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How to Find the Best Mattress for Hip Pain with Expert Insight from The Sleep Doctor

December 03, 2020

Sleep plays a critical role in everything from brain function to overall physical health, which is why it’s important to ensure you’re getting quality rest each night. But if you’re struggling with chronic or frequent hip pain, the quality of your sleep can be seriously impacted or make it hard to fall asleep in the first place. Sleeping on a mattress that’s too soft or hard can trigger pressure points and lead to a sore hip. That’s why it’s crucial you rest on the best mattress for hip pain, so you can get the relief–and sleep–you need.

Michael Breus, Ph.D., board-certified sleep specialist also known as The Sleep Doctor has teamed up with the expert reviewers at Mattress Advisor to recommend the top mattresses for relieving hip pain. The team has tested and reviewed hundreds of bed-in-a-box mattresses at the Mattress Advisor lab in North Carolina to find the 9 best mattresses for hip pain. 

“When it’s just head and neck pain, I often think about recommending a new pillow, but when it’s hip pain, it’s likely time to get a new mattress!” says Dr. Breus.

Along with these options, The Sleep Doctor has outlined some guidelines that’ll help you choose the bed ideally-suited to your own comfort preferences and budget, so you can get pain relief and better sleep ASAP.

Best Overall:

Honorable Mentions:

The 9 Best Mattresses for Hip Pain

1. Best for Back and Hip Pain: Casper

Casper mattress

Casper’s Original mattress has continually been deemed a smart choice for relieving pain–it received the highest total score in The Sleep Doctor’s top picks for back pain! The Casper mattress utilizes a simple three-layer memory foam design that helps keep those with hip pain comfortable and supported, and its 9.5/10 and 8.5/10 spine alignment and pressure relief scores speak for themselves. With a uniquely designed foam support layer that evenly distributes weight and provides softer support for the hips, the Casper excels at relieving tension along pressure points. The top foam layer cradles your hips and shoulders, and the 5-inch thick durable base layer provides enough support to maintain neutral spine alignment. A neutral spine position helps limit the amount of pressure placed on your neck and back. This helps those with hip pain sleep in a healthy posture, lessening any strain placed on the hips and lower back. Casper also offers excellent responsiveness (it earned a 10/10 score in responsiveness!), helping those with hip pain transition to positions easily. For those looking to absolve their lingering back and hip pain, the Casper mattress’s supportive design is hard to beat. 

  • Mattress Type: Memory foam
  • Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5
  • Firmness: Medium-firm
  • Warranty: 10-year Limited

Buy it, Casper, $1,095 (Queen), casper.com

2. Best for Side Sleepers with Hip Pain: Nectar

The Nectar is one of the best mattresses for side sleepers with hip pain because of its pressure-relieving foam layers that cradle your hips. Side sleepers especially need a softer surface since this position already places greater pressure on their hips. Named ‘best value’ in The Sleep Doctor’s favorites for side sleepers, the Nectar boasts rock-solid pain relief with its 8.5/10 pressure relief score. Constructed from three dense layers of foam, the Nectar offers a plush surface that’s perfect for side sleepers to sink into and get the cushioning they need. Plus, the Nectar lands at a 6/10 on the firmness scale, which is the firmness sweet spot for side sleepers–the medium-firmness provides an even balance of comfortable support. With its generous full-year trial period and lifetime warranty, you can be confident that you won’t regret your Nectar purchase. 

  • Mattress Type: Gel Memory Foam
  • Customer Rating: 4.8/5
  • Firmness: Medium-Firm
  • Warranty: Lifetime Warranty 

Buy it, Nectar, $799  (Queen), nectarsleep.com

3. Best Cooling Mattress: Helix Midnight Luxe

The Helix Midnight Luxe is a premium hybrid mattress that’s not only great at relieving hip pain–its cooling comfort works well for hot sleepers, too. With an ultra-cool pillow top that uses an airy Tencel material, meaning it doesn’t trap heat, the Helix Luxe offers a plush surface, perfect for cushioning the hips and shoulders. This cool-to-the-touch pillow top works with three comfort layers of memory foam to absolve your sides of pressure, backed by its impressive 8.5/10 pressure relief testing score. A base of 1,000 individually-wrapped coils helps evenly distribute weight so your pelvis and spine can stay in neutral alignment, helping the Helix earn a 9/10 in spine alignment. And the Helix’s medium-firmness ensures those with hip pain get the support and comfort they need for a restorative night’s rest. The coils also help break up any heat retained by the foam layers, making the Helix Luxe a great cooling mattress for those with hip pain. 

