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The Best Mattresses for Back Sleepers in 2024

By imeionline.com
The Best Mattresses for Back Sleepers in 2024
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Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission.

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Taylor Leamey Senior Writer

Taylor Leamey writes about all things wellness, specializing in mental health, sleep and nutrition coverage. She has invested hundreds of hours into studying and researching sleep and holds a Certified Sleep Science Coach certification from the Spencer Institute. Not to mention the years she spent studying mental health fundamentals while earning her bachelor’s degrees in both Psychology and Sociology. She is also a Certified Stress Management Coach.

Expertise Sleep, Mental Health, Nutrition and Supplements Credentials

  • Certified Sleep Science Coach, Certified Stress Management Coach

With 5+ years of mattress testing experience, we use our different sleeping position and body type perspectives to offer well-rounded, honest reviews.

How we sort our mattresses

When purchasing a new mattress, you always want to consider your preferred sleep position. For instance, if you tend to sleep on your back, you’ll need a mattress that properly supports your spine. Though this does take a decently firm mattress, you also need a bit of cushion so it’s still comfortable. The right balance between firmness and softness will vary from person to person because weight plays a role in how deep you sink into softer mattresses. But the best mattresses for back sleepers will strike the perfect balance, and there are plenty of great options.

At CNET, our team of experts has tested over 200 mattresses, so we know precisely what back sleepers need. However, what works for someone else may differ from your ideal mattress match. That’s why I selected a variety of beds tailored to different types of back sleepers, helping you find the one that best suits your needs.

What’s the best mattress for back sleepers?

A person touching and feeling the top of the firm Saatva Classic mattress

Getting a feel for the Saatva Classic mattress.

Jonathon Gomez/CNET

In general, back sleepers tend to prefer firmer mattresses because they provide enough support to keep your spine in a natural position while you’re sleeping. As such, most of the mattresses on this list will lean toward the firmer side of the scale. So, you’ll want to choose a medium to medium-firm mattress (6 out of 10) or higher. 

While testing, we found that the best overall bed for back sleepers is the Saatva Classic mattress. Saatva is a luxury mattress with a comfy pillow top and a two-coil layer support system. Any back sleeper will love the comfort and support of the Saatva mattress. 

Video: Best mattress for back sleepers

Watch CNET Video Producer Owen Poole review the best mattress for back sleepers. 

Best mattresses for back sleepers

Warranty

lifetime warranty

Purple Restore Firm mattress

Firmness

Medium firm: (7)

7.9 /10

SCORE

Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress Back Sleeper

Type

memory foam mattress

Warranty

forever warranty

8.4 /10

SCORE

Close up of the Winkbed mattress

Firmness

3 firmness levels | softer: medium-soft or 3 | luxury firm: medium or 5 | firmer: medium-firm or 7

Warranty

lifetime warranty

8.5 /10

SCORE

Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe in a bedroom

Firmness

Soft: (3) Medium: (5) Medium firm: (7)

Warranty

10-year limited warranty

7.5 /10

SCORE

The Allswell mattress on top of a grey bed frame in between two blue and white night stands

7.9 /10

SCORE

Titan Plus mattress

Type

firm hybrid mattress

Warranty

10-year warranty

8.1 /10

SCORE

Plank Mattress

Firmness

7 or medium-firm

Warranty

10-year limited warranty

Comparing the best mattresses for back sleepers

Mattress Mattress Type Price (Queen MSRP) Sleep trial Warranty
Saatva Classic Hybrid $2,095 365 nights Lifetime warranty
Purple Restore Hybrid $1,499 100 nights 10-year warranty
Nectar Memory foam $1,563 365 nights Forever warranty
Winkbed Hybrid $1,799 120 nights Lifetime warranty
Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Hybrid $2,265 120 nights 10-year limited warranty
Allswell Brick Hybrid $427 100 nights 10-year warranty
Titan Plus Hybrid $1,249 120 nights 10-year warranty
Plank Hybrid $1,332 120 nights 10-year warranty

You’ve just read our picks for the best mattresses for back sleepers. There were a few more that we considered that are worth mentioning. Though they didn’t make the cut for this list, we still think they’re really great mattresses. 

DreamCloud Premier: This is a 14-inch hybrid mattress that has layers of comfy foam and a plush pillow top. The DreamCloud Premier has a responsive memory foam feel. We found it to be between a medium to a medium-firm on our scale, making it good for back sleepers. The DreamCloud Premier is also available in an all-foam construction. 

Leesa Oasis Chill: The Oasis Chill is a new hybrid mattress from Leesa that we really liked while we tested it. We’d recommend the Cushion Firm model for back sleepers; it’s about a medium-firm on our scale. It has a responsive pillow top feel and a zoned support coil system that can help people with back pain. We would consider it an actively cooling mattress, though it’s not the coolest out there. 

