We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. Sleep Products The 8 Best Mattresses for Arthritis, Tested and Reviewed by Our Editors Check out the best pain-relieving mattresses, from Bear, Casper, Saatva, and more. By Sarah Bradley Updated on April 01, 2024 Medically reviewed by Laura Campedelli, DPT Fact checked by Rich Scherr Print Verywell Health / Allison Mango Quality sleep is hard to come by, but getting a good night’s sleep can be even harder when you suffer from arthritis. Joint pain, stiffness, and tenderness can make falling and staying asleep feel impossible. That’s why it’s important to find a mattress that fits your specific needs and helps relieve any aches and pains. Having a quality mattress is a good investment because it can ensure you wake up feeling healthy and energized, says Dr. Steven Shoshany, director and founder of NYC Chiropractic and Spinal Decompression Center. And since humans spend over a third of their lives sleeping, it only makes sense to buy a comfortable mattress that you can depend on nightly. An arthritis-friendly mattress should offer firm but comfortable support, pressure relief for vulnerable joints, and an extended trial period (it can take some time to figure out if it’s right for your body!). To help you narrow down your options, we tested over 60 mattresses at home for four weeks by evaluating them on their overall comfort, support, and value. We also consulted with several experts along the way, asking for tips and advice on finding a mattress that can properly support joints and reduce pain. Based on our research and testing, here are the best mattresses for arthritis on the market today. What Type of Mattress Is Best for Arthritis? According to Ben Carvosso, DC, owner of Mornington Peninsula Chiropractic and MP Nutrition, people with arthritis should look for a mattress that offers a balance between support and cushioning. A medium-firm to firm mattress can provide the necessary support to prevent excessive sinking, while a cushioned top layer helps relieve pressure points. The Helix Midnight Luxe Mattress, for example, has two stable inner layers of foam and springs for support but is topped with a plush pillowtop and quilted cover for cushioning. The cushioning, in particular, is necessary for people with arthritis. Karena Wu, MD, physical therapist and owner of ActiveCare Physical Therapy in NYC, says that because arthritis is a joint condition characterized by degeneration in the joint and chronic inflammation, a mattress that doesn’t properly cushion your joints will lead to increased aches and pains during the night and first thing the next morning. While the amount of cushioning needed is fairly universal, the degree of firmness isn’t quite so straightforward. Vinicius Domingues, MD, rheumatologist with Allergy Asthma & Arthritis Center in Daytona Beach, Florida, and a medical advisor to CreakyJoints, explains that it comes down to the amount of pressure you place on your spine when you sleep. This pressure, often due to a combination of your size, weight, and preferred sleep position, will determine the degree of firmness you need in order to keep your neck, spine, and hips neutrally aligned. A larger-sized person might want a firm mattress like the Saatva Classic Mattress in firm, while a more petite person might appreciate a softer feel. How Your Mattress Can Affect Your Arthritis Too little support or cushioning can exacerbate arthritis pain and stiffness, Dr. Carvosso says. Zoned mattresses provide targeted pressure relief to common areas of arthritis pain, like the neck and lumbar region. Mattresses that don’t support you well are more likely to disrupt your sleep and leave you with nighttime and daytime pain. Dr. Wu says your body needs time to recover and repair itself during the night, so the right mattress for arthritis will let you rest soundly all night long. A joint-supporting mattress can alleviate pain and stiffness. If you’re not sleeping well at night, Dr. Wu warns you can not only become more physically and mentally fatigued, but can be at a higher risk of injury and perceive a higher level of pain. Our Top Picks Best Overall: Bear Original Mattress at Bear ($786) Jump to Review Best for Back Pain: Casper Wave Hybrid Mattress at Amazon ($2,340) Jump to Review Best Cooling: Casper Wave Hybrid Snow Mattress at Amazon ($2,937) Jump to Review Best Budget: Linenspa Memory Foam Hybrid Mattress at Amazon ($240) Jump to Review Best Mid-Range: Purple Restore Hybrid Mattress at Amazon ($1,799) Jump to Review Best Innerspring: Saatva Classic Mattress at Saatva ($2,095) Jump to Review Best Customizable: Helix Midnight Luxe Mattress at Helix ($1,374) Jump to Review Best for Bigger Bodies: Saatva HD Mattress at Saatva ($3,295) Jump to Review In This Article Expand What Type of Mattress Is Best for Arthritis? Our Picks We Also Tested How We Tested the Best Mattresses for Arthritis Our Experts