  • Mattress Type: Hybrid
  • Customer Rating: 4.5/5
  • Firmness: Medium
  • Warranty: 15-Year Limited Warranty

Buy it, Helix Midnight Luxe, $1,699 (Queen), helixsleep.com

4. Best for Pressure Relief: Brooklyn Signature

The Brooklyn Signature mattress uses a blend of foam and coils to provide expert pressure relief that’s ideal for relieving hip pain. With a near-perfect, 9.5/10 pressure relief score, the Brooklyn Signature’s dense layers of memory foam contour along your side, delivering much needed relief for sleepers with hip pain. It won’t put stress on your joints but, instead, cushions them so you’ll wake up feeling rested and rejuvenated all over. A quilted pillow top creates a cushy surface to sink into, and the 6 inch-layer of coils provides excellent pushback for spine alignment (it earned an 8.5/10 in spine alignment). Bonus: The Brooklyn Signature comes in three firmness levels, plush (4/10 on the firmness scale), medium (6/10), and firm (8/10). Those with hip pain would enjoy either the plush or medium options, which provide a softer surface that cushions the hips more.

  • Mattress Type: Hybrid
  • Customer Rating: 4.7/5
  • Firmness: Plush; Medium; Firm
  • Warranty: 10-Year Limited Warranty

Buy it, Brooklyn Signature, $749.25 (Queen), brooklynbedding.com

5. Best Luxury: DreamCloud Premier

With a nearly perfect score for pressure relief (it earned a 9/10!), the DreamCloud Premier is a top pick for relieving hip pain. But it’s luxurious design also skyrockets it to the top for best luxury mattress. It’s a 6-layer hybrid mattress made with three layers of memory foam, a bed of micro coils, and a euro top covered in a silky soft cashmere blend. The pillow top provides the sort of cushioning those with hip pain need for comfortable snoozing, and the medium-firm feel coupled with the coils offers lasting support. The DreamCloud Premier’s high-quality materials also make it extremely durable, ensuring the bed won’t buckle or sag under your weight which can exacerbate hip pain. 

  • Mattress Type: Hybrid
  • Customer Rating: 4.6/5
  • Firmness: Medium-Firm
  • Warranty: Lifetime Warranty 

Buy it, DreamCloud Premier, $1199 (Queen), dreamcloudsleep.com

6. Best for Combination Sleepers with Hip Pain: Nolah Signature

Nolah Signature mattress

For combination sleepers who struggle with hip pain, it may be exhausting constantly switching positions while writhing in pain. But the Nolah Signature offers a solution with its expertly designed Airfoam that feels like memory foam and acts like latex. The Nolah Signature scored equally high scores, 9.25/10 and 9.5/10 in pressure relief and responsiveness, respectively. This helps those with hip pain change positions seamlessly, and ensures they get the relief in every position. It’s also a flippable mattress with a medium-soft side (4/10 on the firmness scale) and a firm side (7/10). The soft side works well for those with hip pain, but both sides respond and adapt to your movements quickly.  

  • Mattress Type: AirFoam
  • Customer Rating: 4.8/5
  • Firmness: Soft and Firm
  • Warranty: Limited Lifetime Warranty

Buy it, Nolah Signature, $1,599  (Queen), nolahmattress.com

7. Best Memory Foam Mattress: Leesa

Memory foam is a great choice for those looking to relieve hip pain, and the Leesa original’s memory foam mattress scored high marks across the board. With a 8.5/10 score in pressure relief and 9/10 score in spine alignment, the Leesa’s  3-layer memory foam construction marries responsive polyfoam with plush memory foam to create the ideal sleeping surface for those with hip pain. The Leesa excels at hugging your sides, which helps relieve pressure at the hips and unlike other memory foam beds, the Leesa is extremely responsive (it earned a 9.5/10 in responsiveness!). Another pro to this memory foam bed? The Leesa is priced affordably–you can get a Queen-size for less than $1,000!

