Sleeping on your side is one of the most common sleeping positions, but also can be the most painful if you don't have a bed or sleeping surface that works. Side sleepers put more pressure on their hips and shoulders than back and stomach sleepers, which can aggravate pressure points, causing tossing and turning during the night.
If this sounds like you, don't despair! There are plenty of good mattresses for side sleepers out there with a bit of research. Some things to consider are your body type and your weight. If you are someone who is heavier, firmer mattresses will naturally contour more to you than if you are lighter. That said, most medium build side sleepers should be looking for a medium firmness mattress. A mattress that is too soft can cause a sinking feeling and misalign your spine.
To help folks that are side sleepers, we have created a scale to show the firmness of mattresses to buy if you are in different weight ranges. If you are lighter and/or have shoulders that are wider than your hips or hips wider than shoulders, aim for the softer side of the oval you fall in. Otherwise, steer towards the middle or firmer side of your oval based on your preference. This way, you will have an aligned spine, won't sink too much, and will have relieved pressure points.
Once you have determined which kind of mattress firmness you will need, now it is time to take a look at the mattress types. Once you've come to this step, it is more about personal preference. Memory foam, hybrids (a blend of memory foam and pocket coils), and latex mattresses can all fit the build. That said, generally, memory foam and hybrids come out on top based on side sleepers' comfort preferences because latex doesn't contour as readily to align the spine. Check out the Brooklyn Bedding options, which have multiple firmness options for your body type. Other great options for include Level Sleep, Dreamcloud, and Bear Mattress (Hybrid), which all are pressure relieving mattresses and provide generous return policies.
We know how important finding the right bed is, so we've also combined our recommendations with customer satisfaction scores, which takes into consideration warranty and trial policies.
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Suffer from tossing and turning? It could be because your current mattress doesn't support and align the spine properly. That's where Level's TriSupport™ technology can help. Their technology is a marvel in zoned support with a high-end all-foam design made in the USA. While the shoulders and hips are relieved of pressure, the middle spine is supported properly. With a patented design that is supported by chiropractors, Level Sleep is worth consideration for back and side sleepers needing well-aligned support.
Overall Score for Side Sleepers: 9.7/10
Customer Satisfaction: 9.7/10
Price Value: 9.5/10
Back Support: 9.6/10
Price: $799-$1399
DreamCloud is one of the most exciting mattress brands, with some of the best all-around hybrid mattresses. They offer 2 mattresses: The DreamCloud offers the highest value of any hybrid mattress, featuring ultimate support and comfort of memory foam and pocketed coils with a cashmere blend top. The DreamCloud Premier (officially back in stock) is a side sleeper's dream with more fluffy, but balanced, pressure relieving layers, while not sacrificing support. Customers report these luxurious beds lead to deeper sleep, and with 'Buy Now and Pay Later' financing through Affirm and a 365 day trial, this is one of the best luxury bargains anywhere.
Overall Score for Side Sleepers: 9.6/10
Customer Satisfaction: 9.6/10
Price Value: 9.7/10
Back Support: 9.3/10
Price: $899-$1899
Bear mattress offers three amazing mattresses. Their original memory foam has won acclaim with athletes on a budget, the Bear Hybrid is great for those looking for a pressure-relieving higher end feel, and their Bear Pro is perfect for those looking for an ultra-cooling contouring feel. From Celliant® to copper cooling, these mattresses also are designed to be superior at cooling, alleviating muscle pain, and supporting the spine. Also, with their all-inclusive and low priced Bear Bundle, folks love these beds.
Overall Score for Side Sleepers: 9.6/10
Customer Satisfaction: 9.6/10
Price Value: 9.5/10
Back Support: 9.6/10
Price: $695-$1995
Puffy is an online mattress brand that makes three mattresses: The Puffy Mattress, The Puffy Lux Mattress, and The Puffy Royal Mattress (Limited Time: Get $300 Off Mattresses). Each of these offer a high rated memory foam feel that are making a splash in the mattress in the box industry. With the recent addition of coil hybrid versions in their Lux and Royal, folks find these mattresses softer than other all-foam mattresses in a box, which is great for those with a lighter body type. With an aim at providing a higher end all-foam mattress for less than in-store, Puffy is a brand to consider and ships worldwide!
