Which is the Best Mattress for Back Pain?

“This one’s too soft!”

“This one’s too hard!”

No one wants to be a complainer like good ol’ Goldilocks. Right? I mean just pick one already! As a child I knew that if I pulled tantrums like Goldilocks, I would just be met with an early bedtime without dessert.

Complaining about my food or my chair was not an option likely to precipitate any results. So I never understood the Goldilocks story. But maybe Goldilocks was onto something regarding her mattress concerns.

Back pain is experienced by 80 percent of the global population. It can range from a mild annoyance to a severe hindrance on your daily life. There are many causes of back pain. Maybe you’re old. Maybe it’s an old injury. Either way, the common denominator is OLD.

So why not start with getting rid of your OLD mattress!

No matter the cause of your back pain, the mattress on which you spend your nights affects your body in many ways. Just like you can wake up with a neck-ache if you slipped off your pillow at night, if your mattress isn’t supporting you, you’ll wake up with a back-ache. Even the healthiest and most active of sleepers can experience back pain simply because of the mattress they sleep on. Thus, if you suffer from back pain for other reasons, it is especially important for you to ensure that your mattress isn’t adding to your discomfort.

So, Goldilocks, how do you choose a mattress that’s just right?

If your mattress is too soft, your back is unsupported, no matter your sleeping position. This could lead to your back sinking too far into the mattress, straining your muscles. Softer mattresses are also more likely to sink overtime. Thus, even if the mattress feels okay at the beginning, over time it can lead to stress on your spine.

On the other hand, a mattress that is too firm can have just as serious negative effects. Very firm mattresses tend to put more pressure on the exact parts of your body that can’t take it. This added pressure, night after night, will take a toll on your back, leading to aches in the morning.

Experts say that the ideal firmness of a mattress is medium-firm, ideally memory foam.  Memory foam mattresses are adept at cradling your most important pressure points, while supporting your spine where it needs support. You should only sink into the mattress slightly, specifically around your shoulders and hips. This ensures that your spine remains aligned and you wake up happy and healthy.

Even if your back pain is only present in the morning and subsides throughout the day, failure to fix the root problem can lead to serious and permanent problems, especially as you age. So, do yourself a favor and toss the old mattress.

Take a look at our in-depth mattress reviews to see which mattress will be the easiest on your back!