Side sleepers know the struggle is real. Finding a mattress that’s both comfy and supportive can be a (literal) pain in the neck. But don’t worry! We did the research for you.
Here are the 11 best mattresses made for side sleepers 😴.
Best 11 mattresses for side sleepers
- Best overall: Saatva Loom & Leaf Mattress
- Best for partners: Nectar Memory Foam Mattress
- Best foam: Casper Original Foam Mattress
- Best budget: Helix Midnight
- Best organic: Birch Natural Mattress
- Best mattress in a box: Sealy Cocoon Chill Soft Foam Mattress
- Best hybrid: WinkBed
- Best eco-friendly: Amerisleep AS4
- Best splurge: Tempur-Pedic TEMPUR-Adapt
- Best cooling: Serta iComfort CF4000 Hybrid with Max Cooling & Pressure Relief Upgrade
- Best flippable: Idle Hybrid
How we chose the best mattresses for side sleepers
Here’s how we picked the crème de la crème of the perfect side sleepin’ beds:
- Support. Each mattress will give you optimal spinal support, so you can wake up feeling fresh.
- Less hassle. We picked brands that offer at-home sleep trials, warranties, and easy return policies.
- Reviews. We read the reviews and prioritized mattresses peeps love.
- Price. There are mattresses for every budget. We also prioritized brands that offer monthly payments.
Pricing guide
We know mattresses can be pricey AF. This pricing guide will help you pick the best bed for your back and your budget:
- $ = under $1,000
- $$ = $1,001–$1,500
- $$$ = over $1,500
FYI: Prices reflect queen-size mattresses and don’t include applicable shipping costs, setup fees, or tax.
The 11 best mattresses for side sleepers
Without further ado (we know you’re ready to go to bed!), here are the 11 best mattresses to fulfill your side sleeping dreams.
Best overall mattress for side sleepers
Saatva Loom & Leaf Mattress
- Price: $$$
- Firmness: relaxed-firm
- Available sizes: twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, split king, California king, or split California king
This mattress is the best of the bed bunch. It provides excellent contouring and pressure point relief. Reviewers say it’s extra fab for the lower back or lumbar region. It’s made with antimicrobial, hypoallergenic organic cotton and has a nontoxic natural thistle flame barrier — no yucky chemicals here!
Reviewers rave about the company’s customer service. The gel-infused cooling layer also gets it a lot of brownie points from customers.
Bonus: You get a 180-night home trial, a 15-year warranty, and free delivery. Saatva also offers a monthly payment plan.
Best mattress for side sleeping partners
Nectar Memory Foam Mattress
- Price: $$
- Firmness: medium-firm
- Available sizes: twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, or California king
This mattress will mold to your bod for max comfort and support. It was designed to reduce motion transfer, so it’s also a great buy if you or your partner are a restless sleeper.
The quilted memory foam adds a killer cooling touch. Plus, the top layer is moisture wicking — another perk for sweaty sleepers.
On the company’s website, this mattress currently has a 4.8/5 star rating out of more than 33,000 reviews. While that’s impressive AF, a few folks say it’s too soft for their sleep style (though side sleepers do tend to love a softer mattress).
Bonus: You get a forever warranty and a 365-night home trial.
Best foam mattress for side sleepers
Casper Original Foam Mattress
- Price: $$
- Firmness: medium-firm
- Available sizes: twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, or California king
This bad boy from Casper has three targeted support zones to help keep your spine aligned. There’s firmer foam to support your hips, waist, and lower back and softer foam for your upper back. This is woo-hoo news if you’re used to waking up with shoulder or neck pain in the morning. Oh, and the outer foam layer is perforated to allow for better airflow.
Reviewers say that this mattress is fab for all types of sleepers. But some claim it’s a little too firm for their form.
Bonus: Casper offers free shipping and returns in the contiguous United States and Canada — but you’ll have to pay extra if you’re in Alaska or Hawaii.
Best budget mattress for side sleepers
Helix Midnight
- Price: $
- Firmness: medium
- Available sizes: twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, or California king
This bomb bed won’t break your back or your budget. With pressure point relief at the hips and shoulders, the Helix Midnight was designed with side sleepers in mind. It has multiple layers of foam plus individually wrapped coils at the base, which makes for more targeted support and less bounce. But wait, there’s more! The mattress also has a reinforced perimeter so you won’t feel like you’re rolling off the bed if you’re near the edge.