Can Your Sleeping Position Affect Arthritis and Joint Pain? What to Look for in a Mattress for Arthritis FAQ Why Trust Verywell Health Best Overall Bear Original Mattress Bed Bath & Beyond View On Bear $786 Key Specs: Mattress Type: Foam | Firmness: Medium, 7 | Available Sizes: Twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, California king, split king | Trial Period: 120 days | Warranty: Lifetime | Shipping and Returns: Free shipping, free returns Who It’s For Side, back, and stomach sleepers will love the combination of body-hugging comfort and medium-firm support. Why It’s the Best Mattress for Arthritis The Bear Original Mattress is designed with recovery in mind, says Dr. Carvosso. That means people with arthritis will appreciate the way it relieves pressure and promotes circulation, allowing them to wake up feeling more refreshed in the morning. It also reduces motion transfer, sleeps cool, and easily keeps your spine aligned throughout the night. What It’s Made Of Three foam layers comprise the Bear Original: a cooling gel memory foam layer, a pressure-relieving dynamic foam layer, and a durable, supportive high-density foam layer. Plus, it includes a quilted cover made with special technology that takes your body heat and turns it into infrared energy, promoting more circulation and oxygenation in your muscles. How It Performed During Testing We’re already recommending this mattress to family and friends, so suffice to say we loved it. Two weeks into our testing, we noticed a major difference in the way this mattress supported us compared to our old mattress. We were waking up with less back pain and sleeping better throughout the night. We could barely feel our partner moving around in the bed, which helped eliminate the number of nightly wakeups. Four weeks into our testing, our views hadn’t changed. The editor who tried it is pretty active, but sleeping on this mattress never exacerbated any of their aches and pains, and the pressure relief was ideal. The mattress simply hugged our body in all the right places, supporting us exactly where we needed it. What We Would Change Not much. Though it’s worth noting that this is a 100% foam mattress—so while we found it to be cool enough, it might run hot for some, and could have a shorter lifespan than a hybrid mattress. We love the three foam layers in this Bear mattress. Verywell Health / Jennifer May Verywell Health / Jennifer May Verywell Health / Jennifer May Best for Back Pain Casper Wave Hybrid Mattress Casper View On Amazon $2,340 View On Casper $1,795 View On Wayfair $3,695 Key Specs: Mattress Type: Hybrid | Firmness: Medium (5–6) | Available Sizes: Twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, California king | Trial Period: 100 days | Warranty: Limited 10-year | Shipping and Returns: Free shipping, free returns Who It’s For People with any type of back pain (even herniated discs) looking for nightly relief. Why It’s the Best Mattress for Back Pain This mattress takes “hybrid” to a new level by combining innersprings, foam, and latex for a sleeping surface that cradles you in soft but supportive comfort. Dr. Carvosso notes that the Casper Wave Hybrid has a few innovative features that can benefit arthritis sufferers, like its Zoned Support™️ system. This system provides targeted support to different areas of the body and promotes proper alignment. And it offers a combination of responsive materials that makes it easier for people with arthritis to find a comfortable sleeping position. What It’s Made Of The mattress has individually-wrapped springs, gel support targeting the waist and lower back, two perforated foam layers (one memory foam, one latex) for airflow, and cooling gel underneath a comfy knit cover. How It Performed During Testing The Casper Wave Hybrid made our back pain disappear from the first night we tried it. What’s more, it continued to improve our pain as the weeks went on. Not to mention our editor who tested this mattress has a history of herniated discs and is, unfortunately, very familiar with back pain. The deeply supportive coils are topped with several layers of foam and latex, giving us a buoyant feeling of being held by the mattress without ever sinking or sagging too far into the surface. This effect was consistent no matter what position we slept in. The mattress conformed to our body in a way that felt customized, and the difference in our back pain after one month was like night and day. We also fell asleep faster, slept more deeply, and woke up feeling more refreshed and energized. Plus, it also passed the wine glass motion transfer test with flying colors, so your sleep partner won’t disturb your peace. What We Would Change It’s pretty heavy and a little pricier than we’d like. And it’s not the coolest mattress around. But if you’re looking for more temperature regulation, check out the Casper Wave Hybrid Snow. Verywell Health / Samantha Jones