There is no such thing As the best mattress for everyone. It’s different if you have different sleeping positions. However, most people sleep on their side. This number varies depending on the study and the exact definition of side sleeping, but between half and three-quarters of people sleep on their side for at least part of the night.
I’m also a side sleeper, and over the past 18 months I’ve tested and reviewed over 30 beds from different mattress brands to find the one that fits my needs. Firm mattresses are good for back sleepers, but side and stomach sleepers may prefer a softer bed, which usually puts some stress on their hips and knees. Before I started testing mattresses for WIRED, I would have said that the softer the bed, the better. But as I tried more styles and avidly tracked my sleep with my Apple Watch, I discovered that the best mattresses for side sleepers are both cushioned and supportive. The key recommendations below will be effective enough to help you sink your hips to maintain your natural spinal alignment without making rolling over feel like an uphill battle. Everything I recommend was actually tested at home for at least a week. I provided my own rating for the firmness of each mattress I tested based on how soft each mattress was after a week of testing. I only tested one of the variations of each mattress, so you can get a rough idea of what the different firmness levers will be like when ordering. All prices shown are for queen size models.
Be sure to check out our other sleep guides, including our new guide on the Best Mattress, Best Organic Mattress, Best Cooling Mattress, and the Best Body Pillows for Side Sleepers.
Updated October 2024: We’ve added an updated version of the all-foam Nectar Premier as an option for those looking for a softer mattress, and the Helix Midnight Luxe with GlacioTex and ErgoAlign as the best mattress for spinal alignment.
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Is it good to sleep on your side?
If you’ve ever consciously tried to change your sleeping position (perhaps due to a medical procedure or a strange bed), you probably know that it can be difficult to fight your natural tendencies. The good news for side sleepers is that experts widely agree that sleeping on your side is at least as good as other options.
Sleep experts at Houston Methodist University say sleeping on your side has the “least negative health effects.” This is great. The only thing worse for you than sleeping on your side is not getting enough sleep or sleeping in any other position.
I’ve always been jealous of people who sleep on their backs, but according to the Mayo Clinic, sleeping on your back is the “worst position” and sleeping on your side is a “good way to sleep.”
Which mattress is best for side sleepers: hybrid or memory foam?
A hybrid is recommended for people who sleep on their sides. Considering you’re putting more weight on a smaller surface area, you might think memory foam is better than a hybrid mattress with a layer of springs (often called coils). When you wear memory foam, it sinks in like a little fluffy cloud and provides lateral support.
The problem is, if you sleep well and don’t move much, that bubble slowly but surely gets compressed under your body throughout the night. If you only apply one layer of foam, it will feel like sleeping on a yoga mat after a while. This is why mattresses with multiple comfort layers of foam of varying weights are better, and why we prefer hybrids. In my experience, that spring layer means the foam doesn’t compress as much.
A good hybrid will allow you to get a solid six hours of sleep without changing positions, but that’s not always the case for me with an all-foam mattress. Hybrids also tend to sleep cooler because they have less solid foam to absorb heat.
What is the ideal firmness level for side sleepers?
Most side sleepers gravitate towards softer mattresses, which usually means medium-soft memory foam. However, you need to make sure that you are using a mattress that has enough support throughout the night. All types of mattresses can provide that, but be sure to pay close attention to the firmness level that the company advertises and the firmness options within it. Also, consider your body type, as the heavier you are, the firmer the mattress you will need. Below I have provided my own subjective measure of the firmness of the mattresses I tested and indicated which variations I tried in each case.
Another thing to consider is how easy it is to soften the mattress later on. If you’ve spent a lot of money on a high-quality mattress made of good materials and find it too hard, adding a mattress topper is relatively cheap and easy. This is because almost all mattress toppers have the effect of softening the sleeping surface. However, it cannot actually make a mattress firmer. Even if you find a firm mattress topper and place it on a soft foam bed, the base is still squishy and can cause you to sink in and shift your back. So, as a mattress tester who has slept on numerous bed-in-box mattresses shipped to my home, my advice is to always err on the side of being too firm. If you find yourself not choosing right after the trial period, The Perfect Mattress has plenty of options to change your trajectory.
What type of mattress is best for heavy side sleepers?
I’ve gotten bigger. Thanks to semaglutide, I’m smaller now than when I started testing mattresses, but I’m still bigger. It turns out that the bigger you are, the more firm your mattress is. Otherwise, your weight will overcompress the foam and springs underneath. If you are heavy, look for additional support.
How to test mattresses for side sleepers
I’ve reviewed 30 mattresses and personally tested every mattress in this guide. I slept on each mattress in my home for at least a week, and while I wasn’t actively working on reviewing another mattress, I long-term tested their top-of-the-line mattress, the Bear Elite Hybrid, for almost a year. When I have multiple models, I usually go for the firmest option available and grade the firmness based on my impressions after sleeping on it for a full week. In addition to my subjective assessment, I also closely track my sleep stats using an Apple Watch Ultra.
