What’s The Best Mattress For Back Pain?

By Viljoen | Bedding Products

Dec 10

My story

My story is a little bit different than the topic that I want to discuss, but the principle stays the same. I have done several reviews on mattresses and it came to my attention that people struggle with back pain when they sleep on some of these mattresses. I had the same experience with my collar bone. I have had pain in the area where my collar bone connects with my chest.Chronic Back Pain

Soon I realized that my mattress was the cause of this. What happened was that when I lie on my side ( I am a side sleeper btw), I would feel pain in that area after a while. It came to my conclusion that my mattress was too hard for me and that my body had too many pressure points on my bed. My spine was not aligned straight and my collar bone was pressing against my torso.

Soon after that I chose a softer mattress and my pain went away after a while. So let me start on what’s the best mattress for back pain 🙂

So how can a mattress cause back pain?

I am going to make the causes as straight forward and logical as possible. The reason for this is that so many “experts” claim that they know the secret on how to choose the right mattress for your hurting back. They will do anything to get you to buy their mattress even if it makes your pain worse. I am not a health practitioner in any way, but I know how to use common sense. If the information I provide does not make sense for you, you can hit the exit button.

No mattress on earth will ever cure any chronic back pain, but it can certainly reduce or prevent it. If you lie on your bed, your spine needs to be aligned in a straight position even if you sleep on your side, back or stomach. If your spine is not aligned in a straight position the discs will put pressure on the nerve endings or any tissue that are surrounding your spinal cord.

There is a myth that I want to bust before I continue. There is no single mattress that will reduce your back pain, but rather a specific TYPE of mattress for a specific TYPE of sleeper. The reason for this is that no mattress can be soft as a marshmallow and firm as a well done steak at the same time. You need to know what type of mattress will suit your sleeping type. Almost any mattress will do, but you need to know what type of mattress is best for you.

Simmons Comforpedic IQ

So what type of sleepers do you get.

  • Firstly you get the stomach sleepers. These sleepers need a firm mattress, because a soft mattress will kill their back. When you lie with your stomach on a soft mattress you will realize that your hips are sinking too deep into the mattress and your spine has an U shape. This is very bad for your back.
  • Secondly you get the back sleepers. If you are a back sleeper, your mattress can be a little bit softer, but not too much. The reason for this is that your spine can bent a little to the front, but not to the back as the case of a stomach sleeper.
  • Thirdly you get a side sleeper. A Side sleeper needs a soft mattress. The reason for this is that when you apply a little bit of physics you will realize that your hips and shoulder are getting the most pressure from your mattress. If you have a softer mattress, you will sink in deeper that will cause the mattress to conform better to the whole area of your body, which will result your body weight to be distributed more evenly across your whole body on the mattress and ultimately gives you a more straight and aligned spine.

“Conformability to your body is the property that you must look for when buying a new mattress to reduce your back pain.”

Now that you know the science or let me rather say “logic”, you can start to look at the different mattresses.

Why I recommend Simmons 

There are several nice things that I like about Simmons

  • Firstly it is the pocketed coil system. Because of the coil system the part of your body that has contact on the mattress has less pressure points. Your body weight is evenly distributed throughout the surface of the contact between your body and the mattress. The more coils the better.
  • Secondly are the texture types. The Simmons has three main texture types mainly the firm, plush and pillow top. The firm is the hardest, the plush is in between and the pillow top is the softest.
  • Some of the mattresses will come with memory foam. Memory foam can be great for your back. Memory is the best material to adjust its form to the shape of your body.
  • Lastly I want to share to you one of my favourite mattresses. The Simmons Comforpedic IQ is the only mattress in this brand that has smart response technology. You can read my thermochemistry lab report Comforpedic IQ review if you want to find out more about this very cool mattress 🙂

Simmons Beautyrest

Before you think about buying a mattress for your back pain you need to evaluate your sleeping position. The best way to do this is to make a note of your position when you wake up in the morning.

==> Click Here To See Some Of The Simmons Mattresses<==

If you feel the content on this page helpful you can hit the like button or you can even bookmark this website for future reference. Please feel free to leave me a comment below if you want to know anything specific or if you are a bit unsure on what type of mattress to buy 🙂

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(14) comments

Bill January 12, 2016

All your posts seem to be about Simmons and no other brands.

Is this blog supported by Simmons and is it more of an advertorial than a plain blog?

Reply
    Viljoen June 6, 2016

    Hi Bill.

    I would say that it is a mixture between the 2 because I try to give my readers the best information before they buy a mattress. The reason why I have only written reviews on Simmons is because I am busy doing my research on the other brands as well 🙂

    Reply
Charlene @ That Girl Cooks Healthy December 13, 2014

Now that I think about it, as a side sleeper, it seems logical that the pressure placed on the hip and shoulder would need some support. I feel a lot more informed about mattresses and ironically need a new one, but I’ve been procrastinating with the idea.

Reply
    Viljoen December 13, 2014

    Hi Charlene.

    Buying a mattress was also the last thing on my mind, until a broken coil poked me in the back LOL. I am happy you found it helpful 🙂

    Reply
Srijan Bhardwaj December 11, 2014

Your personal experience makes your post so much engaging. Your take on the issue and the way you suggested the mattresses is simply wonderful! I have the problem of back pain too sometimes when i wake up, but i am going to have a thorough check of my mattress now! Thank you for sharing!!

Cheers! 😀

Reply
    Viljoen December 11, 2014

    Thanks for the compliment Srijan. Sometimes the problem is right under our nose. 🙂

    Reply
Evelyn December 10, 2014

I never knew this, I always thought the newest type of mattress was the best mattress to buy. I’m a side sleeper and to know I can get a soft mattress is awesome. Thanks for this info.

Reply
    Viljoen December 11, 2014

    My pleasure Evelyn. 🙂

    Reply
seth December 10, 2014

This is a great post. I had the same problem as you a while ago and I did not know why. I went for massages to help my back, but it is still not better. One day I red this similar post on a website and I realized my mattress was the cause for my sore back. Since then no more pain. Anyway this is great work and you have put much effort into this.

Seth

Reply
    Viljoen December 11, 2014

    Thanks a lot Seth. I also did not know about the cause for the pain around my collar bone. Every morning I had to twist my shoulder to snap it back :(, but soon I realized that my sleeping position on my hard mattress was the cause.

    Reply
Michael W Smith December 10, 2014

I think you have made some good observations. I never thought of it from the standpoint but it sounds right. I sleep on my side too and my ribs and hip bone always wake me up so that I have to turn over. My wife sleeps on her back so she is perfectly comfortable.

Reply
    Viljoen December 11, 2014

    Hi Michael

    I think your mattress might be too soft. I wish companies had a duel mattress where the one side was hard and the other side soft. 🙂 This would be great for couples who have different sleeping types. Maybe the Comforpedic IQ can solve this problem 🙂

    Reply
Kathy December 10, 2014

Funnily enough I have a slipped disc at the moment! You’ve a lot of good information in your article, I’ve often wondered what the best mattress is for back pain. I’m a side sleeper and from reading your article could probably do with a softer mattress. Thanks for the info. 🙂

Reply
    Viljoen December 11, 2014

    Hi Kathy

    A Softer mattress is recommended for a side sleeper. Thanks for your insight 🙂

    Reply
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