Verywell Health / John Somerall Verywell Health / John Somerall Verywell Health / John Somerall Best Cooling Casper Wave Hybrid Snow Mattress Raymour & Flanigan View On Amazon $2,937 View On Casper View On Raymourflanigan.com Key Specs: Mattress Type: Hybrid | Firmness: Medium (5–6) | Available Sizes: Twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, California king | Trial Period: 100 nights | Warranty: Limited 10-year | Shipping and Returns: Free shipping, free returns Who It’s For Arthritis sufferers who sleep hot or need additional temperature regulation. Why It’s the Best Cooling Mattress This mattress includes everything we love about the original Casper Wave Hybrid—zoned pressure relief, foam and latex comfort layers, and durable, medium-firm innerspring support—but tosses in additional design features to keep you noticeably cooler at night. What It’s Made Of Like the regular Wave Hybrid, the Casper Wave Hybrid Snow is made of a layered combination of individually-wrapped springs, latex and memory foam supports, and an airflow gel layer. However, it adds two more unique design features to promote even better cooling: a breathable, cool-to-the-touch cover and six heat bands. The bands are designed to direct heat away from the center of your body toward the edges of your mattress. How It Performed During Testing We loved the Wave Hybrid Snow just as much as the original Wave Hybrid. The mattress was instantly supportive. Its surface is smooth and even, which promotes spinal alignment without being too firm or hard. We could sleep on it in any position, though we were pleasantly surprised it was even compatible with sleeping on our backs and didn’t cause any back pain. In fact, we noticed a major decrease in next-day aches and pains with this mattress, so much so that we started having a hard time getting out of bed! As far as cooling, we can confidently say the Wave Hybrid Snow performs there, too. In general, we slept for longer stretches, partly because we weren’t overheating and waking up in a sweat to find a fresher part of the mattress. What We Would Change It doesn’t have the best edge support, and we’re hoping it lasts a long time at this price point. Verywell Health / Donna Freydkin Best Budget Linenspa Memory Foam Hybrid Mattress Walmart View On Amazon $240 View On Walmart $184 View On Linenspa.com Key Specs: Mattress Type: Hybrid | Firmness: Medium firm (7–8) | Available Sizes: Twin, twin XL, full, queen, short queen, king, California king | Trial Period: 100 days | Warranty: 10-year limited | Shipping and Returns: Free shipping, free returns Who It’s For People who don’t want to choose between their arthritis pain and a budget-friendly mattress option. Why It’s the Best Budget Mattress Sometimes, we recommend budget-friendly products with some caveats, like “it’s fine for a guest room but not everyday use,” or “it works in a pinch but won’t last forever.” However, we have zero caveats about recommending the Linenspa Memory Foam and Innerspring Hybrid Mattress. Yes, it’s cheap, but it doesn’t matter. From day one, this was a comfortable, supportive mattress, and it held up throughout our testing, so we can happily recommend it as an affordable option. What It’s Made Of Steel coils are topped with a 1.5-inch layer of memory foam for a simple but effective combination of support and cushioning. How It Performed During Testing The Linenspa Hybrid Mattress was instantly comfortable, and it didn’t disappoint at the four-week testing mark, either. It eliminated common side-sleeper aches and pains in our hips and back, and we fell asleep faster and slept more soundly thanks to not having to readjust our position all night long. We think the mattress’ ability to mold to our body rather than sink under our weight is to thank for our sound sleep. It sits squarely between firm and soft, and we think it could be a great option for anyone who needs a high-quality, low-budget mattress. What We Would Change It’s fairly thin at only eight inches in total, and the coils aren’t individually-wrapped. It’s possible that someone with moderate to severe arthritis pain would find this mattress lacking in cushioning. Verywell Health / Abigail Moore Best Mid-Range Purple Restore Hybrid Mattress Purple View On Amazon $1,799 View On Purple View On Raymourflanigan.com Key Specs: Mattress Type: Hybrid | Firmness: Soft (4–5) or firm (6–7) | Available Sizes: Twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, California king, split king | Trial Period: 100 days | Warranty: 10-year | Shipping and Returns: Free shipping, free returns Who It’s For Anyone with a range of aches and pains in the hips, shoulders, neck, and back. Why It’s the Best Mid-Range Mattress It’s not the least or most expensive mattress on our list, but based on how comfortable and restorative this mattress is, we would happily pay more than the listed price. A blend of zoned coils and Purple’s patented