Best Mattress for Sciatica 2024

If you are continually suffering from radiating pain in your legs and lower back, you may be suffering from chronic sciatic neuritis. Sciatic neuritis affects the sciatic nerve which runs down both legs, starting at the lower back, and if you are not sleeping on a mattress designed to alleviate sciatic nerve pain, you may not be sleeping on the best mattress for sciatica.

What Is Sciatic Nerve Pain?

Sciatic Nerve Pain is the result of pressure exerted on the sciatic nerve, which runs down both legs, beginning at the lower back. This pressure is generally caused by a herniated disk, spinal bone spur or similar injury.

Symptoms of chronic sciatic neuritis include inflammation, numbness, and severe pain, which generally affects only one leg. What’s more, sciatic nerve pain is an excruciating non-life-threatening condition, which means the remedy for sciatic pain is often self-care and over the counter drugs that typically only mask the pain.

There generally isn’t any guessing involved when it comes to whether or not someone is suffering from sciatic pain. You merely have to look at their face to understand they are suffering from sciatic pain.

Sciatica hurts. The intensity of the pain associated with sciatic neuritis has been reported as everything from sharp burning sensation and mild ache, to an excruciating electric shock. Worse yet, sciatic neuritis can affect the way you sleep.

Individuals who suffer from Sciatica will also experience varying amounts of pain when lifting, or fully extending their leg which makes sleep difficult, painful and nearly impossible.

Why Does Sciatica Affect My Sleep?

Sciatica affects your sleep because it really hurts. Attempting to sleep with chronic sciatic pain can be an excruciating and fruitless endeavor that leaves you more exhausted, and frustrated than if you had simply stayed awake.

Sleeping in certain positions exacerbated sciatic nerve pain while others have been proven to, at least, minimize the amount of pain one feels when sleeping.

Sufferers have reported that sleeping with your knees elevated on top of a pillow, sleeping on the floor and taking a long shower/bath prior to going to bed have somewhat alleviated their sciatic pain long enough for them to fall asleep.

These remedies, though somewhat effective, are not the solution to sciatic nerve pain. Chronic pain will always require a doctor visit and personalized medical advice.

However, switching your mattress can drastically reduce the amount of sciatic pain you deal with, improve your sleeping habits and the quality of sleep that you get every night.

Choosing the Best Mattress for Sciatica

Sleeping on a bad mattress does far worse damage than simply exacerbating the chronic pain that you are already suffering from, it may even be the cause of it.

Many sciatic neuritis sufferers have poor sleeping posture. That isn’t anyone’s fault. You can’t really control the way you position your body when you’re unconscious. Your body will naturally contour the mattress below it as it sinks down into the plush, unsupportive surface.

That is why it is essential to choose a mattress that enforces a positive sleeping posture and alleviates the pressure on your sciatic nerve, without allowing the body to awkwardly sink into the mattress.

A firm mattress is generally better for sciatic nerve pain, but laying on a board is uncomfortable and potentially damaging to other areas of your back. It doesn’t do you any good to alleviate sciatic pain by causing neck pain.

The best mattress for sciatica and your quality of sleep overall is going to be the mattress the combines comfortable support while remaining firm enough to keep your spine and nerves from compressing while you sleep.

Benefits of Sleeping On A Mattress Designed For Sciatica

Chronic pain can drain your health and wellness at an astonishing rate, and that rate is exacerbated when combined with lack of sleep and exhaustion.

Chronic pain and chronic exhaustion are linked, they exacerbate the other symptoms and can even be the cause off of one another.

Though quality sleep on its own won’t be able to cure your sciatic pain it may be able to alleviate significantly it, or at least allow you to get the sleeping your body needs to heal, and function pain-free.

In fact, ensuring that you get a good night sleep every night is tantamount to the most significant thing that you can do for your health and wellness.

However, when you suffer from sciatic neuritis, finding a good night’s sleep can be a frustrating and exhausting challenge.

Many sciatica sufferers don’t even realize that the quality of sleep they get can be proportional to the amount of pain they feel.

The most substantial benefit of sleeping on a mattress designed to alleviate sciatica is the improvement to the quality of sleep you receive every night.

How Does A Sciatic Mattress Reduce Leg & Back Pain?

Just as bad sitting and standing posture can cause back pain, so can bad sleeping posture. Sleeping on a mattress that is too soft can cause your spine to sink into the soft material and contort into uncomfortable and often painful positions.

The right sciatic mattress reduces chronic leg and back pain by providing the firm support your spin needs in order to remain straight and relaxed as you sleep.

The best mattresses for Sciatica are generally manufactured out of memory foam and gel materials that are soft enough to provide a comfortable night’s sleep, yet firm enough to keep your spine straight, relaxed and supported.

The best mattresses for Sciatica also consist of multiple layers that serve a specific purpose in keeping your spine supported.

What Is The Best Mattress for Sciatica?

When you suffer from chronic pain choosing the right mattress can make the difference between feeling exhausted and living in pain, or receiving the rest and wellness your body deserves.

