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Those who don’t sleep on their stomach may look at a stomach sleeper and wonder how sleeping face down could possibly be comfortable.
I should know—I’m a former stomach sleeper myself who can speak to what to look for when shopping for a mattress. Not to mention, I’m also a professional mattress tester with nearly six years of testing experience under my belt. I’m also a certified Sleep Science coach, which is basically a personal trainer that helps you sleep better. All to say, I know my stuff and have lived experience with stomach sleeping as well. The main pain point for stomach sleepers is spinal alignment, so a mattress for them should prioritize this feature.
For most stomach sleepers, their head is twisted to the side, putting some strain on the neck and upper back. The lower back has a natural “S” curve, and if a mattress lacks firmness and/or lumbar support, the back is inclined to sink into the mattress surface. You don’t want that. Even the slightest amount of sinking or putting your back at an angle it’s not supposed to be in for prolonged periods (i.e., sleeping for hours) is a surefire way to develop back pain. Make sure your shoulders and hips stay at the same level with a firmer surface, such as the ones we’ve tested below.
We test mattresses for various scenarios you may encounter, including the Best Mattresses for Back Pain, the Best Cooling Mattresses, the Best Organic Mattresses, and the Best Mattresses we’ve found to date.
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Best Overall
Wolf
Memory Foam Hybrid Premium Firm Mattress
Proper spinal alignment is the most critical factor for stomach sleepers, as a too-soft surface can lead to sinkage around the lower back—a no-go for this sleep position, and an easy way to feel back pain. However, firmer mattresses don’t always include the pressure-relieving materials many stomach sleepers (myself included) want in order to maintain some cushioning around the hips.
Take the Wolf Premium Firm mattress, with a medium-firm feel that ensures strong support around a sleeper’s midsection, and a cooling cover that rivals the best cooling mattresses I’ve tested. It only took one night for me to become a fan, and I continued to sleep deeply throughout the entire test period.
Where the Wolf excels is in evenly distributing body weight across its surface. This keeps the lumbar zone uplifted and doesn’t create excess pressure around the hips. Gel memory foam comfort layers hug the body, and pocketed coils create zoned support that responds to the heaviest areas that press into the mattress. These materials are also good news for hot sleepers. Not only do they help with airflow, but when paired with the cooling cover, the Wolf performed just as well as many of the best cooling mattresses I’ve tested.
If I’ve piqued your interest, you can read all about it in my full review..
The Wolf Memory Foam Hybrid Premium Firm Mattress ranges from $1,049 for a twin mattress to $1,399 for a California king.
Materials Memory foam, pocketed coils, cooling cover Certifications CertiPur-US certified foam Firmness options Medium-firm (6.5/10) Height 13 inches Trial period 101 nights; 30-day break in period required before initiating return Warranty Limited lifetime WIRED
- Helps with spinal alignment
- Compatible with adjustable base
TIRED
- Can be too firm for some
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Best for Stomach–Side Combination Sleepers
Courtesy of Nolah
Fun fact: the Nolah Evolution hybrid mattress is what I sleep on when I’m not testing other mattresses. (See my full Nolah Evolution Hybrid review here.) As I’ve alternated between stomach and side sleeping, this mattress has kept up with no difficulty. While this mattress was designed with side sleeper needs in mind (pressure relief and lumbar support, in particular), I have not had any issues with stomach sleeping. I attribute this level of versatility to the bed’s support-promoting construction. Nolah’s AirFoam is designed for enhanced pressure relief, with strategically placed zoned foam layers throughout. Its pocketed coils provide a firmer feel under your lower back. Altogether, this pressure relief and lumbar support are intentional because they’re arguably the most critical aspects that side and stomach sleepers need from a mattress. I’ve found it helpful for supporting my lower back pain, but it doesn’t irritate my hips and shoulders when I flip between my stomach and sides.