gel grid make sleeping on this mattress feel like a luxury, but for a mid-range price that we love. What It’s Made Of Beneath its flexible cover, the Purple Restore Mattress is designed with the same GelFlex Grid you’ll find in all of Purple’s sleep products. The grid is a patterned weave of squishy-but-supportive comfort made from stretchy polymer. It’s designed to be incredibly flexible, contouring with your movements. Under the grid, the Restore has a layer of memory foam and a base of individually wrapped coils for long-lasting support. How It Performed During Testing Sleeping on this mattress felt uniquely amazing. The grid allowed us to float over the mattress, cradling us rather than sinking under our weight. That also meant we had zero pain at our common pressure points (like our hips and knees), and that the Restore gave us the perfect combination of softness and support. It took a few nights to adjust, but once we did, we started having some of the best sleep we’ve ever experienced. We stopped tossing and turning, stopped having trouble falling asleep, and stopped waking up with back pain. In short, this mattress changed the way we sleep, allowing us to sleep soundly through the night without any aches and pains. We’ve already recommended it to people we love because we want them to sleep better, too—that’s how much we liked it. What We Would Change The mattress is less than 12 inches thick, so it may be a little thinner than you’re used to. We also wished it sat higher above the floor, just for ease of getting in and out of bed. Verywell Health / Mary Honeyman-Speichingner Verywell Health / Mary Honeyman-Speichingner Verywell Health / Mary Honeyman-Speichingner Best Innerspring Saatva Classic Mattress Saatva View On Saatva $2,095 Key Specs: Mattress Type: Innerspring | Firmness: Plush soft (3), luxury firm (5–7) or firm (8) | Available Sizes: Twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, California king, split king, split California king | Trial Period: 365 days | Warranty: Lifetime | Shipping and Returns: Free shipping, free in-room setup, free mattress removal, $99 returns Who It’s For People who want an elevated version of the traditional innerspring mattress for a blend of comfort and support. Why It’s the Best Innerspring Mattress With multiple cushy layers on top of coils and springs to maximize comfort, this isn’t just any old innerspring mattress. In fact, Dr. Carvosso calls the Saatva Classic a “standout choice” for people with arthritis, noting the double layers of coils offer solid support and the pillowtop layer gives you a boost of extra cushioning. Plus, he adds, the ability to choose between firmness levels is a big bonus for people with arthritis who need a personalized sleep experience. What It’s Made Of While it’s not technically a hybrid mattress, the Saatva Classic is more than just a set of innersprings. There are actually two carbon steel coil layers—an individually-wrapped layer meant to provide pressure relief and an unwrapped layer meant for durability and airflow. Sitting on top of the coil layers is a lumbar-supporting memory foam layer and a 3-inch Euro pillow top. Both of the top layers are zoned to support the center of the mattress, which limits sinking and sagging as you sleep. How It Performed During Testing This mattress eliminated most of our existing back pain by keeping our hips and spine in perfect alignment during the night. We loved that the coils provide clear, long-lasting support, but the cushy pillow top gets pleasantly softer with use, breaking in just enough to be cozy (but not so much that the support decreases). We also noticed that the edge support on this mattress is superb—an area where many other mattresses tend to fall short. It’s worth noting that we tested this mattress in “firm” and as a stomach sleeper. While it was perfect for that sleep position, side sleepers may find it to be too hard. If you’re a combination sleeper or share a bed with someone with a different sleep position, you may want to go with the “luxury firm” option or plan to add a thin mattress topper to the surface to soften it a bit. What We Would Change It runs a little hot; we needed to use a cooling pillow to offset some of the heat retention. We also think buyers should keep in mind that this mattress in “firm” may be too firm for side sleepers. Verywell Health / Ashleigh Morley Verywell Health / Lindsay Boyers Verywell Health / Lindsay Boyers Verywell Health / Allison Mango Verywell Health / Allison Mango Best Customizable Helix Midnight Luxe Mattress Helix View On Helix $1,374 View On Raymourflanigan.com View On Macy's $1,899 Key Specs: Mattress Type: Hybrid | Firmness: Medium (5–6) | Available Sizes: Twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, California king | Trial Period: 100 days | Warranty: 15-year limited | Shipping and Returns: Free shipping, free returns Who It’s For People who want to