If you prefer sleeping on your stomach, our guide to choosing the best mattress for stomach sleepers is based on in-depth analysis and research, and will help you choose the right model for your bedroom. The right mattress for stomach sleepers needs to offer exceptional support, comfort, and be firm or medium firm.
Stomach sleeping is not very common or popular among adults in the US. This has nothing to do with personal preference, but more with a high risk of potential aches. The stomach is a weight center for most adults, and sleeping on it may cause unnecessary strains on the neck, shoulders, and back. People sleeping on their stomach may also experience neck pain because they have to crane it to one side. Even though there are many disadvantages of stomach sleeping, some people find it a comfortable position.
If you prefer to sleep on your stomach, you need a mattress that provides exceptional support, particularly in the midsection, because in this part the biggest amount of weight is concentrated. You should also consider the firmness of the bed. Although preferences depend on one’s height and body weight, most stomach sleepers claim they feel best sleeping on medium-firm or firm mattress models. If you are a stomach sleeper and you need to get a new bed, read our guide and see our picks for the best mattresses for stomach sleepers in 2018. To create this list, and a short mattress buying guide, we have consulted with six sleep experts and spend 90 hours on research.
Highlights: Has multiple firmness options, excellent support, quality conforming and pressure relief, offers 120 days sleep trial and comes with a 15-year warranty.
The Saatva innerspring mattress comes with three firmness settings – medium soft, medium firm, and firm. This mattress is an excellent choice for stomach sleepers regardless of their weight. The bed also comes in two thickness profiles, 11.5 inches, and 14.5 inches.
This mattress offers excellent support and has a thick comfort system with multiple layers of polyfoam, memory foam, and a support system with pocketed coils. The comfort system of the bed ensures the body of the sleepers conforms properly and alleviates pressure points. The mattress is also covered with organic cotton that contains foam and dacron fibers. This additional layer provides added cushioning to the user. The cover is also designed to create a Euro-style pillow top that is connected directly into the top on the mattress. This gives the model more softness and provides additional pressure relief. The quilting on the Saatva cover is a bit tighter in the lumbar region, but that area has an added strip of memory foam that aims to provide users with added pressure relief where it is needed most.
The support core of the mattress consists of low-gauge Bonnell coils that reinforces the edges and ensures the entire sleep surface stays flat and even. Individually wrapped coils are desirable because they are known for being good for isolating motion. Sinkage is minimized in places where people sit.
Based on our research, we believe Saatva mattress is one of the best innerspring models because it performs better in categories such as motion isolation and noise. The model stays cool and is responsive enough for sex.
It is also worth mentioning that if you opt for this model, you will get free White Glove delivery for all mattress orders in the US. The service includes in-home mattress assembly and old mattress removal. The Saatva comes with a sleep trial and a warranty that is much longer than average.
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Highlights: Has medium firmness, has excellent conforming and pressure relief, stays cooler than most foam models, offers 1-year sleep trial and a lifetime warranty.
Nectar sleep mattress has four foam layers and 11 inches profile that is excellent for stomach sleepers. When it comes to price, it’s $250 less than an average memory foam mattress, meaning it’s also a good choice for value seekers. The comfort system of this model consists of standard memory foam and gel memory foam. It provides excellent pressure relief, and its medium firmness will ensure the sleeper doesn’t sink in too deeply. The support core of the Nectar mattress has two layers of polyfoam for added support, and the cover is made of Tencel and cotton. Tencel and cotton are excellent for maintaining a neutral temperature and preventing the user for sleeping hot. This model is also considered one of the best mattresses for side sleepers, and best mattress for back pain.
When it comes to motion isolation, nectar bed is perfect for couples. It also doesn’t cause any noise. The model is very lightweight and easy to move. It’s lighter than standard memory foam bed. Most consumers prefer this model for its thick layers of memory foam; however, some stomach sleepers complained the mattress sends their hips out of alignment with their shoulders.
If you opt for nectar bed, shipping is free, and White Glove delivery is also available in the US, but for an extra fee. This mattress offers a one-year sleep trial, one of the longest among all models sold today.
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Highlights: Has multiple firmness options, innovative ‘Smart Grid’ construction, excellent conforming and pressure relief, offers 100 days sleep trial and a ten-year warranty.
The New Purple is a mattress that was introduced in 2018, and it combines the ‘Smart Grid’ design of the Original Purple mattress with the pocketed coil support core. This combination found on standard hybrid mattresses is perfect for stomach sleepers. It’s important to say that the old purple mattress didn’t use any pocket coils and that this model specifically aims to provide the user with a sleeping experience that as pressure-relieving as it’s supportive.
