In this review, we shall be discussing the attributes needed in the best mattress for stomach sleepers. Stomach sleeping, otherwise known as belly sleeping, is not the most popular way of sleeping. In fact, many experts recommend against sleeping in this position.
It's not our purpose here to comment on that one way or the other but to suggest the top six mattresses for stomach sleepers. If you sleep on your stomach it is important that your mattress offers a good balance between core support and surface softness, or 'give' so that your belly is properly supported without being squashed. Each of our six best mattresses for stomach sleepers enables you to breathe normally without feeling any restriction when lying on your front.
Here are our top six picks along with our opinion of the best stomach sleeper mattress.
Best Mattress for Stomach Sleepers Table of Contents
Best Mattress for Stomach Sleepers 2020
* SP Refers to a Special Proprietary or Patented Foam.
1. Helix Sleep Mattress for Stomach Sleepers: Top Choice Personalized Just for You!
Helix Sleep is based in New York, and its mattresses are manufactured in the US. It is unique in that when you order you must fill in an online questionnaire or quiz. Among other factors, this includes questions on your sleeping position. Helix Sleep then uses that information to design your mattress specifically for you.
If you and your partner sleep differently - such you are a stomach sleep and your partner sleeps on their side or back, each side of your mattress can be designed separately to best accommodate both sleeping positions. You fundamentally have two beds rolled into one!
So how does the Helix Sleep mattress measure up as our top choice mattress for stomach sleepers? First, it consists of three layers:
- Proprietary Helix Dynamic Foam
- Pocketed microcoils
- High-grade polyfoam base
The relative thickness and placement of these layers will depend on the results of your quiz. They will be designed to meet the individual needs of each customer. Depending on your personal needs there could be a significant variation in the thickness of each layer. This could vary by up to 4 inches between different customers.
Helix Dynamic Foam: This is a proprietary synthetic foam, the composition of which is not revealed. It feels like latex while possessing some of the properties of memory foam. Its motion transfer is very low, just like memory foam but it has more bounce. You don't feel like you are being enclosed by the foam.
Editor's Notes: The Helix Sleep Mattress is built to meet the needs of each individual customer. Not just that, but you and your partner can have constructions side by side on the same mattress. This is a unique way of meeting the needs of two people who sleep in different positions. The company puts your mattress together using your quiz answers so that it is as near perfect as it could be for your sleeping position, temperature regulation, support and comfort - all of which are important to stomach sleepers.
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2. The Leesa Mattress - Good For Most Sleeping Positions
Because the Leesa mattress is good for most sleeping positions, it is an excellent choice for couples who sleep in different positions. If you are a belly sleeper, and your partner sleeps on their back or side, then this is a good choice. Almost as good as the Helix Sleep mattress above, and some people may think it better.
Here is how the 3-layer 10-inch thick Leesa mattress is constructed:Top Layer: a 2-inch layer of proprietary Avena® foam. This is a patented foam that is used as an alternative to latex. It permits a good flow of air through this top layer to keep you cool throughout the night. It also has enough bounce to enable you to move freely, unlike some latexes and memory foam.
Middle Layer: A 2-inch layer of memory foam. This contours to your body, making the top layers of this mattress ideal for stomach sleepers. They offer comfort to the pressure of your belly and chest while keeping them cool while you sleep. The density of this foam is slightly less than the top layer (3 Lb/Cubic Ft vs. 3.65 PCF).
Bottom Layer: This is a 6-inch thick foam support base. Its density is 1.8 PCF.
This construction provides good support for your stomach at the top of the mattress plus good cooling properties. The central layer allows a good level of compression to support your body while lying front-down, while the bottom layer of foam provides a good solid base. This means good support for stomach sleepers, while also being suitable for side and back sleepers.
Editor's Notes: The Leesa mattress is the best of the standard type of mattress that does not offer the type of personalization provided by the Helix Sleep mattress. It is an excellent choice of mattress for stomach sleepers because of it contours slightly to your body, offers good core support and helps prevent the flattening of your belly while you sleep. It is good for all types of a sleeper, so stomach sleepers need not worry if the mattress that suits them best would also suit their partner.
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3. The Purple Mattress - Born in the USA for All Sleeping Positions
The Purple Mattress is the new kid on the mattress block. This US-manufactured mattress is engineered to relieve the pressure on your body while you sleep - and even when you are not sleeping! Its combination of pressure-relief and support makes the Purple mattress a favorite with many people.
Its box-grid design is intended to offer the support needed by a stomach sleeper without the heat of a memory foam. If you don't like memory foam then this would be a good choice for you. It claims to last longer than latex mattresses, and its user reviews tend to support this.
