Sciatica is a painful condition that can wake you in the night or stop you from getting to sleep in the first place. If this sounds familiar, you’re probably looking for the best mattress for sciatica pain in 2022. The right mattress can improve your pain and help you to sleep better. However, pick one that doesn’t provide adequate support and pressure relief and you could potentially make things worse. Fortunately, choosing the best type of mattress for sciatica doesn’t have to be difficult.
In this article, we’ll explain everything you need to know about how your condition affects your sleep. We’ll also reveal our top rated 10 best mattresses for sciatica sufferers with in-depth reviews to help you make the right choice for you.
What is Sciatica Pain?
Sciatica is the name given to compression or inflammation of the sciatic nerve. This nerve connects the spinal cord, buttocks, legs and feet. Sciatica causes pain, tingling or loss of sensation in your legs and feet. The pain may come and go, or you may feel it all the time. It may be mild or severe.
There are various causes of sciatica. These include:
- A condition called spondylolisthesis, where two vertebrae overlap
- Worn or herniated discs
- Spinal stenosis
- Changes in posture during pregnancy
- Excess weight
- Regularly wearing high-heeled shoes
- The wrong mattress
Sciatica can interfere with your day-to-day life. Some people with the condition find extended periods of standing uncomfortable, and walking can be painful. Some people also feel pain when they sit or lie down.
How Does Sciatica Affect Sleep?
People with sciatica often report problems with sleep. When you’re in pain, it can be difficult to relax and nod off. You may also be woken by pain in the night, leading to fragmented sleep.
Poor sleep quality or quantity has various negative effects. Over time, it can lead to mood problems, irritability, problems concentrating and various health conditions. Sleep deprivation can also make it harder to cope with a chronic pain condition like sciatica. If you have the condition, it’s important to take steps to improve the quality of your sleep, for example by choosing the best mattress for sciatica sufferers.
Is My Mattress Making My Sciatica Pain Worse?
While it’s unlikely that your mattress could be making an underlying condition causing your sciatica worse, it could be increasing your pain levels. Many people are unsure whether their mattress is to blame. Here are some tell-tale signs that your mattress could be exacerbating your discomfort:
- Your pain is at its highest level when you wake in the morning and then eases
- Your mattress is visibly sagging or lumpy
- Your mattress is older than 8 years old
- Your mattress feels uncomfortable to sleep on
- You toss and turn a lot in the night
If you notice one of more of these signs, it’s a sign that it could be time to replace your mattress with one that’s well-designed to ease sciatica pain.
How Do I Choose Best Kind of Mattress for Sciatica Pain?
Before you make a purchase, it’s important to understand how to choose the right mattress for lower back pain and sciatica. If you get this right, you are well on the way to improving your sciatic pain at night and sleeping better. However, the wrong choice could exacerbate your pain. Luckily, there are lots of good mattresses out there to help combat discomfort caused by sciatica. You should look for the following features:
Support
The number one factor your need to consider when buying a mattress for spinal stenosis or other causes of sciatica is support. A supportive mattress will keep your spine in a healthy alignment and stop the sciatic nerve from being compressed, reducing pain. Innerspring, hybrid, memory foam and latex mattresses are all good choices. However, you should check reviews of the individual mattress you’re interested in to make sure it scores highly in terms of support.
Firmness
It’s important to choose the correct firmness of mattress to make sure your spine is in a healthy position. This mainly comes down to your sleeping position, although you should also take comfort into account. If you don’t feel comfortable sleeping on the mattress, there’s little chance of you sleeping well.
Side sleepers need a medium mattress that has enough give to conform to the side of their body. Otherwise, pressure could build up in your hips which could make sciatic pain worse. Front and back sleepers require a firmer mattress. If you switch positions in the night or share the bed with a partner who sleeps in a different position to you, we recommend opting for a medium firm mattress. These are sometimes known as ‘universal comfort’ and are comfortable and supportive enough for most sleepers.
It’s a common belief that people with chronic pain conditions like sciatica need an orthopedic mattress. This means that the mattress is very firm. While they may be suitable for some stomach sleepers, most people will find them uncomfortably firm. So, there’s no need to choose one unless it suits your personal sense of comfort or it’s been recommended to you by your healthcare provider.
Durability
Before you buy, make sure the mattress you’re considering is durable. Otherwise, you could find yourself with a mattress that helps with your sciatic pain at first but needs to be replaced too soon. This can be expensive. A mattress that has started to sag won’t give you the support you need and may make your pain worse. Checking user and expert reviews is a good way to gauge whether your new mattress will stand the test of time.