The comfort system of the model is made up of the brand’s Smart Comfort Grid™, which comes in three versions. The thickness of the grid depends on the number attached to the name, so you can opt for P2, P3 or P4 – two, three or four inches of thickness. No matter what thickness you select, all materials are temperature neutral (even the cover is made of breathable and stretchy materials – polyester and spandex blend) and will ensure you stay cool during the entire night. The comfort layers provide more conforming and pressure relief compared to those in typical memory foam and latex mattresses. It’s also worth saying that the polymer frame is highly durable and will not deteriorate fast.
The New Purple comes in three height profiles with corresponding firmness settings. You can select between medium soft, medium, and medium firm. This model should be suitable for stomach sleepers regardless of their weight. When it comes to price, the price is a bit above average, and it’s more suitable for consumers with larger budgets. If you opt for this mattress, shipping is free in the US. The product is backed up by 100-night sleep trial and a 10-year guarantee.
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Highlights: Medium firmness, keeps the sleeper cool, quality motion isolation, 100-night sleep trial, 10-year warranty
Stomach sleepers usually prefer to sleep on firmer beds, but those who are lightweight (less than 130 pounds) will find Leesa mattress perfect. Leesa is a medium firm mattress mixed with 10-inch thick memory foam which is an excellent balance between firmness and softness, and an often required feature by lightweight sleepers. The model is also great for other sleep positions not only for stomach sleepers.
The comfort layer of the bed is made of Avena foam on top and soft memory foam on the bottom. The high-density polyfoam base ensures the sleeping surface always stays flat. Avena is a patented foam that acts very similar like latex foam, meaning it provides excellent cooling, motion isolation, and comfort. As you probably know, the most significant disadvantage of getting a memory foam mattress is a tendency to overheat, epically if you are already a hot sleeper. However, you won’t experience this issue with Avena foam and Leesa mattress. By combining Avena and memory foam together, consumers get excellent support, comfort, and a cool top layer.
The bed is also great for couples because it has strong motion isolation and doesn’t produce any noise. Leesa is only 67 pounds as a Queen-size, and it’s definitely one of the lightest mattresses you can buy in the US. This is very beneficial because you can easily move the mattress or rotate it. When it comes to the price, it costs less than an average memory foam model. If you opt for this bed, shipping is free in all 50 states. The company also offers a 100-night sleep trial, a full refund and a 10-year warranty.
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Highlights: Has multiple firmness options, quality motion isolation, good conforming and pressure relief, excellent mattress edge support, offers 120-night sleep trial and a lifetime warranty
The WinkBed is an innerspring mattress that comes with three firmness settings – medium soft, medium firm and firm. This mattress is an optimal choice for average and lightweight sleepers. The comfort layers made of polyfoam, gel memory foam, and a system of pocketed mini-coils that are excellent for sleepers who prefer to snooze on their stomachs. The comfort system of the mattress also has a cotton ‘lumbar pad’ that minimizes back pain, a widespread problem for stomach sleepers.
The WinkBeds mattress is constructed from 5 different layers. The cover contains Tencel, which is an eco-friendly, plant-based material. This material is very breathable, making it ideal for hot sleepers. The first layer of the model is a 2-inch pillow top also known as Euro Pillow Top Foam Layer. This pillow top is made of memory foam and gel foams. The combination of foams aims to provide pressure relief, enable natural body contouring and help with motion transfer.
Mattress edge support is also very good, and the entire mattress is durable thanks to the foam encasement around the pocketed coils. When it comes to delivery, shipping is free, and White Glove delivery is available for an extra fee. The company offers a 120-night sleep trial and a unique lifetime warranty.
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Highlights: Has multiple firmness options, quality motion isolation and conforming, zoned coils for strong edge support, offers a 100-day sleep trial and a 20-year warranty
If you are a bit heavy, sleeping on your stomach may be somewhat problematic. However, Avocado mattress may solve your problem. This hybrid model is made of latex and comes with two firmness options – medium and medium firm.
Before we discuss the comfort system and other features of the Avocado mattress, it’s worth noticing that this is one of the most nature-friendly mattress models available in today’s market. The manufacturers are known for combining organic, eco-friendly and recycled materials, such as Dunlop latex, all-natural wool, and organic cotton. The steel coils of the bed are recycled. Simply put, this hybrid mattress is designed in such a way to be as much as comfortable as it’s easy for on the environment.
Its comfort system consists of Dunlop latex and organic wool and has an organic cotton cover. The materials have excellent bounce potential and are excellent for ensuring the user sleeps cool the entire night. Customers may also choose a Euro Pillow Top Foam Layer option for added cushioning and more conforming.
This hybrid mattress has a support coil made of zoned pocketed coils. Thinner coils line the perimeter, while thicker ones are dispersed throughout the center. The Avocado’s mattress support system offers excellent support to heavier sleepers.
