Best mattresses for a bad back
If you’ve ever had a bad back, you’ll know what I mean when I say that it can quickly snowball and become an absolute nightmare. If you’ve never had a back back- lucky you – but no doubt at some point things will catch up with you.
So why is chronic back pain so common these days? Well, it’s because of a variety of reason. Our lives have come increasingly sedentary – we just don’t move enough, it’s as simple as that. Then there’s all this sitting down, and this is really where our bodies are not so secretly screaming at us. We have terrible posture and we sit on terrible chairs for an unhealthy amount of time.
Age also plays a key part in back pain, but don’t be so quick to blame your bad back on your age. As we get older our bodies do decay there’s no denying that, but the kinds of problems we are seeing in western society goes far beyond this. If you’ve ever seen elderly people still clambering up their villages in the foothills of the Himalayas, you’ll know what I mean. Back pain in its modern western form, is very different to the kind of back pain experienced in poorer countries or in the past.
Lastly, there is back pain that has very little to do with lifestyle and age – sometimes it’s just bad luck and you suddenly have a back problem out of nowhere. Maybe you tried to lift something too quickly, or maybe even a sporting injury. These things happen, and for these kinds of problems, you should be seeking medical attention as quickly as you can.
Bad Back Myth Busters
Before we look at the mattresses for bad backs, it’s worth taking a look at a few points to consider before choosing the best mattress. Nowadays, technology used in mattress is generally excellent and choosing a mattress can be a daunting task. Are you looking for a memory foam mattress, a hybrid mattress or something with pocket springs? Do you need a mattress that comes with pressure relief that targets specific aches and pains? And that’s before we’ve even opened the Pandora’s box of firmness, where everything from soft and soft medium all the way up to medium firm and firm are on offer.
Choosing a mattress is complex in the easiest of times, but if you’re specifically looking for a mattress for a bad back it can be easy to get lost in the options.
Here are some of our bad back myths that are in need of busting.
Soft or Firm? Not so fast
For millions of years (OK, I’m exaggerating slightly) people repeated the well-worn mantra that a firm mattress, or at least medium firm, is better for a back pain. And while there is some truth to this much repeated belief, the right mattress is not always the firmest.
Your focus shouldn’t be on firmness, it should be on support. Your goal should be about improving your spinal alignment while supporting your hips and shoulders as well as your lower back . There is next to no real scientific evidence that a firm mattress is better for your bad back. Where firmer mattresses can really help, is if they also come with specific pressure relief. There are now some excellent firm memory foam and latex mattresses on the market, which we’ll get to shortly.
But before you think about a firm mattress, think about the right mattress for your sleeping position.
Orthopaedic what?
It’s become somewhat fashionable for mattress companies to put the word orthopaedic mattress in their names. But according to the Sleep Council, this is often little more than a marketing gimmick and often just means that something is extra firm.
This is not to say that all mattresses with the words ‘orthopaedic mattress’ in the name shouldn’t be trusted, far from it in fact, but you should certainly dig a little deeper to see what that really means.
Sleep Trial
If you suffer from back pain, it might take you a little to be able to see whether a new mattress is for you or not and there’s a good chance that the first few nights might not be the most comfortable. But be patient.
Nowadays online shopping is booming and that includes mattresses. It’s entirely likely that you won’t actually set eyes on your new mattress until it arrives at your home, which is why sleep trials are so important. Trials typically range from 30 nights to 100 nights and are designed so you can get a good idea about your new mattress without going all-in financially first. If you have a bad back or other alignments, it becomes even more important that you find the right mattress.
Your sleeping Position
Your sleeping position often plays a huge role in back pain. We have a terribly habit of curling up in unnatural positions and is it really such a surprise when we wake up with horrible lower back pain?
In a perfect world, we’d all be back sleepers. The best way to support your shoulders and hips as well as your lower back, is by lying on your back with your arms out by your side. The problem is that for many of us, this way of sleeping feels entirely unnatural. Side sleepers account for the majority of sleepers, but this isn’t always the best sleeping position for those suffering from back pain. If you are among the dedicated side sleepers, try to keep your spine aligned in bed. This will help with both neck and back pain and should lead to a better night’s sleep
Our Top 6 Best Mattresses for Bad Backs
OK, enough small talk. Here are our top six picks for the best mattresses for bad backs.
Inofia
This is a company that has evolved a lot over the last few years and now provide excellent quality mattresses that offer great support to those suffering back pain. And with a nicely affordable price, it is quickly becoming a firm favourite.
This is a hybrid mattress that comes with both high quality memory foam and pocket springs to bring you the best of both worlds.
The Inofia mattress comes with seven different layers that combine wonderfully together to form a truly great night’s sleep. It starts with a high-elasticity foam layer which is both great for relieving pressure points and reducing motion transfer. Next comes two layers of high-density foam, with the top providing the soft comfort, while the bottom gives you firm support.
This is followed by a non-woven fabric layer and a sterile layer which allow air to circulate while also protecting the springs below. Finally, we have the individual pocket springs, which Inofia says has a 7-zone spring system which does a phenomenal job of correcting spinal alignment and helping to address back pain as well as general aches and pains. This is all capped off by a second sterile layer which sits at the bottom and helps to keep the mattress’ form. It has a medium firmness and is designed to withstand up to 26 stone.
The Inofia Mattress comes with a 10-year guarantee and a 100-night sleep trial. Prices start at £239.99 for a double.
Emma
Emma mattresses have already staked their claim as one of the most popular brands on the market right – and what’s not to love. Extremely comfortable, affordable and a great option for those who suffer from back pain – a true all rounder.
Again, this is a hybrid with both memory foam to target pressure points and is pocket sprung to provide that lovely bounce that we like so much. It is regarded as medium when it comes to firmness and is often considered a great option for couples with differing sleep styles.
It starts with a cooling top cover which comes with temperature-regulating fibres meaning you won’t be burning up during the night. Below this, the Emma mattress comes with three layers of memory foam. The HRX cold form base gives you that sturdy back support, the intermediary visco-elastic memory foam layer adds the pressure relief and spinal support, which is the key to alleviating back pain, and finally the soft Airgocell top foam layer provides that wonderful comfort and breathability.
Under the airgocell layer is a layer of pocket springs which are designed to mould wonderfully with your body while also supplying additional airflow around the mattress.
Emma Mattresses are quickly becoming some of the most popular out there right now, while also retaining a price level that is accessible to many. If you’re looking for the right mattress for a bad back, and you’re working on a bit of a budget, this is the one for you.
All Emma Mattresses come with a 10-year guarantee and a monstrous 200-night sleep trial – they are that confident – and are available from £299.
Oxford 9000 Mattress
OK, first things first – this is not a cheap mattress but does offer something very different from the other mattresses on our list, while being wonderful for back pain.
Constructed with Yorkshire wool, Cotton, Cashmere and Mohair, the Oxford 9000 gives you excellent back support along with a superb level of overall comfort that really only comes when you lie back on a mattress like this. This is a pocket sprung mattress but that doesn’t really tell the full story.
Below the sumptuous outer layer lies 9000 pocket springs, which are spread over five different layers of the mattress, something that we rarely come across with pocket sprung mattresses. Between these layers, you will find the wool, cashmere and cotton etc, and altogether it provides a quite extraordinary mattress.
The Oxford 9000 technically comes in three different firmness categories, soft, medium and firm, but it’s difficult to really call the firm a true firm as it still as a somewhat cushy feel to it , so for those looking for that almost rigid back support, this might not be the ideal choice for you.
It’s also not a particularly light mattress, but on the upside, it is double-sided which dramatically increases longevity and the company recommends flipping the Oxford 9000 every month to ensure best results. Aren’t most mattresses double-sided I hear you say? Well, technically no. While many may look like they are, most pocket sprung mattresses have their springs and filling layers positioned in a such a position that they’re only meant to be slept on one way.
If you can stretch your budget and are looking for superb support and comfort combined with all-natural fillings and the kind of luxury only a few brands supply, then this is the one.
The Oxford 9000 comes with a 10-year guarantee, 100-nights sleep trial and prices start at £1,500.