As a rule, you should expect your mattress to last for at least 8 years if you look after it properly. However, some modern mattresses can last considerably longer than this.
Sleep trial
Choosing a manufacturer that offers a sleep trial is important, especially if you’re buying a mattress online without trying it first. Although buying a mattress online ay sound risky, you will have a greater range of choice available to you and it’s easier to compare models. It’s cheaper for mattress manufacturers to sell their products online, so you may get a better deal than if you bought instore.
A sleep trial allows you to return the mattress at any point during a specified period for a quibble-free refund. If you buy a mattress without a sleep trial, you could end up with a mattress that makes your sciatica pain worse with no way of getting your money back. Bear in mind that some sleep trials have a ‘settling in’ period, which means that you have to use it for a certain amount of time before requesting a refund.
10 Best Bed for Sciatica Pain– Reviewed
Now that you understand how sciatica affects your sleep and you know how to pick a good mattress for sciatic pain, it’s time to check out some reviews. We’ve picked our 10 favourite mattresses for sciatica and reviewed them in detail to help you pick the best one for you. We’ve picked a range of materials at various price points, so you should find one that suits your budget and your personal sense of comfort.
1. Layla Mattress: Best Value
Key features
Copper-infused foam: If you’re looking for the best bed for sciatica, copper foam is a great feature to have. The Layla mattress uses memory foam that contains particles of copper gel. This prevents the foam from becoming overly compressed, as it gets a little firmer when you press on it. This allows it to cold perfectly to your shape while offering extra support for your joints, helping to ease sciatica pain. Copper particles also help to draw heat away from your body and are antimicrobial for added cleanliness.
Dual-sided: A factor that makes the Layla mattress unusual is its dual firmness. One side is plush and ideal for the needs of side sleepers as it can mold to the side of your body while you sleep, reducing pressure on your shoulders and hips. Flip it over and you’ll find a firm side which is more suitable for front or back sleepers. This means that you can change the firmness of your bed simply by flipping it if your sleep needs change.
Dense foam centre: The centre of this mattress is made from extremely dense foam. This makes it very supportive for people with sciatica. It also dulls movement from your partner, so you shouldn’t be disturbed by any fidgeting or rolling over. Additionally, it makes the mattress highly durable.
- Sleeps cool
- Pressure reduction
- Dual firmness
- Good level of support
- Limits motion transfer
- Good longevity
- Anti-microbial
- Adjustable frame friendly
- Lifetime warranty
- 120-night sleep trial
- Made in the USA
- Free shipping and returns
- Less bounce
2. Nectar Mattress: Editor’s Pick
Topping the list of best mattress for sciatica 2019 is the renowned mattress brand Nectar. This company operate exclusively online, which means that they pass savings in their overheads directory on to their customers. This bed is manufactured using gel-infused memory foam. It’s medium firm which you might have heard referred to as ‘universal comfort’. Most people find this firmness comfortable and it provides adequate support for most sleeping positions. So, it’s a great option if you’re a combination sleeper or your partner has different sleeping needs to you.
Key features
Sleeps cool: This mattress has an innovative, breathable cover with the ability to wick away heat and moisture during the night. The gel foam used in this mattress is milled, which creates air spaces to improve breathability even further. These features work together to make a mattress that maintains a comfortable, neutral temperature.
Gel foam: Gel memory foam is designed to help with temperature neutrality. However, it also works to spread your body weight evenly to reduce pressure on your back, hips and shoulders. This can help to reduce pain caused by sciatica at night. It also conforms well to the curves of your body, giving a deep hugging sensation when you sleep on it. Therefore, it’s a good choice for side sleepers as it can mold to the side of your body.
High-density base layer: The bottom layer of the Nectar mattress is made of high-density foam to provide a firm foundation. This provides a great level of support and prevents the mattress losing its shape. Foam at this density tends to overheat, so Nectar have engineered air channels into this layer to allow air to move more freely.
- Reduced stress on pressure points
- Good support
- Medium firmness suits most sleepers
- Good motion isolation
- Slip-proof bottom cover
- Sleeps cool
- Adjustable bed friendly
- 365-night sleep trial
- Free shipping
- Free returns
- Certi-Pur certified
- Smart shipping
- Generous forever warranty (industry standard is 10 years)
- Heavy and cumbersome
- May not offer firm enough support for stomach sleepers
3. Brooklyn Bedding Aurora: Best Luxury
This mattress is a hybrid model. While you may associate the term ‘hybrid’ with modern cars, a hybrid mattress can be a great choice for sciatica pain. It mixes the pressure-relieving qualities of foam with the support and rebound of innersprings in the core. So, it provides a best-of-both-worlds option if you’re looking for a sciatica bed. It’s also well-designed to reduce overheating at night, so it’s a good choice if you also experience night-time overheating.
