Best Mattresses for side sleepers

Both work when the comfort layer is thick and soft enough, so it comes down to your weight and how warm you sleep. All-foam contours more deeply around the shoulder and hip and absorbs movement, which suits lighter side sleepers and couples. A hybrid's pocketed coils keep heavier hips from sinking too far and let air through, so heavier and warmer side sleepers tend to prefer it. The Edge Signature comes both ways with the same 3.5-inch layer on top, and our memory foam vs hybrid guide compares them in detail.

Three to four inches. Less than that and your shoulder reaches the firm base before it has sunk in enough, which is why many thin or budget mattresses feel fine on your back and hard on your side. More than four inches and the hips tend to sink too far. The Viscosoft Edge has a 3-inch comfort layer and the Edge Signature has 3.5 inches, both in high-density memory foam, which holds its depth longer than the low-density foam in cheaper beds.

Yes, especially if you get lower back or hip pain. When you lie on your side without one, the top leg drops forward and twists the pelvis, pulling the lower spine out of line. The Sleep Foundation explains that a knee pillow keeps the hips stacked and the spine aligned, and notes it can ease sciatica and hip bursitis. A firm, medium-thickness pillow works better than a soft one, which flattens by morning.

For most adults, yes. Side sleeping keeps the airway more open than back sleeping, so it reduces snoring, and it is easier on the spine than stomach sleeping. Healthline notes that the left side may offer the most benefits, including for digestion and heartburn. The trade-off is pressure on the shoulder and hip, which is a mattress problem rather than a reason to change position. Get the comfort layer right and the downside mostly goes away.

A high-loft pillow, usually 4 to 6 inches thick, firm enough to hold its height all night. The pillow has to fill the gap between the mattress and your ear so your neck stays in line with your spine, and a flat pillow leaves your head hanging downward. If you switch between side and back, an adjustable pillow lets you change the height. The Signature Adjustable Pillow has removable memory foam layers for that, and our guide to pillow height shows how to measure.

Yes, if it keeps the spine straight rather than just soft. A side sleeper with back pain needs give at the shoulder and hip plus support under the waist: a medium feel, 3 to 4 inches of memory foam over a firm base, and a pillow between the knees. A mattress that is soft all the way through lets the hips sink and makes lower back pain worse. Our guide to mattresses and back pain explains how to tell whether your current bed is too firm or too soft.

Medium, give or take a step depending on your weight. Lighter side sleepers usually do best on medium-soft, because they need the surface to give under a shoulder that does not weigh much. Heavier side sleepers need medium-firm so the hips do not sink through. Healthline recommends medium-firm as the safe middle, noting that very soft mattresses offer little joint support and very hard ones are uncomfortable. On a 10-point scale, most side sleepers land between 4 and 6.

Usually, yes. On your side, your shoulder and hip carry most of your weight on a small area, and a firm surface does not let them sink in, so the pressure builds there all night and the spine bows around them. Harvard Health cites a survey in which people on very hard mattresses reported the poorest sleep. If you already own a firm mattress and sleep on your side, our guide on fixing a mattress that is too firm covers the options.

Because the shoulder you lie on is holding up your whole upper body against a surface that does not give enough. If the mattress is too firm, the shoulder cannot sink and the joint is compressed for hours. If the pillow is too low, the shoulder gets pushed up toward the neck and pinched from the other direction. A comfort layer with 3 to 4 inches of give and a pillow that keeps your ear level with your shoulder fix most cases. Our pillow collection includes an adjustable option for exactly that.

Pressure. Lying on your side compresses the nerves and blood vessels running through the shoulder and upper arm, and on a mattress that does not let the shoulder sink in, that pressure is enough to make the arm tingle or go dead. A softer comfort layer spreads the weight over more of the shoulder, and keeping the lower arm forward rather than tucked under you helps too. If it happens most nights, the mattress is too firm for side sleeping, and the plush comfort layer on the Edge is built for this.