as your body temperature changes during the night.
The mattress also tracks your sleep phases, heart rate, and pulse. You can also get a regular analysis of your sleep data and trends. It requires a Wi-Fi connection.
Eight Sleep offers a 100-night trial period, free shipping, and free returns. Theres a 10-year warranty on the mattress and a 1-year warranty on the technology and temperature mechanism.
- Type: foam
- Height: 12 inches
The Puffy Lux is constructed with four layers of foam. The bottom layer provides a firm foundation, while the second and third layers offer balanced support to reduce pressure points. The top layer promotes cooling.
As added bonuses, the Puffy mattress works with any kind of bed base, and it comes with a machine washable cover. Its designed for all sleepers: back, side, and stomach.
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