personalize the features they need for nighttime pain relief. Why It’s the Best Customizable Mattress We specifically tested the Helix Midnight Luxe, but this mattress offers three versions. While you can choose an elite version or a standard version, this mattress is situated right in the middle in terms of available features and add-ons. Depending on the version you buy, you get more (the elite) or fewer (the standard) layers—allowing you to choose the right option for comfort, support, height, and budget. Next, you can choose between a breathable Tencel cover and a maximum cooling cover that actually draws heat away from your body. What It’s Made Of A comfy, quilted pillowtop is followed by three layers of medium and medium-firm memory foam for contoured support. Beneath that sits the base layer of individually wrapped coils, which are also zoned to provide additional pressure relief to areas like your back and hips. How It Performed During Testing If you’ve ever slept on a luxury resort mattress and wished you could bring it home with you, we suggest getting your hands on a Helix Midnight Luxe. Two weeks into testing, we were marveling over how plush it is—it’s the ideal blend of firm and soft. And by four weeks, we were not only sleeping with less neck, hip, and shoulder pain, we were sleeping better in general. We fell asleep faster and stayed asleep longer, and we hardly ever needed to change positions during the night. In fact, most mornings we woke up to find we were still in the same spot where we fell asleep. And the fact that we had zero soreness or stiffness as a result of sleeping in the same position each night is more than enough for us to recommend the Luxe. What We Would Change It’s a mid-range mattress that could get pricey if you started adding on all of Helix’s recommended products and modifications. So you have to pay attention to what you “add to cart” if you’re working with a budget. Verywell Health / Pamela Jew Verywell Health / Erika Reals Verywell Health / Erika Reals Verywell Health / Erika Reals Best for Bigger Bodies Saatva HD Mattress Saatva View On Saatva $3,295 Key Specs: Mattress Type: Hybrid | Firmness: Medium firm (6–7) | Available Sizes: Twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, California king, split king | Trial Period: 365 days | Warranty: Lifetime | Shipping and Returns: Free shipping, free mattress removal, free in-room setup, $99 return fee Who It’s For People with arthritis and larger bodies, or people who want an extra-durable construction. Why It’s the Best Plus-Size Mattress Typically, larger bodies need a firmer mattress to avoid sinking too far down into the core of the mattress. But, if you have arthritis, a super firm sleep surface could aggravate your condition. We love that the Saatva HD Mattress is made for people weighing up to 500 pounds, but is still only a 6 to 7 on the firmness scale (i.e. medium firm). That means you can get the intense joint support you need without sacrificing cushioned comfort. What It’s Made Of Like the Saatva Classic, the HD has a 3-inch pillow top and a layer of responsive coils. Unlike the Classic, the HD is packed with several other layers designed for maximum stability and pressure relief. There’s a hypoallergenic latex layer for joint support, followed by two separate foam layers for deep comfort. There’s also twice as much foam edge support compared to many other mattresses, and a 2-inch, hard foam base layer for long-lasting durability. How It Performed During Testing Our editor who tested this mattress used to have mild back pain when she slept on her old mattress, but that became a thing of the past when she tested the Saatva HD. Neither too hard nor too soft, this mattress offers just enough body-hugging support to be comfortable without feeling like you’re sinking into the mattress. It kept our spine perfectly aligned—hence the end of our back pain—and we woke up less during the night. After four weeks of testing, we can confidently say that this mattress helped us get a solid, more restful night of sleep the vast majority of the time. We fell asleep right away, slept deeply through our partner’s snoring, and woke up feeling rested and rejuvenated. What We Would Change In our testing, we liked this mattress when sleeping on our back and stomach but didn’t love the side-sleeping experience, so it might not be compatible with all types of sleepers. Verywell Health / Kimberly Souza Verywell Health / Kimberly Souza Verywell Health / Kimberly Souza We Also Tested Lull Luxe Hybrid Mattress: This mattress was extremely comfortable, but the amount of support it provided waned quickly, decreasing enough by the fourth week of use to be noticeable. We also didn’t love it for side sleeping and found that it didn’t reduce shoulder pain in that sleep position.New Day Mattress: We noticed an improvement in our overall sleep quality with this mattress, but it’s on the thin