BEST MATTRESS FOR LOWER BACK PAIN 2024
Our Top Picks - Updated Yearly
If you are one of millions of Americans suffering from lower back pain, you know the excruciating pain of waking up in the morning with a bad back. You are having trouble getting comfortable, toss and turn all night, and wake up in pain. Sleeping on a mattress for lower back pain is essential!
We have hand-picked the best mattresses for lower back pain out of hundreds we tested. Let’s get you started on quality nights of sleep.
If you end up on this page, you are either suffering from chronic back pain or you go to bed happy and wake up with pain in your lower back.
In both cases, a quality mattress can help solve many of your morning aches and allow you to sleep better and through the night. Your doctor might have even prescribed you with a firmer mattress. If that is the case, every mattress on this list checks the box.
After testing over a hundred mattresses, I have compiled a list of Best Mattress For Lower Back Pain. This is what I look for in those mattresses:
- thin layer of pressure-relief material to ensure comfort and mild sink of the shoulders and hips
- firm lower layers for natural spinal alignment
- responsive properties to allow for free and easy movement
Without further ado, here is the list of Best Mattress For Lower Back Pain 2024. Please note that this article is informational and consists, in no way, in medical advice. If you are experiencing stronger-than-usual, or chronic, back pains, consult your physician as soon as possible. Personal preferences vary and we cannot ensure that any of the mattresses listed below will result in eliminating all back pain. Mattresses in this list will however be some of the best mattresses for healthy sleep positions in 2024, and are based on my personal opinion and knowledge of the mattress industry.
Best Mattress For Lower Back Pain 2024
- Non-Biased 2024 Favorite Pick: GhostBed Classic
- Best Organic Mattress for Back Pain: Natural Form Refresh
- Best All-Foam Mattress for Back Pain: The Nectar Mattress
- Best Versatile Mattress for Back Pain: Nest Bedding Sparrow
- Best Mattress for Back Pain on a Budget: OkiFirm
- Best Luxury Mattress for Back Pain: Saatva Classic
- Best Mattress for Hot Sleepers with Back Pain: The Nectar Premier
Non-Biased 2024 Favorite Pick
GhostBed Classic
This year, the GhostBed Classic earned our Favorite Pick for Best Mattress For Lower Back Pain, upper back pain, hip, and neck.
The GhostBed Classic feels firm with good balanced amount of comfort. It supports the spine from neck to the lumbar region and allows for a healthy alignment down the entire spine.
Sleepers with back pain and hip pain will find relief, thanks to the upper 1.5 inches of aerated latex. Not only does the GhostBed Classic sleep cool, its latex top allows for support to the pressure areas and ease to move around and switch positions. Below the latex come 2 inches of gel memory, helping the hotter sleepers to sleep cool. Bringing strong spinal support are 7.5 inches of high-density foam. That bottom layer keeps your entire back and hips aligned and stable through the night.
GhostBed Sleep Trial – 101 nights
Shipping – FREE
Warranty – 20 years
Best Organic Mattress For Back Pain
Natural Form Refresh
The Refresh Mattress by Natural Form stole my heart this year, for many reasons, and it is one of the best mattresses for back pain out there, with an innovative way to adjust its firmness on the spot!
You should know that Natural Form’s experience lays in the medical bedding industry and they are the only brand bringing medical technology into private homes!
Let’s start with what makes the Natural Form Refresh Mattress. Its unique cover is made of 100% thick Australian Merino wool that helps naturally wick body moisture away and sleep cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Note that it is fully machine washable and replaceable, which is a very nice plus!
But the true wonder comes below the cover. Natural Form comes with a manual proprietary air system that allows you to control the firmness of your mattress manually. A turning knob instantly adjusts the firmness of up to 84 helix air pods and gives you instant feedback so you can make small adjustments as needed, and based on how you feel. And guess what? There is an adjusting knob on each side of the mattress, allowing each partner to adjust his/her side of the mattress to their personal preference!
The Natural Form Refresh Mattress is the most technologically advanced mattress when it comes to back pain. It is patented and recognized by 1,200+ health organization for its spinal support, back and joint pain relief. If your budget allows, you cannot go wrong with the Refresh Mattress!
Natural Form Sleep Trial – 100 nights
Shipping – FREE
Warranty – 10 years
Best All-Foam Mattress For Back Pain
The Nectar Mattress
The Nectar Mattress is an excellent original mattress for back pain, and typically priced under $1,000 after discounts. If you are a fan of memory foam, this can be a great mattress for you. We also found it to sleep temperature-neutral thanks to its cooling cover – a great plus for an all-foam mattress.