Key features
Sleeps cool: At the top of the Aurora’s structure is a layer of Energex foam that has copper particles mixed in. Copper is great at conducting warmth, so it can help heat travel away when you lie on it. The innerspring core has air spaces inside, which also promote better airflow. Combined together, these make a great mattress for people who sleep hot.
Reduced stress on pressure points: The foam in the upper layers of this mattress can conform to the shape of your sleeping body, lessening uncomfortable pressure. Meanwhile, the innerspring core provides superior support. This makes it a great choice for easing pain caused by sciatica.
Temperature neutral cover: Brooklyn Bedding have carefully engineered their cosy, soft cover so that it actually feels cool when your skin touches it. Like many mattresses, the cover isn’t washable, so it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the correct method for spot cleaning stains on a mattress cover.
- Cooling technology
- Reduces pressure on sore joints
- Highly supportive
- Wide choice of sizes
- Free shipping
- 120-night sleep trial
- Standard 10-year warranty
- 3 firmness options
- Suitable for back, stomach and side sleepers
- Suitable for light, average and heavy body weights
- Long lasting
- May feel too cold for some sleepers
4. Casper Mattress: Best for Lightweight Sleepers
The Casper mattress is a good option for people with sciatica who have a lower than average body weight. It’s a memory foam model, which means it can ease pressure on sore areas of your body and help with sciatica pain while you sleep. Casper are an online retailer, which means they can charge lower prices to their customers as they don’t have the overhead costs which come with selling instore. So, you get a higher-quality mattress for your money when you buy from an online retailer like Casper. Let’s take a closer look:
Key features
Pressure reduction: The dense memory foam used in the structure of the Casper mattress has the capability to mold perfectly to your body during the night. This eases pressure on key areas including your hips, shoulders and spine, which can have a soothing effect on pain caused by sciatica. It also does a great job at spreading your weight across the mattress to give extra support to your back and joints.
Zoned levels of support: The support of the Casper mattress is arranged into zones. This means you get extra support around your lumbar region while offering more softness around your hips and shoulders. This prevents pressure building up and encourages your spine into a healthy and comfortable alignment.
Sleeps cool: Casper have used open-cell technology in the design of their memory foam. This means the foam contains tiny air pockets to make it as breathable as possible, which solves the problem of memory foam sleeping hot. It also makes the mattress more responsive, so it’s a good option if you like a bouncier feel. The cover is made of a soft knit fabric which promotes air circulation. You can take the cover off and wash it if it becomes stained.
- Reduces pressure on shoulders and hips
- Extra zoned support for the lumbar region
- Good for back pain
- Temperature neutral
- Washable cover
- 100-night sleep trial
- Standard 10-year warranty
- Free shipping and returns
- White glove setup if you want it
- Not suitable for heavier individuals
- Some off-gassing
5. Loom and Leaf: Best for Average Weight Sleepers
Saatva is a well-known and trusted mattress manufacturer, and their Loom and Leaf mattress is a good choice for average-weight sleepers who want a luxurious mattress. It comes at a higher price point than some of the models we’ve reviewed on this list, but it’s worth the money if you can afford it. It’s also eco-friendly, so it gives you the option to buy a mattress that helps with sciatica pain without damaging the environment.
Key features
Adaptable memory foam: The Loom and Leaf is manufactured using memory foam that is made without hurting the environment. It’s highly adaptable, which means it can change shape to fit your sleeping body. This eases pressure on key areas where sciatica pain can build up in the night. Saatva have engineered the memory foam to make it temperature neutral. If you’re sensitive to smells, the Loom and Leaf should off-gas less than many comparable memory foam models.
Gel infusion: Saatva have included a pad of gel-infused memory foam in the area around your lower back. Gel is used because of its ability to keep you cool at night. Gel is also a highly supportive material, so it gives more support to the lumbar area of your spine to help ease pain.
Breathable cover: This mattress comes with a soft and comfortable cover made of completely organic cotton. This material is extra-breathable, which allows excess heat to escape during the night. The cover includes an innovative natural flame retardant derived from thistle extract. This is healthier than common chemical flame retardants.
