Best Mattress For Hip Pain
5 Top-Ranked Beds with Great Contouring, Comfort, and Support [2024]
Hip pain can be a mystery. Sometimes it’s joint-related, and sometimes it’s pressure related. It can cause stiffness or ache, or it can come and go. If you find that you wake up more and more with your hips hurting, it might be time for a new mattress.
If you have an underlying cause of your pain, the mattress may not necessarily cure it. However, a bed with proper support and contouring can be the difference between your treatments working well and working just ok.
Not sure where to start? Not a big deal. We’ve put together a list of our favorite mattresses for hip pain. Plus, we’ll answer a few questions you may have about choosing a bed for your hip pain. Let’s take a look.
In This Article
Why Should I Upgrade My Mattress?
Many old mattress styles relied on a single layer for support. You might have had some cushioning on top, but the mattress forced your body to conform to its surface rather than the other way around.
When this happens, the hips compress and end up with pinched nerves and stressed joints. Your body wasn’t meant to be a straight line, so when it tries, nothing good comes of it.
If your spine is overextended, this can send pockets of pain from your lower back to your hip area. If your joints are compressed, this causes stiffness and ache in the morning. If your legs aren’t properly supported, you might overcompensate for those sore muscles and cause chronic pain to your hips over time.
Newer mattresses use a combination of contouring and supporting layers to help your body get into a more natural position. If you’re a side sleeper, your body sinks in further at your widest points (shoulders and hips), and your legs and torso stay supported. It aligns your spine and alleviates pressure points.
If you’re a back sleeper, your hips stay in position rather than sinking in too far or compressing around the lower lumbar region. Again, your spine is aligned, and your joints decompress.
What Do I Look For?
There are a few critical characteristics you should look for in a mattress for hip pain depending on your sleep position.
Side Sleepers
A huge issue for side sleepers is hip compression. If your hips don’t sink further into the mattress, it can cause painful pressure on that joint, plus numbness or stiffness. Your spine curves and adds to the pain because of compression there.
You end up tossing and turning all night which stresses your hip muscles and joints. If you tend to sleep in sprinter position, you’re also in danger of overextending your spine and contributing further to joint issues as you compensate for back pain as well.
The key here is a slightly softer mattress with more give for your widest points. Mattresses that have targeted support zones are also good. Your hips and shoulders will sink deeper in the mattress while your torso and legs remain supported.
Stomach Sleepers
Stomach sleepers are in danger of their hips sinking too far into the mattress and stressing the joints from overextension. If you’re a stomach sleeper, you may need to find a slightly firmer mattress that keeps your hips at the right angle.
Edge support could be essential too. If you use the side of the bed to get into a comfortable position, you don’t want too much compression. Your hip joints won’t feel adequately supported, and your spine will get out of alignment pretty quick.
Back Sleepers
Back pain and hip pain frequently go together. Some hip pain is directly related to sciatica, which is a nerve connected to your lower lumbar region. If this is you, you definitely need a firm mattress that takes pressure off that lumbar region and decompresses the nerve, so it doesn’t get irritated.
Medium-firm mattresses do a good job of filling in your lower back without allowing you to sink too much. That nerve doesn’t experience as much pressure. You also spend less time tossing and turning looking for a comfortable position. Tossing and turning puts further strain on your joints and reduces your sleep quality even further.
Combination Sleepers
Frequent position changes throughout the night can make your hip and back problems worse. The trick with this is to find a mattress that offers combination support and discourages constant position changes.
If you change position a lot because of your temperature, you can find mattresses that better regulate your temperature. Gel-infused foams help disperse heat while phase change materials prevent it from building up in the bed and against your body. Individually pocketed coils also help with air flow and circulation.
If you change position because of discomfort, a mattress with proper contouring and support can help. Medium or medium-firm mattresses are considered universally comfortable and provide combination support. Also, if you and your partner have different sleep needs, combination support can help both of you.
