Best Mattresses For Side Sleepers
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We all have our own way of sleeping. Some of us sleep on our back. Some of us prefer sleeping on our stomach. And some of us are side sleepers.

Each of us has a preferred type of mattress. In fact, we must. And when it comes to side sleepers, this is all the more important. Because when you sleep on your side, an entirely different set of dynamics is in play.

Simply put – sleeping on your side has more factors to consider than you ever thought. In this article, we discuss those factors and the mattresses that support them.

Read on.

The Factors To Be Considered

If you are a side sleeper and are going to purchase a mattress, there are a few factors to be kept in mind. These factors determine how comfortable you would feel on the mattress, and the health of the mattress in the long run.

Firmness

This is one factor that is as important for side sleepers as it is for anyone else. If you are a side sleeper, you might want to go for a mattress that is soft or medium firm. When we say soft, we assume it comes with great support. A soft mattress helps relieve pressure from the neck and back. It also conforms to the contours of your body shape (given the nature of the position).

In other words, mattress firmness could be the most important factor to be considered by a side sleeper.

Support

Healthy sleeping is all about alignment. You are sleeping on a good mattress if your spine, neck, and back are properly aligned. Which is why support is an important factor. And in the case of side sleepers, it is of greater importance.

The natural sleeping position of a side sleeper tends to be misaligned. This is why, as we already discussed, you need to look for a mattress that can conform to the contours of your body. Memory foam mattresses could be the best bet in this regard. They adjust to your body shape and offer adequate support to your spine at the same time.

Pelvic Rotation

Though this is not a factor to be considered as such, this is one condition that can be avoided if you sleep on your side on a proper mattress.

Pelvic rotation is a condition that occurs when the back muscles are not properly aligned with the lumbar spine. This happens when the hips are tight or uneven, causing the spine to contort or bend to take pressure off the hips. This condition can aggravate lower back pain, and sometimes even neck pain.

[Read: Best Mattress For Lower Back Pain]

There are a few simple ways you can prevent this condition. One is using a pillow between your legs to maintain the spinal alignment. And the other, as already stated, is going for a mattress that is both soft and supportive that will help relieve your pressure points.

But, before we talk about what mattresses you can buy, let’s first answer one basic question – why?

Yes. Why talk about the specific mattresses that a side sleeper must look at? Any mattress would do, right? What’s the big deal?

Mattresses For Side Sleepers – The Big Deal

When you sleep on your side, your body weight is pulled by one side of your body. The side that receives this weight has additional pressure, as opposed to the other side that is relaxed. This puts your entire body in an imbalanced position and might cause pain to your hips and neck. This can cause complications in the long run, if not addressed right away.

Sleeping on a firmer mattress can aggravate this condition. This is because when you sleep on your side, your spine is naturally misaligned – and a firmer mattress is more likely to keep it that way.

[Read : Best Mattress For Heavy People]

Firmer mattresses could be good for your spine if you sleep on your back. But if you are a side sleeper, a softer mattress with adequate support should do the job. Or, in other words, a top-quality memory foam mattress can fit the bill. This is because such a mattress can allow your shoulders and hips to sink in, bringing the entire body into alignment.

Now that we know a proper mattress for side sleepers is a must, let’s go ahead and check out what those are!

The Best Mattresses For Side Sleepers

Like we had seen, a memory foam mattress will be ideal for side sleepers. Here, we have listed the top memory foam mattresses in the market. Take a look!

Mattress Description Price Buy link
King Koil Dr Mattress Euro MemoryA combination of body contouring memory foam and high-density rebonded foam (the core)Rs. 43,899Buy Now On Amazon
Peps Spine GuardRevolutionary memory foam that adjusts to the shape of the body; Super Edge Plus technology, which offers edge-to-edge stabilityRs. 36,700Buy Now On Amazon
Sleepwell NEXAHigh-responsive memory foam with Feather Soft Comfort technology (allows you to roll over the bed)Rs. 67,704Buy Now On Amazon
ComfyMat3rd generation memory foam with NASA technology, with high-quality HR foam for the required supportRs. 28,499Buy Now On ComfyMat

Now you know what mattress you can go for – but there is something else you might want to know.

A little bit of science.

What Happens To Your Body When You Sleep On Your Side?

If you want to avoid problems when you sleep on your side, you need to maintain a perfectly symmetrical sleeping position.

Which is impossible.

When you sleep on your side, your upper leg will fall in towards the mattress. Your top arm and shoulder will also follow suit. You might then tuck your lower arm under your body or pillow.

Quite complicated, isn’t it? Side sleeping has certain issues as well. You would be putting so much pressure on your shoulder and hip on the mattress side. Add to that the twist and turn of your hips and shoulders, and the result? Your body is totally misaligned.

So, what can you do? Well, there are numerous sleeping positions. You can try each and see what suits you best. But if you are a side sleeper (which is why you are reading this article), it is obvious that this is the position that feels more natural to you. It is the position that you would feel the most comfortable in. Any other position would only make it harder for you to fall asleep.

You see? It’s complex. That’s why we are stressing on this again – if you are a side sleeper, you ought to ensure you have the right mattress.

Pillows

When it comes to side sleeping, choosing the right pillow is as important as choosing the right mattress. Because if you compromise on your pillow, your sleeping experience would be less than ideal. The reason being your pillow plays a major role in supporting your head and neck.

You can go for pillows made of latex, memory foam, or any other kind of PU foam – material that responds to movement and pressure, and offers consistent and stable support. Ensure the pillow is high enough to support your head and neck. And more importantly, ensure it’s not too high, as this might lead to an entirely new set of problems.

Mattresses A Side Sleeper Must Avoid

We have seen the mattresses a side sleeper can go for. But there is a different set of mattresses – what a side sleeper must avoid.

These are water and spring mattresses. These types of mattresses do not provide the support a side sleeper requires. Water mattresses offer too much of slump, whereas spring mattresses offer too much of stiffness – both being undesirable conditions for a side sleeper.

Another reason spring mattresses could be bad for side sleepers is their inability to hold up the body evenly. The springs tend to push the heaviest parts and offer less support to the lumbar region. Even traditional water mattresses offer insufficient support as they don’t distribute the weight of the body evenly on the mattress.

A Few Thoughts On Side Sleeping

It has been proven that sleeping on one’s side has more benefits than sleeping on one’s back or stomach. And, talking about side sleeping, one can enjoy more benefits when he sleeps on his left side. Here’s how:

  • The left side of the body is the dominant lymphatic side. The lymphatic system is a network of organs and tissues that rid the body of toxins and other waste materials. When you sleep on your left side, you would be stimulating your lymphatic side, thereby promoting better toxin disposal.
  • Due to the simple reason of gravity, sleeping on your left side can enhance digestion as well. Your stomach and pancreas hang naturally when you sleep on your left side. This can keep the digestive processes running smoothly.
  • Sleeping on your left side can also relieve heartburn.

You would have surely understood the importance of a right mattress by now, haven’t you? And, as we discussed, if you are a side sleeper, having the right mattress is even more important. We hope this post helps you in making the right buying decision. Let us know what you think by commenting in the box below.

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2 thoughts on “Best Mattresses For Side Sleepers

  1. Nicely written article in side sleeping. And yes, as mentioned, left side is better as it has advantages. Even my doctor had suggested the same.

  2. Excellent article, very informative, answered all the questions about deciding on buying the right mattress …. thank you!

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