Best Mattress for Stomach Sleepers

Sleeping on the stomach is a popular position. You can just fall into bed, spread out, and sleep like royalty. That is, of course, if your mattress is big enough. But when it comes to sleeping positions, it turns out some are not as good as others. Let’s have a look at the benefits and the downsides of sleeping on your stomach. And, while we are at it, let’s pick the best mattress for stomach sleepers too.

To find the best mattress for stomach sleepers, we looked at the specific comfort needs of stomach sleepers which we outline in this article. We also provide some tips on changing your sleeping position if you want to get out of the habit.

• Is it bad to sleep on your stomach?
• How to improve your rest when sleeping on your stomach
• Best mattress for stomach sleepers

	Type	Firmness	Price	Sleep Trial	Warranty
Amerisleep AS1	Plant-based memory foam	Firm	$999	100 nights	20 years
Vaya Mattress	Open-cell Vaya foam	Medium	$595	100 nights	10 years
Nest Bedding’s All Latex	Latex	Firm	$1799	100 nights	Lifetime
Purple Hybrid	Purple Grid™ gel material & Pocket Coils	Medium/Firm	$1762	100 nights	10 years
The Bear	Memory foam	Firm	$800	100 nights	10 years

Best Mattress for Stomach Sleepers

Let’s look at the best beds for stomach sleepers currently on the market. We will dive into the materials each one is made from, customer reviews, and any special features.

Amerisleep AS1

Amerisleep has been one of the leading online mattress sellers for a decade now. They were one of the first brands to break out of the in-store mattress selling standards. They have also successfully expanded their product offerings with a brand new hybrid line.

Amerisleep has  a collection of five different foam mattresses. They are numbered by their firmness: AS1 is the firmest option and the AS5 the plushest. The company also offers a choice of two bed frames—a flat mattress foundation and an adjustable bed. Aside from these, Amerisleep offers other sleep accessories, such as bedding, mattress protectors, pillows and mattress toppers.

Let’s Look at the Mattress

As mentioned above, the Amerisleep AS1 is the firmest mattress in Amerisleep’s lineup. It’s the best option for heavy sleepers and stomach sleepers alike. The mattress design is simplistic, yet very effective. Let’s have a look at the all-foam layers inside.

• The cover of Amerisleep AS1 is made from a breathable and soft material. It’s designed to be cool to the touch and allow the first layer right underneath to perform at its best.
• The top layer is a 2-inch thick Bio-Pur®. Bio-Pur® is a partially plant-based foam with an open-cell structure to allow better breathability and responsiveness. This comfort layer provides the sleeper with contouring and pressure point relief. It conforms to the body to provide excellent spinal alignment.
• The base layer of Amerisleep AS1 is 8 inches thick, high-density Bio-Core® foam. It provides support to the mattress and the sleeper on top. 

Firmness

Many people rate the Amerisleep AS1 as 8 out of 10 on the firmness scale. This places it on the firmer end of the spectrum, which is ideal for stomach sleepers. If you are a side sleeper, going for the Amerisleep AS3 would be a better option. And if you’re a back sleeper, the AS1 is great if you prefer a firmer bed. 

Pressure Point Relief

The Bio-Pur® layer provides good pressure point relief, with the base layer offering extra support. For stomach sleepers, this is crucial. Also, the firmness of this mattress ensures that the hips don’t sink in too deep as you sleep on your stomach. This keeps your body well-supported and your spine aligned.

Temperature Control

All-foam mattresses generally tend to trap more heat, but Amerisleep AS1 tackles this issue with the open-cell design and the breathable cooling cover. The mattress’s firmness also ensures that you don’t sink into the mattress, but rather sleep on top of it. All of these benefits allow the AS1 to have very good temperature control. 

Motion Isolation

The good thing about memory foam is that it absorbs motion well. The AS1 will ensure restful sleep without disturbances even if you share your bed with a partner.

Vaya Mattress

Vaya Sleep is a newcomer to the mattress industry. Founded only last year, Vaya Sleep only offers one mattress and a pillow, but the high quality of these two products makes up for the lack of products Vaya currently sells. The mattress and pillow are available on Amazon, where Prime Members can get it shipped to their door for free.