The Nectar Mattress has 3 layers of foam working together in increasing firmness. The top layer offers 3 inches of deep pressure relief, making it a great mattress for side-sleepers with lower back pain!
The next 2 inches add some bounce to the Nectar Mattress and works with your body to allow for effortless movement. The bottom layer of foam is a high-density foam that brings the support sleepers with back pain need to get a good night of sleep.
Furthermore, you will love Nectar’s very own 365-day at-home trial and forever warranty. Their policies speak for the quality of the product they put into your home.
And based on their website, “9 out of 10 sleepers said their Nectar Mattress helped some or a lot,” based on a random July 2020 survey.
Nectar Sleep Trial – 365 nights
Shipping – FREE
Warranty – Forever
Best Versatile Mattress For Back Pain
Nest Bedding Sparrow
The Nest Bedding Sparrow has quickly become on of our favorites mattresses. It comes with a very unique offering that sleepers with back pain will love: the ability to switch out the upper layer of foam to three different firmness levels.
I recommend the Lux Firm comfort layer of Energex™ Temperature Responsive Foam for sleepers with back problems. Not only does it sleep cool, it will also provide support to your high-pressure areas and lumbar area. No worries, the pillow top provides plenty of comfortable plushness right under your skin!
Guess what the best part is? That top comfort layer of foam can be exchanged, free of charge, for the Plush or Medium within 100 nights of purchase. Simply call Nest Bedding and their team will help you troubleshoot your comfort and get you the best layer of foam for your personal needs.
And it gets better! If you order a King or California King Sparrow mattress, each side can customize the firmness of its top layer of foam! So if your partner prefers a softer mattress, he/she can order his/her side in Plush!
The layers below the Energex™ Temperature Responsive Foam are there to ensure that your body lays in its optimal position and the reinforced-edge coils give you the impression of the larger sleeping surface.
Nest Bedding Sleep Trial – 365 nights
Shipping – FREE shipping
Warranty – Lifetime
Best Mattress For Back Pain On A Budget
OkiFirm
The OkiFirm is a no-frill, all-foam mattress by OkiOki. One of four mattresses, it is the brand’s firmest mattress and a great contendent for back pain on the lowest end of the price range.
The value you are getting for a mattress of this quality is extraordinary, and you can tell that OkiOki has not cut any corners. Currently priced at $550 Queen pre-discount, you can’t beat the value.
The top 3 inches of graphite-infused foam are firm while still providing a comfortable plushness, and the bottom 10 inches are made of supportive high-density foam, as most mattresses are. We loved how cold the Ice Yarn cover felt to the touch, as well as the overall full-body support we got on this mattress.
OkiOki Sleep Trial – 365 nights
Shipping – FREE
Warranty – 10 years
Best Luxury Mattress For Back Pain
Saatva Classic
The Saatva Classic is the kind of mattress you expect to sleep on at luxury resorts, and you can now bring it to your home!
This luxury hybrid mattress is priced very fairly and not the most expensive of our list of Best Mattress For Lower Back Pain. You will love being able to choose the firmness level, from Plush Soft to Luxury Firm, to the Firm that I recommend for sleepers suffering from back pain.
While the Saatva Classic Firm provides the spinal support you need, you will find its 3-inch thick pillow top to be comfy and cozy with just the right amount of plushness to relieve pressure and take care of your back and joints. Further below the foam layers, the innersprings offer responsiveness, air flow, and optimal spine support.
The Saatva Classic uses a patented spinal zone technology that delivers enhanced back support and maximum pressure relief exactly where you need it. The mattress has received the seal of approval by the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations
We think the FREE in-room white-glove delivery and setup cries out luxury and for under $1,500, it is a real treat!
Saatva Sleep Trial – 180 nights
Shipping – FREE + FREE in-room set up
Warranty – 15 years
Best Mattress For Hot Sleepers With Back Pain
The Nectar Premier
The Nectar Premier hit the market in the late spring 2021! It is a wonderful addition to the Nectar family and our favorite mattress for hot sleepers with back pain!
Another all-memory mattress, Nectar has injected it with cooling technologies that will leave the hotter sleepers nice and cool.
The quilted cover is cool to the touch and remains cool throughout the night, thanks to its breathable, heat-wicking, poly-blend material. Below is a 3-inch layer of cooling gel-infused memory foam with phase change material (PCM). This PCM is an incredible technology for the hot sleepers. It adapts to your body’s temperature changes and adjusts while you sleep.
