Loader Save Story Save this story Comment Loader Save Story Save this story Featured in this article Best for Back Pain Saatva Classic Mattress Read more $2,199 $1,874 (15% off) Saatva
Best Firm Support Bear Elite Hybrid (Firm) Read more $2,284 $1,599 (30% off) Bear
Best Soft Pressure Relief Saatva Rx Read more $3,449 $3,074 (11% off) Saatva
If You Have Shoulder Pain Instead of Back Pain Sonu Sleep System Read more $2,999 $2,499 (17% off) Sonu
If there was anyone who needed to find the best mattress for back pain, it's me. Nearly a decade ago, I started waking up with back pain that could range from just an ache to hurting so much I could barely get out of bed. I found out I have two permanent conditions in my spine: scoliosis, a sideways curvature that developed in my mid-twenties (usually teens develop it, but that didn't stop me in my twenties), and spondylosis in my lower spine, which is abnormal wear and tear on the cartilage. Both caused serious pain overnight, and I assumed it was just something I’d have to live with. But it turned out my flimsy, unsupportive mattress was a secondary culprit. It didn't offer the support I needed, and left me in more pain than when I had gone to bed.
To cure this, I've tried everything: mattress pads, knee pillows, and mattresses that ranged from super-soft foam to ultra-firm planks. Some of these things worked, some didn't. I, or another WIRED reviewer, slept on the mattresses below—including our top pick, the Saatva Classic —for at least seven nights each and monitored how they affected our back pain during the night and the following morning. My husband also gave me his feedback, even though he isn't plagued with chronic back problems.
After all these nights of sleeping on the job, I've found which mattresses left my back aches and pressure pains in the past. Below are our favorites to sleep on if you have back pain, plus advice for how to navigate back pain and sleep overall. While you're here, don't miss our related buying guides, including the Best Mattresses , Best Pillows , and Best Sheets , for an all-around best sleeping experience. All of the prices shown below are for queen-size models.
Updated March 2026: I've made the Saatva Classic my new top pick, added the Sonu as a pick for shoulder pain, and ensured up-to-date links and prices.
Compare Our Top Five Mattresses for Back Pain Honorable Mentions Mattresses to Avoid How Does a Mattress Help With Back Pain? Can a Knee Pillow Help? How Does WIRED Test Mattresses for Back Pain? Best for Back Pain Photograph: Nena Farrell Photograph: Nena Farrell Photograph: Nena Farrell Chevron Chevron Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Saatva
The Saatva Classic is my new favorite mattress for my back pain. It's soft without being too soft—a combination I've found elusive—and after a week of testing, I didn't see any flare-ups in my lower back pain. Pressure pain and muscle aches were also relieved with this mattress, which I didn't always find with super-firm mattresses like the Plank. It was a huge relief after the sciatica pain and some muscle issues I've had as a result.
The Saatva Classic achieves this with a pillow top that has lumbar support built into the center third of the mattress, and while you won't feel a difference while lying down, the support pays off. There are also two coil types that make up the body and deliver great support underneath the soft and supportive cover, plus edge support. It's an all-around great mattress and priced really well for what you get. I did the luxury firm setting, and it was plenty firm for my back support while still feeling plenty plush for my side sleeping.
Saatva also (for free!) delivers the mattress fully formed and will place it in your room for you, saving your aching back from dragging a mattress up the stairs and waiting for it to fill with air before you sleep on it. They'll do free mattress removal too, and there's a 365-night trial.
Prices range from $1,194 for a twin to $2,783 for a split king.