Let’s Look at the Mattress

The Vaya Mattress is a very budget-friendly foam mattress. To find a high-quality foam mattress within this price range is rare. The Vaya’s advanced design provides the sleeper with better temperature control and more responsiveness, so they won’t ever feel “stuck” in bed. Let’s have a look inside:

• The cover of the Vaya mattress is a cooling, woven synthetic blend. This fabric encourages better airflow.  The cover is equipped with a silica fiber fire sock.
• The first layer of Vaya is 3 inches thick foam. This open-cell foam has a latex-like feel to it which allows more response and temperature control. This layer is also what offers better pressure point relief and comfort.
• The 9-inch tall base layer underneath is made from high-density foam. It provides the mattress with stability and longevity.

Firmness

The Vaya mattress rates as Medium-Firm. This is perfect for back sleepers and combination sleepers. It’s also great for stomach sleepers who prefer a softer mattress, as it’s plush and cozy yet it still provides the needed support for your hips.

Pressure Point Relief

The first open-cell foam layer conforms to the body, relieving the pressure points in whichever position you sleep in. The Vaya mattress may not have a zoned support design, but it still delivers great sleep.

Temperature Control

Compared to traditional memory foam mattresses usually found within this price range, the Vaya mattress has great temperature control. As mentioned before, the open-cell design of the first foam layer tends to allow airflow without trapping body heat.

Motion isolation

Just like most all-foam mattresses, the Vaya is naturally good at motion isolation. The open-cell foam layer absorbs movement while the high-density base offers stability. This is definitely a mattress suitable for stomach sleepers. 

Nest Bedding’s All Latex Mattress

Nest Bedding was established in 2011 and since then has opened numerous stores throughout the USA. They have also been successfully extending their business to the online mattress market and are now pretty well-known within the industry.

Nest Bedding offers six different mattresses, ranging from all-foam to latex and hybrids. Aside from the mattresses, they also offer a large variety of bedroom furniture and other sleep accessories, such as pillows, blankets, duvets, covers and so on.

We picked the latex mattress as the best option for stomach sleepers because it meets all of the criteria.

Let’s Look At the Mattress

The All Latex mattress comes in two options for firmness—medium and firm. For stomach sleeping, we highly recommend going with their firm option as it will provide the best support to your hips. 

Both firmness options come with a very similar structure – two layers of latex foam and an organic cotton cover. The difference between them is the density of the latex.

Therefore, the Firm option consists of higher density latex foam, which doesn’t sink in as much as the Medium. This makes it a great choice for stomach sleepers as it’ll keep your spine aligned and pressure points supported.

Firmness

The All Latex mattress in Firm can be rated as 7 or 8 on the scale of 10. It’s responsive and supportive, yet firm enough not to allow your hips to sink in too deep as you sleep. Latex naturally is a slightly firmer material, which is why a lot of stomach sleepers might go for it first. That’s if they can afford it, of course.

Pressure Point Relief

The cotton topper provides comfort and plushness to your body, while the denser latex foam underneath conforms to your body and relieves the pressure points. If you prefer to change sleeping positions many times a night or sleep on your side, then a medium option should be your choice. But if you’re a stomach sleeper or a back sleeper who likes sleeping on firmer surfaces, then the Firm All Latex mattress is what you should go for.

Temperature Control

The mattress is made from organic latex, which is naturally cooler compared to poly-foam. So it’s a great choice if you’re a hot sleeper or tend to get night sweats. The cotton cover also naturally wicks away moisture and disperses body heat. Overall, the All Latex mattress has great temperature control.

Motion Isolation

Latex is more responsive and bouncy when compared to poly-foam, especially open-cell latex. However, it can still absorb a decent amount of motion and allow good sleep. 

Purple Hybrid Mattress

Purple is best known for its unique Purple Grid™ design found within their mattresses. It’s a 2-inch grid-like layer made from gel foam. This layer is designed to keep the sleeper afloat. When more pressure is applied, the grid collapses, relieving pressure points.

Many say that the feel of sleeping on a Purple mattress is completely different compared to any other type of mattress on the market. The Purple Grid™ provides a unique sensation that some fall in love with, while others not so much.

Purple provides a 100-night sleep trial period with risk-free returns. So if you try it and decide it’s not for you, you can simply send it back.

Let’s look at the mattress

The Purple Hybrid is their mid-range mattress choice. They have the Purple Hybrid Premier that has a more advanced design for a higher price. Purple also has its Original Purple mattress that is all-foam and comes with a cheaper price tag.