A third layer of foam offers 3 inches of responsive foam which helps your body switch positions easily – a huge plus if you need to get comfortable at night. That layer also offers a first zone of support to your high-pressure areas, giving bounce back to your hips and shoulders, and keeping them aligned throughout.
The bottom layer of foam is the regular 7-inch high-density foam that allows your entire body to rest in a healthy position.
You will love having a whole year and all four seasons to try this mattress out in the comfort of your home. Take it from cold winter nights to hot summer ones and make sure you sleep cool, or return it for a refund. We also think the Forever Warranty is pretty neat and speaks highly for the quality of Nectar mattresses.
Nectar Sleep Trial – 365 nights
Shipping – FREE
Warranty – Forever
Best Mattress For Lower Back Pain 2024 - Recap
I hope you found this guide helpful. As I mentioned earlier, each sleeper has his/her own sleeping preferences and what feels right to me, might not work with your personal back problems. I have based my selection of Best Mattress For Lower Back Pain on my industry testing experience and knowledge of the materials used in each model.
All of the mattresses included in this list are firm and a good starting point if your doctor prescribed a firm or medium-firm mattress for your back pain. They all provide improved support to all areas of your body with a combination of gentle pressure relief.
When Will My Pain Stop
I wish I had a secret recipe to stop your back pain immediately, but whether you experience acute, or chronic back pain, you might need up to 30 nights to get used to your new mattress.
As you lay on your mattress for nearly a third of the day, your body will need to adjust to the new sleeping surface.
Expect at least 3 weeks to get used to it. New muscles are activated, others are more relaxed, some areas will receive more support, and others more pressure relief, your position will shift and this is a major change for your body. Soreness can happen during those first few nights. You might find your new sleeping position to be awkward at first and it is expected. Remember that you spend 1/3 of your day laying on the mattress. That’s a lot of time in a new position!
You will also find that most trials only allow returns and exchanges after the initial 30-night period. Give your body some time to adapt and watch as you start experiencing less pain night after night.
What Mattress Is Right For Me?
Did you know that, if you lay on your bed 8 hours each day, you spend over 121 entire days on it each year? That’s right – 2,912 hours each year, laying on your mattress. You better make it good!
Each person has their own set of preferences when it comes to mattresses and comfort levels, and while I can’t make the decision for you, I will do my best to give you enough information to help in your buying process.
People experiencing any level of back pain have more specific needs than others and their mattress choices are restricted by their personal situation.
What Should I Be Looking For In A Mattress If You Have Lower Back Pain?
Firmness
Someone suffering from back pain should direct his/her attention towards medium-firm to firm mattresses. They generally allow for a stronger base for your body to lay on and we recommend mattresses with a firmness score of 6.5 to 8 out of 10, where 10 is the firmest mattress.
Softer mattresses will allow for deeper pressure point relief but also carry the risk of your spine mis-aligning and your hips and shoulders laying deeper into the mattress than they should.
A firmer mattress does not have to compromise the plush feeling of your mattress. If you are a side-sleeper with back pain, look for a mattress closer to the 6/10. Heavier, back, and stomach-sleepers should shop for mattresses on the firmer end of the firmness scale.
All mattresses in this list of Best Mattress For Lower Back Pain have a softer top layer of foam, and some even have a pillow top up to 3 inches thick. They will give you all of the plushness you need to feel like you are sleeping on a cloud, without sacrificing the benefits of a firmer mattress.
Support
You will hear me talk about support a LOT when it comes to finding the right mattress for back pain. You want your entire spine supported – from neck to your hips.
A supportive mattress with either coils, stronger lumbar zone, or high-density foam will ensure that your spine stays aligned in a healthy position throughout the night.
You will also need support of the high-pressure points. Those are your shoulders and hips. A good mattress will allow those areas to sink in a little deeper to relieve the pressure and not crushed by your weight. However, you want to choose a mattress that supports those high-pressure areas in a lower layer of either foam or latex.
I find latex to be a great material for people suffering from lower back pain, as it has more bounce and responsiveness than memory foam and will better support your entire body.
Pressure Relief
Here it is. You want just the right balance of firmness and support, coupled with pressure relief properties, especially if you are a side sleeper with back pain.
The top layer(s) of foam will generally be softer than the bottom layers of the mattress. They allow for the heavier parts (high-pressure areas) in your body to sink in deeper than the rest of your body, keeping your spine straight.