  • Mattress Type: Memory Foam
  • Customer Rating: 4.5/5
  • Firmness: Medium-Firm
  • Warranty: 10-Year Warranty

Buy it, Leesa, $849(Queen), leesa.com

8. Best for Athletes with Hip Pain: Bear Hybrid

Athletes have a higher risk of contracting injuries since they’re more active than average folks, so it’s even more important for those with active lifestyles to sleep on a supportive bed. The Bear Hybrid uses coils and foam to aid in recovery, but that’s not all. A FDA approved cover with Celliant Fiber Technology harnesses your body’s energy to reduce joint inflammation and pain. Coupled with the Bear’s 8.5/10 spine alignment score, athletes with hip pain get the support they need to keep a healthy sleeping posture and reduce pressure on the hips and back. 

  • Mattress Type: Hybrid: Foam + Coils
  • Customer Rating: 4.7/5
  • Firmness: Medium-Firm
  • Warranty: 20-Year Warranty 

Buy it, Bear Hybrid, $1,112 (Queen), bearmattress.com

9. Best Flippable Mattress: Layla

The Layla is a smart choice for hip pain sufferers because of its dual-sided firmness.. With a two-in-one design, the Layla offers a medium-soft (4/10 on the firmness scale) and medium-firm side (7/10 firmness) that gives those with hip pain the option to choose between the two. While both sides excel at pressure relief and contouring along your sides, backed by a 9/10 pressure relief score, those with hip pain may enjoy the softer side that has more give and allows you to sink comfortably into the surface. 

  • Mattress Type: Copper-Infused Memory Foam
  • Customer Rating: 4.5/5
  • Firmness: Medium-soft; medium-firm
  • Warranty: Lifetime Warranty

Buy it, Layla, Price $899, laylasleep.com

How Does Hip Pain Affect Sleep?

Pain and sleep are strongly linked in a cycle that can hurt your sleep quality. Experiencing hip pain at night can interrupt your sleep by causing you to wake up writhing in pain, or it can make it annoyingly difficult to fall asleep at all. According to The Sleep Doctor, “back and hip pain and sleep loss often go hand in hand. Your back is tied to every part of your body so when you’re dealing with lingering pain or injury it tends to impact everything you do.” Hip pain is a common complaint that’s caused by many factors, so use this list below to help you determine what the root of your discomfort is.

Causes of Hip Pain: 

  • Sleeping on the wrong mattress: 

If you’re sleeping on an ill-fitting or old, sagging mattress that isn’t supporting your sleep position or providing proper pressure relief, you may experience hip or back pain. A mattress that doesn’t provide adequate support, or one that’s too firm, can exacerbate your pressure points along the hips and shoulders. If your mattress is sagging, it can knock your spine out of alignment and cause further back and hip pain, or if your bed is too hard, your pressure points may dig into the mattress. That’s why it’s key to ensure you’re sleeping on a supportive mattress that relieves pressure so you can wake up pain-free and well rested.

  • Arthritis

Arthritis is a leading cause of pain and disability worldwide, but it’s also a contributing factor to hip pain. The main symptoms of arthritis are joint pain and stiffness, which typically worsen with age. Sleeping well serves as a guard against painful conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, which is yet another reason you should rethink your mattress if it’s contributing to ongoing pain.

  • Injuries

Injuries like bursitis, which is an inflammation of the joints, can also cause hip pain. These types of injuries may occur from failing to bend your knees when lifting a heavy object, which can put extra stress on the bursae in your hips. 