The Nolah Evolution offers three firmness levels: Plush, Luxury Firm, and Firm. I have the Luxury Firm, which is technically a medium-firm mattress. It’s gentle enough for my hips to sink and receive pressure relief while I’m on my stomach and side. For true stomach sleepers, you can opt for the firm model and still enjoy a good night’s sleep thanks to the quilted foam top layer. However, for combination sleepers, Luxury Firm is a safe bet to ensure comfort in any sleeping position. There is an upcharge for a GlacioTex cooling pillow top; however, I’d caution against it, as the additional softness may undermine lumbar support. The cooling cover used to be included in the base model, but that’s no longer the case. If it’s temperature regulation you’re after, I’d invest in some cooling sheets.
Nolah Evolution Hybrid Mattress ranges from $1,460 for a twin mattress to $3,454 for a split king.
Materials AirFoam, memory foam, pocketed coils, organic cotton cover, GlacioTex pillow top (upcharge) Certifications CertiPur-US certified foam, GreenGuard Gold Firmness options Plush (4/10), luxury firm (6.5/10), firm (8/10) Height 14 inches Trial period 120 nights; 30-day break in period required before initiating return Warranty Limited lifetime WIRED
- Three firmness levels offer next-level customization
TIRED
- GlacioTex cooling pillow top is an extra charge
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Best Firm Mattress for Stomach Sleepers
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Courtesy of Plank
Firm mattresses are generally a reliable option for stomach sleepers who want to avoid back issues. The reason is simple enough—there’s little to no give around your pelvis, which is the heaviest area of the body lying down. If your mattress is too soft, the lower back region sinks in too much and loses its healthy alignment. This is almost always why I recommend hybrid mattresses for stomach sleepers: They promote better spine alignment than most memory foam mattresses. But a firm mattress comes to the rescue in the form of one foam bed in particular: the Plank Firm. It just so happens to be the exception to my no-all-foam-mattresses-for-stomach-sleepers rule, though Plank also offers a hybrid version for enhanced durability.
Plank Firm offers a double-trouble approach, featuring different firmness levels on each side of the mattress. One side features a standard firm feel with 2.75 inches of high-density foam (meaning not a ton of give), and the other is extra-firm with only 0.75 inches of foam. WIRED reviewer Adrienne So is all about the firmer side, which is an ever-so-slightly cushier upgrade over sleeping on the ground. Either way, it works wonders for her back. And for stomach sleepers, either side works well to keep the spine lifted and in alignment, allowing you to sleep peacefully.
Keep in mind that if you frequent your sides as much as your stomach, the Plank Firm may ultimately live up to its name—feeling too firm for your pressure points. If this is you, you’ll need a softer mattress. But for stomach sleepers through and through, this flippable bed is fair game.
The Plank Firm Mattress ranges from $749 for a twin to $1,532 for a California king.
Materials Flippable design with quilted tops on both sides, plus two layers of foam Certifications CertiPur-US certified foam, GreenGuard Gold Firmness options Dual-sided: firm (8/10) and extra firm (10/10) Height 10 inches Trial period 120 nights; 30-day break in period required before initiating return Warranty Limited lifetime WIRED
- Flippable, with two different firmness levels on each side
- Firmer support good for spine alignment
TIRED
- Takes a few days to reach its full firmness
- Too firm for some side sleepers
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Best for Stomach Sleepers With Back Pain
Many members of the WIRED Reviews team, myself included, have back issues. This isn’t uncommon among sleepers worldwide, but back pain can arise from many different conditions. For WIRED reviewer Nena Farrell, it’s scoliosis. For WIRED commerce director Martin Cizmar, it’s sciatica. Both have tested the Firm version of the Bear Elite Hybrid and attested that it worked wonders for their back pain.
Of the Plush, Medium, and Firm options available, Firm is the go-to because it leaves very little room for sink and potential misalignment. Heads up: The bed will feel very firm at first, but that’s normal—your body will need time to adjust to the mattress’s feel.
The Bear Elite Hybrid’s pillow top provides your hips with a little cushion, and the phase-change material offers a cooling surface. The firm feel is complemented by zoned pocketed coils that provide the lumbar support your spine needs.
The Bear Elite Hybrid Mattress ranges from $1,998 for a twin to $4,282 for a split king.
