Shopping for a mattress as a back sleeper can be overwhelming. You need a mattress that’s supportive enough to keep your spine aligned at night but not so firm that you’re uncomfortable. But here’s the thing: Many good bed options achieve the sweet spot between support and comfort.
Getting a feel for the Saatva Classic mattress.
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.
Best mattresses for back sleepers
Mattress price scale:
$ = Budget: $799 and below
$$ = Average: $800 to $1,699
$$$ = Premium: $1,700 and up
These reflect MSRP or list prices. Sales might make a mattress less expensive, but are always changing.
Type Hybrid mattressFirmness 3 firmness levels | Plush Soft: Medium or 5 | Luxury Firm: Medium-firm or 7 | Firm: 9/10 or firmTrial 365 nightsWarranty Lifetime warranty Price $$
If you’re a back sleeper and you love the feel of memory foam, look no further than the Nectar mattress. It’s an affordable memory foam mattress that’s firm enough to give back sleepers all the support they need. We rate the Nectar mattress around 7 out of 10 or medium-firm. It provides a lot of pressure relief thanks to the memory foam construction, but it’s still firm enough to support your spine.
You get the classic, dense memory foam feel with the Nectar mattress. As you slowly sink into the bed, it cradles around your curves until you almost feel like you’re in a cocoon. Switching positions can make it a little tricky because of how slow-moving the memory foam is, but if you’re a strict back sleeper, that shouldn’t bother you.
Learn more in our Nectar Mattress Review.
Pros:
- Affordable
- Great for memory fan lovers
- The medium-firm profile makes it good for back sleepers
Cons:
- Slow-moving memory foam isn’t for everyone
- Switching positions takes more effort
Nectar Memory Foam
Type Hybrid mattressFirmness 3 firmness levels | Softer: Medium-soft or 3 | Luxury firm: Medium or 5 | Firmer: Medium-firm or 7Trial 120 nightsWarranty Lifetime warranty Price $$
Getting too hot at night can significantly affect your sleep quality. Several mattresses out there have some sort of cooling technology incorporated. Still, no other brand does it quite like the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe mattress. It’s one of the coolest mattresses we’ve tested, thanks to the CooperFlex foam and Titan Cool cover.
With a mix of sturdy, pocketed coils and squishy foam, this bed has a neutral foam feel that most people will like. It’s not going to give you that stuck-in-the-mud feeling like the Tempur-Pedic. The Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe mattress has three firmness levels: soft, medium and firm.
Back sleepers will want to stick with the firm option, which we found to be about a 7 out of 10. It’s not the firmest option out there, but it will be supportive enough to ensure you don’t sink into the foam layers too much but offer enough pressure relief to sleep comfortably.
Learn more in our Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe mattress review.
Pros:
- It’s a physically cool mattress
- Firm profile is recommended for back sleepers
- Neutral foam feel appeals to most people
Cons:
- Soft and medium firmness profiles will not provide enough support for back sleepers
- Expensive
Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe
If you’re looking for a budget mattress for back sleepers, look no further than the Allswell Brick. From the retail giant Walmart, the Allswell Brick won’t have the bells and whistles other beds have, like zoned support or a cooling over. But it’s a solid bed that no-fuss back sleepers will enjoy.
The Allswell Brick mattress is a hybrid bed with a coil support layer, 2 inches of transition foam and copper-infused memory foam. It’s finished with a firmer quilted top panel, which gives the Allswell Brick its firm foam feel that you won’t sink into. We found it to be a medium-firm, or a 7 on our scale, making it perfect for back sleepers.
When you open your Allswell Brick mattress, it might feel softer than you expect. Don’t worry, that’s normal. Since it was compressed in a box, achieving its full firmness takes a few hours.
Learn more in our Allswell Brick Mattress Review.
Pros:
- Great budget choice
- Medium-firm profile is excellent for back sleepers
- Easy to move around on
Cons:
- Off gassing is expected for this bed
- Lacks the unique features of other mattresses