WIRED Highly responsive and supportive, thanks to two coil types Three firmness options and two heights to pick from Center of the bed has increased lumbar support via an extra layer and firm quilting TIRED Not as much pressure relief as a memory foam hybrid would offer Best Firm Support Photograph: Nena Farrell Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Bear
The Bear Elite Hybrid is our top pick for a side-sleeper mattress , and while it's one of the firmest options both I and WIRED reviewer Martin Cizmar have tried, we both agree that it's one you'll only love more the longer you sleep on it. It feels insanely firm after you unbox it; even though it's rated at a lower firmness than the Plank Firm Natural I usually sleep on, I'd say the Bear Elite's firmest setting actually feels firmer. It's a much taller mattress at 14 inches, with five layers of zoned coils and two kinds of foam. Even with all of those coils, it's much less springy than the Plank, and initially feels incredibly dense to sleep on. However, as a side sleeper, a few nights on the Plank leaves my shoulders feeling incredibly stiff, while the Bear Elite has left my shoulders feeling fine the next morning. That firm factor is great for spine support, with both the medium firmness and the firmest level. I tested the firmest with great results—my back has been pain-free every morning!—and Martin had similar positive results with his back pain testing Bear's medium option. Both versions are incredibly firm when you unbox the mattress, but it's one that will last you a long time and keep you ultra-supported.
There are also cooling features—this mattress has phase change material, or PCM, built into it to absorb body heat, and copper-infused memory foam that can wick that body heat away. With it being such a dense mattress, these are great features to make sure you aren't overheating from your mattress while you sleep. I was testing it during California wintertime with flannel sheets, and was happy to find that the thicker mattress and flannel didn't have me overheating, thanks to Bear's cooling features. All in all, it's a fantastic mattress for support and cooling, and even the firmest setting is one side sleepers can sleep on and wake up pain-free.
Prices range from $1,299 for a twin to $2,712 for a California king.
WIRED One of the firmest mattresses out there, which is great for spinal support Both medium and firm levels fixed back pain in our testing, and firmest level was fine for a side sleeper Phase change material cover does a great job with repelling heat TIRED Is a very firm mattress, even if you pick less firm levels Best Soft Pressure Relief Photograph: Nena Farrell Courtesy of Saatva Chevron Chevron Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Saatva
My right side almost always hurts. My scoliosis puts more weight on that side, creating a painful pressure point overnight. Fun combo! But the Saatva Rx let me sleep on my right side and wake up without a single pain. There's a lot going on that makes this possible. There are seven layers, including a half-inch memory foam layer placed for lumbar support, a high-density foam layer encasing a micro-coil layer, and a layer Saatva calls the “Therapeutic Support Core.” This consists of a foam module on top of individually pocketed coils and phase change material, which can help regulate temperature overnight. It feels nice and soft, but not so soft that I'm sinking into it.
It totally erases my pressure points and muscle pain overnight. I let my sister sleep on it after she strained a muscle in her upper back, and the next morning she said it felt seriously improved and noted how easy it was to spring up. It's a little too soft to support my spine's spondylosis damage, and I woke up with a twinge of discomfort in my lower back where that damage is, even with the extra lumbar support.
But if you have more pressure point pain or overused-muscle aches rather than spine damage, the Saatva Rx is a fantastic choice. Saatva also offers a 365-night trial and a lifetime warranty, and it delivers the mattress in a truck and fully formed—no shrink-wrapped mattress-in-a-box here. You'll get a heads-up about the delivery and can ask for it to be placed in your room of choice.
Prices range from $1,774 for a twin to $4,598 for a split king.
WIRED Fantastic for pressure relief Really soft, but still relieves pressure even as you sink into the bed White-glove delivery is included TIRED Marketed toward sleepers dealing with back pain, but is too soft for serious spinal or pain issues Doesn't have the lumbar or firm support needed for folks who need spinal alignment If You Have Shoulder Pain Instead of Back Pain Photograph: Nena Farrell Photograph: Nena Farrell Photograph: Nena Farrell Chevron Chevron Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Sonu
The Sonu Sleep System is unlike any other mattress I've slept on. The mattress is designed specifically for side sleepers who need more room for their shoulders, so if your back pain is in your upper back from not having enough shoulder space, this is a great solution.
The Sonu solves it by adding what it calls “The Comfort Channel," which is a cavity for your arm underneath where your pillow will lie. There are four square support pillows that fill the cavity (two stacked on either side of the bed), so your arm has places to rest and your head is still fully supported, but I was the most comfortable with a third regular pillow on top. My arm and shoulders felt great, but it was a little too soft with the full-foam design for my lower back problems. But if you're specifically struggling with upper back or shoulder pain, this could be a good solution.