Materials Copper-infused memory foam, memory foam, pocketed coils, phase-change material cover, Celliant cover (upcharge) Certifications CertiPur-US certified foam, GreenGuard Gold Firmness options Soft (5/10), medium (6/10), firm (7/10) Height 14 inches Trial period 120 nights; 30-day break in period required before initiating return Warranty Limited lifetime WIRED
- Zoned coils put firm support (on an already firm bed) under your lower back
- Memory foam layers make sure it doesn’t feel like it’ll chafe
TIRED
- Celliant is supposed to promote muscle recovery, but the claims are shaky at best
- If you’re opting just for a cooling experience, you can get away with the phase change material cover that comes on the standard model
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Best Hybrid Mattress for Stomach Sleepers
Tiami
Luxury Hybrid Mattress
The Tiami hybrid mattress is a relatively new addition to the mattress scene. When I tested it (see my full Tiami hybrid mattress review here), it was abundantly clear that this would be an excellent option for stomach sleepers. It was designed to emulate a luxury feel that rivals other prestigious brands, while maintaining an emphasis on full-body support.
How the Tiami can pull this off comes down to its specialty Energex foam, which is arranged in layers and caps each of the pocketed coils at the mattress’s core. Energex is designed to be a more advanced version of standard memory foam, offering greater pressure relief that adapts to each sleeper’s unique body shape. It’s also very responsive, allowing you to move around easily, and it’s designed to be more breathable. Energex is also incorporated into the pocketed coils for a gentle lift effect, all while responding to areas of high weight. More weight means increased pushback and, thus, a firmer feel. I really enjoyed the lumbar support during my time with this mattress, along with the cradling sensation around my hips and shoulders.
I actually chose not to sleep with a pillow while testing this bed, and that’s not uncommon for some stomach sleepers. Just as the pelvis sinks in too much, placing your head and shoulders too high with a pillow can also cause issues for the spine. I was very comfortable simply forgoing the pillow altogether in favor of Tiami’s full-body support. But if you are in no way, shape, or form skipping a pillow, you can read up on the best pillows we’ve tested, too.
Tiami ranges from $1,995 for a twin XL mattress to $3,495 for a California king.
Materials Organic cotton cover, Energex foam, foam-capped pocketed coils Certifications CertiPur-US certified foam, Oeko-Tex Firmness options Firm (7/10) Height 12 inches Trial period 100 nights; 30-day break in period required before initiating return Warranty 10 years -
Best Affordable Mattress for Stomach Sleepers
DreamCloud
Hybrid Mattress
The DreamCloud Hybrid is a workhorse of a mattress. I’ve tested this numerous times over the years, and recently spent an entire week analyzing it (you can read my full DreamCloud Hybrid review here). It confirmed what I already knew—this is a hybrid that excels in providing firmer support to help with spine alignment, offers a good amount of pressure relief, and is highly responsive to help you move around.
Above all else, it has consistently remained affordable, offering a sleep trial and warranty comparable to those of brands twice its price. These days, finding extensive warranties is generally more challenging. I’ll let you in on a not-so-secret detail: For as long as I’ve known about DreamCloud, it’s always been under $1,000 for all sizes, except for a split king. This also includes a whole year to try the bed, and a lifetime warranty. Another trade secret: The accepted lifetime of a mattress is about 10 years, so when you see “lifetime warranty,” consider it equivalent to 10 years’ worth of coverage. Still good, though!
The materials are nice, and for stomach sleepers in particular, I’ve always adored the quilted top foam layer. It contours well around the hips and chest, so that you don’t feel a lack of pressure relief. The overall firmness provided by the layers of foam and pocketed coils offers good lumbar support, and I had no backaches to report.
The DreamCloud Hybrid ranges from $399 for a twin XL mattress to $1,198 for a split king.
