The 9 Best Mattresses for Easing Back Pain

A super-firm mattress was a game changer for my back and keeping my spine fully aligned. While my favorite firm mattress, the Plank Firm Natural ($1,599) is getting discontinued, you'll be able to shop the original Plank Firm in its place. WIRED reviewer Adrienne So says it takes a few days to reach its full firmness levels—she thought it was too soft after she initially unboxed it, but it became much firmer after a little more time.

Both the Plank Firm and the Natural have a thin quilted top, but while the Natural has some spring to it, Adrienne describes the Plank Firm as sleeping on a clean wooden floor (which she loves). It's two sided, so you can flip to the softer side that has 2 inches of comfort foam. When I tested the Natural version, I found myself preferring the firmer side (which is only an 8/10, while the regular Plank's firmer side is a 10/10) to get the support I needed, and I added a mattress topper to make it a little easier on my shoulders. I'm currently still sleeping on it, with the Helix topper I recommend below on it. Try both sides to see which one works best for you.

Prices range from $562 for a twin to $1,149 for a California king.

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” with 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 $1,699 for a twin to $4,198 for a split king.

The Tradition Estate is the newest mattress in Charles P. Rogers' lineup and an upgrade to the existing Estate mattress. This 13-inch mattress has seven layers of gel, foam, and springs, with an Oeko-Tex-certified quilted top and foam edge support. The spring layer is called Powercore, with each coil moving individually for targeted support. You can feel the firm support of the Powercore and other layers within it, but the top still has enough softness and give that I'm plenty comfortable sleeping on it with my side sleeper ways. It only has one firmness level, which Charles P. Rogers describes as “gentle firm,” and I'd agree with that. I'd guesstimate it's a 7.5/10 in firmness, but with the soft top and very firm interior layers, it's hard to assign a number to it.

My achy back feels nicely supported throughout the night with the firm base, and I woke up usually without an ache to be found in my lower back. It took a couple nights to break in the top softer cushion—the first night or two it felt a little too firm on my side and back—but after that, the top layers felt soft and forgiving on my side sleeper position while the lower layers supported my spine. I woke up without any pressure pain, thanks to that softer top.

My husband liked this mattress a lot too, even though he's a back sleeper who prefers a firmer mattress. It was a great middle ground for our different needs, and it did a fantastic job supporting my back and erasing my pressure pain. I'd recommend it for just about anyone to sleep on. If it doesn't end up working for you, Charles P. Rogers allows returns and exchanges within 100 days of delivery. The Tradition Estate also has a 5/15-year warranty, with five years of complete coverage against manufacturing issues and another 10 years of prorated coverage. It comes shrink-wrapped and rolled up, making it easy to get into your house, and then you can throw away the layers of material instead of a big ol' box.

Prices range from $1,099 for a twin to $1,989 for a California king.

It's a tricky combo getting plenty of support and getting a softer feel to a mattress. Most of the mattresses that give my back pain enough support have been really firm, but the softest one I've liked is the Sealy Posturepedic Plus Hybrid. There are two versions: Advanced Support and Ultimate Support. I tested the Ultimate Support option with a firm feel, and found it had a nice give to the cushiony pillow-top while it still kept my back pain away as I slept. The Ultimate Support option adds more support with layers of memory foam and coils, and comes in two different firmness options. I'm not often a fan of memory foam mattresses, but this one didn't have the sinking experience and kept me plenty supported.

This mattress is also one I wish I didn't have to put sheets on. The on-mattress print is fun, and there's lovely velvet detailing on the sides. There are handle straps, too, making it easy to move around your home (something a reviewer is doing more often than a normal person, I'm sure). Overall, I thought this mattress did a nice job adding a little softness without losing out on support like other soft mattresses I've tried. The 14-inch mattress also includes cooling technology, which is a great bonus.

Prices range from $2,379 for a twin long to $3,958 for a split California king.

If you're grappling with whether you want a cooling mattress or a pain-relieving mattress, Leesa's Sapira Chill can do it all. The Sapira Chill is our runner-up in the Best Mattresses guide, thanks to its problem-solving capabilities.

The Sapira Chill is a hybrid mattress with four foam layers (including a responsive foam layer and copper-infused memory foam), three different types of coil, and a fabric cover that pulls heat away from your body. There's also a plush quilted pillow-top and three available firmness levels. WIRED reviewer Martin Cizmar found that this mattress eliminated his periodic lower-back pain while he slept on it. That responsive foam layer, plus the three different coils, gives this mattress a nice springiness, so you can hop out of bed in the morning (something I love to avoid any back strain as I start my day!). There's an outer ring of springs for excellent edge support, too, which is nice.