side and we’re not sure how helpful it would be for someone with serious arthritis symptoms versus everyday aches and pains.T+N Original: This mattress had nice, cushy foam that molded to our body, but seriously lacked support. We still woke up with the same old lower back pain as we did on our old mattress. This might be fine for a lightweight sleeper who wants a soft, plush feel, but anyone with arthritis will likely need far more firmness to keep their joints supported and spine aligned. How We Tested the Best Mattresses for Arthritis To find the best mattresses for arthritis, we slept on over 60 popular mattresses for four weeks in our homes, evaluating their performances at both the two- and four-week marks. We continue to test these mattresses and will add more insights as time goes on. We took particular note of each mattress’s level of comfort, support, and our overall sleep quality. Our comfort ratings always reflect how much a mattress relieves aches and pains.Our support ratings consider how soft or firm a mattress is and how well it supports any specific areas of concern (like the lumbar region).Our sleep quality ratings measure how quickly we fell asleep, how we felt when we woke up in the morning, and how easily we slept through the night, including how well the mattress prevented motion transfer and whether we did a lot of tossing and turning. Our Experts Angelie Mascarinas, MD, physiatrist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC, regarding the best types of mattresses for people with arthritis Steven Shoshany, DC, Director and Founder of NYC Chiropractic and Spinal Decompression Center Siddharth Tambar, MD, rheumatologist with Chicago Arthritis and Regenerative Medicine Vinicius Domingues, MD, rheumatologist with Allergy Asthma & Arthritis Center in Daytona Beach, Florida, and a medical advisor to CreakyJoints Karena Wu, MD, physical therapist and owner of ActiveCare Physical Therapy in NYC Ben Carvosso, DC, owner of Mornington Peninsula Chiropractic and MP Nutrition Can Your Sleeping Position Affect Arthritis and Joint Pain? Mattress manufacturers often design mattresses to accommodate back, side, or stomach sleepers since different sleeping positions usually require different types of support. One 2010 study in Applied Ergonomics suggests that sleeping-related pain can be reduced in people with lower back pain when they choose the right sleeping surface for their preferred sleep position. In other words, it’s important to purchase a mattress made for the position you usually sleep in, especially if you suffer from arthritis. Although a mattress can’t cause or cure arthritis, explains Dr. Domingues, your quality of sleep and overall pain levels can definitely be related to the comfort of your mattress. For example, people with lumbar lordosis may find that stomach sleeping is uncomfortable, while people living with spondylitis or ankylosing spondylitis need to especially support their back. What to Look for in a Mattress for Arthritis Mattress Type There seems to be an overwhelming number of mattresses available for purchase these days, but all mattresses actually fall into one of three basic categories. Foam or latex: These mattresses are often recommended for people with chronic pain, because they conform to the body and alleviate pressure points without being so firm that they aggravate existing injuries or inflammation. But not all foam is created equal: some foam mattresses may be too soft and squishy to provide the right support for someone with arthritis. Latex is a more reliable material for support and durability, but it’s also typically more expensive than memory foam.Innerspring: While innerspring mattresses are often long-lasting and provide firm support, they’re usually not recommended for people with arthritis because they can be harsh on joints and pressure points. The innerspring system doesn’t mold or conform to your body, so unless you find the perfect mattress for you, it can be tough to get and stay comfortable. However, they’re usually not as heat-retaining as foam mattresses, so hot sleepers sometimes prefer them.Hybrid: A hybrid mattress is the best of both worlds. It typically consists of a layer of individually-wrapped springs topped with one or more layers of memory foam. Hybrid mattresses are often a good choice for people with arthritis, because they strike that expert-recommended balance between support and cushioning. Firmness Levels Mattresses are typically rated for firmness on a scale of 1 to 10, with firmer mattresses ending up higher on the scale (often 6 or 7 and above). But there's no one firmness rating that works for all people with arthritis. Finding the right mattress firmness for your arthritis symptoms is highly individualized, says Dr. Tambar. Though we can’t tell you what number firmness you need, Dr. Domingues recommends considering your weight to start. He says a person weighing 400 