Best Mattresses for Back Sleepers

Innerspring mattresses consist of a layer of steel coils topped with fiber padding or foam. The coils offer resilience and a buoyant feel, but as a result, you may feel some motion transfer from one end of the mattress to the other.

These mattresses, made entirely of foam layers, have a body-conforming feel and, typically, good stabilization. But as a result, they also tend to retain heat and lack resilience. A greater percentage of foam mattresses score higher for back support than innersprings.

Adjustable air mattresses are typically pricey, but sleep partners appreciate that each side can be inflated (or deflated) to match their own comfort needs.

A mattress won’t offer the same level of support for a large person as it would for a small one. That’s why we test each mattress with people of different sizes. To accomplish this for back sleepers, we graph a mattress tester’s neutral spine position as they’re standing. Next, using 36 sensors, we graph the impression the body makes as the tester lies on each mattress. We then compare the two graphs to evaluate how well they align. If they don’t align well, the mattress isn’t going to be particularly supportive. “A nonsupportive mattress may not conform to the body’s natural curves, and may allow sagging or even flattening of the spine,” says Chris Regan, who oversees mattress testing for CR. “It’s that lack of support that makes you shift around on a mattress.”

To see all of CR’s sleep coverage, go to our Guide to Better Sleep.