Published on Nov. 07, 2024
We tested the best mattress toppers for back pain. Here are our top five according to months of testing by sleepers who suffer from chronic back pain.
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It’s true: You don’t really know what it’s like to wake up with back aches and pains until you experience it for yourself, and our product testers who suffer from back pain wouldn’t wish that experience on anyone. However, if you find yourself suffering, there are ways to alleviate the pain.
Those with chronic back pain often experience the most stiffness and soreness upon waking up. A too-firm, unsupportive mattress can wreak havoc on your back, especially if you’re already prone to aches and pains. The best mattress topper can instantly improve the comfort of your bed and alleviate pain after just a single night of use.
“Back pain that occurs while sleeping is most commonly caused by improper spinal alignment,” says Derek Hales, CEO at NapLab. “A mattress topper can change the feel of your mattress by adding softness or firmness to the mattress and dramatically changing the pressure relief properties of the mattress.”
“When it comes to back pain, lighter-weight sleepers or side sleepers may experience pain if their mattress is too firm, so a softer mattress topper could help alleviate the pain,” Derek explains. “On the other hand, heavier sleepers or those who sleep on their back or stomach may need more support, and a firmer mattress topper can help improve spinal alignment.”
Our staff tested and reviewed the best mattress toppers for back pain to report how each one helped their ailments. Each topper was tested on real beds by people who needed real relief. Based on our tests, here are the best mattress toppers for back pain.
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“The Nest Bedding Topper is my all-time favorite for a number of reasons,” says Shopping Editor Mary Henn. “It’s affordable, USA-made and CertiPUR-US certified, and it has significantly alleviated my chronic back pain more than any other mattress topper or mattress. Time after time, this is the mattress topper I recommend to anyone with aches, pains, soreness or stiffness.”
The Nest Topper adds immediate comfort, pressure relief and airflow to your existing mattress. It’s two inches thick and covered in luxury cooling fabric. Corner straps help hold it in place.
The topper is made with responsive memory foam, which has superior pressure relief properties for those with back pain. “The Nest Mattress Topper has alleviated much of the stiffness I was waking up with before,” Henn says. “I noticed the stiffness subsiding literally after one night. The Nest foam topper’s pressure relief properties soothed the immediate aching and stiffness I experienced while getting out of bed. I also sleep better, and the bed feels cozier. It provides the ‘sink-in’ experience without swallowing you up. I’ve really enjoyed sleeping on it.”
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Henn says in her Saatva mattress topper review, “I’ll be honest: I was skeptical if a mattress topper could make much of a difference. But after testing several, I discovered that a good mattress topper can alleviate morning body aches and pains—even if you’re sleeping on an older mattress. I regularly wake up stiff and with intense back pain and soreness, and it’s only gotten worse postpartum. However, the Saatva Graphite Memory Foam Mattress Topper immediately made a difference.”
The Saatva topper is a three-inch memory foam topper infused with cooling graphite. The memory foam helps relieve pressure and tension while reducing motion transfer, so it’s great for those who need a gentle, cradling cushion for joints. It’s perfect for side sleepers who want a soft to medium feel.
“Going to bed on the new topper felt different and softer, but I noticed the real difference when I woke up the following day,” Henn says. “My typical morning stiffness and backaches were gone. My body needed something a bit softer to relieve tension and pressure, after all.”
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The Dormeo Mattress Topper is a medium-firm memory foam topper. It features innovative Octaspring technology to facilitate a cooler and more supportive sleep surface. Its three-zone support sets the Dormeo mattress topper apart from other models. Firmer Octasprings cradle your hips and back in the middle of the topper, while softer Octasprings make up the zones around your shoulders and legs.
After sleeping on the Dormeo mattress topper, Product Tester Leah Groth noticed an improvement in her back. “Because the topper is so firm, it prevents my back from sinking into the bed,” she explains in this Dormeo mattress topper review. “However, it provides support at pressure points. I definitely noticed that my back was less achy, and my neck didn’t feel so strained after sleeping on it for a few nights.” She also found the topper cooling and breathable with a high-quality feel.
Groth loved how supported she felt while sleeping on the Dormeo mattress topper. However, she notes that there is some room for improvement. Though the topper is advertised as having a medium-firm feel, Leah found it to be a bit too firm for her liking.
