Best Mattresses for Back Sleepers: Reviewed and Tested by Sleep Experts (2025)

When I gave the Nectar Classic Memory Foam mattress the old college try, I was instantly convinced that back sleepers would be the most comfortable on this bed. This mattress has a comfortable medium-firm feel with just a smidge of contouring that molds to your body as you lie on your back. It also scored high in motion isolation (4.7/5) and cooling (4.5/5).

My fellow testers and I rated back-sleeping pressure relief for the Nectar mattress at 4 out of 5, noting that this bed has a more lifted feel despite its all-foam construction. Most memory foam beds are known for their deep sinkage and contouring, which can affect overall support. But physical therapist Dr. Joe Tedesco was most pleased with this bed’s ability to promote proper alignment: “I feel like everything is being supported evenly, and I’m not noticing pressure anywhere,” he said. 

These rave reviews, combined with the bed’s stellar performance across the board, led me to slot it into our number one spot for back sleepers.

We rated the Nectar Classic mattress at a 6.5 out of 10 on our firmness scale, a true medium-firm feel that’s perfect for back sleepers. While the mattress does mold to your body a little bit, you’re not going to sink deep into it. Dr. Tedesco noted, “I feel like I’m lying on top of the mattress, not in it.” He likened it to lying on the floor with a bit more cushioning, which is great for spinal alignment. “Everything feels like it’s in a neutral position,” he finished.

Though our testers most enjoyed the bed in the back-sleeping position. I think that some side sleepers who like a more lifted feel will find comfort on this bed. Heavyweight tester Caine Wilkes gave the bed a 5 out of 5 for pressure relief on his side.  “It feels more supportive than I was expecting,” he said. “Everything feels in line on my side. I feel a little pressure on my shoulder but it isn’t uncomfortable.”

As an all-foam mattress, it’s not a surprise that the Nectar mattress earned its highest rating in the motion isolation category. The dense, cushy nature of memory foam is prized for its ability to stop movement before it travels across the mattress surface. I actually hopped into bed alongside Kenny and moved around to mimic how it might feel to sleep with a restless partner. “I could feel Livvi jump into bed but had trouble figuring out if she was switching positions or not – which is great,” Kenny said. He gave motion isolation a score of 4.7 out of 5 and recommended it for couples.

With this level of motion absorption, Kenny was surprised by how easy it was to move around on the surface of the mattress. “I think it’s easier to switch positions on because it’s not a very tall bed and it is quite firm for a 100-percent memory foam mattress,” he said. “When you use your hands to press down into the mattress, they don’t sink too far into the layers, which makes it easy to flip over from your back to your side to your stomach.” He rated the response at 4 out of 5, making it an appealing option for combination sleepers who prefer the feel of memory foam.

Although the Nectar received high scores in most categories, it may not offer the best edge support, a common failing of most all-foam mattresses. Kenny noticed the most sinkage when he sat down on the very edge of the mattress, enough that he felt liable to slip off. “People with mobility issues may find that they have to put even more effort into getting out of bed,” he said. He did note that lying down felt much more stable, but if you’re looking for a foam bed with more solid edges, you might prefer the Bear Original.

Read more about this mattress in our Nectar Classic Memory Foam review.

Back and side sleeping are common sleeping positions. If you happen to switch between both, you’ll need a bed that can accommodate both. The Helix Midnight is a hybrid mattress with a medium-firm feel (6.5 out of 10 on our scale) and plush foams on top. This bed was designed for side sleepers, but our testers found that it also worked well for back sleeping. We rated pressure relief in both sleeping positions at a 4.3 out of 5, with testers of all sizes giving the bed at least a 4 out of 5 for each position. 

My colleague Riley Otis was the primary tester for this mattress and the first to note its comfort for both back and side sleepers. She tried out the mattress in each position, praising the balance of comfort and support in each. “The mattress overall contoured my body really nicely, and I think most back sleepers [and side sleepers] will find a nice balance between support and pressure relief,” she said. 

