How to Find the Best Mattress to Relieve Hip Pain

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Hips don’t lie, and the ugly truth is that hip pain is prone to plague you at night when you lie on a bad mattress. Certain sleep positions in particular, such as side sleeping, can further contribute to pain in the hip area. And if one of the causes of hip pain for you is a condition like bursitis or tendinitis, it’s even more important to make sure your hips are supported.

But how do you find a quality mattress to support your body and sleep position? The experts at Mattress Advisor gave us the scoop on what to look for when shopping for the best mattresses for hip pain, laying out the benefits of different mattresses and which beds will support your hips to give you a good night’s sleep. Read on to explore their picks, which have also been vetted by our expert review team:

Our Picks for the Best Mattresses for Hip Pain:

• Best Overall – Saatva Classic
• Best for Side Sleepers with Hip Pain – Helix Midnight Luxe
• Best Memory Foam Mattress for Hip Pain – Nectar
• Best Mattress for Back Sleepers with Hip Pain – DreamCloud Original
• Best Value Mattress for Hip Pain – Aurora Luxe 
• Best Mattress for Back and Hip Pain – WinkBeds GravityLux
• Best Mattress for Hip Pain for Hip Pain – Bear Pro

Why It’s the Best Mattress for Hip Pain

Often the culprit behind hip pain is poor spinal alignment while sleeping. The Saatva Classic addresses that problem while also delivering superb comfort to all sleep positions. A hybrid blend of two innerspring layers and high-density memory foam makes the Saatva one of the most supportive beds on the market. Since Saatva is a luxury brand, all of this support comes with additional comforts like a plush, breathable European pillow mattress topper treated with a natural antimicrobial to reduce allergens and free white glove delivery and set-up (which means Saatva will remove your old bed and set up your new one for you). But budget buyers should note that those luxe extras come at a higher price point than many other mattresses.

The Saatva Classic’s Construction

The five-layer Saatva starts with a base of steel coils encompassed in high-density foam for added edge support. An additional coil layer, individually “pocketed” in fabric for motion isolation, reinforces the mattress core. Layers of memory foam and a 3-inch Euro pillow top add comfort at the bed’s surface.

Top Scores

Saatva’s support helps keep the spine in proper alignment so well that the mattress earned a perfect 10 out of 10 for that factor from Mattress Advisor testers. The bed also earned a perfect score in edge support and an 8.5 or higher in pressure relief (8.75 out of 10), cooling (9 out of 10) and responsiveness (8.5 out of 10). 

The Testing Team’s Feedback

“Saatva has a less scary price tag than other luxury mattresses of its caliber, which is why we often deem it one of the best beds overall. The mattress is especially a worthy investment for your bedroom if you’re afflicted with bodily woes like hip pain that keep you up at night.”

Why It’s the Best Mattress for Side Sleepers With Hip Pain

Side sleepers need extra support to relieve pressure points such as their hips and shoulders, and that goes double for those who also suffer with hip pain. The Helix Midnight Luxe delivers better support than many mattresses with three layers of foam — high-density memory foam, gel visco foam and a high-grade polyfoam layer that provides ergonomic support. These multiple cushioning layers gently conform to the body, providing optimal support for pain points. In addition, the Midnight Luxe’s zoned body shape layer, with over 1,000 individually wrapped coils, gives a boost of firm support for the hips. A plush pillow top comfort layer made with breathable fibers ensures you stay comfortably cool all night.

The Helix Midnight Luxe’s Construction

The quilted pillow top of the Helix Midnight Luxe includes a cooling cover made with phase-change material to help sleepers stay sweat-free throughout the night. Three foam layers aid in gentle cushioning for the body (this is what makes it so well-suited for side sleeping), while a base constructed of wrapped steel coils offers ample support to keep the spine in neutral alignment.

Top Scores

The Midnight Luxe scored 8.5 out of 10 in pressure relief, 9 out of 10 in spinal alignment and responsiveness and a near-perfect 9.5 out of 10 in cooling.