- Reduced pressure on joints
- Zoned support for your lower back
- Temperature neutral
- Environmentally friendly
- Organic cotton top cover
- Healthy thistle flame retardant
- Suitable for adjustable bed frames
- Manufactured in the USA
- Free white glove delivery service
- 120-night sleep trial
- Reduced off-gassing
- High price tag
- Only two choices of firmness
6. Winkbed Mattress: Best for Heavyweight Sleepers
Winkbed is a new and exciting mattress company, and their products are great for people looking for a mattress for sciatic nerve pain. The Winkbed is a hybrid option, which mixes the benefits of adaptable memory foam with the responsive feel of innersprings. It’s highly supportive, making it suitable for heavier individuals with sciatic pain.
Key features
Good for back pain: The innersprings of this mattress are highly supportive, which encourages your spine into an optimal alignment. It also contains an additional zone of support for the lumbar region of your spine. This may be helpful for improving sciatica-related discomfort.
Pressure point reduction: The foam in the Loom and Leaf mattress has the ability to reduce pressure on your joints and potentially relieve pain caused by sciatica. This is because it can adapt to your individual body shape to give a hugging sensation. The bed is well-designed to provide support and adaptability even if you’re heavy. There is a good range of firmness choices. You should select based on your sleeping position and unique sense of comfort.
Sleeps cool: This mattress is engineered with ventilation channels which ensure that air can move freely throughout the whole mattress. This means that heat can exit the mattress instead of building up and making you uncomfortable. The design includes a cover made of the breathable material Tencel to keep things temperature neutral.
- Keeps you cool and comfortable
- Reduces pressure on key areas
- Cool Tencel cover
- Additional zone of lumbar support
- Good for heavier individuals
- Manufactured in the USA
- 120-night sleep trial
- Free delivery and returns
- Generous lifetime guarantee
- High price point
- Manufacturer is new to the market
7. Purple Mattress
The Purple mattress is a good choice for people with sciatica who also sleep hot. It’s a hybrid mattress that incorporates gel memory foam and innersprings. It also provides a good level of pressure relief to ease aches and pains. It’s highly rated by expert reviewers, who recommend it as a mattress for sciatic pain.
Key features
Grid-formatted foam: The foam in the Purple mattress is creating using Smart Grid technology. This means that it has a grid-like structure, making it highly effective at reducing pressure on sore areas. It also makes the mattress more breathable to help keep you cool and comfortable.
Medium firm: The Purple mattress is rated at 6.5 out of 10 for firmness, which is medium firm (sometimes known as ‘universal comfort’). Most people find this type of mattress comfortable to sleep on. It’s an especially good choice for combination sleepers who move around a lot in the night or for couples with differing sleep needs.
Limits motion transfer: The Purple mattress limits motion transfer during the night, so you shouldn’t be able to feel your partner tossing and turning on their side of the bed. If your sleep is already disturbed by sciatica-related pain, this can help reduce sleep disruption caused by your partner’s movements.
- Limits pressure on joints
- Good level of support
- Temperature neutral
- Medium firm
- Limits motion transfer
- Free shipping and returns
- Standard 10-year warranty
- 100-night sleep trial
- Weighs a lot so is cumbersome to move around
8. Level Sleep Mattress
This mattress has been specially formulated to reduce back pain, and the results are clinically proven. So, this manufacturer makes good beds for people with bad backs. Many doctors and chiropractors have given their seal of approval to the Level Sleep mattress, and it’s equally popular with customers. In fact, users have found it reduces night-time discomfort by 57%.
Key features
Reduces pressure: This mattress helps to stop uncomfortable pressure building up on your joints, which can ease sciatica pain. It’s also specially designed to boost your circulation during the night. It encourages you to stop tossing and turning to get comfortable as it eases pressure on your hip, shoulder and back joints and tissues.
Additional spinal support: The Level sleep mattress has a zoned design ideally suited to relieving pressure while supporting your back. There’s additional support around the lumber region to encourage your spine into a good alignment. Meanwhile, there is more ‘give’ in the areas around your shoulders and hips. This can help reduce pain whatever your sleeping position.
Safe and healthy: This mattress has been awarded the Certi-Pur certification, which gives users peace of mind that it doesn’t contain any potentially dangerous chemicals. As some foam mattresses give off gases that are bad for your health, this provides reassurance that it is safe for you and your family.
- Studies have proven the mattress’ pain-relieving abilities
- Extra lumbar support
- Reduces pressure on joints
- Approved by healthcare professionals
- Boosts circulations
- Manufactured in the USA
- Certi-Pur certified
- Can be used on any frame
- Generous 365-night sleep trial
- Forever warranty
- Free shipping and returns
- Higher price point
- Weaker edge support
9. TempurPedic Tempur-Adapt Hybrid
Tempur is probably one of the best-known names when it comes to memory foam mattresses. This medium mattress is a more expensive option, but if you have the budget available you may feel it’s a worthwhile investment. The Tempur-Adapt Hybrid combines the pressure point relief of memory foam with great back support provided by an innerspring core. This combination is highly successful is you’re looking for a mattress for sciatica back and leg pain.