Materials Cooling cover, memory foam, pocketed coils Certifications CertiPur-US certified foam Firmness options Medium firm (6.5/10) Height 12 inches Trial period 365 nights; 30-day break in period required before initiating return Warranty Limited lifetime WIRED
- Excellent spine alignment, edge support, responsiveness, and pressure relief
- Hard to argue about a cheap price, well-rounded sleep trial, and extensive warranty
TIRED
- Cooling cover could be, well, cooler
- RIP handles, no longer added to this updated model
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Best Latex Mattress for Stomach Sleepers
I love latex mattresses for stomach sleeping. This is because, with all the firmness options that are recommended to us, sometimes we wish we had just a bit of softness for the hips. Latex is like a dense yet supportive marshmallow, not too unlike memory foam. The most significant differences include that it is all-natural and doesn’t trap heat.
I’ve been testing Thuma’s mattress, designed to go along with its famed Japanese joinery bed frames (read my full review of the Thuma Hybrid mattress here), and I’m impressed. There are three firmness levels available: Plush, Medium, and Firm. Medium has a firmer feel than I initially expected, but it works seamlessly for stomach sleeping.
While this bed can’t be categorized as a fully organic mattress, it contains numerous organic components. The eucalyptus-based Tencel cover over a quilted top remains relatively temperature-neutral, with organic wool providing some cushion (and also serving as a natural fire barrier). Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS)-certified latex provides pressure relief and lumbar support. Finally, pocketed coils provide firm pushback to help. Altogether, it’s been wonderful for lumbar support without feeling overly rigid.
The Thuma Hybrid ranges from $1,095 for a twin mattress to $1,795 for a California king.
Materials Tencel cover, organic wool, memory foam, organic latex, recycled steel pocketed coils Certifications CertiPur-US certified foam, Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS) certified latex, Oeko-Tex, GreenGuard Gold Firmness options Plush, Medium (7.5/10), Firm Height 10 inches Trial period 100 nights; 30-day break in period required before initiating return Warranty 15 years WIRED
- Firmness helps keep the spine entirely supported
- Easy to move around on and switch between sleeping positions
TIRED
- Very little sink for the hips for those that need more softness thereabouts
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Frequently Asked Questions
What Type of Mattress Should Stomach Sleepers Use?
Hybrid mattresses are typically ideal for stomach sleeping. Some use of memory foam aids in pressure relief, but overall, it assists with maintaining weight distribution across the entire surface of the bed. This support helps prevent your hips from being the one area that sinks in too much, and being the catalyst for misalignment. Coils, especially pocketed ones, are integral for this as well. Since each coil is able to do its own thing (traditional coils are interconnected, so they will all mush down when weight is applied) you get more targeted support. Some mattresses will put coils into zones, with firmer ones right underneath the lumbar zone to ensure that it isn’t going anywhere. Memory foam models like the Plank Firm (see above) work well, too, provided they are truly firm. Again, anything that feels too soft is not good news for a stomach sleeper’s spine.
What Is the Best Mattress Firmness for Stomach Sleeping?
Stomach sleepers usually do best on firm mattresses. However, there is still some variance within the “firm” category. Most stomach sleepers can get away with medium-firm, provided they’re petite or average-weight sleepers. Medium-firm is about a 6 to 6.5 on a scale of one to 10, with 10 representing the firmest you can go, outside of directly sleeping on the floor. Some plus-size sleepers may also enjoy medium-firm beds, especially if they’re anywhere between 200 and 250 pounds. Anyone over that threshold may find the bed too soft still, and would need to consider a firm mattress.
What Kind of Pillow Do Stomach Sleepers Need?
Typically, stomach sleepers should look for a thinner, “low loft” pillow. For stomach sleepers, a pillow will need to be able to maintain cervical (where the spine and neck meet) alignment while also keeping the lumbar zone lifted. Too high of a loft and the head, neck, and even shoulders are lifted too far above the lumbar zone. This puts needless strain on the lower back for prolonged periods.
Personally, I love a thin, fluffy pillow, as I find it more malleable. Some may find that thin and firm is better for their needs. And in some cases, some sleepers may forgo a pillow altogether as their mattress does a good job of maintaining spine alignment from top to bottom. See our guide to the Best Pillows for specific pillows we recommend.
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