Best10Mattress is supported by our readers. We may earn commission on purchases w/ our links.
Mattress Is Too Soft Back Pain

Mattress Is Too Soft Back Pain

Written by: Daniel Connell · Updated on: January 19, 2024

See Our #1 Researched Mattress in 2024

Rated best for comfort and hotel-feel

Get 450$ OFF Mattresses

Key Takeaways

You can't do much to fix a soft mattress.

If it's soft and uncomfortable, replace it.

Get a high-quality mattress that fits your needs. Saatva Classic is our favorite for this reason. Suits everyone's needs and supports the body right where you need it the most. It's America's best-selling mattress for a reason!

You can also add a firmer mattress topper to make the mattress firmer. However, this is just a temporary fix. Much better to focus on finding a better mattress in general.

The Saatva Classic is built to last 10-15 years and is extremely sturdy. Generous policies. Overall, a great company.

Note: You may be able to claim a warranty, but it likely will apply only if there's real sagging.

#1 Fix For Back Pain If My Mattress Is Too Soft?

Saatva Classic is the #1 mattress available if your mattress is too soft and you need a new one to help your back pain. It's an affordable, high-quality mattress that's built to last 10-15 years. Unbelievably comfortable.

America's best-selling online luxury innerspring (for a reason).

Provides healthy spinal alignment and back support in any sleep position. Fantastic relief for achy backs and joints.

Saatva is a reputable brand with over 50,000+ 5-star reviews.

Extremely friendly policies, including a generous 365-night sleep trial.

The company offers a "buy now, pay later" option (0% interest), making quality sleep accessible to everyone.

Can A Mattress That'S Too Soft Cause Back Pain?

Yes. If your mattress is too soft, it can cause serious (and sometimes irreversible) back pain (especially if it's not compatible with your body).

Factory-fresh foams or springs that are stiff or unsupportive can damage your nerves and body (especially in the lumbar region).

6 causes of spinal pain:

• Wrong mattress: You picked the wrong mattress type (i.e. incompatible with your body structure and shape/weight).
• New mattress: New mattresses and foams need time to settle.
• Sleep position: You sleep in the wrong position.
• Pillow: You sleep on an old or bad pillow (Talalay latex is a much better pillow material).
• Mattress firmness: Your mattress is either too firm or too soft (i.e. density of foams matters, too).
• Heat: Heat matters too. The hotter the mattress, the longer it takes for you to fall asleep. This negatively impacts REM sleep (and overall health).

A rotated mattress, much like rotated tires, typically wears more evenly and reduces indentions or support issues.

How Can I Reduce (+ Relieve) Back Pain From My 'Too Soft' Mattress?

10 ways you can reduce/relieve lower back pain:

• Replace your mattress with a mattress from a more reputable brand like Saatva Classic
• Update your mattress support (get a 1-2" metal bunkie board)
• Buy more breathable cotton sheets
• Change sleep positions
• Buy a fan (if you're hot; should help a lot)
• Make sure your window is slightly cracked open for some natural cool air (helps achieve REM sleep)
• Turn off all blue light 1-2 hours before bed (negatively impacts REM sleep)
• Buy new pillows. Ideally a Talalay latex pillow such as saatva-pillows
• Put a pillow between your legs
• Exercise your lower back and abs

What Firmness Is Best For Back Pain (Harder = Better)?

Medium-firm mattresses are likely the best option for back pain. Harder is not always better (this is a false misconception).

However, your ideal firmness is completely determined by your body shape and overall physiological preferences (e.g. weight, bone structure, muscles, nerves).

Studies show that a medium-firm firmness is optimal for most people.

Determine if your new mattress is too firm or too soft, then buy a firmer or softer topper to achieve your medium-firmness.

This is a good temporary solution until you buy a new mattress that's (a) a different type and (b) a medium-firm comfort level.

Check out the Saatva Classic. America's best-selling luxury innerspring. Designed to last and meet the needs of everyone. Maintains perfect spinal alignment by supporting your body where it's most needed.

What Type Of Mattress Is Best For Back Pain?

It depends. There isn't one mattress type better or worse (in general) for lower back pain.

Certain types are good or bad depending on the unique preferences of each person.

Latex and memory foam mattresses are excellent at relieving tension and pressure.

