This might not come as a surprise: Different sleep positions put a strain on different parts of the body.

It’s no wonder why we shift around so much throughout the night. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Depending on which position you like most – on your stomach, back, or side – there’s a type of mattress that’s best for your body. Choosing the wrong mattress can be a recipe for soreness and discomfort.

Turns out there is a position people like most. Across Canada and the United States, the vast majority of people prefer sleeping on their sides. This has its advantages for mattress shopping, as plenty of companies prefer to cater to the biggest market segment. Yet side sleepers must also be mindful of where pressure points are likely to form, and which surfaces and pillows will offer the right support for their neck, head, and shoulders.

So what makes the best mattress for side sleepers? What will ensure a better quality of sleep? This useful guide will answer your questions and list three excellent mattresses for side sleepers.

Side sleepers should have two goals in mind to help narrow down their mattress search: keep the spine in proper alignment, and keep pressure points from building up.

Some initial advice is to stay away from the extremes. Side sleepers must be very careful to avoid mattresses that are too firm or too soft. If your body sinks too far or too little into your mattresses, it may not alleviate the pressure points in the neck, shoulders, and hips. To make things easier, start with a mattress brand that offers multiple firmness levels. Such brands commonly offer recommendations on which firmness level to start with based on the customer’s sleep position.

Novosbed is one of the few online mattress brands to offer multiple firmness options. Each Novosbed contains high-density foam which has a slower response to your body weight, allowing you to ease into the mattress and for the pressure on your neck, shoulders, and hips to spread out as the bed contours to your body. Even more impressively, Novosbed is the only brand to offer adjustable firmness to the mattress itself. As a side sleeper, even after you purchase a Novosbed, the firmness can be adjusted to a more soft or more firm setting with the free Comfort+ layer. Of the three firmness options in the Novosbed collection, the soft version is most often recommended for side sleepers.

Options: they can be a blessing or a headache. With most of the online mattresses in North America following the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach, the multitude of options can make finding the perfect mattress especially challenging for side sleepers. Single firmness mattresses are designed to cater to a combination of side sleepers, back sleepers, and stomach sleepers. The majority of these mattresses aim to hit the medium firmness sweet spot.

The Douglas is a medium-firm mattress designed to be the optimal single firmness mattress. Thanks to the ecoLight® foam comfort layer, side sleepers can take advantage of the faster responding top layer of memory foam which is specifically designed to cradle and support the body. The central transitional layer in the Douglas mattress is also great for side sleepers, as it mimics the reactive and supportive properties of natural latex. So, all in all, the Douglas offers an excellent middle ground by providing the conforming comfort necessary for side sleeping, yet following up with adequate support.

Memory foam is coming on strong as of late. But the reigning champion of the mattress scene is not yet ready to hand over its title. Over 70% of sleepers still sleep on mattresses containing springs. Whether innerspring, hybrid, or pillow-top, the choice of coil mattress can be daunting for side sleepers looking for a bed that caters to their specific needs.

Logan & Cove is the only mattress on this list to feature springs. Side sleepers who are not quite comfortable going with foam and would rather stay with the tried and tested sturdiness of springs would be wise to give this mattress a close look. Like the best of both worlds, the Logan & Cove is a five-layer hybrid characterized by its innovative zonal pocketed coils and memory foam construction. Two great benefits for the price of one, the pocketed coils and plush memory foam work in harmony to prevent pressure points from forming in the most common places. For side sleepers, this mattress provides the right amount of give while contouring to your unique shape and weight. 

Sleeping on your side is the most popular position, and some people will also suggest that it is also the best sleeping position. There’s some truth to this statement, but it’s not necessarily true overall. Every sleeping position has its pros and cons. As long as they’re on the correct mattress, side sleepers, back sleepers, and stomach sleepers can get a good night’s sleep every night. To drive home this point, let’s consider a list of pros and cons for sleeping on your side:

As a side sleeper, be sure to get the mattress that best supports your neck, spine, and hips collectively. It is also worth looking for a thicker pillow that supports your head and neck. How can you tell when the alignment is good enough? A rule of thumb is to have your ear, shoulder, and hip aligned with each other, as this helps maintain the natural curvature of your spine from your neck down to your hips.

The three mattresses above are sure to provide your body with the comfort and support it needs. Most importantly, you’ll get a great night’s sleep. In the end, isn’t that what it’s all about?