Reviewers love the breathable cover that’ll help keep you cool all night long. The biggest downside is that some folks say it’s too soft for belly sleepers — so this isn’t a good pick if you tend to flip between your belly and your side.
Bonus: Helix includes a 100-night trial with a 30-day break-in period. The mattress is also covered by a 10-year warranty.
Best organic mattress for side sleepers
Birch Natural Mattress
- Price: $$
- Firmness: medium-firm
- Available sizes: twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, or California king
This organic mattress will give you Goldilocks levels of support. It’s medium-firm and has a combo of pocketed coils and a Talaylay latex layer for extra comfort and pressure relief. It also has layers of birch wool, which is sustainably sourced from individual farms in New Zealand 🐑.
A few customers claim the mattress is a bit lumpy. But overall this mattress has excellent reviews, with many praising its quality and feel.
Bonus: Birch offers a 100-night sleep trial, free shipping, and a 25-year warranty.
Best mattress in a box for side sleepers
Sealy Cocoon Chill Soft Foam Mattress
- Price: $$$
- Firmness: medium-soft
- Available sizes: twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, or California king
This mattress proves good things really do come in small packages. It ships in a box that’s easy to carry and assemble. The dense foam provides top-notch support for side sleepers, but belly or back sleepers can rest easy too. It’s covered in a stretch-knit material meant to reduce your risk of a late-night heat wave. It comes in extra-firm or medium-soft (side sleepers will probably wanna go for the softer one).
Customers say the setup is super chill. But some peeps noted it’s not as cooling as they expected it to be.
Bonus: You get a 100-night trial period and a 10-year limited warranty, which includes a money-back guarantee. And both shipping and returns are free.
Best hybrid mattress for side sleepers
WinkBed
- Price: $$$
- Firmness: medium-soft
- Available sizes: twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, or California king
This bed gives you the best of both worlds with a hybrid design. It rocks a Euro-pillow top with gel foam, a Tencel cover, extra support at the edges, and individually wrapped pocketed coils. The medium-soft model also has an extra layer of transitional polyfoam designed to keep you from sinking.
Several reviewers say the bed is too soft for their taste. But most folks call this the bed of their dreams.
Bonus: WinkBed offers a 120-night sleep trial and a lifetime warranty. Woot 😉!
Best eco-friendly mattress for side sleepers
Amerisleep AS4
- Price: $$$
- Firmness: medium-soft
- Available sizes: twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, California king, or split king
Get ready for head-to-toe support you can feel good about. This eco-friendly medium-soft mattress has multiple layers of padding to hug your hips and shoulders. It was designed to stave off sagging spots, so it should stand the test of time. The mattress also boasts an open-cell foam that’s supposed to filter out warm air better than traditional foam.
Customers say they’re super stoked that this mattress is made in an eco-friendly factory with plant-based materials. 🌿. But a few comment that it’s difficult to move because it doesn’t have side handles.
Bonus: It comes with a 20-year manufacturer’s warranty, a 100-night trial, and free shipping.
Best splurge mattress for side sleepers
Tempur-Pedic TEMPUR-Adapt
- Price: $$$
- Firmness: medium
- Available sizes: twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, California king, or split California king
Expensive? Yes. Awesome? Also yes. The signature Tempur-Pedic memory foam was originally designed by NASA, so you know it’s legit. It has a beautiful blend of firm support and cushy comfort. The mattress also has an antimicrobial cover to ward off uninvited guests like dust mites, mold, and dander.
You can go with the standard model (which is awesome on its own) or the Medium Hybrid, which has a layer of individually wrapped coils for extra support.
The main customer complaint is the price tag. But for a luxury mattress that’s designed to last a decade, the quality might be worth the extra buckeroos.
Bonus: It’s def an investment, but it comes with a 10-year limited warranty, a 90-night trial, and free delivery.
Best cooling mattress for side sleepers
Serta iComfort CF4000 Hybrid with Max Cooling & Pressure Relief Upgrade
- Price: $
- Firmness: ultra-plush or plush
- Available sizes: twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, or California king
Serta’s iComfort line is next-gen cool and cozy. It’s made with gel memory foam, which helps keep you from overheating. It’s a 10/10 choice for side sleepers or folks with chronic back pain. It can also reduce shoulder and neck tension.