It’s important to mention that Avocado mattress is considered an “all-natural” and “organic” bed. One of the biggest pros of using an organic bed is that you will know where all the materials have been sourced. This will provide you with a lot of clarity and reassurance, especially if the practice behind the process of creating a mattress is critical to you. Eco-friendly manufacturers aim to leave a smaller carbon footprint in their overall production. If you are a nature-friendly sleeper, this may be very important to you.
However, even though organic mattresses have all these great benefits, they also come with some disadvantages. The biggest detractor is the price. We can’t expect a low cost because locally sourcing materials and ensuring the best in an organic product is always expensive. That’s why all green mattresses are not so budget-friendly. The average price of the Avocado mattress is $1,399, which we think is reasonable.
When it comes to shipping, delivery is free in the US, and the White Glove option is available for an extra fee. The company offers a 100-night sleep trial and a 20-year warranty.
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According to research, only 10% of adults in the US sleep on their stomachs. In most cases, stomach sleepers sleep in the freefall position, meaning both of their arms are bent at the elbow and placed beneath their head, while the legs are fully extended or slightly bent at the knee. The freefall position is generally not recommended for sleep because it can easily cause physical discomfort. For example, many stomach sleepers complain about feeling pain and pressure in their lower back, hips, and neck. A supportive and firm mattress may alleviate or prevent these aches, but in some cases, this position may lead to discomfort regardless of your mattress choice.
Sleeping on your stomach is uncomfortable. However, it still has some benefits. For example, it can reduce snoring and alleviate the symptoms of acid reflux. Stomach sleeping can also minimize the development of wrinkles.
When it comes to the disadvantages of sleeping on your stomach, you may experience the following:
Adults carry most of their weight in the midsection. Gravity pulls the rest of the body toward the weight, which can easily result in aches and pain all over the body, especially in the shoulders and the lumbar region. Sleeping on your stomach causes an additional gravitational pull which increases the chances of experiencing pain and discomfort in the midsection areas, especially your lower back.
As mentioned before, most adults carry their weight in the midsection and sleeping on your stomach puts additional pressure on the lumbar region and especially on the spine. When there is a lot of pressure on the spine, stress increases on other parts and structures in your body. Since the spine is a pipeline for your nerves, unnecessary pressure may cause pain anywhere in your body. You can also experience tingling and numbness in the morning. Sometimes, the numbness in certain areas of your body, especially in the extremities can wake you up in the middle of the night.
Most people who prefer to sleep on their stomach don’t snooze with their face pointed directly at the pillow, but rather crane their head to one side. This seems like a comfortable position while sleeping, but it may easily result in a neck strain the next day. To alleviate or prevent neck pain and strains, it is best to get a pillow that has a proper loft based on your weight, head size, and shoulder width.
Even if you prefer to sleep on your stomach, you may still experience nighttime discomfort and frequent tossing and turning in bed. Seeking for the most comfortable position to sleep in by frequently tossing and turning mat affect your sleep quality and leave you tired and drained of energy in the morning.
Most doctors claim it’s perfectly safe to sleep on your stomach during pregnancy. However, most pregnant women avoid this due to high discomfort potential. The weight of the belly often causes a strain in the back and hips. As the pregnancy progresses, expecting mothers have difficulties aligning their spine during sleep, especially if they tend to sleep on their stomach. According to doctors and sleep experts, the best sleeping position for pregnant women is to sleep on their side with a pillow between their legs. Studies show that sleeping on your left side during pregnancy improves blood flow and provide the optimum oxygen levels for you and your baby.
So, if you are sleeping for two, it is best to avoid sleeping on your stomach your entire pregnancy. Even though it doesn’t seem like it will have much effect in the first trimester, you are putting additional strain on your spine. In late pregnancy, sleeping on your stomach may squeeze the baby between your spine and the mattress.
If you have slept on your stomach your entire life and don’t find any other position comfortable, it may hard for you to suddenly change the way you sleep. Here are some tips for sleeping on your stomach comfortably and avoiding aches that are typically associated with sleeping in this position.
If you are a stomach sleeper, you definitely need a supportive mattress. So, what supportive actually means? When discussing mattresses, support refers to the flatness and evenness of a sleep surface. A bed that has excellent support will conform to the user’s body and ensure the spine stays properly aligned. When you lie down, your sleep surface shouldn’t be even, and the spine shouldn’t sink too deeply.
When it comes to supportiveness, your body weight and the firmness of the mattress play an essential role. Firmness is usually assigned on a 1 to 10 scale, from least firm to the firmest. Soft beds are the ones rated to 3, medium the ones rated to 8, and extra firm is typically rated 8 or higher. Stomach sleepers of average weight prefer medium firmness (5 or 6) because they don’t sink too deeply and provide even support.
If you weigh less than 130 pounds or more than 230 pounds, you will probably have different firmness preferences.