Key features
SmartClimate® cover: This mattress comes with a cover designed to keep you cool. It’s made of high weight molecular yarn, which has the ability to wick away heat while you sleep. You can unzip the cover to wash it, and it will keep its cooling abilities even if you wash it frequently.
Pressure point relief: Although the mattress is medium, there is a soft layer of foam at the top of the mattress. This does a great job at relieving pressure on sore areas and molds perfectly to the shape of your body. There’s also a layer of Advanced Pressure Relief foam which adds extra cushioning for your joints while remaining supportive. This makes it a good choice for sleepers who find pressure from their mattress makes their sciatica worse.
Innerspring core: The core of this mattress is made from more than 1,000 coils which are wrapped in individual fabric pockets. This allows the core to adapt to the shape of your body while giving a good level of support to your back. This promotes an optimal spinal alignment and helps to relieve pain.
- Good pressure relief
- Good for back pain
- Highly supportive
- Cooling and washable cover
- Breathable
- Responsive
- Good motion isolation
- Standard 10-year warranty
- Free white glove delivery
- 0% APR financing options available
- Durable
- 90-night sleep trial is shorter than some other options
- High price tag
10. Zenhaven Mattress
Rounding off our list of the top 10 mattresses for sciatica is the Zenhaven mattress, a latex foam bed. If you have an average body weight or lower, you’re likely to find this mattress very comfortable. It has an unusual dual-sided design which allows you the freedom to change the firmness if your sleep needs change.
Key features
Double-sided: The Zenhaven mattress has two sides, each with a different firmness. One side is softer and more suitable for side sleepers as it can hug the side of your body and relieve uncomfortable pressure on your back and hips. The other side is a ‘universal comfort’ medium firm, which should feel comfortable for most sleepers and is suitable if you sleep on your back or front.
Environmentally conscious: The manufacturers only use natural, sustainable Talalay latex foam in the construction of their mattress. Additionally, the cover is made from organic, eco-friendly cotton. This makes this mattress a good option for people who want a mattress that doesn’t negatively impact their environment.
Ventilation channels: The Zenhaven mattress is engineered with air channels running through the latex foam. This means that air is able to move around the mattress, allowing heat to escape. If you’re already sleeping badly because of sciatica pain, this ensures you won’t be disturbed further by heat discomfort. The size of the ventilation holes is arranged in zones to give you extra support in certain areas.
- Suits all sleeping positions
- Good for light and average weight sleepers
- Double sided
- Cool and breathable
- Zoned support areas
- Environmentally friendly
- Free white glove delivery
- 120-night sleep trial
- 20-year warranty
- Heavy and cumbersome to move
- Weaker edge support than some other options
FAQs
We’re often asked questions about sleep and sciatica and how to choose the right mattress to ease pain. In this section, we’ve collected some of the most commonly asked along with expert answers.
Q: What’s the best mattress for sciatica nerve pain?
A: Many mattresses are suitable for people with sciatica, and there is no single ‘perfect’ option that will suit everyone. Any mattress that provides a high level of support can help keep your spine in a healthy alignment and ease pain caused by sciatica.
Q: Should I use an orthopedic mattress for sciatica pain?
A: Most people will find an orthopedic mattress too hard to be comfortable whether they have sciatica or not. However, some people who sleep on their stomachs may benefit from the very firm support an orthopedic mattress offers.
Q: What’s the best sleeping position if you have sciatica?
A: Any sleeping position that keeps your spine in a healthy alignment is good if you suffer with sciatica. Sleeping on your side or back are both suitable as long as you choose the correct mattress firmness. However, we don’t recommend sleeping on your stomach. This puts your spine in an awkward position and can make your sciatica worse.
Q: Is my mattress making my sciatica pain worse?
A: The wrong mattress can increase discomfort levels. If you find your pain Is worse when you wake up, this could be caused by sleeping on an unsupportive mattress all night. If your mattress is sagging or is older than 8 years, this means it may have lost its support. Inadequate support from your mattress is a major cause of sciatica pain at night.
Conclusion on The Best Mattresses for Sciatica in 2022
Sleeping with sciatica can be difficult, but you can ease your pain by choosing a comfortable and supportive mattress. Using the tips in this article, you’ll be well on your way to choosing the best mattress for sciatica pain and getting a better night’s sleep.