The Testing Team’s Feedback

“Side sleeping is one of the trickier positions to comfortably find pain relief on the hip, and one of the best options — especially for hot sleepers — is the Midnight Luxe, which Helix made for side sleepers specifically. There’s contouring foam for the pressure points, but lots of airflow from the coil base to keep you cool.”

Why It’s the Best Memory Foam Mattress for Hip Pain

Memory foam mattresses are well up to the task of contouring to the curves of the body, offering much-needed support to pain-prone parts like hips. And the Nectar mattress does an especially good job of providing this support. The bed has three foam layers: High-density foam at the base to prevent sagging, then two inches of adjusting foam and three inches of high-density gel memory foam to top it off. And though memory foam beds can sleep warm, the Nectar comes topped with a heat-wicking cover to keep you cool.

Even better? The Nectar has one of the best trial period and warranty offers on the market for mattresses in its price range — a full-year sleep trial and a lifetime warranty.

The Nectar’s Construction

The three-layer Nectar has a six-inch base of foam, followed by a bouncy, four-inch foam layer. The top-most, comfort-adding layer is two inches of gel memory foam. Nectar’s cover is a soft and quilted polyblend fabric.

Top Scores

Nectar scored 8.5 out of 10 in motion transfer, pressure relief and responsiveness, and a 9 out of 10 for edge support.

The Testing Team’s Feedback

“Nectar has an easy appeal for lovers of the classic, low motion-transfer, memory foam bed that passes the famous ‘wine glass test.’ That makes Nectar especially great for couples on a budget.”

Why It’s the Best Mattress for Back Sleepers with Hip Pain

While back sleeping tends to be touted as the superior sleep position (though any position that’s comfortable for you is the “best” position for you!), back sleepers with hip pain still need a bit of extra support. The DreamCloud mattress combines the benefits of foam and springs to give that support. 

A targeted support layer contains individually wrapped coils that react to the body’s movements while a gel memory foam layer contours to the hips for ultimate comfort. And unlike other bed constructions, like hybrid or foam beds, the DreamCloud has a layer that allows the body to sink without feeling swallowed by the foam. The experts at Mattress Advisor said those layers helped the DreamCloud earn high marks in pressure relief and spine alignment.

The DreamCloud Original’s Construction

DreamCloud’s innerspring base (682 pocketed coils in a queen) is propped up by one inch of base foam. Next are two layers of foam comfort — five inches total of gel memory foam and supportive polyfoam. DreamCloud’s quilted cover is crafted with mixture of foam and cashmere.

Top Scores

In the sleep lab, the DreamCloud scored 8.75 out of 10 in pressure relief and cooling, nine out of 10 in spine alignment and responsiveness, and 9.75 out of 10 in edge support.

The Testing Team’s Feedback

“Back sleepers with hip pain have some of the most flexibility when choosing a mattress, but that doesn’t mean they should go for something sub-par. The DreamCloud is a luxe mattress with great value, often marked down to a sub-$1,000 price, so it’s an excellent choice.”

Why It’s the Best Value Mattress for Hip Pain

Sleepers with hip pain require targeted support that moves with them while they sleep, and the Aurora Luxe does just that. The Aurora has eight full inches of zoned coil support that targets problem areas such as the hips. Atop the coils, layers of copper-infused foam, responsive foam and gel foam contour to the body to relieve pressure on pain points such as the shoulders and hips.

Unlike many other mattresses, the Aurora comes in three firmness options to give sleepers customized support. Plus, the bed is made in America, includes free shipping and returns and has a 10-year warranty.

The Aurora Luxe’s Construction

The 13” Aurora Luxe starts with a cover that testers said felt cool to the touch. The main comfort layer is 1.5 inches of contouring foam, infused with copper for conductive cooling properties. Next is a two-inch layer of latex-like, bouncy foam, which is also gel-infused.  A 1-inch transition layer follows before the bed’s eight-inch innerspring coil support layer, zoned for firmness toward the center. The bed rests on a base layer of high-density foam, and you can choose between a soft, medium or firm mattress model.

Top Scores

The Aurora scored top scores in motion transfer (8.5/10), spine alignment (8.5/10), responsiveness (9.25/10) and cooling (9.5/10).

The Testing Team’s Feedback

“I kind of felt like Princess Aurora from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty when testing the Aurora — like I could sleep 100 years. The bed may not actually last that long, but it packs great value for a durable hybrid innerspring bed with plenty of coziness on top.”

Why It’s the Best Mattress for Back and Hip Pain

WinkBeds took their MemoryLux mattress and gave it an upgrade, creating the GravityLux: a four-layer foam bed that provides the right balance of firmness and cushioning that’s ideal for those with hip and back pain.

Inside, a layer of foam with an open-cell structure has thousands of shock-absorbing air capsules that mold to your body weight to relieve pressure while the third foam layer offers targeted support to push back in areas like the lower back and hips. Plus, the breathable cover includes a layer of gel-infused foam that helps dissipate body heat, making the GravityLux one of the coolest-sleeping all-foam beds available. Plus, the GravityLux comes with a forever warranty, ensuring your back and hips will be properly supported for years to come.

The WinkBeds GravityLux’s Construction

The 11-inch, all-foam GravityLux starts with a quilted cover that uses Eucalyptus-derived fabric and a gel-infused foam. The main comfort layer is a proprietary memory foam designed for breathability. The next foam is furnished to have added firmness in the middle for lumbar support. The layers rest on a high-density polyfoam base.

Top Scores

Coming soon

The Testing Team’s Feedback

Coming soon

Why it’s the Best Mattress for Athletes with Hip Pain

Foam mattresses tend to not sleep as cool as hybrid or innerspring beds for the most part, but the Bear Pro is the exception to that rule. A top layer of copper-infused foam naturally resists heat while a second gel foam layer removes excess heat. The third layer of open-cell, responsive transition foam promotes airflow while providing support and pressure relief hip pain sufferers need. And the bed’s breathable mattress topper helps keep sleepers cool all night, making it our top choice of mattress for athletes. 

Not only does the Bear Pro sleep cooler than most memory foam mattresses, it also does a great job isolating motion, making it a great choice for couples who have a restless partner. 

The Bear Pro’s Construction

Bear Pro’s comfort layers are copper-infused foam and gel memory foam. A firmer, bouncier foam transition layer sits atop Bear Pro’s high-density base layer, amounting to a total depth of 12 inches for the all-foam bed.

Top Scores

Coming soon

The Testing Team’s Feedback

Coming soon

Mattress Advisor’s testing team is a diverse squad of Certified Sleep Science Coaches, recovering insomniacs and all-around enthusiasts for getting good sleep. The team does their own research using a 14-point test (more on that below), and has evaluated hundreds of beds, pillows, sheets and mattress toppers, among other sleep products. Several components of their testing methodology are important determiners toward if and how a mattress accommodates sleepers with hip pain.

The Mattress Advisor Testing Process

A team of testers with diverse body types evaluates each mattress, and combines their first-hand mattress knowledge with customer feedback. After a bed’s sleep lab metrics and brand policy considerations are compiled, Mattress Advisor assigns its score out of 10. The bed’s performance in lab-tested categories (pressure relief, responsiveness, edge support, spine alignment, motion transfer and cooling) are weighted more heavily than factors beyond the lab’s periphery, like the brand’s warranty or social impact.

Here’s an overview of seven mattress performance factors that testers lab test, and why the results in those categories may be important to consider for sleepers with hip pain:

Key Performance Factors that the Sleep Lab Tests

• Cooling: Is the mattress build breathable? Does it retain or dissipate heat? How cool to the touch does the sleep surface feel?
  
• Motion Isolation:The “wine glass test,” or how well the mattress isolates motion. An important metric for couples, especially where one or both are light sleepers.
  
• Spine Alignment: A measure of well the mattress kept the testers’ spines aligned in the body’s natural ‘S’ curvature.
  
• Responsiveness: How quickly the mattress reforms and responds to movement — key for combination sleepers who are loathe to settle into one position the entire night.
  
• Edge Support: Did the tester feel “held” on the edge of the bed? Could they comfortably do tasks like tying their shoes on the perimeter, or does the bed collapse too much? 
• Pressure Relief: Does the mattress contour enough at contact points to relieve pressure? Testers employ a pressure map tool, measuring the impact of different body types.
• Firmness: Not a “graded” measure, per se, but testers also rated firmness of each bed on a 1-10 scale based on the experience of multiple body types

Mattress type (hybrid, memory foam, innerspring, etc.) plays a huge role in how your surface surface feels. While you can use accessories like pillows, mattress toppers and cooling sheets to modify the feel of your bed, you can often save yourself the trouble by picking a new mattress with a build that meshes with your needs:

• One of the best types of mattresses for hip pain is memory foam due to its high level of comfort and pressure relief. Memory foam mattresses contour to the body, cushioning pressure points like hips for comfortable support that promotes spinal alignment.
• While not the top pick for those with hip pain, innerspring mattresses do provide pushback that helps support hips. And innerspring mattresses tend to be the least expensive bed type, making them a good choice for budget-conscious shoppers.
• Hybrid beds pair the benefits of memory foam and innerspring mattresses to provide pressure-relieving support for hip pain. The foam gives the contouring and sink that helps relieve pressure on hips, while the springs provide bouncy pushback to support the body. Hybrid beds also are a good choice for those who sleep hot, as the airflow in the springs helps distribute body heat.
• Like memory foam, natural latex mattresses conform to the curves of the body, supporting joints and relieving pressure. And while an all-foam bed can retain heat, a latex mattress is naturally cooling, making it a good choice for those who sleep hot.

Some sleep positions are harder on the hips than others. And when you’re shopping for the best mattress for hip pain relief, it’s important to take your sleep position into consideration. Here’s a few of the most important considerations based on sleep position:

• Side sleeping presses the hips into the mattress, so a softer bed might work best for this position. Look for a mattress that has a pressure relief score of at least 8 out of 10, but the higher the better.
• The general consensus for most bodily ailments is that back sleeping is best, and it’s a rule of thumb that does indeed apply to hip pain. Fortunately for back sleepers, that means you likely don’t need to worry about finding a mattress that might mitigate the effects your sleep position has on your hip pain. 
• Stomach sleepers can have more back pain paired with their hip pain because the weight of the stomach presses the hips out of alignment with the spine. For stomach sleepers, a firmer bed that will keep the hips aligned with the spine works best.

Hip pain is far from the only roadblock to good sleep. Here’s a brief rundown of how you might want to factor other conditions and preferences:

• Best Mattress for Back Pain: The protocol for back pain relief is often a firmer mattress. If you need both back and hip pain relief, be sure the mattress is an adequate balance of firm support and cradling pressure relief, so you aren’t kept awake by a slumping spine or sore hips.
• Best Mattress for Shoulder Pain: If you’re a side sleeper with hip and shoulder pain, a plusher mattress may be the best bet to cradle your side. Look for a medium firmness between 5 and 6 out of 10. Back and side sleepers with shoulder pain can also use pillows to elevate the neck, helping with spine alignment that can cause shoulder pain. Stomach sleepers however should typically opt for a thinner pillow that torques the neck to a lesser extent.
• Best Mattress for Heavier Sleepers: Heavier sleepers with hip pain may want to look closely at hybrid beds, which have added support and durability, thanks to their innerspring base. Mattresses with foam comfort layers may also read closer to a medium-firm or medium firmness. Look for models that offer multiple firmness options, to be sure the support is adequate.
• Best Mattress for Hot Sleepers: Waking up in a cold sweat is never pleasant. Fortunately, some mattresses can nip that in the bud with their build. If you’re a hot sleeper with hip pain, you may want to opt for a hybrid bed. The breathability of the coils helps move heat away from the body. With an all-foam bed, check that the layers boast some cooling properties, like gel memory foam. You can also buy cooling sheets made from breathable materials that wick away moisture. Bamboo and organic cotton work well, to name a few.