Overall Score for Side Sleepers: 9.5/10
Customer Satisfaction: 9.6/10
Price Value: 9.4/10
Back Support: 9.1/10
Price: $795-$2995
Meet Awara, the pressure relieving latex hybrid mattress, featuring natural dunlop latex, and a sustainable mission for a price point that comparatively carries much more value for its 13'' thick mattress than many other latex mattress companies. Whether you are sensitive to chemicals or enjoy the invigorating feel of latex, you can rest easy that your purchase is eco-conscious since Awara holds a certification with the Rainforest Alliance and a partnership with Trees For The Future that plants trees for every mattress purchased. With a universally comfortable medium-plush feel, Awara brings a comfy sigh of relief to its sleepers.
Overall Score for Side Sleepers: 9.5/10
Customer Satisfaction: 9.5/10
Price Value: 9.6/10
Back Support: 9.4/10
Price: $999-$1499
One of most popular mattress brands, both the Nectar and the Nectar Lush are all-foam mattresses that focus on universally comfortable firmness and support, with customers describing balanced comfort with relaxing back support and gentle pressure relief. Also, with value-add differentiators like a full year trial and a 'forever' warranty, thick and quality materials for the price, optional white glove delivery, a competitive pricepoint, and 'Buy Now, Pay Later' financing through Affirm, it's a real brand to consider for value-conscious shoppers. From the UK? See our review for the UK version.
Overall Score for Side Sleepers: 9.5/10
Customer Satisfaction: 9.7/10
Price Value: 9.8/10
Back Support: 9.4/10
Price: $499-$1799
Brooklyn Bedding is a quality-focused mattress maker with multiple mattress types and firmness options. They make all of their mattresses end to end in their own factory, passing on more price value to customers. Also, read about their specialty brands: ultra-firm Plank Mattress, plus-size friendly Titan Mattress, customizable Rubix Mattress, latex Bloom Mattress, eco-friendly Ecosleep, and cooling Propel Sleep.
Overall Score for Side Sleepers: 9.5/10
Customer Satisfaction: 9.4/10
Price Value: 9.5/10
Back Support: 9.6/10
Price: $549-$2899
Winkbeds started as a factory-direct luxury hybrid mattress brand competing with the luxury showroom market. With years of innovation, they have grown their offerings to include both a luxury-style all-foam and latex hybrid mattress in addition to their classic hybrid. With both reviewers and customers appreciating the quality of their mattresses for the price and reporting great customer service experiences, Winkbeds is a top brand to consider on your mattress search.
Overall Score for Side Sleepers: 9.4/10
Customer Satisfaction: 9.4/10
Price Value: 9.4/10
Back Support: 9.5/10
Price: $1049-$2199
Amerisleep offers a line of high-end memory foam and hybrid mattresses that offer the benefits of plant-based materials. Each mattress has a blend of bio-foams for comfort layers that are more eco-friendly than the traditional synthetic-based memory foam material. Amerisleep offers 5 different mattress firmness options in all-foam options, and 3 popular firmness varieties also in a pocketed coil hybrid build. Customers like their offerings and have good things to say about the quality versus better known name-brands.
Overall Score for Side Sleepers: 9.4/10
Customer Satisfaction: 9.3/10
Price Value: 9.3/10
Back Support: 9.3/10
Price: $899-$4598
Tuft and Needle made a big splash in the mattress industry when it offered one of the lowest cost all-foam mattresses in a box directly to customers, their T&N Original Mattress. Since then, they've elaborated on their initial concept with two more innovative designs: The Mint and The Hybrid, which provide high quality, superbly pressure-relieving offerings. On top of that, the Mint Mattress was recently upgraded to include antimicrobial protection embedded in its cover layer. With their three mattresses and 100,000s of positive reviews, customers have spoken in approval of T&N.
Overall Score for Side Sleepers: 9.4/10
Customer Satisfaction: 9.5/10
Price Value: 9.4/10
Back Support: 9.4/10
Price: $450-$1845