10 Best Mattresses For Back Sleepers UK in 2023 (Expert Review)

Sleeping on your back is the least common way to sleep, so if you’re here reading this you’re pretty special!

But one of the downsides of this is you don’t get a lot of information on what mattress is best for you, especially in the UK.

So I’ve put together this guide to help you find a mattress if you’re a back sleeper. I’ve got the top 5 of the best mattresses for back sleepers at the beginning and then go onto an F.A.Q and some other reviews.

Click on the name in the summary in the box or the Price & Reviews button in the reviews to go to the website where you can order yours.

top 5 Best Mattress For Back Sleepers

1. Top Choice – Nectar Sleep

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FIRMNESS: Medium-Firm

• 365-night trial
• 10-year guarantee
• Great for all sleeping positions
• Supportive to ease back pain
• Bed-in-a-box

Sizes: Single, small double, double, king size and super king size

Huge Discount up to £450

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The Nectar Sleep mattress is everything a back sleeper needs from their mattress. It’s a medium-firm feel which is plenty to keep your back aligned and your spine happy.

Plus memory foam works to stop you moving around so much so you stay still and sleep deeper allowing you to wake up feeling more rested.

It’s made up of different layers, a top layer is a cooling layer making it great for hot sleepers, then you’ve got two comfort layers of memory foam to support you and a zoned base to keep you sleeping happily.

The value for money is also off the charts with a 10-year guarantee and you get a whole year to try it out before you finally decide if you want to keep it.

A memory foam mattress that’s perfect for back sleepers.

2. Best For Lower Back Pain – Relyon Memory Superior Ortho Support 1500 Pocket Mattress

I’ve talked about this mattress quite a lot across this site, it’s even my top orthopaedic mattress, because of it’s great pressure relieving properties and ability to provide excellent back support.

As a back sleeper, lower back pain can be easier to manage, you just need some firmer support and preferably memory foam to improve your spinal alignment allowing your pressure points to relax and giving your back the chance to rest.

This is a firmer mattress with 1500 pocket springs inside that provide a nice traditional bounce, and it’s got a memory foam layer that provides excellent support and acts as a built-in mattress topper.

The memory foam also contours to your body while you sleep so you don’t move around as much, which means you don’t wake up as often and actually get a night of higher quality sleep.

Everything a back sleeper needs to help deal with back pain.

3. Best For Back and Stomach Sleepers – Emma Sleep Memory Foam Mattress

Back sleeping is more uncommon, but stomach sleeping isn’t all that common either, so if you’re a combination of both then it can be very tricky to find the right mattress, enter Emma.

The Emma is a medium-firm mattress that provides great pressure relief and support to your back as a back sleeper and as a front sleeper. It’s also good for side sleepers (more side sleeper mattresses here) if you happen to be a very varied sleeper.

Similar to the Nectar sleep, although not quite as long a trial period, it’s a bed=in-a-box that comes wrapped up and vacuum packed so you can plonk it on your bed and cut open to get it into place.

The 10-year guarantee gives you peace of mind and the 100 night’s is more than enough to test it out and see if you like it.

The memory foam layers are cooling and supportive and a great choice for back and front sleepers.

4. Top Luxury Choice – Dormeo Octaspring Tribrid Mattress

Just because it’s luxury doesn’t need it can’t be great value too, and with a 15-year warranty, you know you’re getting value. Generally, mattresses only last about 10 years so that extra 5 years of quality is quite substantial.

This mattress is made up of 3 quite inetersting layers, the first layer is a layer of latex, now latex mattresses have more bounce than memory foam and aren’t as suffocating in the way you sink into them. Latex also natural and hypoallergenic.

Under that you have Octasprings, what are they you ask? They’re springs made of foam that gives them great ventilation and breathability to keep you cool, plus they’re zoned into 5 zones for maximal support exactly where you need it.

Finally, you have good ol’ pocket springs, minimal motion transfer so great for couples and a nice bit of bounce that you can expect from a hybrid mattress.

All of which work together seamlessly and make a great sleep surface for back sleeping.

Truly unique and completely luxurious while being great value for money. What’s not to like?

5. Best Budget – Sealy Posturepedic Pearl Memory Mattress

Sealy are a classic mattress brand who’ve been doing wonderful things for people’s backs for many years. Not only that but they’re very budget-friendly and provide an excellent cheap mattress.

A good choice of mattress for any sleeping position, but back sleepers will be particularly comfortable on this medium-firm mattress, the hybrid combo of springs and memory foam provide excellent support and ensure a good night’s sleep.

The springs inside are twice tempered to be stronger allowing better weight distribution but also providing durability and longevity to the mattress for many years of comfort without sagging.

It’s got the Allergy UK seal of approval which means it’s totally hypoallergenic as a nice bonus. A great budget choice of mattress for back sleepers

F.A.Q

Is a firm mattress good for back sleepers?

Sure is! Firm mattresses can be great for back sleepers because they keep the spine aligned and happy, unlike with side sleepers who need more sink for their shoulders to keep the back straight.

What firmness is best for back sleeping?

Back sleepers can actually sleep happily on any firmness, whether it’s a soft mattress or a firmer mattress you can be comfortable all night long.

However, if you’re heavier or generally bigger then you might want to go for a firmer mattress, I’ve got more on mattresses for heavy people here.

Are back sleeper mattresses good for stomach sleepers?

They can be, stomach sleepers need a firmer sleep surface or they can start to develop lower back pain, shoulder pain and even neck pain. So if it’s a back sleeper mattress that’s either a medium-firm or a firm feel then stomach sleepers can be quite comfortable on it.

You can read about more stomach sleeper mattresses here.

Are back sleeper mattresses good for side sleepers?