Lighter sleepers typically prefer soft or medium soft mattresses. Firmer models may not be suitable for lighter sleepers because they don’t conform to their body enough, and may create an uneven sleep surface. Without close conforming, the sleeping surface also won’t provide enough pressure relief.
Average weight sleepers (from 130 to 230 pounds) prefer medium to medium firm models because these beds provide minimal sinkage and adequate spinal alignment. Pressure relief is also optimal.
Heavier sleepers, specifically those above 230 pounds), prefer medium firm or firmer mattresses and often struggle snoozing on softer models. Due to their weight, a soft mattress may sink too much and cause pain in the morning. A firmer mattress will properly distribute weight; ensure there is less sinkage and that the spine is aligned correctly all night.
No matter what mattress they choose, stomach sleepers often experience pain and aches in their midsection in the morning. However, sleeping on some models may better accommodate these sleepers than others, mostly due to the material composition, comfort layers and the support system of the bed. Apart from the level of support, mattress types can also vary regarding noise, durability, temperature neutrality, odor potential, and price-point.
Here are some of the pros and cons of using the five most common mattress types for stomach sleeping.
| Type | Construction |
Lifespan | Pros | Cons |
| FOAM | -Polyfoam ormemory foam comfort layer -polyfoam support core |
5 to 6 years | -Good conforming and pressure relief -Good motion isolation -No noise -Multiple firmness options -Budget friendly |
– Sleeps hot -Odor -Early sagging potential -Low edge support |
| LATEX | -Natural or synthetic latex comfort layer -latex or polyfoam support core |
7 to 8 years | -Long lifespan -Close conforming and pressure relief -Good motion isolation -No noise -Good for hot sleepers |
-Odor potential -Early sagging potential -Low edge support -Expensive |
| INNER– SPRING |
-Polyfoam comfort layer -Steel springs in the support core combined with polyfoam layers |
4 to 6 years | -Strong edge support -Good for hot sleepers-Multiple firmness options -Budget friendly |
-Minimal conforming and pressure relief -Noise potential -Early sagging potential |
| HYBRID | Latex and/ormemory foam comfort layer, combined with pocketed coil supportcore and polyfoam base |
6 to 7 years | -Good conforming and pressure relief -Strong edge support -Good for hot sleepers |
-Sleeps hot -Noise potential -Expensive |
| AIRBED | Foam comfort layer, air chambersupport core |
7 to 9 years | -Long lifespan -Good conforming and pressure relief -Adjustable firmness |
-Sleep hot -Noise potential -Expensive |
The most important factor when choosing a mattress is to select the proper type. After opting for a specific model that will be suitable for you and partner’s needs, you can start narrowing down your options and calculate a realistic price, research the product warranty and so on. The following tips should help you go through this process faster and easier.
Buying a new mattress is a big investment, and although a good model it’s worth your every penny, you should always set a realistic price and determine your budget. An average mattress costs more than $1,000, and models can be priced from $100 to more than $5,000. Your preferred mattress type should be your starting point for setting a budget. Innerspring mattresses and memory foam models are typically cheaper than latex, hybrid models, and airbeds. Also, keep in mind that you may have to pay for additional fees such as for shipping or White Glove Delivery. Depending on the country you live in, the extra shipping charges can amount to hundreds of dollars on top of the mattress price.
Most mattress companies that sell beds offer sleep trials. A sleep trial allows the buyer to test out a bed for a certain period of time. Typically, this trial period lasts around 90 days or more. In case you are not satisfied, you can return the product and get a partial or a full refund. Depending on the company, exchanges may also be allowed. Before purchasing a mattress, we encourage you to read the fine print carefully because although sleep trials come with many benefits, they also have some disadvantages. For example, some brands have a mandatory break-in period, meaning you have to test out a mattress for a certain period of time before qualifying for a full refund. Most brands offer a full refund, but there are also some that will charge you a flat or variable fee.
Most mattresses come with product warranties against certain defects. The guarantees may last ten years or longer. Some companies may also offer a lifetime warranty. The defects covered by warranties usually include indentations in the sleep surface, material flaws, physical damage or similar. The most important factor of a guarantee is its length of non-prorated coverage. This coverage allows you to repair or replace a defective mattress for a little or no charge. When prorated coverage starts, you will have to pay a percentage of the original product price to have a repair or a replacement done. It is also essential to know that this percentage increases each year, as the mattress gets older and more prone to deterioration. Therefore, when you want to ask some questions about the warranty, it’s vital not to forget to inquire about how much non-prorated coverage is offered, when prorated coverage starts, and what percentage of the original price you have to pay once the prorated coverage period begins. Usually, if a warranty lasts ten years or longer, the manufacturers offer only two years of non-prorated coverage.
Co-founder of Counting Sheep and Sleepaholic
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