Best Mattress for Back Sleepers in 2020

Back sleepers are the most common sleeping type at least in the United States. Many mattress makers do keep them in mind when they design new models or innovate on old ones. But not all who claim they are comforting, contouring, and supportive have optimal effects on them.

In this guide, we’ll have a good look at the best mattress for back sleepers for many experts and users. We review them individually to help you decide on the ideal mattress for you. Makes sure to go over each item to understand their strengths and weaknesses.

Take a peek at our Table of Contents to see whether something catches your interest at first glance. Busy? Bookmark this page so you want to read it later.

Best Mattress for Back Sleepers 

1. Classic Saatva Mattress 

Saatva has consistently featured on lists of best mattresses for many kinds of needs and preferences. Usually, it’s the Classic Saatva Mattress that tops those lists. This innerspring-memory foam combo is a performer. And it still falls within the affordable luxury category. Here, we’ll explore why it’s excellent for back sleepers.

Taking a spin on the classic innerspring system, this model raises the bar among online mattress brands by laying a good foundation at the base. The coil system is a stable and strong layer that supports your body as well as the top memory foam layers. Speaking of memory foam, this is present in comfort layers that ensure contouring for your back and spine.

A Dual Perimeter edge support system is added to provide you with greater sleeping surface and prevent premature sagging. Choose among Plush Soft, Luxury Firm, and Firm to customize the firmness. So far, we’ve found Luxury Firm ideal for back sleepers. Its score on the scale is between 5 and 7, with 10 as the most firm and 1 as the softest. But go softer or harder depending on your needs.

With minimal motion transfer and fair cooling properties, it can, however, deter couples or hot sleepers. Apart from these, though, the Saatva is pretty and functional, putting any bedroom it graces in an up-leveled light. Saatva beds are made to order and white-glove delivered free of charge.

2. Allswell Signature Hybrid Mattress

Our second best mattress for back sleepers is from Allswell. This brand offers models that are less expensive than most mattresses. Its hybrid contender is the Allswell Signature Hybrid Mattress, which balances pressure relief and support nicely. It’s ideal for those who are on a tight budget or starting out, such as newlyweds and students.

This design sports 2 gauges of coils that recapture the bounce of traditional innerspring system. At the same time, it delivers strong support for the memory foam atop it. This memory foam gives the bed its conforming capabilities. It is also breathable, so you feel comfortable in your slumber. This foam-coil technology does not disappoint in terms of performance.

Its medium-firm feel offers respite to those suffering from back pain. Registering in between 4.5 and 6.5, it feels just right and feels good for all sleepers of all types actually. Good edge support is perfect for those who tend to roll over the edge. The perimeter is stable and strong, which also means you can worry less about sinking and sagging.

This Allswell bed can be yours for as low as $245 for a twin version. Perks include free ground shipping, a 100-night risk-free trial, and a 10-year limited warranty. You may check with the company the process for requesting white glove delivery and mattress removal.

3. All-New Purple Mattress

Purple has engineered a bed that nails responsiveness, breathability, and motion isolation in the Original Purple Mattress. With the All-New Purple Mattress, it continues the tradition of adapting to your body’s natural shape while enhancing the effects of its layers. It is not just good for back snoozers. It’s also great for back pain sufferers.

The new design boasts of Purple’s signature Smart Comfort Grid. This technology adapts to bodies of any shape and size. It adjusts to the pressure your body makes when you hit the sack, cradling your pressure points a bit more firmly. The rest of your body is cushioned more gently. Also, the open cell structure allows for regulating temperature and isolating motion. Further, it is hypoallergenic, non-toxic, and durable.

This bed reveals medium firmness. The firmness is ideal for side sleepers as well since they need contouring support for their shoulders and hips. This is great news for combo sleepers. You’ll wake up pain-free on this mattress, which is something to look forward to.

Purple is also known for going above and beyond, offering a choice between complimentary white glove delivery or free shipping. It will also remove your old mattress if you want to dispose of it. After all the preliminaries, you can enjoy a 100-night trial. Love yours? You can bypass the trial and decide it’s for you. This version is more expensive than the original, starting at $1,299 (Twin XL). 