DreamFoam Chill: If you’re looking for a budget foam mattress good for back sleeping, check out the DreamFoam Chill. After discounts, you can get the DreamFoam Chill bed for under $500. It’s available in five different height profiles, with the 10-inch being the most popular. That 10-inch model is a medium-firm to firm, about an 8 on our scale. We compare how it feels to the Plank mattress. 

Loom & Leaf: Saatva’s Loom & Leaf mattress is an all-foam mattress with two different memory foams for comfort layers and a plush pillow top. It’s available in two firmness options: relaxed firm and firm. Either option is going to serve back sleepers well.  

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Our team of sleep and mattress experts has tested over 200 mattresses collectively. During that time, we’ve established testing methods that assess each mattress for each key performance factor. 

We test all mattresses the same, though when selecting which beds make our best lists, we consider each option based on the topic. In this case, it’s back sleepers. There are several perfectly good mattresses that we rate highly, but won’t won’t make this back sleepers list because they are better suited for someone else.

Firmness: We’ve rated every mattress we’ve ever tested for firmness, comparing them to each other. This has allowed us to establish a firmness scale ranging from soft to extra firm. Mattress for back sleepers will fall on the firmer side of the scale — medium to medium-firm and up. 

Feel: When testing and rating how a mattress feels, we touch and feel the bed while watching how the materials respond. Is it light and bouncy? Or does it take a while to snap back like traditional memory foam? 

Durability: We hypothesize a bed’s durability based on its construction. Beds with steel coil bases generally hold up better in the long run, though plenty of foam mattresses have a good lifespan. 

Best body type: Using the firmness and construction of each bed, we determine who is best suited for a bed. For example, heavier body types need the extra support of coils. Petite body types will find that mattresses feel firmer because they put less pressure on them.

Best sleeping position: We also consider sleeping position when testing mattresses. We lie on each mattress in every position — back, stomach, side and combination — taking extra care to note how it feels on our backs and pressure points. 

Motion isolation: We use a few tests for motion isolation. First, two people lie on the bed and bounce around to see if the other can feel their movements. This is essential if you have a partner who moves around often at night. We also place a glass of water on the edge of the mattress and roll and bounce around to see if it tips over. 

Edge support: Think of edge support as the strength of the bed’s perimeter. We sit and lie on the edge of each bed and rate how well it supports our weight. If we feel we might roll off it, the bed doesn’t have good edge support. 

Check out how we test mattresses for even more of the nitty-gritty of our process.

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Back sleeping is the second most common sleeper style, providing several advantages including neutral spinal alignment and preventing back and neck pain. On top of the various personal preferences that will help determine which bed you should choose, how you sleep also factors in. 

Let’s discuss what factors will help you narrow down your ideal bed when comparing the top options for back sleepers. 

Firmness

Back sleepers need a firmer mattress for quality sleep. If a mattress is too soft, you’ll sink in unevenly, and your spine will be out of alignment. This can contribute to back pain.

Remember that firmness is a scale, and just because you’re a back sleeper doesn’t mean you have to opt for the firmest bed out there. You don’t have to sacrifice comfort to get the support you need. We recommend plenty of supportive beds for back sleepers that fall at around a medium to medium-firm level.

Body type 

Your body type will influence two main things when shopping for a mattress: firmness and construction. Depending on how much you weigh, you will put more or less pressure on a mattress, determining how you will experience the mattress. Petite body types will find that beds will feel firmer because they don’t put much pressure on them. Alternatively, heavier body types will find that beds feel softer, so they may want to opt for firmer options. 

Your body type will also influence which construction you should get. Generally, heavier body types should buy hybrid mattresses with steel coils for optimal support and comfort. They’re a safer choice in the long run. 

Budget

Beds will cost you a decent chunk of change; there’s no way around it. Identifying your budget will help you filter out many options, making your search more manageable.

While the average mattress costs $800 to $1,200, several good options are outside this range. You can find budget mattresses as low as $300 and luxury options well over $2000. 

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Generally, the best mattress for back sleepers will be medium-firm to firm mattresses. However, the type of medium-firm mattress you choose is up to you. If you like the cradling feeling of memory foam, there are several memory foam beds like Nectar that back sleepers will like. 

If you’re a larger person, investing in a hybrid mattress will give you the most bang for your buck. The steel coils offer extra durability and support.

Back sleepers tend to find that firmer mattresses are more comfortable for them. We recommend that back sleepers choose at least a medium to medium-firm mattress, which translates to a 6 out of 10. For many back sleepers, even firmer beds are better to ensure they get enough support through the night. 

Memory foam mattresses are excellent for back sleepers who like the sensation you can only get from memory foam. If you choose a firmer construction, memory foam mattresses can give you what you need to sleep comfortably as a back sleeper. 

When you sleep on a mattress that’s too soft, it allows your middle section to sink too far in. This puts your spine out of neutral alignment, contributing to back pain. 

Soft mattresses are great for side sleepers because they relieve pressure around the shoulders, hips and knees. They just aren’t the best choice for back sleepers. 

Read more: Best Mattress for Side Sleepers

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