  • Inflamed Tendons

Another common cause of acute hip pain is inflamed tendons, or tendonitis, often due to too much exercise. Getting quality rest can actually counteract inflammation by helping to avoid the “pro-inflammatory activity that occurs in the presence of poor, deregulated sleep,” says Dr. Breus.

And, according to The Sleep Doctor, your mattress plays a bigger role in absolving–or worsening–hip pain than you’d think. 

“In addition to other factors, your bed also plays a critical role. Think of it like a house: you wouldn’t want to build on sand, obviously, and you don’t want to go to sleep on something that’s going to make your hip and back pain worse. The last thing you need is to be uncomfortable on your bed. For many people, their mattress is old or worn out,” says Dr. Breus.

What to Consider When Shopping for the Best Mattress for Hip Pain

Of course, buying a new mattress is not a one-size-fits-all proposition and there are a few crucial considerations that anyone who suffers from hip pain should look for when choosing a bed.

Pressure Relief 

When looking for the best mattress for hip pain, it’s important to choose one that will relieve your pain by conforming closely to your body. A mattress that contours along your sides hugs your hips and shoulders, lessening the amount of pressure placed on these areas and alleviating any tension. It’s important for those suffering from hip pain to rest on a mattress with a softer surface that cushions their hips, delivering enough pressure relief to rock you to sleep. Look for a mattress with at least an 8/10 pressure relief score to ensure you get the cushioning you need to relieve hip pain.

Support 

Taking support and durability into account are important steps to relieving hip pain. Generally, the more supportive a mattress is, the better it will hold up overtime. Support and durability are crucial for those who suffer from hip pain, as a sagging and unsupportive mattress can cause your hips to dig and sink into the bed, exacerbating pressure point pain. For heavyweight sleepers with hip pain especially, it’s even more important to sleep on a supportive mattress that bounces back against your weight, because plus-sized sleepers tend to sink deeper into the mattress. Any mattress with at least an 8/10 score in durability will be sufficient enough to stand the test of time and provide lasting support.

Spine Alignment

Support and spine alignment go hand in hand. A more supportive mattress (one that’s at least medium-firm) will provide enough pushback to keep your spine in proper alignment, which helps decrease the amount of pressure placed on your lower back. Lower back pain can easily worsen or initiate tension in the hips, so neutral spine alignment is key in ensuring relief from hip pain. As long as the mattress your eyeing scored at least an 8/10 in spine alignment, you can rest assured knowing you’re getting the support you need.

Mattress Firmness

The best mattress firmness for hip pain will depend on several factors like your bodyweight, sleep position, and the intensity of your pain. You’ll want to select a mattress that will conform to your body and relieve pressure point pain, but you’ll also want a supportive mattress that offers enough pushback to maintain spine alignment. 

Medium-firm mattresses tend to be the go-to for relieving hip and back pain. This firmness level is the ideal balance of support and comfort–perfect for cushioning your joints, but still firm enough to support a healthy sleeping posture. Heavyweight sleepers who sink into their mattress more may need a firmer mattress than the average sleeper, while lightweight sleepers who don’t sink as much may need a medium-soft mattress that provides additional cushioning for the hips and shoulders. 

Which Sleep Position Is Best for Reducing Hip Pain?

Whatever your sleep position, there is hope of reducing pain and getting better rest, but it’s also helpful to know how sleep position affects hip pain. The breakdown below shows how each position either helps or hurts hip pain, and the type of surface that’s best for relieving hip pain in each posture. 

Side Sleepers

Side sleepers who habitually sleep on one side on an ill-fitting mattress may experience muscle imbalance and pain. When you sleep on your side, most of your weight falls to your hips and shoulders, and if you’re not sleeping on a mattress that cushions these spots, you run the risk of placing too much pressure on your hips. This can cause hip pain, which is why it’s key for side sleepers to rest on a softer surface that alleviates pressure.

Experts also suggest alternating sides if you’re a side sleeper and placing a pillow between your knees to keep your hips, pelvis, and spine aligned, or switching sleep positions entirely to become a back sleeper. 