Here is how the Purple mattress is constructed:
Top Layer: A 2-inch thick layer of Hyper-Elastic Polymer™ material in the Smart Comfort Grid™ construction. That is a grid of foam with air taking up the square spaces between the bars of foam. This top layer provides the comfortable but not too soft top needed by belly sleepers, while the boxes of air keep it cool while you sleep. It is temperature neutral and keeps you warmer on cold nights and cooler on hot nights.
Middle Layer: A 3.5-inch layer of polyurethane foam with a density of 1.8 Lb. This layer is CertiPUR-US certified to be free of ozone depleters, heavy metals and other potentially toxic materials. It provides a good base for the softer and cooler layer above it.
Bottom Layer: The base layer of the Purple mattress is 4-inch thick polyurethane foam of 2 Lb per cubic foot density. This is again CertiPUR-US certified. While not too solid, the 2 Lb density foam provides the support that is needed to be included in our best mattress for stomach sleepers review.
Generally, the Purple Mattress is an innovation and a breath of fresh air in the mattress world. It takes a different look at how a mattress should be constructed, and that happens to be one that suits stomach sleepers almost perfectly. It comes with a 10-year warranty and a 100-day sleep trial, as those above also offer.
Editor's Notes: The Purple mattress deserves its position here as one of the best stomach sleeper mattresses because it is designed to keep you cool, while also being able to support the area of your stomach. It does this by allowing your belly to sink slightly into the mattress while also supporting your knees and chest and other parts of your body when you are sleeping. The Purple mattress is a highly rated mattress, and it deserves its #3 position here.
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4. WinkBeds Mattress - Good Support for Stomach Sleepers!
The WinkBeds mattress is available in three different softness/hardness levels. Stomach sleepers need a firmer than average surface that is still comfortable. This mattress has a soft thin top layer with a firmer layer just below it. The top layer should offer comfortable support for the stomach without compressing it too much.
However, another important aspect to consider when choosing the best mattress for stomach sleepers is the pressure on the chest. This is more important for women than it is for men. When sleeping front down, you do not want to feel excessive pressure on your chest. The Winkbeds mattress prevents this with its intelligent structure. It is 14.5 inches thick.
Here is how this mattress is built:
Top Layer: The top layer of the Winkbeds mattress is just 2 inches thick. It is a Euro pillow top style of foam, combining hypersoft foam and gel foam that offers both comfort and a cooling effect while you are sleeping.
Second Layer: A 2.5 inch layer of small pocketed steel coils encased in foam. While the foam layer above it supports the stomach without excess pressure on the chest, these coils provide support to that layer. Not only do the individual coils provide support to the pressure points lying on them, but they also help to keep the mattress and you cool - and help to prevent your spine from bending.
Third Layer: This layer is a 4-inch thick high density foam edge support system. It enables you to sleep right to the end of the mattress, and also to sit on the edge, without it sagging down or collapsing.
Fourth Layer: The 4-inch fourth layer is again made using individually pocketed steel spring coils. These provide you with support throughout the night and help reduce noise when you move around on the bed. This is the core support layer.
Fifth/Bottom Layer: This 2-inch foundation layer provides excellent support no matter what your weight is. It enables your body to get good overall support while the previous layers conform to your body shape and weight.
These various layers combine to provide a stomach sleeper with a high level of comfort for their belly and their chest. The pocketed coils ensure that you get support where it is needed, while the top layer provides the basis for the comfort where you require it.
What should be noted is that the coils themselves are zoned in the structure of your mattress. The central third of the mattress is fitted with stronger steel coils to hold the heavier parts of the average body. This is an excellent mattress for stomach sleepers and one that you should at least consider and have a closer look at.
Editor's Notes: This appears to be a very well constructed mattress. It is suitable for all types of a sleeper, although it does appear to be well suited to stomach sleepers where the spine has to be kept straight. The combination of various foam and pocketed steel coils has created a mattress that most people will love.
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5. Casper Mattress - Best for Cooling
The Casper mattress is manufactured in the USA and was designed by the company in San Francisco. The 30-strong Casper R&D team holds over 50 patents between them and is constantly seeking to improve the product and responding to customer comments.
The Casper mattress consists of four layers, each consisting of a different type of foam. These are:
Top Layer: A premium type of open-cell latex foam that keeps you cool at night, and also provides a good level of bounce. This is 1.5 inches thick.
Second Layer: A 1.5-inch layer of memory foam designed to leverage airflow, providing the benefits of memory foam with extended cooling.
Third Layer: This is a 1.5 inch transition layer of high density memory foam which offers good support for your pressure points. This layer is split into two zones - softer from above the hips and harder at and below the hips to provide both comfort and support where needed. This is an ideal construction for a stomach sleeper.
Bottom Layer: This is 5 inches of high density foam to provide good core support to the mattress.
Cover: The whole mattress is contained within a zippered hand-sewn cover that can be removed for easy washing.
The mattress is CertiPUR-US certificated, indicating that it is made without CFCs and other ozone depleters, and is free of phthalates and heavy metals such as cadmium, lead and mercury. There may be a chemical smell when the mattress is first installed, but that should disappear within a day or two. This is normal for foam mattresses.
The Casper mattress is an ideal mattress for stomach sleepers. It comes with a 100-day sleep trial and a 10-year limited warranty.
Editor's Notes: The Casper mattress is ideal for stomach sleepers. It gets its position in the best mattress for stomach sleepers because of its construction. The mattress provides a combination of comfort for belly sleepers and support for the pelvic areas and the knees.
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6. Tuft & Needle Mattress - Good for All Sleeping Positions
The Tuft & Needle mattress comprises just two layers of foam - both polyurethane. It is a responsive foam that gives with the pressure of your belly while supporting your chest and lower pressure points. It provides good support for stomach sleepers while allowing you to breathe normally without feeling resistance.
The layers are:
1. 3 Inches of a responsive polyurethane foam designed by the company to be breathable and also support your pressure points whether lying on your side, your back or your belly. It helps keep you cool during the night and helps you feel comfortable when lying on your front.
2. The other 7 inches of this 10-inch mattress comprises a high-density polyurethane foam. This helps keep your spine aligned correctly whether you lie on your back or your front.
One of the advantages of this mattress is that it is suitable for sleepers in all positions. You may be a stomach sleeper, but perhaps your partner is not. This mattress meets the needs of you both, irrespective of how you sleep.
Editor's Notes: The Tuft & Needle mattress was not designed with belly sleepers in mind. Few are to be honest, although others are more suitable for front sleepers than others. It has reached out top 6 list of best mattress for stomach sleepers because it is well made and suits sleepers of all type - including stomach sleepers. It might particularly suit stomach sleepers that are heavier weight than average.
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Buyer's Guide to the Best Mattress for Stomach Sleepers
The best mattress for stomach sleepers is not necessarily the best mattress for side sleepers or those that sleep on their back. Each of these three different types of the sleeper has his or her own needs. Stomach sleepers, front sleepers, and belly sleepers are all the same thing, and they have their own specific needs from their mattresses just like any other type of sleeper.
If you sleep on your stomach you are one of the 15% - 18% of the population that does so. When you lie on your stomach, your spine tends to flex forward between your chest and your hips. This can lead to back and neck pain. You need a mattress that keeps your spine as straight as possible when you are sleeping. Here is how to choose a mattress that helps you in that way.
Not too Soft: A soft mattress will not work for you. You need a firmer mattress than average, say around 6.0 - 6.5 on a 1 - 10 scale. This avoids your spine dropping in the center and forming a bow shape as explained above.
Not too Hard: Too hard a mattress will put excess pressure on your stomach. It can also restrict your breathing as we explained earlier.
Just Right: The ideal mattress for stomach sleepers is slightly harder than average - as we stated above, around 6.0 to 6.5 when 5.0 is average. Too hard or too soft can misalign your spine although your body shape may also have an influence on your choice.
If you weight over 230 Lb you should look for a hardness rating of around 7 - 8, and below 140 lb, around 4 - 5.
You need a mattress that does not put too much pressure on your chest but that supports your middle section to prevent your spine sagging in the middle, between your chest and pelvis. The mattresses we have selected above meet these criteria.
Mattress Hardness is Important for Stomach Sleepers
When looking for the best mattress for stomach sleepers you should first of all check the hardness of the mattress. You should not choose the softest you can find, but a sleeping surface that is on the firm side of medium. Many people believe that belly sleepers are best with a soft mattress that does not put too much pressure on their stomach.
That is not the case. Unless your stomach is properly supported, it will dip down into the mattress, forcing the middle of your spine down. This leads to issues with your spine that can be difficult to rectify. The six mattresses we review above help to prevent this from happening.
Buyer's Note on Sleep Trials
Many mattress vendors offer warranties and typically 100-day sleep trials. For example "If you do not like your mattress, inform us within 100 days and we will collect it and provide a full refund". Be sure to check this before buying, because many vendors do not apply this. It may be the manufacturer's policy but sometimes does not apply if you purchase your mattress from a third party vendor rather than from the manufacturer.
In some cases, the 100 days may be reduced to 30 days, and in others, you may have to return the mattress yourself at your own cost. Check with the vendor what the trial really means. Now some questions that we have frequently been asked regarding the best stomach sleeper mattress.c