Side-sleepers will require more pressure relief than back and stomach sleepers, and all mattresses on this list provide for healthy pressure-relief, coupled with strong and healthy support for your back.
I know that buying a mattress involves a certain level of investment… and spending $700 to $2,500+ online without having seen or touched the mattress can be scary and discouraging.
In this Best Mattress For Lower Back Pain 2024 list, I am not only telling who I think would love each mattress, I am also including information such as at-home trials and warranties. This information should be carefully considered, especially if you feel that you might need from trial-and-error testing prior to finding your favorite mattress. Each mattress company’s website includes clear information on their at-home trials. Things to look out for are whether returns are free, whether there is a restocking fee, or if a replacement is order, whether it might become final sale, etc.
Why Buy A Mattress Online?
I hear you. I am telling you that this is one of the most important purchases you will be making in the next 5 to 10 years, yet I am encouraging you to buy from a website, with no chance to see, feel, or lay on the mattress. I promise you it’s worth it, though! Feel free to read over our Guide To Buying An Online Mattress, but let’s also look at the benefits of buying a mattress online vs. in store:
More Options
When walking inside a mattress store, you are limited to the brands and models carried by the store. Not only are they limited, but the store needs to survive and higher margin products will probably take the store-front, which doesn’t always work in favor of the buyer. However, when shopping online, you will find dozens of online mattress brands.
Now of course, more options means that you need to educate yourself a little more, to understand which mattress brands will be worth your money, and this is where I come in. I test hundreds of mattresses for you each year, and when you read the reviews of an independent mattress reviewer such as Non-Biased Reviews, you get unbiased mattress reviews. Many mattress review websites are now owned by large mattress companies, so make sure you use the services of independent mattress reviewers!
Less Sale Pressure
Buying a mattress can feel as stressful as buying a car these days. You walk into the mattress store and get overwhelmed with sale tactics, straight out of the car lot! Online, you get the benefit of time and peace. Once you have narrowed your choices down to a brand or mattress style, take your time to read the details and do deeper research on the brand sites and right here. See all of the brands we have reviewed so far. Any questions, feel free to email me directly at laura@nonbiasedreviews.com and I’ll be happy to brainstorm ideas with you!
Cheaper Mattresses
By purchasing a mattress online, you are cutting the middle man. You do direct business with the mattress brands and they save on labor, rent, and other overhead costs. It is a win-win and you put the savings in your pocket! You also have many more options, and while you can buy extremely luxurious and expensive mattresses online, you also have access to a large number of cheaper options!
Longer Sleep Test
This one might seem counterintuitive. I bet that your first resistance to buying a mattress online is linked to the lack of testing. You can’t see nor touch the mattress for yourself and you’re not sure whether you can truly believe the edited photos you see online.
Think about it for a second. You walk into a mattress store, lay on a mattress, shoes on, fully clothed, with an adult salesperson staring at you, while trying to keep your kids from taking the store for a trampoline arena. You’ve awkwardly laid on that mattress a total of 50 seconds before making a long-term decision…
When purchasing your mattress online, it nearly always comes with a 100 to 365-night trial. You get to sleep full nights on your investment for several weeks before deciding whether it is adapted to your sleeping needs and preferences. I recommend sleep testing your mattress for at least 30 nights before making your final decision, to give your body a chance to adjust to the new sleeping surface.
Still unhappy, most online mattress companies will arrange for your mattress to be picked up from your home and donated, and your money will be refunded. There is generally no restocking fee and most of the time, your return shipping is free as well. If you buy a Purple mattress at MattressFirm, for example, your return will be subject to MattressFirm’s return policy and restocking fees. Buy directly from Purple and your return is free!
Hassle-Free Hauling
When you buy a mattress online, it ships directly to your home, most of the time for free! Nearly all mattresses ship in a box, making them easy to transport to the room of your choice.
Forget about renting a truck or trying to tie a king-size mattress to the roof of your car, then asking a friend to come help you to get it inside. Instead, a regular carrier drops off a manageable box by your front door, you set the vacuumed mattress on your bed, rip the plastic wrap, and watch it expand in seconds!
Share this deal with a friend!
Laura Georgieff
Laura is a mother of three who did not sleep through the night for the first 5.5 years of her kids' lives. She is passionate about sleep quality and loves sharing her experience and knowledge of all thing bedding! It is her mission to help you make the best decisions when it comes to sleep and help you get the best deal on the market!
6 Responses