So let’s have a look inside the Purple Hybrid:

• The cover of this mattress is a stretchy polyester and spandex blend. It’s a soft and breathable material with airy side panels for better airflow. This StretchMax™ cover is specifically designed to accommodate the Purple Grid™ below. 
• Underneath we find the 2-inch thick Purple Grid™. As described above, this layer collapses in parts where pressure is applied, providing effective pressure point relief. The Hyper-Elastic Polymer™ is naturally cooling and the gaps within the grid encourage better airflow through the mattress.
• Underneath the grid, we find a transitional foam that leads to the coils.
• Then we see 7.5-inch tall pocketed coils. These coils make the Purple Hybrid very responsive, adding to pressure point relief and correct spine alignment. 
• At the base, we find another transitional high-density foam layer that supports the coils and provides stability to the mattress.

Firmness

The Purple Hybrid is rated in between medium-firm and firm. This works great for stomach sleepers, as the Purple Grid™ collapses underneath the hips to support them and align the spine. This firmness level also suits back sleepers and combination sleepers. If you prefer to sleep on your side, the Purple Hybrid might be too firm. 

Pressure Point Relief

As mentioned before, the grid within the Purple Hybrid provides unique but well-adapted pressure point relief. The only issue you may have if you’re a light sleeper is that your weight might not be enough to make the grid collapse. In that case, you’d be better off going for one of the above all-foam mattresses.

Temperature Control

The temperature control of the Purple Hybrid is great. The cover, the grid, and the coils allow plenty of airflow through the mattress. This allows you to sleep nice and cool, without waking up in sweaty sheets.

Motion Isolation

Motion isolation is the only slight downside of this mattress. Movement can be felt quite well if someone else moves on the mattress. If you’re planning to sleep alone, then this is nothing to worry about. However, if you will be sharing your bed and you wake easily, going for an alternative mattress would be a better idea.

The Bear Mattress

The Bear Mattress company was launched in 2015. Since then they have extended the variety of products they offer in order to cater to all of their customers. Bear offers three different types of mattresses in total—two all-foam mattresses and one hybrid. Alongside these, they also offer three types of bed frames and a range of sleeping accessories. 

Let’s Look at the Mattress

We chose the original Bear Mattress instead of the other mattresses that Bear offers because it’s the firmest of the three. It’s supportive enough for back sleepers and stomach sleepers alike, while still providing enough support to keep your body healthy. 

Let’s look inside the Bear mattress:

• The cover of this mattress is made using Celliant® technology. This FDA-determined textile can improve local blood flow, helping you wake up more refreshed and recovered.
• The comfort layer underneath is made from cooling graphite-gel foam. It works to absorb excess body heat and disperse it into the layers below. The graphite-gel is also great at relieving pressure points as it conforms to your body.
• Then comes a layer of transitional support foam. It aids the layer above in relieving pressure points and keeps the spine aligned.
• Last comes the high-density poly-foam base. This layer provides the mattress with durability and supports the layers above.  

Firmness

The Bear Mattress is definitely suitable for stomach sleepers. Rated at 7 out of 10 on the firmness scale, it provides enough support to the hips without misaligning the spine. However, if you’re a heavy sleeper, going for something firmer would be better. Amerisleep AS1 would suit your needs better.

Pressure Point Relief

Although there aren’t any zoned support layers inside the Bear mattress, it still provides good pressure point relief. The graphite-gel infused foam adds some response while the transitional poly-foam provides some contouring and pressure point support.

Temperature Control

The graphite-gel infused poly-foam allows a certain amount of cooling. However, the overall design of this mattress is not the most breathable. The Bear mattress provides some temperature control. But if you tend to sleep a little hotter, you might find yourself uncomfortable on this mattress.

Motion Isolation

The Bear mattress is great at motion isolation. The foam layers absorb all movement, making this mattress ideal for couples. 

Is it bad to sleep on your stomach?

Stomach sleeping might feel comfortable to the few that do it regularly but sleeping on the stomach long-term is not that great for your health.

Why is it bad to sleep on your stomach?

When you lay in bed face down, your gravity center is right around your middle. This means that your belly is weighing you down and shifting the position of your spine. This prevents you from keeping the spine straight through the night. And this prolonged pressure causes irritation and keeps you from resting properly. This can often wake you with discomfort many times during the night. This is especially true if you have a soft mattress.

Apart from restless nights, there can be much more serious consequences to your back. The continuous strain on your spine can result in back pain, especially in the lower back area. This happens because sometimes your lower back extends beyond its normal position. This strains your ligaments and can result in lower back pain. And, since all the nerves go through your spine, it can even lead to pain in other parts of your body as well.

What about your neck?

Most people that sleep on their stomachs use a pillow. And because all the supermarkets are filled with giant pillows promising a good night’s rest, it is likely that’s what you have one as well. When you lay on it, your neck and the top of your spine bend upwards. And this can cause a whole lot of pain on your spine in the shoulder region.