But even nicer is that this mattress will also keep you a little cooler than others, thanks to the fabric cover that pulls body heat away from you while you sleep. One of the foam layers is high-airflow foam that help keeps you cool too. There's a 100-night at-home sleep trial with free shipping and free returns.

Prices range from $1,199 for a twin to $2,071 for a California king.

The Saatva Solaire is fascinating. It’s an adjustable mattress that has two wired remotes for each side of the bed, allowing you to customize your firmness level. The mattress has 50 firmness settings and uses a built-in pump to inflate the air chambers within the mattress's layers, allowing it to become more or less firm with the amount of air. You're able to customize each side separately, making it a good choice for couples with different support needs and firmness preferences. WIRED reviewer Divya Viswanathan says her husband prefers a lower setting, around 25, to help with his lower back pain and to relieve pressure, while she prefers a firmer feel, around 35 out of 50.

It might sound like an air mattress, but the air chambers are surrounded by layers of latex, memory foam, and a cushioned pillow-top to feel like your classic mattress that has a hidden superpower. But even with its adjustability, it's not a plush mattress by any means and is best for folks who want a medium to very firm feel and want to customize it to their specific needs. Divya also says the mattress has great edge support and minimal motion transfer, letting her sleep comfortably even when her kids climb into bed with her. It's a big splurge, but if you find everyone else's firmness ratings just don't match what you need, this could be the solution for you. Saatva also offers a 365-night trial and a lifetime warranty, and it delivers and sets up this mattress for free.

Prices range from $2,999 for a twin long to $6,298 for a split California king.

Look, being a side sleeper while trying to support your spine isn't easy. But we've loved Nectar's mattresses for years for pressure relief, and the latest favorite among our testers is the Nectar Premier Hybrid. WIRED reviewer Martin Cizmar is a side sleeper who suffers from sciatica back pain from time to time, and he says that this hybrid mattress is a great choice for anyone who wants a softer mattress to sink into while getting plenty of pressure relief and excellent contouring while you sleep.

The Nectar Premier Hybrid is 13 inches thick with five layers of foam and gel, plus a layer of 8-inch innerspring coils. The top layer is a cooling cover that can help out hot sleepers, and the large amount of foam is great for motion isolation if you sleep with a partner. If you're a combo sleeper, rather than a side-only sleeper, you might want something a little less soft, though. If you're unsure, Nectar offers a full year of trial and a forever warranty, so it's safe to give it a try and see if it works for you.

Prices range from $799 for a twin to $1,998 for a split king.

A mattress topper won't fix a mattress that needs replacing, nor can it fix structural support issues that leave your back aching. If your mattress truly sucks, you need a new one! But if you have a solid, supportive mattress and are looking for more targeted back support, I've been seriously impressed by Helix's ErgoAlign Mattress Topper.

If the name sounds familiar, it's because Helix has an ErgoAlign layer you usually add to mattresses (and is included in the Helix mattress I recommend above). This separate topper is new to Helix's line, and I've been unable to part with it ever since I started testing it. It has an ultra-dense midsection design to support your lower back, helping avoid both chronic aches and pressure point pain from sinking too low at that heavy point in your body. The top and bottom of the topper have a softer memory foam that contours to your body more, so I was able to get the support I needed on my lower back without making my shoulders ache. I usually despise memory foam, but this topper makes my body feel fantastic every morning. You'll like it best as a side sleeper; my husband is a back sleeper and says the two sections of foam are very easy to feel while he sleeps, while I can't easily sense the difference on my side.

Prices range from $280 for a twin to $421 for a California king.

If you're hesitant about investing in a new mattress or a topper, there's an easy place to start: a knee pillow. It was one of the first recommendations that Sean Mackey, doctor of neurology, chief of the Division of Stanford Pain Medicine, and past president of the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM), gave me when I asked him about how to reduce pain while you sleep. He explained that one of the sources of pain can be a lack of rachis alignment, or the alignment of your spine. “Generally, you should either be sleeping on your back or putting a pillow or support underneath your knees for spinal alignment,” says Mackey.

As a side sleeper, I went out and tried a few knee pillows designed for side sleepers with my original, crappy foam mattress I've been sleeping on for the past five years. Mackey wasn't kidding—it did help. I was more comfortable and fell asleep faster. I liked both the Pillow Cube Knee Cube ($45) and the Everlasting Comfort Knee Pillow ($44) for different reasons. The Everlasting has a strap to keep it in place, and it's nice and small if you don't want something as bulky as the Pillow Cube in your bed. I did find that the smaller Everlasting was more likely to end up on the floor, though, versus the Pillow Cube's being easier to relocate and tuck back into my knees in the middle of the night. Both helped with my spinal alignment and reduced my back pain a bit, but I still found switching to a more supportive mattress to be a bigger improvement.