Compare Our Top Six Favorite Mattresses for Back Pain
Honorable Mentions
Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress for $1,699: If you’re looking for something akin to the Plank Natural that’s firm without being too firm, this is another good pick. It has cooling features, too, which is a nice bonus.
DreamCloud Premiere Hybrid for $1,099: This soft mattress was still supportive. I liked sleeping on it, but it didn’t erase my back pain as much as other mattresses we recommend. Still, it was a nice option if you want support without too much firmness as a side sleeper.
Essentia Tatami Organic Mattress for $3,435: This mattress is made of a really comfortable organic latex support core that has holes for breathability (and to help with cooling), and the active organic foam center helps spinal alignment and contouring support for pressure points. It doesn’t have coils or springs, but it’s still surprisingly supportive.
Leesa Sapira Chill for $1,969: If you’re grappling with whether you want a cooling mattress or a pain-relieving mattress, Leesa’s Sapira Chill is a well-priced option that can do it all. The Sapira Chill is our runner-up in the Best Mattresses guide, thanks to its problem-solving capabilities.
Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid for $1,699: The Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid is marketed as firm, and is designed to support your lower back with cushioning in the center. WIRED contributor Nicole Kinning was a little too short at 5’2″ for the lumbar support, but it could be a good fit for more average-sized folks. There are also cooling properties, but they didn’t stand out compared to other cooling mattresses.
Saatva Solaire for $4,199: If you and your partner want different firmness levels, the Saatva Solaire has a fascinating solution: letting you adjust the firmness with inflatable air chambers and a remote for either side of the bed. There are 50 firmness levels, and WIRED reviewer Divya Viswanathan says her husband prefers a lower setting, around 25, to help with his lower back pain and to relieve pressure, while she prefers a firmer feel, around 35 out of 50.
Nectar Premier for $949: WIRED reviewer Martin Cizmar is a side sleeper who suffers from sciatica back pain from time to time, and he says that this hybrid mattress is a great choice for anyone who wants a softer mattress to sink into while getting plenty of pressure relief and excellent contouring while you sleep.
Plank Firm for $999: WIRED reviewer Adrienne So says it takes a few days to reach its full firmness levels—she thought it was too soft after she initially unboxed it, but it became much firmer after a little more time. She describes the Plank Firm as sleeping on a clean wooden floor (which she loves). It’s entirely foam, and flippable with two different firmness levels on each side.
Plank Firm Luxe for $1,199: I really liked the firm support this mattress offered, and it has a better support system with a center layer of individually encased coils instead of just the firm foam the basic Plank has. It’s flippable, but the softer side is still very firm, and the firmest side is the hardest surface I’ve ever slept on. I did prefer the more nuanced support of the firm Bear Elite and a firmer Helix, and both of those models were more comfortable for both myself as a side sleeper and my back sleeper husband.
Purple Restore Cool Touch for $2,699: WIRED contributor Nicole Kinning says this is the absolute best cooling mattress by a long shot. It’s also got a gridlike gel layer, called GelFlex, that adds extra support and makes it easy to get out of bed in the morning.
WinkBeds The WinkBed for $1,799: WIRED reviewer Julian Chokkattu recommends this mattress for his fellow stomach and back sleepers. There are three levels of firmness. He tried the Luxury Firm and liked that the plush pillow-top also adds a luxe, hotel-like feel to a relatively firm bed.
Wolf 12-Inch Memory Foam Hybrid Medium Firm Mattress for $899: WIRED reviewer Molly Higgins found herself surprisingly impressed with this affordable mattress. She says the medium-firm memory foam hybrid mattress feels much more luxe than its price point suggests, and that individually wrapped coils give great support and help with overall structure, while the top gel foams conform to your body’s curves and aid in pressure relief.
Mattresses to Avoid
While the horrible futon mattress that started my hunt doesn’t exist anymore—hallelujah for that!—there are plenty of other mattresses that have flared up my or other WIRED reviewers’ back pain.
Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt for $2,199: This mattress was super soft and conforming, but it wasn’t supportive whatsoever and had more of a sinking sensation when you laid on it. My right side’s muscle pain was worse after nights on this mattress, and my damaged spine felt distinctly unhappy. My sister also tried sleeping on it, and she described it as “sleeping on an air mattress that is losing air throughout the night.”
Magniflex Magnistretch 12 for $3,699: This Italian-made mattress advertises itself as stretching the spine. It’s endorsed by retired Italian soccer player Giorgio Chiellini and current pro basketballer Stefano Tonut, who plays for the Italian equivalent of the Boston Celtics. Well, the Magniflex definitely does something to the spine, though WIRED reviewer Martin Cizmar found it very unwelcome. He lasted only two nights on the Magnistretch before crying uncle and limping over to the next test mattress. He describes the morning-after sensation as similar to sleeping on a hammock made of chainlink fence.
Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting and exclusive subscriber content that’s too important to ignore. Subscribe Today.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: wired.com