It is backed by a 10-year warranty.

4. T&N Adaptive Foam by Tuft & Needle

Online mattress brand Tuft & Needle claims a stake in the industry by introducing its own alternative to traditional memory foam. The T&N Adaptive Foam is that alternative. It’s called Adaptive Foam because of the body-adapting feature engineered into it. How does it work exactly?

The foam provides more firmness to parts that give heavier pressure to its surface. These heavier parts are the shoulders and hips. When they hit the bed, the foam will push back more firmly. For the lighter parts of your body, the foam will provide cradling more gently. Cooling is achieved through gel and graphite, which dissipate body heat instead of absorbing it. This is optimal for hot sleepers.

All the foams used here are certified by CertiPUR-US and GREENGUARD. It is safe for you and the planet. Interested in getting a queen-sized Tuft & Needle Mattress? Rejoice for it retails regularly at $595. This bed-in-a-box model will be delivered to your doorstep or even bedroom. It’s fairly easy to set up as well. 

If you request to return it within the 100-night trial period, Tuft & Needle will handle pickup and provide a full refund. You are entitled to a 10-year limited warranty should your decision to keep it.

5. Happsy Mattress

Happsy is a green company that espouses sustainable and less carbon footprint lifestyle. It also promotes healthy sleep through the first fully organic mattress, the Happsy Organic Mattress. It creates its bed in an organic facility it owns, making sure the process and product are free from contamination.

This natural and non-toxic bed are made of latex and coil but without the use of adhesives and flame retardant. The organic latex it contains is more compatible with the body than non-organic and non-natural counterparts. The layers are 2 inches of contouring foam that supports your pressure points and sewn in soft and breathable wool batting; 8 inches of pocketed springs that provides ventilation while supporting the sleepers and isolating motion.

As a fully certified organic mattress, Happsy is safe and healthy for you. Avail of free shipping, a 120-night trial, and a 20-year warranty when you order this eco-friendly mattress. Organic and natural products often go with high price tags. But Happsy is more affordable, with the queen version selling for $1,399.

6. Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid Mattress

Brooklyn Bedding is the first to introduce the bed-in-a-box concept. But it is not just known for its all-foam designs. The Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid Mattress is a contender if you are considering a hybrid. The foam-coil combo is a force to reckon with in the mattress world. Contouring and support are blended in one bed to provide the best benefits.

This hybrid mattress sports the Energex foam layer that’s designed for deep compression. On top of it is a 2-inch top layer of patented TitanFlex foam, which works double-time to contour your body’s curves like memory foam and respond to your movements like latex foam. At the base, 1,024 individually encased Ascension coils provide stability and durability.

Multiple firmness options are available. This hybrid mattress offers great support thanks to its pocketed coil system. Pick the one that suits you among Soft, Medium, and Firm. It’s all about giving you the great fit for your body and bedroom. We recommend medium firmness to back sleepers. The foam layers balance the bed’s firmness with enough contouring and bounce. 

Infused in the TitanFlex foam is the TitaniumGel for cooling and bacterial protection. The price for the Signature Hybrid starts at $599. Your order comes with a 120-night risk-free trial, free shipping, and pickup and returns, and a 10-year warranty.

7. Nectar Mattress

Online mattress maker Nectar has been raking in positive reviews and profits since it began operations. This is a feat that it continues working on as a part of the Resident family of brands. Its parent company has a sterling reputation as a household goods provider. And beds are an important component of home life. The Nectar Mattress makes it possible for you to rest sweetly.

Inside Nectar is a multilayer foam that combines breathability and support. The brand’s signature gel memory foam sits below quilted memory foam, forming the top layer. Next, the support memory foam is placed above the foam base. All of these are covered in cooling fabric to improve on the breathability of traditional memory foam. This bed cradles your pressure points while you snooze on its soft surface.

Firmness is logged at  5.5-7.5 or medium firmness. This helps those who are suffering from lower back pain as well. If you are a back sleeper, this bed will be helpful to you specifically as a firm, the supportive bed is good for your back, especially your spine. But this one can also benefit all kinds of sleepers who are of average weight.

