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It\u2019s\u00a0one of the first questions\u00a0you\u2019ll\u00a0need to consider when shopping for a new bed: how soft or firm do you want it to be? While your answer mostly depends on personal preference, there is some research-backed advice you should consider when it comes to finding the right firmness level, especially if you experience back pain or\u00a0you find\u00a0yourself waking up stiff most mornings.<\/p>\n
No two mattress companies have the exact same definition of \u201cfirm,\u201d and everyone\u2019s experience of\u00a0what\u2019s\u00a0comfortable is different. That\u2019s why we have a special methodology for\u00a0rating the firmness of mattresses\u00a0when we test them, taking into account the company\u2019s scale and how the bed feels on different body types.<\/p>\n
In this article, we outline\u00a0what\u00a0you\u2019ll\u00a0typically see in\u00a0one of our mattress reviews, and\u00a0what\u00a0you\u2019ll\u00a0find when shopping around for a new bed. We also looked to\u00a0research on\u00a0how mattress firmness affects back pain, consulted with a sleep medicine expert for advice on who needs a firmer mattress, and included more factors to consider before you spend your hard-earned money on a new bed.<\/p>\n
In the US, there is no\u00a0industry-standard, 100%\u00a0objective\u00a0scale\u00a0for mattress firmness. How firm or soft something feels\u00a0ultimately depends\u00a0on factors like your body type and sleeping position. Brands will also sometimes use words like \u201cplush\u201d to describe softness, for example, or \u201cluxury firm\u201d to describe a mattress\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0somewhere between soft and firm.<\/p>\n
Below is the mattress firmness guide we use when we test mattresses, ranging from 1 (soft) to 10 (extra firm).<\/p>\n
The softest mattresses on the mattress-firmness scale can also be called \u201cplush\u201d and may have a cradled, sinking feeling. A quality soft mattress will still be supportive, but not as supportive as a mattress on the firmer side of the mattress firmness scale.<\/p>\n
A medium mattress is a nice\u00a0middle\u00a0ground between a soft\u00a0mattress and\u00a0firm\u00a0mattress.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a great place\u00a0to start testing beds in a mattress store if\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0experimenting with which firmness level is best for you.<\/p>\n
A medium-firm mattress is\u00a0similar to\u00a0a mattress with medium firmness, only\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0slightly more supportive. Research has shown that mattresses labeled as being\u00a0medium-firm\u00a0may be associated with less lower back pain, though one mattress brand\u2019s \u201cmedium\u201d may be the same as \u201cmedium-firm,\u201d or even another company\u2019s \u201cfirm.\u201d Again, mattress firmness is subjective and depends on how it works\u00a0for\u00a0your body.<\/p>\n
Some people need a firmer mattress to support their body and reduce back pain, as a firm mattress\u00a0won\u2019t\u00a0leave you sinking into it. Others just prefer the feel of a firmer mattress. You can expect mattress companies to clearly label their firm mattresses, though whether it has a medium-firm or firm-firm\u00a0feel to\u00a0you will depend on your body and sleeping position.<\/p>\n
If in a mattress\u00a0review\u00a0we rate a bed as \u201cextra firm,\u201d you can bet\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0a fit for people looking for the hardest-feeling mattress out there.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s so much personal preference and variation here,\u201d said Jennifer Martin, PhD, spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and\u00a0professor at Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University. Side sleepers may prefer something with a softer feel to reduce pressure, she said, but people with back pain \u201cseem to do better\u201d on a firmer mattress.<\/p>\n
If\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0possible,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0a good idea\u00a0to go to a mattress store and test out the beds\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0interested in buying to make sure you like it, according to Martin. This way, you can see for yourself how a \u201cfirm\u201d mattress compares to a softer\u00a0one.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s helpful to go test drive some mattresses,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Just be sure not to be pressured into buying a mattress before\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0sure\u2013you can always test mattresses in person and buy them online or\u00a0at a later date.<\/p>\n
