Back pain sucks, and if you sleep on the wrong mattress, the pain often gets worse. But while there’s no such thing as the perfect mattress for everyone, or even everyone with back pain, there is such a thing as the perfect mattress for you. Find it and you can wake up with less (or even no) back pain.
So do your research, taking into account your weight, sleeping style and type of back pain and never, ever assume orthopaedic mattresses are inevitably best. In fact, as you’ll see from our buyers’ guide, the term simply means ‘firm’. If you get it right, your ergonomic mattress will encourage a good sleeping posture and support you in all the right places while still relaxing your muscles – all of which will combine to give you a good night’s sleep and lead to less discomfort the following morning.
Read on for our step-by-step buying guide, as well as our top mattress recommendations.
How to buy the best mattress for a bad back
When it comes to buying the right mattress, there are no hard and fast rules. Stores may try to sell you what manufacturers consider a bad back mattress, but more depends on you, your body shape and weight and how you sleep. Then there’s your budget: a good mattress will cost you anywhere between £150 and £1500 or more, depending on the materials, size and construction.
Is an orthopaedic mattress best for a bad back?
Don’t be fooled by the term orthopaedic (or similar medical sounding names) as it doesn’t mean the bed has been professionally assessed or recommended – it’s just a name used by manufacturers to refer to their firmest mattresses.
And it’s not as if firm mattresses are necessarily best for back backs anyway. Yes, the mattress should be supportive, but it should not necessarily be hard. In fact, a too-hard mattress can push against the spine, causing further discomfort, especially for those who sleep on their back.
The level of firmness should instead be dictated by two things. First, your weight; a heavier person puts more pressure on the mattress and so needs a slightly firmer mattress than a light person. Second, the type of sleeper you are. A back sleeper typically needs a medium firm mattress; a side sleeper typically needs more cushioning especially for the shoulder and hips; and a front sleeper typically needs a slightly firmer mattress. If you sleep in all three positions throughout the night (which isn’t uncommon for those with back pain), go for a mattress that’s firm enough to provide support all along your spine, but soft enough to contour to your body.
Is a pocket sprung mattress best for a bad back?
Pocket sprung mattresses - where the springs are sewn into fabric pockets – have traditionally been considered the crème de la crème of mattresses when it comes to providing support for bad backs. However, there are other mattress types that can be equally good, if not better – memory foam and latex mattresses among them. This is because they’re good at keeping the spine in alignment, which helps provide good lumbar support and prevents back pain. If you do go for pocket sprung, you’ll need a top quality one. We’d recommend avoiding cheap open coil mattresses altogether.
What if my sleeping partner doesn’t have a bad back?
Consider a zip and link bed, which comprises of two single mattresses zipped together. Or invest in a mattress that is firmer on one side than the other without a zip in the middle. These are more expensive, but also more comfy.
How much should I spend?
While some mattresses can set you back thousands, our roundup reveals that you don’t have to fork out silly sums to get a decent one for a bad back. In fact, the increasingly popular bed-in-a-box mattresses that are only available online are surprisingly low-cost for the quality. But don’t choose your mattress on the price-tag alone because if it doesn’t suit your size, shape and sleeping style, you’ll find your back might be even more painful in the morning.
Should I try before I buy?
Yes. If you’re going to a showroom, try a few out to give you an idea of which level of firmness and support gives you the right level of comfort. Also, take your time to work out if the mattress is supportive; in other words, does it maintain spinal alignment without putting excess pressure on certain points? If you buy online, take out a free trial. Most of the bed-in-a-box companies, including Casper, Tempur and Eve, offer a 100 night trial.
READ NEXT: Not what you're looking for? Then check out these related articles instead:
- The best single, double and king-size beds
- The best memory foam, pocket-sprung and budget mattresses
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The best mattresses for bad backs from £170 to £800
Casper: The best memory foam mattress for bad backs
Price: From £350 | Buy now from Amazon for £600.00
This medium-firm, multi-award winning mattress comes from one of the fastest-growing consumer brands ever. The foam-core mattress with memory foam layer is part of a new generation of bed-in-a-box mattresses that you can only buy online, and the bottom line is that it’s outlandishly comfortable, regardless of your size and the type of sleeper you are. Our tester didn’t notice an immediate change in backache, but after a couple of weeks, he found it both easier to fall asleep on his back, and to stay in that position. That’s almost unheard of for those with back-pain, as they normally roll onto their front during the night. The support for the spine is second-to-none and the mattress conforms to the contours of your body. There’s no sagging even years later, and it doesn’t make you feel overheated even on summer nights. Just one small niggle: some handles would make it easier to turn (which should be done every three to six months).