Reviewers say it “cradles” their bodies. Peeps are also happy with the chance to choose between firm, plush, or ultra-plush varieties.
Bonus: Serta offers a 10-year limited warranty and a 120-night trial.
Best flippable mattress for side sleepers
Idle Hybrid
- Price: $$$
- Firmness: medium and medium-firm
- Available sizes: twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, split king, or California king
This flippable model is two-sided — one side is medium and the other is medium-firm. Both surfaces have transitional layers designed to evenly distribute weight and mold to your bod. The polyfoam helps cushion your hips and shoulders while aligning your spine. Fans also love the mattress cover, which adds a cooling touch.
Sound sleepers say this bed is great for bad backs. Many peeps also note the company’s top-notch customer service.
Bonus: Idle offers an 18-month risk-free sleep trial and a lifetime warranty. Plus, returns are free!
Side sleeping FAQs
Still not sure which bed is bae? Here are answers to some common side-sleeper questions.
What firmness is best for side sleepers?
A 2011 study conducted on a group of 25 males found that a mattress should be soft enough to let your hips and shoulders sink in a bit, but firm enough that your pelvis doesn’t sink lower than your neck. This combo helps keep your spine better aligned while sleeping on your side.
The firmness that’ll achieve this will depend on your body type — a company’s “medium-firm” mattress might feel too soft to someone with higher body weight (or too firm to someone with lower body weight). So it might take a little trial and error to find the right firmness for you, but in general, a medium-firm mattress is ideal for promoting sleep comfort and spinal alignment.
Side note: The above study didn’t include pregnant people, so talk with your doctor about tips for nailing down the best sleep posture during pregnancy if you’re having trouble getting comfortable.
Are firm mattresses bad for side sleepers?
In general, very firm mattresses don’t let your hips or shoulders sink in enough, which makes it hard to get your spine aligned. They can also lead to extra pressure on your hips and shoulders.
But if you have a higher body weight (more than ~230 pounds), a firm mattress might hit the sweet spot for finding that medium-firm feel.
What mattress is best for side sleepers with back pain?
The same rules apply to side sleepers with back pain. You’ll still want to look for a medium-firm feel to help keep your spine aligned. You may also want to give foam beds a whirl since they can cushion your curves and provide a little extra pressure relief. Psst. The Casper Original Foam Mattress is a solid choice.
What mattress is best for side sleepers with hip or shoulder pain?
Lots of side sleepers wake up with achy hips and stiff shoulders. This might be because you’re sinking into your current mattress. Opt for a mattress that delivers stability and pressure point relief, like the Saatva Loom & Leaf Mattress.
What accessories should I get?
Pillow talk time! Here’s the best sleep swag tips for side-sleepers:
- Pick a pillow that fills the space between your ear and shoulder.
- A pillow top mattress topper can take your bedtime to the next level.
- Place another pillow between your legs for better spinal alignment and added comfort.
How does side sleeping affect your sleep?
Sleep position matters. Here are the pros and cons of slaying that side sleeper life.
- Digestion. Sleeping on your left side helps gravity push waste through your colon. It can also reduce your risk of late night heartburn.
- Better breathing. Side sleeping helps keep your tongue from blocking your airway. This can help you breathe better as your catch your Zzz’s.
- Back health. With the right mattress, side sleeping is ideal for cervical spine health.
- Shoulder and hip pain. Sleeping on your side can put extra pressure on your hips and shoulders. But as long as you opt for a mattress with proven pressure relieving qualities, you should be able to avoid this.
- Pregnancy. Studies show sleeping flat on your back might increase your risk of stillbirth. Sleeping on your side is much safer since it allows for better blood flow.
The bottom line
The perfect mattress for side sleepers should:
- have medium-firm feel
- contour your body
- promote proper spinal alignment
- provide pressure relief for your hips and shoulders
Finding a mattress with all of those qualities can feel impossible, which is why we put together this list to get you started. Remember to take advantage of seasonal sales and companies that offer in-home sleep trials to get the best bang for your buck.
We’re confident you’ll find the mattress of your dreams that’ll have you always waking up on the right side of the bed every mornin’. 🌞
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