pounds will have a different experience on a soft mattress than a person weighing 150 pounds. If you’re petite, you may be perfectly supported on a mattress rated a 5 or 6 for firmness, but taller or heavier individuals should look for a mattress rated 7 or even 8. Support and Pressure Relief You’ll want to look for a mattress that highlights specific target areas for relieving arthritis-associated aches and pains, such as the shoulders, hips, and lower back. For many consumers, this means choosing memory foam mattresses rather than coiled mattresses. This is becauses foam helps to relieve pressure points in the body without feeling too soft, which is helpful for anyone suffering from joint pain. Interestingly, there is some debate over whether latex foam or memory foam is better for relieving painful pressure points. Most people opt for memory foam, assuming it to be superior. However, a 2017 study in the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine suggests that latex foam may outperform the traditional polyurethane memory foam as it’s better at reducing body pressure and evenly distributing pressure points. Motion Transfer Motion transfer refers to how well your mattress isolates movement. If you don’t sleep with a partner, motion transfer may not need to be at the top of your list of features. But if you do, it’s helpful to consider how much you’ll be affected by the way your partner moves around throughout the night. People with arthritis need all the sleep they can get. So, if your partner is disrupting your sleep all night long, you probably need a mattress with better motion absorption. Durability We tested our mattresses at home for at least four weeks and noted any change in support or comfort over the course of that time. A mattress that immediately loses some of its benefits isn’t going to last very long, so make sure you know how long the trial period is for your mattress and stay on top of its performance. The expected lifespan of a mattress is dependent on the materials it’s made from. You can count on a minimum of six to seven years, but latex and hybrid mattresses often last much longer. Trial Period In an ideal world, you would buy a mattress in person so you can test it out by lying on it in the position you sleep in at home before committing, says Dr. Domingues. Considering the trial period on your mattress is particularly important when you’re buying your mattress online. It takes a while to “break in” a new mattress, so the longer the trial period, the better. Most online mattress retailers offer at least a 100-day trial period, while some offer as long as 365 days to send it back if you don’t like it. However long the trial period, we suggest looking into the terms and conditions of any return policy. While a company may say you can simply return it if you hate it, there may be restrictions or exclusions that apply to your purchase. Frequently Asked Questions Are there any mattress firmness levels that can further irritate arthritis? Again, it’s highly individualized, says Dr. Tambar. In general, a firmer mattress is preferred over a softer one for people with arthritis, especially arthritis of the back. At the same time, Dr. Tambar warns that a firm mattress can irritate the myofascial structures under the skin, leading to more pain.Basically, different types of mattresses aren’t “bad” or “good.” The only bad mattress is one that doesn’t support you enough to allow for proper alignment or causes or worsens chronic pain. Why Trust Verywell Health Sarah Bradley has been a freelance writer since 2017, tackling health commerce articles, product reviews, and shopping guides on everything from dry skin moisturizers and wart removers to menstrual cups and toothbrushes for braces. She has been sleeping on her side for much longer than that, though, and takes the relationship between sleep position and mattress comfort pretty seriously (just ask her husband, who had to review her Excel spreadsheet of mattress features when it was time to buy a new one). Sarah has also written about mattresses for side sleepers like herself and people with arthritis pain, so she knows what goes into the making of a product that can help you sleep more peacefully. 4 Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Noyed D. How to Choose a Mattress. Sleep Foundation. Jacobson BH, Boolani A, Dunklee G, Shepardson A, Acharya H. Effect of prescribed sleep surfaces on back pain and sleep quality in patients diagnosed with low back and shoulder pain. Appl Ergon. 2010;42(1):91-97. doi:10.1016/j.apergo.2010.05.004 Low FZ, Chua MC, Lim PY, Yeow CH. Effects of mattress material on body pressure profiles in different sleeping postures. J Chiropr Med. 2017;16(1):1-9. doi:10.1016/j.jcm.2016.09.002 Mattress Firm. 3 tips to break in your new bed. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Medical Expert Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit