Do you sleep on your side? Then congratulations! This sleeping position is generally regarded as beneficial by doctors, because it keeps your airways open, reducing snoring and the risk of sleep disorders such as sleep apnea. But those health gains might be lost if you're sleeping on the wrong mattress. If you're a combination sleeper, head to our general best mattress guide, but if not this article is dedicated to focusing on the best mattresses for side sleepers specifically.
The wrong kind of mattress for you is one that's too firm. That means there won't be enough give to let your hips and shoulders sink into the mattress, and your spine won't be correctly aligned while you sleep. Instead you need a softer mattress that still provides a good level of support, to keep your spine aligned correctly.
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Overall, our best mattress for side sleepers overall is the , due to its supportive base layer, sinkingly soft upper layer, and low-level maintenance. However, all of the mattresses on this list have a lot to offer side sleepers, and one of them may be more suited to your specific needs.
Tempur's Cloud Elite 25 is no ordinary memory foam mattress. It uses a patented, extra-soft type of foam called Tempur-Pedic, which is both denser and softer than ordinary memory foam, so does an excellent job of moulding to your shape. Beneath this lies a firm layer to provide solid support to keep you in proper alignment as you sleep. Finally, the removable cover can also be washed at up to 60 degrees to keep things feeling fresh. It all adds up to a luxurious and comfortable sleeping experience, making this 25cm (10in) thick mattress our favourite pick for side sleepers overall. Note, these mattresses do have a 'sinking in' feel, that won't appeal to everyone – head to our Tempur mattress review for more info.
The Simba Hybrid is formed from five layers, including a core up to 2,500 of Simba's patented conical pocket springs, along with two layers of memory foam, a layer of proprietary cooling foam (Simbatex), and a hypoallergenic outer cover. This unique construction provides full body support and makes this mattress particularly good for side sleepers. This 25cm (10in) thick, medium mattress isn't as springy as you might expect, as those 2,500 springs are quite small, but it does do a great job of distributing your weight evenly, relieving pressure points, reducing motion transfer and keeping cool on hot nights. Head to our Simba Hybrid mattress review for more info.
It’s the ‘2800’ in the name of this Sealy mattress that really interests us. It refers to the almost three thousand pocket springs on board, giving complete coverage that adjusts minutely to each of your movements, even if you’re a particularly fidgety sleeper. As such, it’s great at relieving pressure on your hips and shoulders. Its zoned support also means that you won’t go flying if your partner turns over in the night, keeping everyone happily asleep. And overall this medium-soft, 38cm (15in) thick mattress is a great choice for side sleepers.
Do you find springs too hard, but memory foam too confining and prone to overheating? This hybrid mattress from Dormeo finds a welcome third path between these construction methods by incorporating springs out of memory foam, which offer three-dimensional movement and support that somehow knows when to sink and when to support. Because of this unique method of construction, the Dormeo Octaspring Hybrid benefits from excellent airflow, and is said to be eight times more breathable than a pure memory foam mattress. In total, this 27cm (10.5in) thick, medium-soft mattress is a great choice if you're a side sleeper who doesn't get on with either conventional foam or conventional springs.
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The Brook + Wilde Lux mattress is based on a unique, six-layer design. This begins on top with a durable breathable mattress cover, followed by a cooling layer of memory foam, a layer of 2,000 mini pocket springs, a a layer of memory foam, another layer of 1,000 larger pocket springs, and finally a memory foam base layer. That's a lot of complexity, but it really does add up to a luxurious sleeping experience that's particularly suited to side sleepers. Especially given that you can choose between soft, medium or firm levels of firmness to get that right level of support and pressure relief for you. Indeed, if you're not happy with your purchase, you can dial the firmness level up or down throughout the 100-night trial period. Head to our Brook + Wilde Lux review for more details.