Dosleeps
This is another hugely popular mattress and one that many turn to for orthopaedic reasons. It comes with a nine zone memory foam support system designed to not only give you excellent comfort, but perhaps more importantly, to support that bad back and other aching muscles.
To cap things off, this is a mattress that certainly falls more on the budget side that our other choices won’t leave you still paying it off in a year’s time.
Essentially some areas of the mattress are designed to have more pressure than others and this means the memory foam on top reacts in a slightly different way depending on where you are. The head, lumber, leg and ankle portions are designed to spring up slightly to give better support for these areas. While the shoulder, hip and lower leg are designed to take more weight and so will dip slightly down. If it sounds overly technical, it’s not really – it’s just very comfortable and excellent for back pain.
The coils themselves are wrapped in a fabric pocket which reduces coil collision noise (which we all know and hate) and also has a 3D quilting thick layer pad with a double sided mesh which provides excellent air circulation. Dolseeps mattresses come in either medium firm or firm and a great choice for people with back pain who are on a tighter budget.
This excellent mattress comes with a 10-year guarantee and a 100-night sleep trial to be sure this is the one for you. Prices start at £175.99 for a double mattress.
Tempur Original Mattress
If we’re talking the absolute best of the best, it’s difficult to look beyond Tempur’s mattresses. They are unquestionably phenomenal mattresses, but they do come at a high cost. They are however worth the hype and pretty much guarantee an excellent night’s sleep. In terms of ergonomic sleep support, there probably isn’t another mattress out there that can match it, which means it’s a great choice for anybody suffering from a bad back. .
First developed by NASA as a way to relieve pressure on astronauts during take-off, Tempur Mattresses have found an almost cult-like following, and remain one of the few mattresses that manage to tick all of the boxes to an extremely high degree – comfortable, supportive and cool. Quite simply a splendid mattress.
It is certainly on the firm mattress side but also comes with between 21cm and 30 cm of wonderful supportive memory foam depending on which option you choose. The visco-elastic cells are designed to actively mould and adapt to your body, creating a level of support and comfort that is almost unparalleled with other mattresses. Unlike many firm options, the Tempur manages to combine it with that cosy sink in feeling that feels wonderful at the end of a long hard day.
But be warned, once you’ve gone Tempur, it may be difficult to ever go back. This is one of, if not the, best mattress on the market and if you’re suffering from serious back pain, this is about as good as you are going to get.
All Tempur mattresses come with a 10-year guarantee and a 100-night sleep trial. Prices start from around £1,099.
Is a new mattress enough to solve my bad back?
Maybe. Maybe not. Much of that will depend on your medical history, age and lifestyle. But it would be unrealistic to assume that a new mattress will solve all of the problems causing your bad back. As wonderful as memory foam often is, it is by no means a cure all. People with back pain often have other causes and it can’t always be attributed to the type of mattress they have or how much memory foam and latex is on top of the mattress.
Here a few other things to consider to try and alleviate chronic back pain.
- If you have to sit in front of a computer or at a desk for long periods, can you switch to a standing desk? Even for a few hours a day, the changes can be enormous
- Stretching is one of the most undervalued ways of helping back pain. If your back is killing you, you really should be stretching. And this is even more true if you ate chained to a desk for eight hours a day. Every now and again, stand up, stretch out that back and move those hips and shoulders a little.
- Our lives are becoming faster and faster and it sometimes feels like we are just frantically getting from A to B. Walking is one of the most natural, body soothing activities we can do. It’s what our bodies were designed to do, not sit in front of a desk all day. If you can, walk more.
Conclusion
The world’s back pain isn’t going to go away anytime soon. In fact, most doctors agree the situation will likely get much worse in the future.
If you have a back pain, a good mattress is an excellent step to take, but be aware that it most likely won’t solve the situation on its own. You should use the new mattress in combination with other changes to your lifestyle, such as exercising, stretching and in particular not sitting at that damn desk all day. I know that’s easier said than done, but to alleviate this bad back pandemic, we’re going to have to take some radical steps.
Our backs, and our bodies, may depend on it.