There are 3 mattress types to choose from:

1. Innerspring: A great choice if you like natural airflow, bounce, and don't mind some motion transfer. Our favorite is the Saatva Classic.
2. Memory foam: Great if you want to feel enveloped in your mattress, and want 0 motion transfer. We believe Loom & Leaf is the best memory foam mattress available.
3. Latex: Great for pressure point relief and overall blood flow. Naturally sleeps cool (somewhere between a spring and foam in terms of heat), but expect to pay more. see Zenhaven for the best 100% Talalay latex mattress.

Some people can't adjust to certain mattress types (especially if they're new). Knowing how your body responds to each type of mattress is therefore crucial.

Most people enjoy innerspring hybrids (such as the Saatva Classic) as a general rule. Saatva Classic is incredibly well-built, extremely comfortable, and affordable (for a luxury hotel-style mattress).

Identify your mattress 'type' preference as soon as possible! Otherwise, you'll continue to sleep on an incompatible mattress.

Note: When considering an innerspring hybrid, coil gauge (i.e. thickness) is very important. The density of memory foam (measured in ILDs) is also important. The density of the mattress determines whether it provides enough (or too little) support for your unique body and sleeping position.

What Position Is Best If You Have Back Pain From Mattress That'S Too Soft?

Sleeping on your side or back is fine if you have back pain. Try both, especially with a pillow between your legs.

In the case of a soft mattress, stomach sleeping is likely not optimal, although there is no strong evidence that it causes back pain. Why? It creates spinal misalignment.

The key is ensuring you're not placing isolated pressure on any specific area of your lumbar.

When you apply isolated pressure to your lower back, you can damage your nerves and cause long-term complications.

Consider buying a medium-firm hybrid innerspring mattress (suitable for all sleeping positions).

Saatva Classic is the #1 hybrid innerspring mattress available on the market.

Additional Related Secondary Content:

About X

X is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of NapLab.com. He has been featured in Fast Company, Reader's Digest, Business Insider, Realtor.com, Huffington Post, Washington Post, AskMen, and She Knows. X has personally tested over 268+ mattresses and hundreds of pillows, sheets, beds, and other sleep products.

See Our #1 Researched Mattress in 2024

Rated best for comfort and hotel-feel

Get 450$ OFF Mattresses

References

Mattress Is Too Soft Back Pain

Why you can trust Best 10 Mattress? We spend hours analyzing, compiling and fact-checking all up-to-date information online, so you can be sure you’re reading accurate and trustworthy information.

Best 10’s Verdict

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare.

Pros

  • rthrthfwew wef wefwefw wefwefwefwef wefwef
  • etgerg
  • rthrth
  • rhrtr

Cons

  • rthrth wefw ef wef wefwef wef wefwef wef
  • etgerg
  • rthrth
  • rhrtr

You can't do much to fix a soft mattress.

If it's soft and uncomfortable, replace it.

Get a high-quality mattress that fits your needs. Saatva Classic is our favorite for this reason. Suits everyone's needs and supports the body right where you need it the most. It's America's best-selling mattress for a reason!

You can also add a firmer mattress topper to make the mattress firmer. However, this is just a temporary fix. Much better to focus on finding a better mattress in general.

The Saatva Classic is built to last 10-15 years and is extremely sturdy. Generous policies. Overall, a great company.

Note: You may be able to claim a warranty, but it likely will apply only if there's real sagging.

#1 Fix For Back Pain If My Mattress Is Too Soft?

Saatva Classic is the #1 mattress available if your mattress is too soft and you need a new one to help your back pain. It's an affordable, high-quality mattress that's built to last 10-15 years. Unbelievably comfortable.

America's best-selling online luxury innerspring (for a reason).

Provides healthy spinal alignment and back support in any sleep position. Fantastic relief for achy backs and joints.

Saatva is a reputable brand with over 50,000+ 5-star reviews.

Extremely friendly policies, including a generous 365-night sleep trial.

The company offers a "buy now, pay later" option (0% interest), making quality sleep accessible to everyone.

Can A Mattress That'S Too Soft Cause Back Pain?

Yes. If your mattress is too soft, it can cause serious (and sometimes irreversible) back pain (especially if it's not compatible with your body).

