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Best Mattress for Side Sleepers

If your preferred sleep position is on your side, you need a mattress that delivers the perfect combo of comfort and support. Our list of the best mattresses for side sleepers contains options that are exactly that. Check it out and find your mattress match today.

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  • Premium luxury hybrid innerspring at an affordable price
  • Helps reduce pain in the joints and back
  • Eco-friendly materials
  • 365-night sleep trial and lifetime warranty
  • Free in-room delivery, setup and mattress removal
  • Official Mattress of Team USA and the LA28 Olympic & Paralympic Games
  • Fully customizable hybrid mattress design to fit all sleep styles & support needs
  • Handmade in the USA
  • Three firmness options available
  • 100-night sleep trial & 10-15 year limited warranty
  • Free, no contact delivery & returns
  • Ultra-premium memory foam mattress provides pressure point relief and temperature control
  • Breathable gel-infused foam keeps you cool while providing extra support for your back
  • Great for couples—excellent motion isolation
  • 365-night sleep trial and Lifetime warranty
  • Free white glove delivery, setup and mattress removal
  • Designed with advanced cooling technology to regulate body temperature
  • Provides pressure relief and support
  • Made in the USA
  • 365-night risk-free trial
  • Free shipping and hassle-free returns
  • Organic Natural Talalay latex mattress with flippable design featuring two firmness levels
  • Five-zone design supports pressure points and lower back
  • Excellent temperature regulation and ease of movement
  • 365-night sleep trial and Lifetime warranty
  • Free white glove delivery, setup and mattress removal
  • Eco-friendly hybrid design with excellent temperature control, bounce and ease of movement
  • Refresh Cover converts body heat into infrared energy for better circulation
  • Different models provide a choice of firmness levels
  • 100-night home trial and 20-year warranty
  • Free shipping and returns
  • Perfect Fit memory foam mattress providing conforming support and pressure relief
  • Excellent temperature control—cooling cover absorbs and dissipates heat
  • Great for couples—motion isolating design
  • 100-night trial and 10-year limited warranty
  • Free shipping and returns

Best Side Sleeper Mattresses: How We Chose

There are lots of benefits to side sleeping—it can reduce your risk of snoring and sleep apnea, help relieve your aches and pains, and even improve your overall health. But to reap the benefits of side sleeping, you need to be doing it on the right mattress. And with so many mattress brands and models promising to be the best, finding the right one for you can be a daunting task. Let our list of the best mattresses for side sleepers be your guide. It’s the result of many hours of research conducted by our team of industry experts. We identified the most important considerations for side sleeper mattresses, then evaluated all the leading models based on them—saving you the headache of comparison shopping.

Here’s a look at the criteria we used when determining the best mattresses for side sleepers on the market today:

Optimal Balance of Support and Comfort

When you sleep on your side, your bodyweight is concentrated at your shoulders and hips. Without the proper cushioning, this can lead to spinal misalignment and back and joint pain. That’s why side sleepers need a mattress that cradles the body without letting the shoulders and hips sink in too deeply.

Memory foam and latex mattresses are an excellent choice for side sleepers since they contour to your body, simultaneously providing a soft, cushy surface and enough “push back” to support the natural curves of your body and alleviate pressure points. Hybrid mattresses that combine memory foam layers with coil systems are also a solid option—especially for hot sleepers since they tend to dissipate heat much more effectively than all-foam mattresses. Just keep in mind that hybrid mattresses tend to be on the higher end of the mattress price range.

Ideal Firmness Level

Although the optimal mattress firmness for you ultimately boils down to personal preference, generally speaking, medium to medium-firm mattresses (a five to six on the 10-point firmness scale) are among the most popular for side sleepers. Lighter-weight sleepers may prefer something a bit softer while heavier sleepers may need a firmer option to prevent excessive sinking. The best brands offer options to accommodate a range of firmness preferences, like multiple models, zoned support or even flippable mattresses that let you choose between a firmer and a softer side.

Reasonable Pricing 

As with all mattresses, the price range for side sleeper mattresses is a wide one. You can get a basic model that checks all the necessary boxes for a budget-friendly price, or you can opt for a model with all the bells and whistles and pay more. It all comes down to your budget and your personal preference. The best models have a price tag that reflects their value, performance, enhancements and durability.

Excellent Customer Service

The best mattress brands have dedicated customer service professionals (aka real people) on call who are friendly, knowledgeable, helpful and professional. They are easy to connect with via phone, email or live chat, and can answer any questions you have about your mattress. 

Generous Sleep Trial & Warranty

The top mattress brands understand that acclimating to a new mattress can take time. That’s why they offer sleep trials, which enable you to sleep on your mattress for a specified length of time before deciding to keep it. Most of the best brands offer sleep trials of 100 nights or more, which experts agree should be more than enough time to determine if your new mattress is a good fit for you. 

The best brands also stand behind their products with comprehensive warranties, which protect you in the event of manufacturing or product defects.

Positive Customer Reviews

The best mattresses for side sleepers have amassed a large collection of positive reviews from people who actually sleep on their sides. These sleepers can speak to the comfort, support and firmness of the mattress as well as its durability and value. They can also shed light on the brand’s customer service and overall customer experience. The top options have also received positive ratings from credible organizations like the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

FAQs

What type of mattresses are best for side sleepers?
Memory foam, latex or hybrid mattresses are all excellent choices for side sleepers since they provide pressure relief for the shoulders and promote proper spinal alignment.

How do I know if my current mattress isn’t good for side sleeping?

If you’re waking up with shoulder or hip pain, numbness or tingling, or lower back discomfort, you are probably sleeping on the wrong mattress and should consider replacing it with a mattress specifically engineered for side sleepers.

What mattress thickness is best for side sleepers?
A mattress with at least 10 to 12 inches of thickness is generally considered ideal for average to heavier side sleepers.

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Finding Your Best Mattress

We compiled this list of the best mattresses based on the criteria sleepers care about most, like firmness, support, pressure point relief, cost and of course, comfort. But it’s important to keep in mind that every sleeper has unique needs and preferences. That’s why we recommend reading through our full reviews, paying particularly close attention to the brand comparisons, and taking full advantage of our filter feature, which lets you sort by sleep position, pain type and more—so you can find the best mattress for you.

BEHIND OUR RATINGS

Mattress Authority Methodology

Don’t lose sleep over mattress shopping—our experts do all the work for you! Here’s how we approach our reviews:

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It Starts with Science

It Starts with Science

Before we make a recommendation, we always check what the science says. We look at credible studies and guidance from experts to identity the criteria we should use to evaluate every product.

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Then We Dive In

Then We Dive In

Armed with our criteria, we begin our comprehensive review of each mattress to determine how it stacks up. We note every detail—from the design and materials to the sizes, pricing and even the fine print.

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Next, We Sleep on It

Next, We Sleep on It

Our favorite part: The testing phase. We send our research experts on a mission to personally test out every mattress we review—to leave the bias behind and find out if they really live up to all the marketing hype.

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Finally, We See What Sleepers Are Saying

Finally, We See What Sleepers Are Saying

Customer reviews are a great resource for finding out how a mattress performs, especially long-term. We check out what customers are saying about each mattress, from the highlights to the pain points.