Back pain is like a sharp splinter in soft skin: its constant presence is painful, irritating, and exasperatingly unpleasant. If we created a list of our least favorite things, back pain would be number one. Not only can back pain impair your body, but it can disturb your peace of mind as well. The good news, though? There’s a mattress out there that can help mitigate its effects.

Choosing the right mattress for lower back pain involves learning your body type, recognizing your sleep routine, and referencing the recommended firmness of your mattress. It’s an intricate process of learning about your body in order to get the best sleep. Ready to get started? Read below for our curated guide on how to choose a mattress for back pain.

Consider Your Preference

From soft-as-a-cloud to hard-as-a-rock, everyone has a preference when it comes to their perfect mattress. The first step when deciding how to buy a mattress for back pain is to consider yours.

•  Soft – mattresses offer a plush, cloud-like feel to sleepers. Engineered for optimal body conformation, soft mattresses wrap around your body as you sink into them. Their doughy designs gently guide you to the gates of dreamland in their gentle embrace.

•  Medium – mattresses are—you guessed it—the goldilocks of the three mattress types. While soft to the touch, these beds provide ample support by preventing excessive sinking.

•  Firm – mattresses have frills, but they’re mostly designed for function. These mattresses contain firm sleeping surfaces that stop your body from sinking in. While generally very supportive, they offer little conformability.

Once you have a basis for the type of mattress you prefer, you can begin the journey of learning how your body will respond to each surface.

Look for Proper Back Support

The first step is all about opinions, but now it’s time to face the facts: depending on your body type, certain mattresses are better for your back pain. Back pain can be caused when:

•  The body’s pressure points collide with the surface of a mattress

•  The body’s pressure points are not properly supported

•  The spine is not properly aligned

Knowing your body helps to determine which of these causes contribute to your pain. Generally, sleepers’ body types are divided into three categories:

•  Light-weight – Sleepers who weigh less than 130 pounds

•  Average-weight – Sleepers who weigh between 130 - 230 pounds

•  Heavy-weight – Sleepers who weigh over 230 pounds

Body weight determines how much pressure you place on a mattress. A soft mattress may feel perfect for light-weighted sleepers. However, it may cause average-weighted sleepers to sink uncomfortably into its surface. Likewise, while firm mattresses may give heavy-weighted sleepers the support they need, they may cause painful pressure on light-weighted sleepers’ joints. Accounting for body type is essential in the search for the best mattress for back pain.

Recognize Your Sleeping Habits

Do you toss and turn at night? Do you prefer to sleep on your stomach? Do you fall asleep on your back only to wake up folded like a pretzel? Believe it or not, the positions we sleep in are huge determining factors in if—and how—we experience back pain. The three most common sleeping positions also account for the standard areas of back pain. Sleepers who rest on their sides, stomachs, and backs often place pressure on their:

•  Hips and Shoulders – Pain in these areas is associated with side sleepers. Sleeping on your side places pressure on the hips and shoulders. This can quickly lead to soreness if the areas are not properly supported.

•  Lower back – If resting on an unsupportive mattress, sleepers who rest on their backs and stomachs may experience pain in their lower backs. If the hips sink lower than the head whilst in these positions, back pain may ensue. 

Evaluate Mattress Firmness

Now for the final step: placing each of the pieces together. Mattresses are manufactured based on a scale of one (softest) to ten (firmest). The suggested firmest of a mattress directly correlates to a sleeper’s body type and sleeping habits. Where they align on the scale determines how effective their mattress will be in alleviating back pain. When choosing a mattress, sleepers are encouraged to find their place within the following mattress scale:

•  Extremely soft (1) –  While marshmallow-soft, these mattresses have very little firmness and offer little-to-no support. 

•  Soft (2-3) – These offer the ultimate conformability. While these provide little support for medium-weighted to heavier-weighted sleepers, this mattress is best for side sleepers and those who identify as light-weight.

•  Medium-soft (4) – It’s plush but supportive nonetheless.

•  Medium (5) – It’s the best of both worlds—not too soft to sink into, but the perfect balance of conformity and firmness.

•  Medium-firm (6) – A firm feel with just a dash of squish.

•  Firm (7-8) –  This mattress offers minimal conforming for a firm feel with no sinkage. Sleepers that fall within the heavy-weight range are likely to feel the most support with a firm mattress.

•  Extra-firm (9-10) –  So firm, it might as well be a plank of wood. This mattress offers a hard surface with no conforming (and probably plenty of back pain too).