Adjustable Beds
For some of you, your hip problems will need the help of adjustable beds. Adjustable beds can really relieve some of the pressure and discomfort you’re experiencing in your joints. If you’re a lifelong side sleeper and need to retrain your body to sleep in a different position because of persistent hip pain, an adjustable bed might be the best option.
You can set it to relieve pressure and prevent your body from reposition into that shoulder and hip pressure point. If you’re to this point, you’ll need to make sure that your new mattress is compatible. It’s also a good idea if you think you’ll eventually transition to an adjustable frame.
Our Favorite Mattresses For Hip Pain
Let’s take a look at our recommendations.
DreamCloud – Best Overall
DreamCloud’s combination support mattress is an excellent choice for position switchers or those who need different kinds of support than their partners. It uses eight different layers of contouring and support that feels soft, but still firmly supports you.
The first two layers are contouring foam, one gel infused and one quilted. The layers remain cool and give way to your widest points if you’re a side sleeper. The next two are transitional layers of foams that ease your body into the support layer of coils.
The coils provide a lot of response and pushback. They help you with position changes and keep your spine aligned, but the contouring layers really do take the pressure from your hip joints.
The cover is a cashmere blend that’s extra breathable. The sides are reinforced for excellent edge support. Also, if you do need an adjustable frame, the mattress is compatible. You can even get an adjustable frame with your bed if you need to.
You have 365 nights to try out the mattress and 100 nights to try out the frame. The mattress has a lifetime warranty. In the first ten years, they’ll replace a defective mattress for free. After ten years, they’ll either replace or repair and recover the defective mattress.
You also have the option of white glove delivery if your hip troubles prevent you from being able to set up the mattress on your own. They’ll deliver the bed during a specified time and set it up for you. They’ll also haul away your old mattress.
Between the cooling, the combination support plus cushy Euro-style top, and ability to invest in an adjustable base if you need, the DreamCloud is a super affordable luxury mattress that should alleviate a lot of your hip issues. All sizes are under $1500. Good for you. Good for your wallet.
Solay – Runner-Up
Solay’s hybrid mattress uses individually pocketed coils with contouring foams to provide combination support. It’s rated as medium firm on the scale so it will provide proper support for side sleepers in addition to other sleep positions.
The first layer is a cooling foam that wicks heat and moisture away from your body. The next layer is a motion reducing foam layer that provides motion isolation. The support layer is coils sandwiched between layers of support foams. They provide structural integrity to the mattress and edge support.
The tencel cooling layer further regulates temperature and helps you get into a comfortable position and stay there. It’s adjustable base compatible, and you can purchase an adjustable base directly from their site.
You have 101 nights to sleep on your new mattress before deciding official if it’s right for you. Before the trial period is up, if you decide it isn’t’ right for you, they’ll return the mattress and your money. You’re covered with a 15-year limited warranty against mattress defects.
The Solay is a good option if you need combination support, but it doesn’t provide quite as much cushioning for side sleepers as the DreamCloud. However, it is an excellent hybrid option if you want a size that DreamCloud doesn’t have in stock (the twin option always seems sold out). It’s also compatible with adjustable bases.
Honorable Mentions
These two have our overall endorsement, but we do have a few other recommendations based on some specific circumstances.
Nectar – Best Budget Option
Nectar’s mattress is a universally comfortable, combination support mattress with none of the sizes over $950. If you need a bed that’s easier on your wallet, Nectar will check the appropriate boxes without killing your wallet.
It’s all memory foam, but it uses two different layers of contouring, gel-infused foams on top to allow your curves to sink into the mattress while remaining supported. The layers keep you cool and prevent position changes because of heat.
The next layer is an adaptive foam that gently transitions your body to the support layer of dense foam. These two foams are breathable, so heat doesn’t build up in the core of the mattress. It has excellent support, but if you’ve got any room in the budget the edge support is better with the DreamCloud overall.
You’ve got a full year to try out the mattress before deciding if it’s the right one. You’re also covered by a lifetime limited warranty. In the first ten years, they’ll replace a defective mattress and after ten years, they’ll either replace or repair it.