Factory-fresh foams or springs that are stiff or unsupportive can damage your nerves and body (especially in the lumbar region).

6 causes of spinal pain:

• Wrong mattress: You picked the wrong mattress type (i.e. incompatible with your body structure and shape/weight).
• New mattress: New mattresses and foams need time to settle.
• Sleep position: You sleep in the wrong position.
• Pillow: You sleep on an old or bad pillow (Talalay latex is a much better pillow material).
• Mattress firmness: Your mattress is either too firm or too soft (i.e. density of foams matters, too).
• Heat: Heat matters too. The hotter the mattress, the longer it takes for you to fall asleep. This negatively impacts REM sleep (and overall health).

How Can I Reduce (+ Relieve) Back Pain From My 'Too Soft' Mattress?

10 ways you can reduce/relieve lower back pain:

• Replace your mattress with a mattress from a more reputable brand like Saatva Classic
• Update your mattress support (get a 1-2" metal bunkie board)
• Buy more breathable cotton sheets
• Change sleep positions
• Buy a fan (if you're hot; should help a lot)
• Make sure your window is slightly cracked open for some natural cool air (helps achieve REM sleep)
• Turn off all blue light 1-2 hours before bed (negatively impacts REM sleep)
• Buy new pillows. Ideally a Talalay latex pillow such as saatva-pillows
• Put a pillow between your legs
• Exercise your lower back and abs

What Firmness Is Best For Back Pain (Harder = Better)?

Medium-firm mattresses are likely the best option for back pain. Harder is not always better (this is a false misconception).

However, your ideal firmness is completely determined by your body shape and overall physiological preferences (e.g. weight, bone structure, muscles, nerves).

Studies show that a medium-firm firmness is optimal for most people.

Determine if your new mattress is too firm or too soft, then buy a firmer or softer topper to achieve your medium-firmness.

This is a good temporary solution until you buy a new mattress that's (a) a different type and (b) a medium-firm comfort level.

Check out the Saatva Classic. America's best-selling luxury innerspring. Designed to last and meet the needs of everyone. Maintains perfect spinal alignment by supporting your body where it's most needed.

What Type Of Mattress Is Best For Back Pain?

It depends. There isn't one mattress type better or worse (in general) for lower back pain.

Certain types are good or bad depending on the unique preferences of each person.

Latex and memory foam mattresses are excellent at relieving tension and pressure.

There are 3 mattress types to choose from:

1. Innerspring: A great choice if you like natural airflow, bounce, and don't mind some motion transfer. Our favorite is the Saatva Classic.
2. Memory foam: Great if you want to feel enveloped in your mattress, and want 0 motion transfer. We believe Loom & Leaf is the best memory foam mattress available.
3. Latex: Great for pressure point relief and overall blood flow. Naturally sleeps cool (somewhere between a spring and foam in terms of heat), but expect to pay more. see Zenhaven for the best 100% Talalay latex mattress.

Some people can't adjust to certain mattress types (especially if they're new). Knowing how your body responds to each type of mattress is therefore crucial.

Most people enjoy innerspring hybrids (such as the Saatva Classic) as a general rule. Saatva Classic is incredibly well-built, extremely comfortable, and affordable (for a luxury hotel-style mattress).

Identify your mattress 'type' preference as soon as possible! Otherwise, you'll continue to sleep on an incompatible mattress.

Note: When considering an innerspring hybrid, coil gauge (i.e. thickness) is very important. The density of memory foam (measured in ILDs) is also important. The density of the mattress determines whether it provides enough (or too little) support for your unique body and sleeping position.

What Position Is Best If You Have Back Pain From Mattress That'S Too Soft?

Sleeping on your side or back is fine if you have back pain. Try both, especially with a pillow between your legs.

In the case of a soft mattress, stomach sleeping is likely not optimal, although there is no strong evidence that it causes back pain. Why? It creates spinal misalignment.

The key is ensuring you're not placing isolated pressure on any specific area of your lumbar.

When you apply isolated pressure to your lower back, you can damage your nerves and cause long-term complications.

Consider buying a medium-firm hybrid innerspring mattress (suitable for all sleeping positions).

Saatva Classic is the #1 hybrid innerspring mattress available on the market.