If waking up with neck pain is not enough, when you lay down, in order to be able to breathe you have to turn your head sideways. This twists your neck adding even more pressure on your spine. And this much pressure can have pretty grim consequences.

If this is not your main position, or if you change positions often during the night, you have nothing to worry about. But for those stomach-sleeping loyalists, regularly sleeping with the neck bending upwards can lead to various issues. Starting with stiffness, this can quickly turn into acute neck and shoulder pain. And, if not corrected it becomes chronic pain which is hard to get rid of.

The pressure night after night can lead to more severe problems as well, such as a blocked nerve or herniated discs.

One of the gelatinous discs between your vertebrae can weaken and eventually rupture, leading to pressure on your nerves, eventually causing numb and painful limbs during the night. If not treated, it can lead to severe complications.

Moms To Be

Pregnant women should not sleep on their stomachs at all. The American Pregnancy Association recommends pregnant women only sleep on their sides, preferably on the left side. Sleeping that way increases blood flow to the fetus and better aligns the spine and hips.

Stomach Sleeping: Best Practices

While sleeping on your stomach might not be ideal, it can be hard to change this habit. And, if you don’t want to train yourself to sleep in a different sleeping position just yet, you need to take certain steps to ensure you don’t misalign your spine or hurt your back.

Choose the Right Pillow

For a stomach sleeper, the kind of pillow you are sleeping on is extremely important. While there are plenty of ads for nice cushiony pillows, it’s better for stomach sleepers to sleep on a very thin pillow or no pillow at all. The thicker the pillow, the more it will hurt your neck and spine. Simply changing the kind of pillow you rest your head on can drastically improve the quality of your sleep.

When your head is resting flat against the mattress, your spine rests in a straight line. This reduces the risk of injury due to long-term strain. With that in mind, stomach sleepers might be better off with no pillow at all.

However, for some, sleeping without a pillow would be difficult to adjust to. Instead, choose one that is 3 inches thick or fewer. Pillow manufacturers refer to pillow thickness as “loft.” Look for “low loft” pillows if you’re a dedicated stomach sleeper.

Invest in The Right Mattress

Your mattress can affect your posture for better or worse. Choosing one with good support, pressure relief, and heat control will help you sleep better at night. If you haven’t already done so, it is time to invest in a high-quality mattress.

There’s a wide variety of mattress styles, firmness, materials, manufacturers, and so on. It can make your head spin the second you step into a mattress shop. And without any knowledge, the floor salespeople have an upper hand in getting you to buy what you don’t need.

For example, they often offer soft a mattress regardless of what sleeping position or body shape you belong to. For most, a very soft mattress will be great when you are testing it out, but a complete nightmare once you try to sleep on it for a longer period of time.

Stomach sleepers should avoid a soft mattress at any cost. Stomach sleepers who rest on a soft mattress will eventually experience back pain or neck pain. We recommend a medium-firm or firm mattress. If you are used to sleeping on a soft mattress, go for medium-firm. If you like it a bit harder, then a firm choice will be good. This type of mattress will properly support your body and keep your spine straight.

What to Do if You Are Already Experiencing Pain

If you been sleeping on your stomach your whole life, and only suffer from mild pain or no pain, then great! The tips above will be enough for you to stay healthy.

But for those suffering from intense pain, a more drastic approach might be needed. If you want to get rid of your pain, you will have to change your sleeping position. And that might be much harder than you think.

Change Your Sleeping Position

There is a fair bit of a debate surrounding which sleeping position is best. Some say that sleeping on your back is the better option, while others swear that sleeping on your side is the way to go.

Back sleeping is good for the spine, but it can present problems for people prone to snoring or sleep apnea. Side sleeping is generally the healthiest position overall. It opens the airways, keeps the spine neutral, and doesn’t injure the neck. Side sleepers just have to choose a good pillow to keep their head from putting too much pressure on their arms, leading to numbness.

If you are heavier, getting used to sleeping on your back will be easier than on your side. Try using a body pillow or a pillow between the legs to decrease any pressure build-up.

If you find yourself struggling to get out of the stomach sleeping habit, consider moving to a sofa for a week or two. There you will have more back support and less space for moving around. Most sofas are only able to accommodate people sleeping on their side, so you will not have a choice, really.

Types of Mattresses

Since the first innerspring mattress was released in the 1800s, we have a plethora of choices on the market today. Different materials, price ranges, and manufacturing processes make it hard to choose the best mattress. It is important to understand what the different choices are and how each will affect your sleep.