“It was a little too firm for me,” says Groth. But the Dormeo mattress topper is worth checking out if you like a firmer sleep surface. “It is definitely well-made with high-quality materials,” she adds. And it’s thick.” We recommend pairing it with a medium-firm mattress like the Cocoon Chill or luxurious Saatva Classic Mattress.
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This three-inch cooling gel memory foam topper contours your body for maximum comfort and has three zones. The tighter zones at your head and feet are meant to provide a cloud-like feel where your body exerts less pressure; the circular pods in the middle are designed to react to pressure in (and mold to) your torso for pressure relief; and the wide-channel zones support your shoulders, upper body and upper legs while encouraging airflow.
Shopping Editor Mary Henn says this GhostBed Mattress Topper ticks many boxes for those with back pain. “While all the zones felt similar to me, I did appreciate how the topper molded to my shape,” she says. “I would be a little weary if you like something firmer. The GhostBed topper is incredibly soft.”
“If you like to sink into a mattress so much that you don’t move at night, this is perfect. The three-inch contouring and cooling memory foam is a single-layer topper with that ‘egg carton’ appearance,” Henn adds. “Because the topper provides that ‘deep hug’ feel, its cooling gel foam comes in handy to prevent overheating.”
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“I actually opted to keep the Tempur-Pedic topper on my bed after testing two other toppers,” says Groth. “It’s the most comfortable topper I tested. It is made of the brand’s trademark Tempur-Material, a high-quality memory foam made from the same material used to make their mattresses. It is definitely the least firm of the toppers I tried, but it offers a different type of support.”
Designed to conform to your body and deliver unique support and pressure relief, the Tempur-Pedic topper is adaptive and cooling. The well-known brand also offers an impressive 10-year warranty.
“Since sleeping on this mattress pad, I have noticed my pain has significantly decreased,” Groth says. “My body sinks into it, and the pad seems to support every part of my body by contorting to it. I wake up with significantly fewer aches and pains. I even hurt my hip flexor during a workout recently. I could barely walk. However, when I got into bed, the topper immediately provided pressure point relief. I was shocked when I woke up and felt much better in the morning.”
We called on product testers who actually experience some form of chronic back pain to test every mattress topper on this list and then some. We asked them to thoroughly describe their experience and rate their pain while sleeping on their mattress before and after the use of each topper.
To test each mattress topper under true conditions, our testers slept on each topper for multiple nights in their own homes and on their own mattresses. They received, unboxed and set up each topper to tell us what the buying process is really like.
We also consulted sleep expert Derek Hales, CEO of NapLab, who tests and reviews mattresses. Hales has reviewed beds since 2014 and tested over 360 mattresses and other sleep products. He told us what to look for when shopping for mattress toppers for back pain.
The team at Family Handyman is always looking to discover the top bedding products for a restful night’s sleep. We were previously on the hunt for the best mattress toppers for side sleepers. Here, we researched, tested and reviewed the best mattress toppers for back pain because you deserve bedding that makes you feel good and provides a comfortable environment. We analyzed many top-selling mattress toppers for back pain before narrowing our list down to about a dozen we wanted to try.
From there, we found product testers with back pain to evaluate each mattress topper for quality, performance and comfortability. Our testers had these mattress toppers delivered to their own homes, as any consumer would. They unboxed them, let them air out and put them on their own beds. Each mattress topper was tested for at least five nights, except the Nolah Plush Mattress Topper, which our tester found uncomfortable and couldn’t sleep on for more than three nights.
During testing, our product testers collected dozens of data points for each mattress topper, including details on the setup, off-gassing, firmness, pressure-relieving abilities, and more. These rigorous tests over the last months gave us insight into five of the best mattress toppers for back pain on the market.
A mattress topper can help alleviate back pain and soreness by aligning your spine and providing support.
Mattress toppers between 2 and 4 inches thick are typically considered best for those with back pain. Heavier individuals might find a slightly thicker topper more comfortable.
A medium-firm mattress topper is best for those with back pain because it provides support and pressure relief. A too-soft topper can cause your spine to misalign if you sink into it too deeply, and a too-hard topper might put pressure on your hips, causing pain.