Key specs – Type: Foam core with memory foam layer (3.8cm open cell comfort layer, 3.8cm responsive memory foam, 3.8cm adaptive transition foam, 12.6cm durable support foam); Sizes: Four sizes from single to super-king, arrives vacuum-packed, available online only; Warranty: 100-day money-back guarantee
Silentnight 3 Zone Memory Foam mattress: The best budget mattress for bad backs
Price: From £170 | Buy now from Amazon for £169.99
As most people with back pain will know, it’s not easy to find your natural sleeping position – and those with long-term backache may have even forgotten what it is. But this budget memory-foam mattress helps you both find and stay in it, offering excellent support around the neck and shoulders, as well as all the way down the spine. Not too firm, not too soft, it may even enable you to sleep on your side or on your back for the first time in years. And the good news for your sleeping partner is that you won’t disturb them when you roll over. Despite the price, it’s very durable and should last years, but on the downside it can get hot – something to consider if you tend to get clammy on a warm night. It’s also, like too many mattresses, lacking in handles, though as it’s lighter than many mattresses, it’s not too hard to rotate. Made by the biggest name in the UK mattress market, this memory-foam mattress is remarkably good for the price.
Key specs – Type: Memory foam with soft knit cover; Sizes: Four sizes from single to super-king, arrives vacuum-packed; Warranty: 5 years
Dunlopillo Millennium: Best latex mattress for bad backs
Price: from £799.95 | Buy now from Mattress Online
Made purely from latex, this medium support mattress ticks plenty of boxes – it’s breathable, long-lasting and easy to turn over on without disturbing your partner. But it really comes into its own for people with bad backs because it provides such good postural support, thanks to the softer comfort zones that cushion shoulders, hips and heels, while firmer support zones help the spine to be correctly aligned. Like memory foam, the latex moulds around your body, but the bounce-back after you move – in addition to the seven comfort zones - means you get even better support for your back, as well as freer movement. It doesn’t come cheap and it is exceptionally heavy, but it will last you for years. And because it’s made to be slept on only one side, you don’t have to turn it, although you do have to rotate it every few months. Our advice? get someone to help.
Key specs – Type: latex; Sizes: Seven sizes from single to super-king, arrives sealed and in a cardboard box; Warranty: 8 years
John Lewis Ortho Premier 1000 Pocket Spring Mattress: The best pocket-sprung mattress for bad backs
Price: from £299 | Buy now from John Lewis
This mattress is brilliant if you prefer a firmer feel - perhaps because you’re heavier than average or a front sleeper (though you might find you’ve been sleeping on your front because you have the wrong mattress). Hand-made by Hypnos for John Lewis, it comes from an established and well-respected brand, and has 1000 pocket springs – easily enough for support and comfort. The top is hand-tufted and beautifully smooth, and we also like the airstream technology that stops you getting too hot in the night. The reinforced side-stitching provides extra support right up to the edges, while also lengthening the lifespan of the mattress. No wonder so many customers buy exactly the same mattress again when their current one finally gives up the ghost.
Key specs – Type: Polyester, Cotton, Recycled fibre blend; Sizes: Five sizes from single to super-king, arrives vacuum-packed, available online only; Warranty: 7 year guarantee
Hypnos No Turn Superb: The best no-turn mattress for bad backs
Price: from £669 | Buy now from John Lewis
The concept of a no-turn mattress will be music to the ears of bad back sufferers – and that’s not all this luxury medium-tension mattress has going for it when it comes to backache. The patented pocket spring system – in which each pocket spring has been designed to work independently of each other – means the mattress reacts to your shape and weight distribution in a way that most other mattresses can’t achieve. The resulting total spinal body support is impressive and makes for a very restful night’s sleep. We also noticed how the comfort spreads right to the very edges. It’s no wonder Hypnos has a royal warrant, and if it’s good enough for the queen...
Key specs – Type: wool, alpaca, latex; Sizes: nine sizes from single to emperor, plus bespoke sizes, arrives double-bagged; Warranty: 10 years