How to Choose the Best Mattress for Bad Backs?

Choosing the best mattress for back pain?

Sleeping on the wrong type of mattress can worsen or cause back pain as lack of support does not help keep the spine in alignment, strains muscles and reinforces poor sleeping posture, all of which contribute to back pain.

Sleep comfort is also reduced if the type of mattress does not match the individual’s preferences. A mattress that provides both back support and comfort helps diminish back pain, allowing the spine to rest and rejuvenate throughout the night.

With the wide variety of mattresses on the market, choosing the best mattress for back pain can be challenging. Therefore, this practical guide is designed to help customers choose the best mattress for sleep comfort even with a bad back.

Points to take into consideration

Personal preference should determine what mattress is best

• There is no particular mattress type that works for all people with back pain. Any mattress that can help a person sleep without stiffness and pain is the best mattress for that person. Customers with back pain should choose the mattress that satisfies their standards for support and comfort and allows them to get a great night’s sleep.

Understand and query the components of the mattress

• The springs of a mattress provide support, and the fillings give support and comfort. Different mattresses vary in the number and arrangement of springs, whilst the fillings in a mattress come in many different GSM (grams per square meter). The rule of thumb is that the higher the spring count, the more support you will receive and the higher the GSM and quality of fillings, the greater the support and comfort. More importantly, than the number of springs, the GSM of fillings should determine the quality of the mattress and how much it will benefit customers with back pain.

Find a mattress with superior back support

• A high-quality mattress will provide support for the alignment of the spine and the body’s natural curves. The correct amount of back support will also help avoid muscle soreness in the morning. While there is not much clinical data about mattresses, decades of customer data have found that choosing a firmness based on weight and sleeping position will provide more back pain relief than the go-to firm or orthopaedic mattresses.

Balancing between back support and comfort

• Overall comfort while sleeping is equally as important as back support when it comes to finding the best mattress for back pain. Sleeping on a too soft or firm mattress can cause aches and pains on joints and pressure points. For example, a firm mattress may be more comfortable for an individual between 16-18 stones and sleeps on their back because it allows the shoulders and hips to sink in slightly. In contrast, a customer who wants a soft mattress for back support should be no more than 10 stones in weight and sleep on their back.

Know when it is time to get a new mattress

• If an old mattress has visible sags and indents or is no longer comfortable, it is time to buy a new one. Putting plywood or pieces of cardboard under a sagging mattress is only a short-term fix, and a new mattress is still needed.

What is mattress feel?

The feel refers to the initial feeling you experience when lying on a mattress. Are you sinking into or lying right on top of it without any give? Are you experiencing plenty of pushback, or do you notice that the fibres are contouring around your body?

These are just a few questions you can ask to determine whether or not a mattress has a soft, medium soft or medium firm feel.

One thing to remember is that regardless of the spring tension you choose, the feel of the mattress will remain the same because the feel, whether soft, medium soft, medium or medium firm, will depend on what fibres are in the mattress.

In contrast, the spring tension (soft, medium, firm or extra firm) will be dictated by your body weight and sleeping position and is solely there for support and will have no bearing on how the mattress will feel.

An example of this will be, say, you select a firm spring tension, but the mattress you have chosen has a soft feel, when the mattress arrives, it will be a soft feel mattress, not an firm. This is because the spring tension was firm, not the feel of the mattress and the spring tension is determined based on your body weight and sleeping position. Whereas the fibres dictate the feel of the mattress.

We list precisely the feel of each mattress on every product page. This is so you don’t choose a firm spring tension but order a soft feel mattress and have a bad experience because you expected a firm mattress and ended up with a soft.

We also have a spring tension chart on every product page, so you choose the correct support for your body weight and sleeping position.

There is no specific best mattress for bad backs. Always choose a mattress based on your particular back problem and the best feel for that ailment and choose the spring tension that is best for your body weight and sleeping position. Below we list what feel is best for which back problem.

Sleep positions and mattresses for each back pain diagnosis

The following are sleep position recommendations for specific back conditions.

Sciatica

• Sleeping in an elevated position is preferable for sleeping with sciatica. Particularly when the pain seems worse when standing up straight and feels better when bending forward, this is a sign that sleeping in a supportive elevated position may be beneficial.

Recommended Feel: Medium Soft, Medium or Medium Firm

Recommended Spring Tension: Choose using our Spring Tension table that can be found on every product page.

Osteoarthritis

• Sleeping on your side with the knees curled up opens up the facet joints in the spine and can reduce pressure. Alternatively, sleeping in an adjustable bed raises the head and knees and reduces pressure on the facet joints.

Recommended Feel: Medium Soft, Medium or Medium Firm

Recommended Spring Tension: Choose using our Spring Tension table that can be found on every product page.

Degenerative Disc Disease

• Sleeping on the stomach can decrease pressure on the disc. People with Degenerative Disc Disease may feel most comfortable using a medium-firm mattress while putting a flat pillow under their stomach and hips. This can open up the disc space further and relieve tension on the lower back. Sleeping on the back is another option, with the upper body somewhat raised by using an adjustable bed or wedge pillow.

Recommended Feel: Medium or Medium Firm

Recommended Spring Tension: Choose using our Spring Tension table that can be found on every product page.