GhostBed – Best For Heavy People
If your hip pain is caused by carrying extra weight, you’ll need a mattress that’s rated for more weight. If you don’t, you won’t get the same benefit from the contouring layers, and the bed can feel uncomfortably firm.
Ghostbed is rated for weights up to 750 pounds. The bed’s layers will perform just as well for you as they will for someone of average weight and size.
We like the Ghostbed Luxe because it’s a little softer for side sleepers. It uses layers of gel-infused foams to regulate your temperature and prevent heat from building up in the core of the mattress.
The first three layers are contouring foams with gel infusions. They draw heat away from your body and disperse it throughout the mattress. The other layers are dense support foams that keep your spine straight. If your partner isn’t a side sleeper, it’s still firm enough to decompress the spine and provide support for stomach or side sleepers.
It’s compatible with adjustable bases, and you have 101 nights to sleep on the mattress or return it for a full refund if you decide it isn’t for you. It comes with a 20-year warranty against mattress defects. They’ll replace the mattress for free if it’s been adequately supported during that 20 year period.
The DreamCloud and the Solay provide a bit more cushion to support for average weights, but we think you’ll be happier with the Ghostbed if you’re larger than the average sleeper. However, you don’t have the option of white glove delivery, so you’ll need to call in reinforcements if your hip pain prevents you from maneuvering a mattress into place.
Layla – Best Dual Sided Mattress
Layla’s dual-sided mattress is excellent if you aren’t sure if you’ll stay a side sleeper forever. Sometimes when people have hip pain, they train themselves to sleep on their back instead. Layla has a two-sided mattress that’s softer on one side than the other. As you transition from one sleep position to the other, it’s nice to have the choice.
On both sides, the top layer is copper infused foam. Copper has a reputation for healing properties, so you might see some relief for your pain. It definitely has cooling properties so you won’t toss and turn all night looking for a more comfortable position.
On the soft side, there’s also a convoluted foam layer. It’s breathable and springy to support your widest points without compression. The foam fills in the torso and supports your legs to keep your spine aligned.
Beneath that is a thick layer of dense support foam. It provides pushback and edge support. If you flip to the other side, there’s only the layer of copper-infused foam and dense support foam.
The firmer side is suitable for combination support and partners who have different sleep preferences. If both of you are side-sleepers, the soft side hugs your curves and helps you stay in position longer. It’s also compatible with adjustable bases and foundations.
You have a total of 120 nights to try out the mattress before deciding if it’s the right one for you. If it isn’t, you can return it for a full refund with no penalties. You’re covered by a lifetime warranty for mattress defects as well. Make sure your mattress is adequately supported so that you don’t accidentally void the warranty.
You don’t have the option of white glove delivery, so if your hip issues prevent you from setting up a mattress, make sure that you have someone who can help you set up the mattress.
Our Final Thoughts
Hip pain is complicated. Underlying issues can cause you a lot of hip pain that’s further aggravated by having a terrible mattress. If you’re a side sleeper, this is particularly true. A mattress for side sleepers with hip pain needs to have proper contouring layers to prevent compression of the hip joint, or the pain will be unbearable.
You may end up needing to transition to back sleeping, but until then, look for mattresses on the medium-soft to the medium side, so your curves have enough space. It’s also a good idea to get a mattress that’s already adjustable bed compatible in case you need that feature later on. Should hip pain get worse, you’ll need better options.
Stick to the medium side so that your back has support as well. If the source of your hip pain is sciatica, you also need to make sure that your lower lumbar region is supported and the spine is decompressed. Otherwise, it won’t matter how supported your hips are, your sciatica pain will still flair.
Stick with the DreamCloud because it ticks off all the boxes including having an adjustable frame you can purchase with the mattress and having the option of white glove delivery for those of you whose hip pain doesn’t allow for mattress-moving. It’s an excellent mattress at a reasonable price with just the right extras.