Once you cross-reference the suggested mattress firmness with your body type, preferred sleeping position, and personal preference, you’ll be one step closer to finding the perfect mattress for you. 

Aim for a Balance of Support and Comfort

Determining which mattress to choose is an intricate process. Buying a mattress is one of the best investments that you can make. It’s also one of the only investments that will pay you back. When searching for a mattress, aim for a balance of support and comfort to give you the great nights’ sleep that you deserve. And if you want an extra layer of support? Try:

Switching Up Your Sleep

While you may love to backstroke or sidestroke your way to dreamland, your body could be suffering from the pressure of the very same sleeping positions that you favor. If you find yourself aching as the sun rises each morning, you may want to switch the way you sleep. While uncommon, these positions could offer your body the change that it needs:

 - Fetal –  This slide-sleeping position mimics the position of a fetus in the womb. It entails laying on your side with your knees curled towards your chest. While in this position, some sleepers curl their arm under their head to support their neck. In addition to reducing back pain, the fetal position also helps those who are pregnant, have heartburn or acid reflux, snore or have obstructive sleep apnea, or those with limited spinal ability.

Pro tip: While sleeping on your side is a great way to reduce back pain, the benefits can vary based on which side you choose to lay. Sleeping on the left side increases blood flow and protects the liver from pressure. However, for sleepers with heart failure, it is recommended that they sleep on the right side.

•  The Soldier – The soldier is a back-sleeping position that involves, well, laying straight like a soldier. In this position, the legs are not bent and the arms lie straight alongside the body. It’s a great position for relieving the body of pressure, and it’s a salute to proper spinal alignment. 

•  Starfish – This uncommon sleeping position may work wonders for your lower back pain. It also protects against shoulder pain, neck pain, and the development of wrinkles. This position involves sleeping on your back with your legs and arms splayed out to the side. 

  In general, sleeping on your back provides the most spinal alignment, while sleeping on your side is the second-best alternative. Doctors do not, however, recommend sleeping on your stomach. Stomach sleeping can create strain on your neck and back—leading to those woeful aches and pains in the morning. It also increases a sleeper's potential for wrinkles and shoulder pain. If you’re a stomach sleeper, consider switching to a more supportive position.

•  Popping in a Pillow — Believe it or not, pillows aren’t just for supporting your head. Placing a down or foam pillow between the aggravated pressure points on your body can help alleviate any pressure from building. If you suffer pain, try placing a pillow:

•  Between the knees —This is especially helpful for side-sleepers. Placing a pillow under the knees lifts the leg and restores the spine to its natural alignment. You can then kiss goodbye any hip pain goodbye.

•  Under the knees — While sleeping on your back, place a small pillow under your knees in order to support and maintain the natural curve of your spine.

These small yet significant practices can help relieve pressure from your body. Try these tips with our luxuriously fluffy down pillow and finally lay your back pain to rest.

Seek the Best Types of Mattresses for Back Pains with Casper

Back pain is—well—a pain. It interferes with everyday responsibilities, impedes quality of life, and is the leading cause of disability. In life, we have plenty of things to worry about—and back pain shouldn’t be one of them. This is why it’s so important to choose the best mattress for you.

Depending on your body type and sleeping style, there is a mattress out there that has been specifically curated for you. That’s an opportunity that you shouldn’t hesitate to seek out. Whether you’re a side sleeper who prefers their surfaces ultra-soft, or a back sleeper who requires something firm, Casper has the best mattress for you. Sink into the soft embrace of our Nova Hybrid mattress, or elect our best mattress for aches and pains: the Wave Hybrid. Whether you’re suffering from back pain or you’re reflecting upon your day, we all deserve to feel supported. Choose Casper so that, at the end of the day, your mattress can support you too.

Sources: 

Sleep Foundation. Pressure Relief. Pressure Relief | Sleep Foundation 

Sleep Foundation. Body Weight. www.sleepfoundation.org/research-methodology/body-weight 

Sleep Foundation. Fetal Sleeping Position. www.sleepfoundation.org/sleeping-positions/fetal

Sleep Foundation. Starfish Sleeping Position. www.sleepfoundation.org/sleeping-positions/starfish 

Sleep Foundation. Sleeping on Your Stomach: Is It Bad for You? www.sleepfoundation.org/sleeping-positions/sleeping-on-stomach 

WHO. Low Back Pain. www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/81/9/Ehrlich.pdf