Again it depends, side sleepers can sleep comfortable on any firmness but generally medium-firm or softer, a firm mattress can be a bit much if you’re broad-shouldered, but if it’s memory foam as the top layer then you’ve got a bit of sink to let your shoulders drop.

I talk about back and side sleeper mattresses here.

Can I use a mattress topper?

Sure can! Back sleepers get on absolutely fine with mattress toppers, again any firmness and any material of filling are absolutely fine, in fact a mattress topper can be a great way to upgrade your current mattress if you can’t afford a new mattress.

Check out my mattress topper reviews here.

What Is The Best Type Of Mattress For Back Sleepers?

Luckily there is no right or wrong answer for this one, it’s really about your personal preference in a mattress. But I’ll go through the main types and look at what’s good and what’s bad.

Memory Foam Mattresses – These offer great support for back pain, allow for a deeper sleep and they’re great for couples because motion transfer is absolutely minimised. My top material of mattress for back sleepers.

Pocket Sprung Mattresses – These are a more traditional feel of mattress, plenty of bounce but also lots of support and comfort. If you dislike memory foam, I know some people can’t stand it, then this is the choice for you. A close second and a fine choice for back sleepers.

Latex Mattress – More bounce than memory foam but less than springs, a natural material that is eco-friendly and supportive. It doesn’t have the same contouring as memory foam but it moulds slightly to the shape of your body to keep you comfortable without feeling too held in place.

Hybrid Mattresses – Hybrid mattresses are a combination of springs and foam, normally of pocket springs and memory foam. A good middle ground with bounce from the springs and support from the memory foam, not as many firmness options, usually you have medium to firm choices only, but a really nice mattress choice for back sleepers.

Other Back Sleeper Mattresses I Reviewed

Simba Sleep Hybrid Mattress

The Simba is a good choice of hybrid mattress for back sleepers sharing a bed with someone who likes side sleeping. You can both be comfortable on 2500 pocket springs and layers of cooling and supportive foam.

The base layer is a high-density foam that’s firmer and gives you plenty of support. One of the layers is a sheet of Simbatex which isn’t quite a latex foam but works to prevent overheating, a great plus point for hot sleepers.

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They worked with a sleep institution to analyse 180 million body profiles to make one perfect mattress, it offers spinal support, cooling, comfort, minimal motion transfer, and the price is kept down because they don’t have showrooms and sell online.

Finally, they’ll take away your old mattress for £30 which is a nice touch because getting rid of an old mattress can be a pain in the rear!

Leesa Memory Foam Mattress

This type of mattress is a great choice for back sleepers because memory foam provides an excellent support system that works to keep you comfortable. I have nothing against innerspring mattresses but I prefer memory foam.

And while you can choose a different firmness in your mattress if you prefer, medium-firm is always a safe bet that suits 95% of people.

The Leesa mattress company are really cool because they actually donate 1 mattress for every 10 they sell and have donated 30,000 mattresses to charities all over the UK and all over the world.

So not only do you get a high-quality mattress that works on any bed frame, you get to do a little good too.

And while it’s great for back sleepers it’s actually good for any sleep position so you’re free to move around if you want too. A supportive mattress that’s great for back sleeping.

Sealy ActivSleep Geltex Pocket 1400 Firm Mattress

Geltex is Sealy’s own gel memory foam that offers breathability while still having the support and pressure relief of normal memory foam, sound good? You bet!

Your bodyweight gets distributed nicely across the 1400 pocket spring which gives you a nice bouncy feel and plenty of relaxation when your head hits the pillow.

It’s not the firmest mattress but it’s on the firm side at a medium-firm feel, great for helping with back pain and made by a very trusted brand in the sleep space.

Finally, you’ve got a micro-quilted cover that works to add a nice comfort layer at the top of the mattress. Not as much as a pillow-top or mattress topper but a little soft extra to keep you comfortable.

Silentnight Allure Limited Edition Miracoil Cushion Top Mattress

What list of mattress reviews would be complete without a Silentnight mattress in there somewhere?

They’ve been doing great things for the British people for a long time, offering up great budget-friendly mattresses that are durable and comfortable.

The spring system isn’t pocket springs which isn’t the best but keeps the price down, and they’re designed to be supportive and work somewhat individually, they’re just not sewn into pockets.

The cover is made from recycled plastics, so a good choice for the eco-friendly buyer, while being soft and comfortable. And the top layer is a pillow top which acts as an extra layer of comfortable padding similar to a mattress topper making flumping into bed that little bit more satisfying.

A good choice of cheap back sleeper mattress. I’ve got more cheap mattresses reviewed here

Tuft & Springs Superia 3000 Pocket Natural Mattress

No foam in sight! Now I love foam beds but I know not everyone does, so I wanted to include the Tuft & Springs Superia.

It’s a wonderful pocket spring mattress with a really high spring count and natural fillings that provide breathability, comfort, durability and a really traditional feel in the mattress.

Silk works to create a comfort layer at the top of the mattress while wool is hypoallergenic and durable to give great support and cushioning to the mattress. Meanwhile, there is cotton to help regulate ody temperature and cotton to take it from a firm feel to a softer mattress of a medium-firm feel.

3000 pocket springs is the utmost of luxury, the highest spring count on the list and a double layer of springs for unmatched support. Plus a complete minimisation of motion transfer so you get to sleep soundly without your partners’ movements disturbing you.

Conclusion

I hope you found this mattress buying guide helpful, there’s a lot of personal preference involved with buying a mattress but I hope this has provided some guidance so you can make an informed decision.

And if you’re still in doubt as to which is the best mattress for back sleepers then take a look at the Nectar Sleep mattress, it’s my top choice for a reason so click here to check it out in more detail.