Back Sleepers

If you’re a hip pain sufferer, the best sleeping position is on your back because your weight is evenly distributed across the widest surface of your body, minimizing pressure points and ensuring proper alignment of your internal organs. If you sleep on your back, place a pillow under your knees to help maintain the normal curve of your lower back, which ensures proper alignment and decreases the chances of pain spreading from your lower back to your hips. Back sleepers with hip pain fare well on a medium-firm bed that has an even balance of support and cushy comfort.

Stomach Sleepers

Sleeping on your stomach can be hard on your back and also cause hip pain. Stomach sleepers need a mattress that keeps their hips propped up and their spine aligned, as this sleeping position runs the greatest risk of spine misalignment. This usually requires a mattress that’s on the medium-firm or firm end of the spectrum. 

Combination Sleepers

Multi-positional or combination sleepers change positions during the night, and those with hip pain need a mattress that can adapt and adjust accordingly so they can receive support and comfort in every position. A responsive mattress with good bounce can help combination sleepers with hip pain transition seamlessly, so they won’t worsen their hip pain trying to move from one position to the next.

Mattress Type 

Mattresses can be made of many different materials, but some are better for relieving hip pain than others.

Memory Foam

Memory foam mattresses are a good choice for hip pain sufferers because they’re made with pressure-relieving foam that absorbs your body weight and allows you to sink into the surface just enough for deeper contouring and compression. A memory foam bed that’s too plush though may cause your hips to sink too far into the mattress and knock your spine out of alignment, so it’s better to go for a medium-firm memory foam bed when it comes to relieving hip pain

Hybrid

Hybrid mattresses offer the best of both worlds for those struggling with hip pain. Hybrid beds combine coils with foam, which works well at providing pressure relief and support. Those with hip pain would benefit from hybrid mattresses that incorporate multiple layers of thick memory foam above a bed of coils, which creates the perfect surface to sink into and cushion those joints.  

Innerspring

If you suffer from hip pain and have an affinity for innerspring mattresses–there’s some bad news. Innerspring mattresses are not a great choice when it comes to relieving hip pain. Innerspring beds typically only use a bed of coils with a thin foam layer on top. While the coils help those with hip pain maintain spine alignment, the lack of cushioning doesn’t provide sleepers with the pressure relief they need. The harder surface of an innerspring bed can cause your hips to dig into the mattress, increasing pressure and worsening your condition. If you like the support of innerspring coils but need extra cushioning to relieve hip pain, a hybrid mattress is your best bet. 

Latex

Latex mattresses are one of the most commonly recommended beds for hip pain because latex is a naturally pressure-relieving material. Latex hugs the body and cradles your hips and shoulders like memory foam, but it also has a springy feel akin to an innerspring bed. This inherent bounciness helps latex push back against your movements for neutral spine alignment, so those with hip pain can get the pressure relief and support they need for a comfy night’s rest. 

Final Thoughts on How to Choose the Right Mattress for You

Don’t toss and turn at night. These recommended mattresses will aid you in getting your best, most restful sleep so you can wake up refreshed and pain free. 

Sources for this Article:

Amin, Neel, M.D., “Causes of Hip Pain At Night”, https://www.drneelaminmd.com/blog/causes-of-hip-pain-at-night-and-ways-to-find-relief 

Cleveland Clinic, 2019, “Is Your Sleep Position Causing You Back Pain.” Health Essentials (blog), August 29, 2019, https://health.clevelandclinic.org/sleep-position-causing-back-pain/

Hungs, Marcel. 2010. University of California Center for Sleep Medicine. https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0661/5815/files/Pilot-Sleep-Study-Dr.-Marcel-Hungs-2009-2010.pdf?3161

Journal of Chiropractic Medicine. 2017. “Effects of Mattress Material on Body Pressure Profiles. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5310954/

Mayo Clinic, 2020, “Slide Show: Sleeping Positions that Reduce Back Pain.” https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/back-pain/multimedia/sleeping-positions/sls-20076452?s=2

Mayo Clinic, 2019, “Hip Pain Causes.” April 10, 2019, https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/hip-pain/basics/causes/sym-20050684

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