Nearly 10 years A few years ago, I started waking up with back pain and suffering from lower back pain in the middle of the night. It turned out I had two permanent conditions in my spine. One was scoliosis, a sideways curvature of the spine that I developed in my mid-20s (usually it develops in the teens, but I’m unique). The other was lumbar spondylosis, an abnormal wear and tear of the cartilage in the spine. Both were causing me terrible pain at night and in the morning, and I discovered that a thin mattress was a secondary cause; it just wasn’t providing the support I needed.
I’ve tried it all: mattress pads, knee pillows, mattresses ranging from super-soft foam to hard planks. Some of these worked, some didn’t. I and another WIRED reviewer slept on each of the following mattresses for at least seven nights to see how they affected my back pain at night and the next morning. My husband also provided feedback, even though he doesn’t suffer from chronic back pain.
After many nights spent sleeping on it while at work, I know which mattresses will help relieve back pain and pressure points. Below are the mattresses I recommend for people with back pain. I also give advice on how to deal with back pain and sleep in general. While you’re here, don’t miss our related buying guides like “best mattress”, “best pillow” and “best sheets” for the best sleep experience. All prices shown below are for queen size models.
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