Order a Queen for $824 and less if you chance upon promos. Avail of Nectar’s 365-night risk-free trial period and lifetime warranty, both being among the industry’s best. Free shipping and returns apply.

Also Read- Nectar Mattress Review

8. Leesa Luxury Hybrid Mattress

Leesa is an online mattress brand dedicated to making an impact beyond profit. For a start, it donates a mattress to a chosen charity for every 10 mattresses it sells. This corporate social responsibility is deeply ingrained in the company’s DNA. But that doesn’t mean it eclipses the performance of its beds. If you’re after mattress quality and brand integrity, this is the place to start.

More specifically, check out the Leesa Luxury Hybrid Mattress. This premium hybrid model is ideal for back sleepers. The foam design reminds you of the original Leesa Mattress that started it all. It is then combined with a coil system to deliver optimal support and conforming. The first layer is a memory foam that contours to your body, so pressure points are supported. 

A 2-part recovery foam layer allows for the bed to bounce back to its original shape after you get up. This means nobody indentation is left in the mattress after taking after your body’s shape. Lastly, the 1,000 pocketed springs at the base are a multitasker in providing durability, motion isolation, and edge support. This design is not just supportive of back sleepers, but also to others.

One of the best parts about this hybrid is that it costs less than its counterparts. A Queen retails for only $1,695. Shipping and setup are free of charge. Your bed will not just be delivered to your doorstep but to your bedroom. A 100-night trial is included in your purchase.

Know Before You Buy

Things to Look for When Buying A Mattress for Back Sleepers

Firmness & Feel

Back sleepers should consider the firmness of the mattress to experience the full benefits of sleep. It should feel just right for you. And to have an idea about the correct one, you should know about the standard firmness scale used in the industry. This is the 1 to 10 Firmness Scale, where 1 is the lowest and 10 is firmest. 

Basing on this scale, the following are the ideal scores and assignments according to weight:

• Soft (3 to 4) – Those who weigh less than 130 pounds
• Medium Firm (5 to 6) – Those who weigh 130 to 230 pounds
• Firm (7 to 8) – Those who weigh above 230 pounds

Construction & Materials

There are pros and cons to using a mattress type if you’re a back sleeper. It’s different to snooze on an innerspring than memory foam, latex foam, or even air foam. You need the contouring properties of the mentioned foams. But you also need the support given by the coil system from down under. 

Understand how the layers found in a bed work together to deliver the support and conforming you need. Normally, the surface would be made of foam and the base would be made of steel coils. This way, those features important to back sleepers are not taken for granted in your bed of choice.

Cooling

Cooling is the highlight of a back sleeper’s choice. This quality has a more tangible impact on back and stomach sleepers. After all, this has much to do with how your body comes in contact with a bed’s surface. Sleeping hot is also a phenomenon that became synonymous with traditional memory foam mattresses.

Thus, it is more important than ever to look for an option with good to great temperature neutrality. This means one or more of your mattress’ layers can wick away heat from your body, convert your energy into infrared to aid in recovery, promote airflow, or provide ventilation.

Edge Support & Sinkage

Back sleepers should take note of edge support. This is especially true if you tend to roll over to the side where the difference is a world of stable and durable perimeter and a world of center zone-hogging and early sagging. It should also be noted that strong edge support often means that the bed is firm enough for people like you.

Motion Transfer

How about a motion transfer? Well, it is something that a firm bed may or may not be able to contain. You would want to go for the former, especially if you are sharing your bed with somebody else. It can be annoying to be awakened by the movements of your partner, sibling, kid, or pet. 

Pricing

For as long as firmness options vary, the pricing of the best mattress for a back sleeper will continue to widen its range. The good news here is that there are high-quality selections for any budget.

Other Factors

Make sure to read the warranty and other terms that come with your mattress ownership. Other factors to consider are free services, such as shipping and returns. Add to this subsection the sleep trials that online mattresses offer their customers. 

The Verdict