Heavyweight tester Matt Schickling also gave the mattress a perfect score for back-sleeping pressure relief.  He appreciated how the mattress worked to properly align him in this position, including support at his lower back.  He overall felt “really nice on this bed,” and he finished out his report by saying, “It passes my test for heavy sleepers on both the side and back.”

If you’re switching between your back and your side, you’re going to want a bed that makes it easy to do so. That’s why we recommend combination sleepers look for a bed with high response, meaning it helps you move with ease rather than leaving you feeling “stuck” in a doughy surface. 

Riley performed the response test by moving around on the surface and toggling between each sleeping position, giving the bed a final responsiveness score of 4 out of 5. “I found it fairly easy to move around on the Helix Midnight,” she said. “I did have to put in a bit of effort when moving from my back to my stomach, but moving onto my side from either position was a breeze.”

Usually, a hybrid mattress doesn’t fare well in terms of absorbing motion, which can be an issue if you share the bed with a partner. But the Helix Midnight also did fairly well in our partner test. Riley got into the mattress alongside a fellow tester, who moved around on the other side. “I could definitely detect my partner sitting down, lying down, and then switching positions,” she said. “I think very light sleepers prone to waking up will be disturbed, but sound sleepers should be able to sleep through it.”

Though it’s a relatively well-rounded mattress, the Helix Midnight falls behind many of its counterparts in its ability to regulate temperature. Riley used a thermal gun to measure the surface temperature of the mattress in two instances: first, before she got into the mattress, and again after lying on it for five minutes. She recorded a whopping 10.5-degree increase, well above the 6.1 degrees we see on average. As for how she felt lying there, Riley said, “I didn’t feel uncomfortably hot, but I wouldn’t recommend this bed to sleepers prone to overheating since its cooling abilities are just okay.”

Want a cooler bed? Check out the Leesa Sapira Chill Hybrid. Or you can read more about this bed in our full Helix Midnight mattress review.

If you’re a back sleeper on a budget, you don’t have to sacrifice comfort and quality with an affordable mattress. The DreamCloud hybrid is an affordable option with the ideal blend of comfort and support, featuring a medium-firm feel that’s sure to please. Physical therapist Dr. Joe Tedesco found this out for himself when he lay on the surface. “It is a very soft mattress, but I love how supportive it is of my extremities when I am on my back,” he said.

Our testers agreed with his assessment, giving the bed a perfect 5-out-of-5 rating for back sleepers’ pressure relief — alongside an abundance of high scores. This mattress garnered scores of  4 and above in all performance categories, resulting in an overall mattress score of 4.5 out of 5. To top it off, it comes in at under $700 for a queen-size.

Aside from pressure relief, the DreamCloud mattress earned its highest score in response, another 5-out-of-5 rating. This means the mattress has plenty of bounce, making it easy to move around on the surface to switch positions during sleep or sex. My colleague Riley Otis awarded this score because of the ease of movement she experienced. “Even though the bed has some plush cushioning, it didn’t inhibit my mobility or prevent me from easily rolling,” she said. “I think combination sleepers would be able to move around with no issues.”

With such a bouncy bed, we’d expect motion to travel easily across the mattress surface and create a problem for light sleepers, but that wasn’t the case. Another tester got into the mattress alongside Riley and moved around to replicate sleeping with a restless partner. 

“As she rolled around next to me, I could tell another person was there, but my body wasn’t affected by her movement,” Riley said. “I think very light sleepers might be annoyed by the motion disturbance, but typical sleepers will be able to sleep through the night.” She rated motion isolation at 4.7 out of 5, signaling  that it should work great for couples. 

Hot sleepers on a budget should also find a happy match with the DreamCloud hybrid. The breathable cover and coils in this mattress facilitate better airflow throughout the bed, helping to maintain a cooler temperature. When Riley lay down on the mattress to get a feel for the surface temperature, she found it initially cool to the touch. It did warm up a little beneath her, but still remained temperature-neutral, so she rated the temperature regulation at 4.5 out of 5 and recommended the bed for folks prone to overheating. 

As for who should steer clear of the DreamCloud mattress, Dr. Tedesco had some thoughts: “The soft nature of it makes me think it wouldn’t be great for heavyweight back sleepers,” he said. “But those under that weight threshold should really enjoy this mattress.” Folks over 230 pounds may have better luck with the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe, which has a firmer feel that can offer more support. 

For more information about this bed, read our full DreamCloud mattress review.

Hybrid mattresses are among the best options for back sleepers, as their combination of foam and coils provides precisely what these sleepers need: contouring pressure relief and lifted support. The Leesa Sapira Chill Hybrid is one such mattress, featuring a plush pillow top that provides ample cushioning without allowing you to sink out of alignment. 

This mattress comes in multiple firmness levels, but we tried the Medium-Firm model. Our testers rated pressure relief for back sleepers on this bed at 4.3 out of 5. Its medium feel (rated at 6 out of 10 for firmness) should also offer a softer feel than some of the other beds on this list, perfect for back sleepers with a smaller frame.

My colleague Riley Otis was the main tester for this mattress, and also happens to be a lightweight sleeper. She thought the mattress was great for back sleepers overall. “I really enjoyed the feeling of the soft pillow top around my hips and shoulders, and it did an excellent job filling in the space at my lumbar zone,” she said. “Although the top is plush, I didn’t notice my hips dipping out of alignment.”

Since it is called Leesa Sapira Chill, you might be curious about the bed’s cooling capability. I’m happy to report that it lives up to its name. Riley said,  “The cover has a cool-to-the-touch feel that stayed the whole time I was lying on it,” she said. “The gel-infused foam quilted into the pillow top was noticeably cool.” She rated the cooling at 4.5 out of 5, heartily recommending it for hot sleepers. 

If you’re a back sleeper who wants to spread out on the surface of your mattress, the Leesa Sapira Chill has “solid” and “better than average” edge support, per Riley. She was able to lie down on her back at the very edge of the mattress without feeling like she was going to slide right off. Sitting down was a bit trickier, as the edge collapsed a bit more under her weight. Folks with mobility concerns who need more support to get in and out of bed may want to look for a bed with firmer edges. 

Fellow light sleepers, I can’t recommend the Leesa Sapira Chill to you in confidence. To ensure you don’t feel your bedmate’s movements, you’ll want a mattress that keeps their motion from traveling across the bed. The Leesa Sapira Chill earned a 3.9 out of 5 in this category, which Riley awarded it after trying out the bed with a fellow tester. “I felt very disturbed when my fellow tester switched sleeping positions beside me, as the movement very clearly travelled to my side,” she said. “I felt like my body was being jostled around heavily, and I don’t think I would have been able to sleep through it.”

If you want a better bed for couples, check out the WinkBed. Otherwise, read more in our full Leesa Sapira Chill mattress review.

Finding a mattress for back sleepers when you share the bed with someone else can add another layer of consideration to your mattress search. If you’re a light sleeper with a restless partner, you’ll appreciate the WinkBed’s motion-absorbing pillow top that keeps movement from traveling across the mattress surface.

Back sleepers will most benefit from the Luxury Firm WinkBed’s sturdy coil unit. As a back sleeper, Dr. Joe Tedesco (DPT) heartily recommends this mattress to those who share his sleep position preference. “I have little to no pressure buildup anywhere right now,” he said. Our testers also rated pressure relief for these sleepers at a 4.3 out of 5, so they should benefit from that cushy pillow top, too, even as they remain lifted from the coils beneath.

Further proving the bed’s aptness for back sleepers, our average-weight tester Sosha Lewis proclaimed, “I don’t ever sleep on my back, but this bed might just convert me.” She was particularly impressed by the bed’s lumbar support. “It’s firm yet still provides contouring at my lower back, which sometimes causes issues for me.” It should also be a great pick for sleepers with lower back pain.

As mentioned, this bed has relatively low motion transfer despite having coils in its construction, earning a motion isolation score of 4.3 out of 5, which is its primary draw as a mattress for couples. My colleague and fellow tester Riley Otis hopped into the WinkBed alongside another tester to earn these results. “I could tell that someone else was in the bed, but it didn’t affect my side too much,” she said. “Although I could detect a bit of motion, I think light sleepers would be able to sleep through it, as it didn’t jostle my body at all.”

Couples should also appreciate the bed’s strong edges, which will allow them to make full use of its surface area. Riley most noticed the edge support when she lay down on the edge of the mattress; the edge only slightly dipped a negligible amount when bearing her weight. Sitting at the perimeter, she noticed a “decent amount of sinkage,” but added, “I didn’t feel unstable or like I was about to slide off the bed.” This means the edge support (which earned a 4.4 out of 5) should also assist in getting in and out of bed, a boon for older couples or those with mobility issues.

Sharing a bed with a partner can increase your risk of overheating. While the WinkBed only had an average score on our temperature regulation test, I wouldn’t write it off as a bad bed for hot sleepers.“It didn’t necessarily feel cool, but I didn’t feel like the foams were noticeably hot,” Riley said. While it shouldn’t be an issue for the average sleeper, if you’re an especially hot sleeper, you might prefer a mattress with a cooler feel.

If you and your partner are sexually active, beds with  plenty of bounce can be helpful. Though the WinkBed is a hybrid mattress, Riley didn’t find it to have a responsive surface, making it more challenging to move around. “Mobility on this bed was just average,” she said. “I definitely feel inhibited by the dense pillow top, but I didn’t feel trapped in the foams.” Sexually active couples may prefer a mattress like the Saatva Classic, which has more than enough bounce for bedroom activities.

Find out more about this mattress in our dedicated WinkBed review.

We tend to recommend medium-firm mattresses for back sleepers because of their balanced nature, but some folks may need something firmer. Perhaps you have a bigger body type, sleep on your stomach, or just prefer a firmer mattress. If any of these sound like you, check out the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling mattress.

Our testers rated this bed 7.5 out of 10 on our firmness scale, and also gave it a whopping 4.7 out of 5 score for back-sleeping pressure relief. Dr. Joe Tedesco (DPT) also found this bed to have a surprising balance despite its firmer feel. “Lying on my back, I feel great,” he said. “I’m not feeling anything sinking into the bed, so I feel even pressure throughout my body.”

Aside from its firmness and propensity for back sleepers, most shoppers are probably drawn to the bed’s name. Our testers put the bed’s cooling moniker to the test. Sosha Lewis used a thermal gun to record the surface temperature of the mattress, first before she’d gotten in, and a second time after a five-minute nap. The bed’s temperature went from 68.5 degrees to 72.5, a mere 4-degree increase; considerably less than the 6.1-degree average uptick. 

Sosha noted that while she rested on the mattress, it felt “pretty cool to the touch” and never seemed to heat up. This solidified her final temperature regulation rating of 5 out of 5. Even Dr. Tedesco noticed while evaluating the bed’s orthopedic qualities: “This is pretty firm, and very cool,” he said. “I mean, this is super cooling — it feels very good!” 

The bed’s firm feel also lends it much in the way of response, which refers to how easy it is to move on the surface of a mattress. Rather than the hugging, contouring feel of dense memory foam, you’re going to mostly feel the springs underneath in the bed’s support layer. Sosha thought this bed was “super easy to move on.” She felt it had a more “on-top” feel rather than the slow sink of some softer foam beds. “I could switch to and from any position,” she added, giving it a perfect score in this category and recommending it for combination sleepers. 

The Aurora Luxe should also be a hit for couples. Sosha was impressed with how the bed performed in the motion isolation category, stifling testers’ movements rather than amplifying it across the surface. She tried out the bed with a colleague: “I could feel my testing partner getting in and out of bed but it was minimal,” she said.  “I didn’t find her getting in bed disturbing at all, but big motions caused by her tossing and turning could be felt.” Still, she rated motion isolation at 4.7 out of 5, and heartily recommended it to folks who share the bed.

While this mattress is great for back sleepers who prefer a firm mattress, as well as heavyweight sleepers and stomach sleepers, it may not work for other sleeper types. If you weigh less than 130 pounds or want deep sinkage on your side, you may want to opt for a softer bed. You might like the Leesa Sapira Chill, also featured on this list.

Read more in our full Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe mattress review.

Back sleepers wanting to sleep like royalty should consider upgrading to a luxury mattress like the Saatva Classic. I own the Luxury Firm model of this mattress myself, and though I’m not a dedicated back sleeper, the support that this bed provides is unmatched, thanks to its two coil units. These coils helped the bed earn a perfect response score of 5/5, as well as an edge support score of 4.8/5. 

Aside from my experience, our testers rated pressure relief on the Saatva mattress at a respectable 4 out of 5 for back sleeping. Dr. Joe Tedesco (DPT) also praised the bed’s balanced feel. “I feel very even pressure distribution from my ankles up to my neck,” he said. “The mattress is doing its job in terms of how the springs are placed and supportive, giving just enough to hold my weight.”

As a luxury mattress, some of the Saatva’s biggest perks actually come from the brand’s customer service and policies. This mattress comes with free white-glove delivery, which I took full advantage of when I moved. A team delivered the mattress to my bedroom and took away my old one, eliminating all the hassle of doing it myself. On top of that, the mattress comes with a year-long sleep trial and lifetime warranty, speaking to the brand’s confidence in their product.

The confidence is warranted; aside from its proficiency for back sleepers, it’s also the perfect fit for combination sleepers. My favorite thing about the Saatva is its bounce, which my fellow tester Kenny Timper rated at 5 out of 5 when testing the bed’s responsiveness. As he moved around on the surface, he was able to switch between positions and roll around to his heart’s content. “I think this is pretty much the gold standard for combination sleepers,” he said.

This bed’s edge support is also nothing to scoff at, another feat of its double-innerspring construction. Whether Kenny sat or lay at the very edge of the mattress, there was no sinkage to be found, and he felt stable and secure. “The coils make this bed feel really sturdy and stable,” he said, rating edge support at a 4.8 out of 5. “I think this mattress would be great for older adults and people with mobility issues.”

The coils in the Saatva Classic also allow for air to keep moving through the bed, helping it keep cool for hot sleepers. Kenny put this to the test by lying down on the mattress for about five minutes to judge whether or not it warmed up. “I didn’t think it was noticeable when it heated up,” he said. Most hot sleepers should be satisfied by the bed’s 4-out-of-5 cooling score.

Despite my strong affection for this mattress, I find that it’s lacking in the motion isolation department. I’m an extremely light sleeper, and I’ve taken to banishing my partner or friends to the couch when they sleep over. You can feel everything on this bed — even the smallest twitch is amplified and jostles you awake. If you’re looking for a bed with better motion isolation, you’re better off with an all-foam bed like the Nectar. 

Read more about this bed in our Saatva Classic mattress review.

Foam mattresses are great picks for back sleepers looking for pressure relief. However, with how contouring these beds are, you’ll want an option that also properly supports your spine. Luckily, this isn’t an issue with the Bear Original, an all-foam bed with a firmer feel (7 out of 10 on our scale) that brings more lift. It may not have the super-soft, slow-moving feel of memory foam, but this profile is perfectly suited for back sleepers who like a slightly firmer bed. It earned its highest scores in motion isolation (4.7/5) and cooling (4.5/5).

Physical therapist Dr. Joe Tedesco particularly enjoyed this mattress as a dedicated back sleeper. He didn’t encounter much pressure buildup, calling this bed a “neutral mattress.” He added, “I am sinking into it a little, but the mattress is pushing me back up.”

The Bear’s firmer feel lends it a bit of response when it comes to moving around on the surface of the mattress. Riley Otis hopped on top of the Bear Original and started rolling through each sleeping position to gauge her ease of movement.

 “Since this bed is firmer than a lot of memory foam beds and doesn’t have a lot of sinkage, I never felt trapped in the foam or like it was inhibiting my mobility,” Riley said. She noted that the bed wasn’t bouncy like a spring bed, which may make it even easier to switch positions. With this in mind, she rated the response at a 4 out of 5. If you prefer the comfort of foam but dislike feeling “stuck” in it, the Bear Original may be a good compromise.