Before looking at individual mattresses, let’s first explore the different material options available and their pros and cons.

Innerspring

Innerspring is the oldest technology in the mattress world. Innersprings have been around since the 19th century. They went through many iterations to survive the test of time. Now, there are four main coil types in most innersprings, and each coil type determines how long the mattress will last, and how long it will deter sagging.

• The Bonnel coil system is the oldest of the bunch. Bonnell coils are cheap to make but not very durable. Often found in dorm rooms, hotels, and summer camps, these are quite affordable, but they sag quickly.
• Inspired by the hourglass-shaped Bonnel coils, offset coils have square tops that are connected to each other. This offers more stability and contouring. Often found in more expensive mattresses, offset coils are a much better alternative to their predecessor.
• Marshal coils are individually wrapped in pockets made from fabric. The coils are not connected to each other so they can respond individually to movement on the surface. They are most commonly used in hybrid and coil-on-coil mattresses. Topped with a good layer, this system can perform very well for stomach sleepers because it adapts to provide more support where it is needed.
• A continuous coil system is made from a single very long wire that is twisted into coils. Continuous coils have better contouring than Bonnell coils, but they are still not as pressure-reliving as Marshal coils.

Innersprings have good airflow because of the coil structure in the base, but they sag quicker than any other mattress type. For this reason, we do not recommend them for stomach sleepers who need durable, long-lasting support. If you prefer the bounce of innersprings, choose a hybrid with wrapped coils for better contouring and durability.

Latex

Durable, relatively cool, and offering great support and contouring, latex is a good choice for a stomach sleeper. Natural latex is usually processed one of two ways. Both types come from the sap of a rubber tree and are processed using fairly eco-friendly methods.

Dunlop is a firmer, more durable latex. It contains no polyurethane fillers, which makes it a tad more bouncy than Talalay. Talalay latex is softer and feels more like memory foam. Stomach sleepers should keep their eyes peeled for a Dunlop latex mattress for incredible firmness and long-lasting quality.

When choosing a latex mattress, make sure it has a firm base. This will offer more stability and prevent you from sagging like a sack in bed, which is quite common for stomach sleepers.

And because latex mattresses are made from 2 or 3 solid layers, it is quite common for them to have 2 different choices of firmness, one on each side. This makes it an ideal choice for couples that like different sleeping positions.

Memory Foam

While we think that memory foam is the best choice for stomach sleepers, it is important you make your choice wisely. Memory foam started out in medical equipment, chairs, and other things before appearing in mattresses. Its pressure relief and noiseless motion isolation make it a popular choice today.

Memory foam has a dense structure, so it’s known to trap heat. Gel memory foam and plant-based foams mitigate this issue. They are more breathable and responsive, so they keep the sleeper cool.

Memory foam is typically thought of as soft and responsive, and while many memory foam beds could be described this way, lots of brands create memory foam beds of different firmness. That means stomach sleepers can enjoy the pressure relief of memory foam on a firm, supportive surface.

Hybrid

Can’t decide which type of mattress is best for you? Well, you don’t necessarily have to.

Hybrids combine two, or sometimes even all three of the most popular mattress materials in one bed. They have good contouring, support, temperature control, and motion isolation. This is because they use the best of each mattress type without the associated negatives. All hybrids have a coil core (usually wrapped coils) and 2-3 inches of memory foam or latex foam.

So why isn’t everyone buying them?

Well, for starters they are pricey. A high-quality hybrid mattress will cost you more than almost any other mattress type because they contain a mix of high-quality materials.

Despite all their benefits, most hybrids do not last much longer than innersprings. Any mattress with coils in it comes with the risk of sagging.

Firmness

Stomach sleepers need to pay special attention to mattress firmness. The ideal firmness range for them is between 7 and 10 (medium-firm to firm). A mattress on the firmer side will offer you plenty of support without you bottoming out.

To top it all off, Amerisleep itself is an eco-friendly company. All their packaging is made from recyclable materials. While the mattresses are made from plant-based Castor oil. This reduces the amount of petroleum used which is far more sustainable. So all in all, both the company and the mattress score highly on our list. That is what makes Amerisleep AS1 truly the best mattress for stomach sleepers. 

Conclusion

Sleeping on the stomach isn’t the healthiest position, but following the steps above can help you achieve a good night’s rest without any pain. Investing in the right mattress is also an investment for your health. And a high-quality mattress does not have to have a premium price tag. Hopefully, we managed to answer all your questions about the best mattress for stomach sleepers and now you will be able to make a confident, and well-informed decision.