Spinal Stenosis

• It may be best to sleep on the sides with the knees curled up in the foetal position with this condition. This helps alleviate stress on the nerve root. Sleeping in an adjustable bed that allows the head and knees to remain raised can also reduce stress on the nerve.

Recommended Feel: Soft, Medium Soft, Medium

Recommended Spring Tension: Choose using our Spring Tension table that can be found on every product page.

Bursitis

• Inflammation of the bursa over the hips can be aggravated by pressure from a too firm mattress. A natural mattress with wool, alpaca or mohair fibres as the top layers can reduce pressure on the hip as they are thick and have good spring and give. Covering an older mattress with a natural fibre mattress topper will provide additional cushioning as a less pricey alternative.

Recommended Feel: Soft, Medium Soft, Medium

Recommended Spring Tension: Choose using our Spring Tension table that can be found on every product page.

Isthmic Spondylolisthesis

• Pain from Isthmic Spondylolisthesis may be reduced by sleeping in an elevated position. This position can be tested by placing pillows under the head, neck, and back to support the body.

Recommended Feel: Medium Soft, Medium

Recommended Spring Tension: Choose using our Spring Tension table that can be found on every product page.

Herniated Lumbar Disc

• The best sleep position depends in part on the position of the disc. For the most common paracentral disc herniation, individuals favour lying on the stomach. However, sleeping on the side in a fetal position often brings relief for a foraminal herniated disc.

Recommended Feel: Medium Soft, Medium

Recommended Spring Tension: Choose using our Spring Tension table that can be found on every product page.

What type is the best mattress for back pain?

In recent years, mattress choices have increased significantly, but pocket spring mattresses are still the best mattress for bad backs as they provide strong support from springs. The number of springs and the gauge of the springs generally determines the level of support. for example

1.2mm Gauge Spring

• Soft support

1.4mm Gauge Spring

• Medium support

1.6mm Gauge Spring

• Firm support

1.8mm Gauge Spring

• Extra firm support

Mattress springs and GSM of fillings are crucial. Typically, varying GSM levels of fillings are placed on top for comfort preferences. However, we recommend no less than 2000gsm of fillings in any mattress you are purchasing.

The two main elements that make up a mattress are the springs and the GSM of fillings. Both features deserve further discussion.

Support

• The inner part of the mattress provides support for the spine, and it is ideal for it to have enough springs to offer adequate support for the spine’s natural curves. However, this does not mean that buying the mattress with the highest number of springs is the best quality. Remember fibre is better than steel, so always look for the mattress with the more GSM of natural fibres than more springs. For example, at Winstons Beds, we do not put any more than 3000 springs into our mattresses because, after 3000 springs, there is no additional support offered no matter how high you go in spring count, and we must leave adequate space to get more GSM of fillings into the mattress.

GSM of Fillings

• The primary function of the fillings is to provide comfort (More than springs, a higher GSM of fillings makes a mattress higher quality). A mattress with less than 2000GSM of fillings comfort will diminish quickly.

Key components of the best mattress for bad backs

The following components are the essential features of most high-quality luxury mattresses.

The Mattress Springs Provide Back Support

• The wire in the springs comes in different gauges (thickness), where a lower gauge number denotes thinner wire and suited to individuals of lower weight. This does not mean that the highest number is the best mattress: customers must check that the mattress has at least 2000GSM of natural fillings (if a retailer cannot tell you the GSM walk away).

Mattress Fillings Provide Comfort

• In addition to the springs in a mattress, the fillings inside are the most crucial quality indicator. The best mattress for back pain is made of natural materials such as wool, cotton, alpaca wool, silk, cashmere and horsetail. Natural mattress fillings are more expensive, but people find them more comfortable, supportive and worth the extra cost.

Mattress Ticking and Quilting

• The outer layer consists of ticking, which at Winstons Beds is 100% chemical-free cotton. The mattress quilting joins the ticking to the springs. It is good to examine the mattress’s quality by looking for consistent, unbroken stitches. All of our luxury mattresses are hand-side stitched by the most esteemed craftspeople.

Tips on buying a high-quality mattress

When buying a new mattress, it is best only to purchase mattresses with a trial period of at least 30 nights as it will take the fillings and springs of a new mattress this amount of time to fully settle and the body to adapt to it.

It is only then that customers will know whether or not it is right for them or not. Buying a mattress based on 5 minutes of testing in a showroom will never give the true feel, and you are highly likely to end up with a mattress that is not suitable.

Individual mattress needs to consider

The following points can help people sort through their options to find a suitable match for their body type and specific situation:

• A mattress needs to match a person’s weight and sleeping position. Individual weight and sleeping positions are factors that must be considered when purchasing a new mattress. A person above 18 stones is likely to benefit from a mattress offering extra support, such as a firm or extra firm spring tensions. Mattresses below £1000 wear out quickly for heavier individuals, but at Winstons Beds, we offer well-built and sturdier mattresses and frames. Lighter, thinner people require a supportive mattress but feel more comfortable on a soft or medium spring tensions.
• Softer top layers are typically better for fibromyalgia. Sleep is often difficult for people with fibromyalgia, making a mattress purchase critical. Sensitive areas of the body, known as pressure points, will feel better if a softer top layer is selected, i.e. a mattress with wool, silk, cashmere, cotton or alpaca wool on the top layer.