Lower\u00a0back pain\u00a0can disrupt your sleep, which makes finding the right mattress even more important for those experiencing chronic pain. According to a large\u00a0systematic review\u00a0published in 2021, mattresses labeled\u00a0medium-firm\u00a0by a European standardization committee led to better sleep quality and comfort among people with lower back pain.<\/p>\n
Again,\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0no standard way to shop for \u201cmedium-firm,\u201d\u00a0though\u00a0mattresses in this range may offer the right level of spinal support and comfort to help people with back pain sleep soundly.\u00a0However\u00a0a mattress is technically labeled by a mattress company (\u201cmedium,\u201d \u201cmedium-firm\u201d or \u201cfirm\u201d), it may be best to avoid mattresses that are extra soft.<\/p>\n
\u201cToo much give in a mattress seems to make back problems worse,\u201d Martin said.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0because\u00a0sinking into a mattress\u00a0too deeply can\u00a0put\u00a0strain on\u00a0your\u00a0body.<\/p>\n
The back-sleeping position is considered a good one when it comes to\u00a0keeping your spine aligned and neutral\u00a0at night, and\u00a0you\u2019ll\u00a0want your mattress firmness level to support that. If you\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0know where to start, consider a medium or medium-firm mattress, as\u00a0research has shown\u00a0people tend to have less pain\u00a0from sleeping\u00a0on\u00a0these mattresses compared to other firmness levels.<\/p>\n
Depending on your body or how deeply you feel\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0sinking into the mattress (or if\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0not cradling you at all), you may want a mattress\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0a little softer or firmer.<\/p>\n
Stomach sleeping, while a go-to position for many people, may\u00a0lead to more neck and back\u00a0compared to other sleeping positions because of the strain put on the neck and spine when you turn your head to breathe.<\/p>\n
In order to\u00a0keep your\u00a0spine as\u00a0aligned as possible, you may want to consider a firmer mattress that\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0let your hips\u00a0sink in\u00a0too deeply, which will\u00a0potentially\u00a0arch to your back and\u00a0cause\u00a0strain.<\/p>\n
In general, side sleepers may be able to get away with mattresses on the softer end of the mattress firmness scale, since their priorities are pressure relief on the hips and shoulders, and they don\u2019t need the extra support to outdo the spinal strain and potential back and neck pain stomach sleeping can cause. However, heavyweight side sleepers may prefer a bit more firmness if they feel\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0sinking in too much on a soft or medium mattress.<\/p>\n
When choosing the right mattress firmness for your needs, these are the most\u00a0important factors\u00a0to consider:<\/p>\n
If you have back pain, you need a mattress that offers adequate support while allowing you to sleep comfortably. Research has shown that mattresses on the medium-firm side tend to lead to better outcomes.<\/p>\n
Lightweight sleepers may think a mattress feels firmer than a heavyweight sleeper, for example, because of the different amounts of pressure on the mattress. A person with a larger body may also be more uncomfortable on a softer mattress than a person in a smaller body for similar reasons.<\/p>\n
A person who sleeps on their stomach may need more firmness for support than a person who usually sleeps on their side because the spine is aligned differently based on sleeping position.<\/p>\n
When two people\u2019s priorities are competing for the\u00a0optimal\u00a0mattress-firmness\u00a0level, consider a mattress with customizable firmness or a \u201csplit-king\u201d mattress that is\u00a0actually two\u00a0separate beds, but pushed together.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s worth considering that, in addition to the large review that found people with lower back pain benefited most from medium-firm mattresses, a\u00a0smaller study\u00a0that looked at sleep quality in people with an average body mass index (BMI) also found that medium-firm mattresses led to better sleep outcomes.<\/p>\n
If you\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0know where to\u00a0start\u00a0your mattress-firmness journey, testing mattresses in the medium or medium-firm range may be the best bet.<\/p>\n