Despite the bed’s decently high response score, it still isolates motion like a traditional memory foam bed. After witnessing how the Bear Original maintained its shape, Riley was surprised by how well the bed absorbed motion when she tested it alongside a colleague. 

“I could detect a very slight disturbance when my colleague got in the bed and switched positions,” Riley said. “However, I didn’t feel movement on my side of the bed — I could just tell someone applied pressure to the other side of the bed.” She awarded it a 4.7-out-of-5 score in this category, a good sign for light sleepers who share the bed with a restless partner. 

Also impressive for a foam mattress was the bed’s cooling capability. Memory foam beds tend to trap heat, but the bed’s breathable cover and gel-infused comfort layer ensure you get the coolest night’s sleep. “As I was lying there, I could feel the bed adjusting to my body heat, but I never felt like it was uncomfortably hot,” Riley said after rating the bed’s cooling ability at 4.5 out of 5. “It remained cool the entire time I was on it.” 

Finally, this mattress had decent edge support for a foam mattress, but nothing to write home about. Foam beds often have saggy edges due to the dense nature of the foam. Riley thought that the edges held up a bit better than a traditional foam, but added, “I wouldn’t say it was stellar.” They sank quite a bit when bearing her weight, regardless if she was lying down or sitting at the perimeter, but she never felt like she was going to slip right off. 

Need more solid edges? Check out the Nolah Evolution. Or you can read more about this mattress in our Bear Original review.

Like mattresses designed for back sleepers, the best mattress for back pain should strike a balance between support and softness to keep your body properly aligned. The Nolah Evolution is a luxury hybrid mattress that will check the boxes for both. While the coils keep you lifted, the dense foams on top of the mattress provide plenty of pressure relief; the mattress earned a 4.3-out-of-5 score for back-sleeping pressure relief. 

Physical therapist Dr. Joe Tedesco tried this bed out for himself and gave it his seal of approval. “I think people who have back pain could stand to benefit from this mattress,” he said. “You get some great weightlessness and slight posterior tilt as a back sleeper with this mattress, which is ideal for alleviating hip and back pain.”

The Nolah Evolution comes in multiple firmness options, but we tested the Luxury Firm model. Our team rated it at a 7 out of 10 in terms of firmness, just a smidge firmer than industry-standard medium-firm. It has a more “on top” feel that’ll leave you feeling lifted on the bed’s surface rather than sinking deeply into it. Despite this, you still won’t feel any “significant pressure buildup,” per Dr. Tedesco, creating a balanced sleep environment perfect for back pain relief.

The Nolah Evolution offers much more than support for back issues. It earned its highest score, a perfect 5 out of 5, in the motion isolation category, making it a great option for couples. “Cait is a lightweight sleeper, and I barely felt her at all,” Sosha said when her fellow tester got into bed alongside her. “The most motion was when she sat down on the bed.” She noted that this might change if your partner has a larger build, but still recommended the bed for light sleepers easily awoken by their bedmates. 

This hybrid also had great edge support, thanks to its reinforced coils along the perimeter of the bed. Our testers didn’t notice much dipping when sitting or lying down at the very edge, and they bounced back when getting in and out of bed. At a 4.6 out of 5 score, the Nolah Evolution’s edge support should be enough to give older adults and those with mobility concerns the extra bit of stability they need.

The edges weren’t the only thing that bounced back on this mattress. Sosha found that the mattress surface had some response to it despite its cushy foam feel. “I found it fairly easy to switch to every position,” she said, rating response at 4 out of 5 because of the little effort she had to put in to roll from her back to stomach. She did note that it wasn’t as bouncy as a typical hybrid bed, so don’t expect to be bouncing across the surface like you’re part of the moon landing. 

The biggest qualm most shoppers might have with the Nolah Evolution is its price. As a luxury bed, this bed will run you almost $1,500 for a queen-size. We think it’s worth every penny, but it may not be a feasible budget option. If you want a cheaper hybrid mattress, you might like the DreamCloud instead.

To find out more about this bed, read our full Nolah Evolution review.