We’re often asked to recommend a mattress based on how a person sleeps—which certainly affects how your mattress should feel! Your sleeping position is important, however, it’s only one aspect of choosing your mattress. It’s also important to consider the relationships between support, pressure relief, and comfort. Many people change positions during the night, so pay most attention to the position you tend to stay in for the longest period while you sleep.
Mattresses for Back Sleepers
Back sleepers need sufficient support to prevent their backs from sinking into the mattress, over-extending the spine, and triggering lower back pain. Finding enough support means choosing a mattress that’s firm enough to prevent this sinking feeling. A mattress that is too soft will not offer enough support for your lower back.
Additionally, an old mattress can lose its responsiveness which can lead to poor back support and new back pain.
Mattresses for Side Sleepers
Side sleepers need to consider the primary pressure points (shoulders and hips) that are potential areas for pain. Most of side sleepers’ weight is borne by these two areas where the body is widest, so some degree of softness is needed. Adequate cushioning near the top of the mattress decreases the potential for shoulder pain or hip pain.
If you’re happy with your current mattress, but could use a little more cushioning for pressure relief, consider adding a latex topper. Three inches of Soft Talalay latex may provide exactly the comfort and luxurious relief your body is looking for.
Mattresses for Stomach Sleepers
Tsk tsk, the stomach sleeper! It may not be the best position when it comes to spine alignment, but then again, who doesn’t love a good stomach sleep?
Stomach sleepers need a relatively firm mattress or stomachs and hips will sink in too far, which can throw off spinal alignment. If you’re trying out a mattress in a showroom, a very soft surface may feel great initially, but it’s important to consider how it might feel overnight—and over a number of years. Focus on going as firm as you can for comfort if you’ll be on your stomach most of the night.
Other Considerations
For couples, Savvy Rest’s latex mattresses can be split down the middle so each sleeper can choose a firmness that suits them individually. This allows you to create a highly customizable mattress that can also be modified if you decide you’d like to change the layers after purchase. For more information, see our 90-day latex exchange policy.
Happy sleeping!