Almost a decade A few days ago, I started waking up with back pain, or even having it totally wrecked at night. It turns out I have two ongoing spinal problems: scoliosis, a sideways curvature of the spine that developed in my mid-twenties (usually teenagers get it, but I’m special), and spondylosis in my lower back, which is an abnormal wearing down of the cartilage in the spine. Both were causing me severe pain at night and in the morning, but it turned out my flimsy mattress was the secondary culprit. It wasn’t offering the support I needed.
I tried everything: a mattress topper, knee pillows, and mattresses ranging from super-soft foam to firm planks. Some of these things worked, some didn’t. I, or another WIRED reviewer, slept on the mattresses below for at least seven nights each, and monitored how they affected our back pain throughout the night and the next morning. My husband also gave me feedback, even though he doesn’t suffer from chronic back problems.
After all these nights sleeping on the job, I’ve figured out which mattresses have made me forget about back pain and pressure sores. Below are our favorites for sleeping if you have back pain, plus tips on how to deal with back pain and sleep in general. While you’re here, don’t miss our related buying guides, including the best mattresses, best pillows, and best sheets, for the best overall sleep experience. All prices shown below are for queen-size models.
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