The severity of your sciatic pain will be the ultimate deciding factor when it comes to which of the following mattresses are the best choice for you.

However, when choosing from the plethora of products that can potentially affect your health and wellness, it’s always good to start with products you can trust.

The mattresses featured here are considered the best mattress for sciatica because, along with providing extra support and a firm sleeping surface, they also dampen movement and keep the body cool throughout the night.

The Perfect Cloud Atlas Gel-Max – Best Overall

The Perfect Cloud Atlas Gel-Max is manufactured with a layer of gel memory foam that combines the best aspects of support, affordability, and comfort.

The Perfect Cloud Atlas Gel-Max is riding the leading edge of mattress innovation. The mattress is engineered with a 2-inch gel layer on top of a 12-inch layer of high-density support foam. The two layers, when combined provide comfortable, yet firm support for the entire spine so that sleeping on the Perfect Cloud Atlas Gel-Max feels like sleeping in 0 gravity.

The infused gel layer also works to evenly distribute temperature and minimize heat, which means your sleep will be as cool as it is comfortable.

The infused gel layer included in the Perfect Cloud Atlas Gel-Max is also motion dampening and actually increases the overall density of the bed so that neither you or your partner transfers any movement to the other.

The Perfect Cloud Atlas Gel-Max comes with a knit mattress cover and a decent warranty, which when combined with its high scores in comfort and support make it a smart choice for anyone who suffers from sciatic nerve pain.

Sleep Innovation Shiloh 12-inch Memory Foam Mattress – Runner-Up

The pressure caused on the sciatic nerve by a foam mattress that isn’t supportive of the lower back can lead to excruciating pain. Sleeping with sciatic nerve pain has been compared to trying to sleep while someone is administering electric shocks to your lower spine and legs.

The Shiloh 12-inch Memory Foam Mattress scores well on its ability to alleviate sciatic nerve pain. Shiloh designed their 12-inch Memory Foam Mattress to provide enough support to keep your spine in alignment while being comfortable enough to allow you to fall asleep quicker and sleep soundly.

Pressure points in your lower back and legs can be triggered by the uneven pressure that is exerted by a poor mattress. Sleep Innovations eliminated that problem by designing their Shiloh 12-inch Memory Foam Mattress with two distinct layers.

The first layer consists of 9.5 inches of supportive foam which evenly distributes the pressure exerted by the second layer, 2.5 inches of SureTemp Memory foam which, along with supporting your spine keeps you cool and dry throughout the night.

The Shiloh 12-inch Memory Foam Mattress is well suited for individuals of all sizes and is ideal for anybody who has trouble getting a good night sleep due to sciatic pain.

Eco Terra Latex Mattress – Honorable Mention

The Eco Terra Latex Mattress is a well-rounded, eco-friendly mattress that comfortably provides the firm, cradled support needed to alleviate sciatic nerve pain..

The Eco Terra Latex Mattress features a three-inch layer of natural latex which provides the support of a memory foam mattress without the uneven pressure and sinking feeling. The 100% natural Talalay latex feels buoyant and adds a layer of soothing pressure relief.

The flexible, yet rigid support of natural latex when combined with the specially-calibrated, fabric-encased coils included in the Eco Terra Latex Mattress provide the spine and lower back support that keeps pressure off of the sciatic nerve.

The encased coils prevent divots and depressions from forming in the mattress and allow for your body to fully relax without exerting uneven pressure on the sensitive pressure points of your body.

The Eco Terra’s Latex Mattress is also designed to minimize motion, which means that the tossing and turning of your sleep partner won’t be transferred to you while you sleep.

What’s more, the Eco Terra Latex Mattress never needs to be flipped and is fully compatible with adjustable beds so that you can fully maximize your sleep experience.

The mattress is affordable on most budgets and a healthy alternative to soft, unsupportive memory foam. Better yet the Eco Terra Latex Mattress is entirely eco-friendly.

DreamFoam Ultimate Dreams Mattress – Honorable Mention

The DreamFoam Ultimate Dreams Mattress is a fully customizable mattress which makes it ideal for anyone who struggles to find quality sleep due to sciatic nerve pain.

The DreamFoam Ultimate Dreams Mattress is manufactured from polyfoam and latex which varying levels of firmness and support. Like the Eco Terra Latex Mattress, the DreamFoam Ultimate Dreams Mattress is a latex mattress that is infused with 100% Talalay latex layered over a polyfoam base.

The latex layer, when combined with the high-density foam base enable the DreamFoam Ultimate Dreams Mattress to provide firm, yet supple support to the spine, lower back and the various pressure points along the body.

What makes the DreamFoam Ultimate Dreams Mattress unique, and recommended for sciatica sufferers is that you can choose how firm you would like your mattress to be.

Prior to delivery of the mattress, you will receive an email from the manufacturer in which you will be asked to specify how much support you would like the mattress to have on a scale of 1 to 10.

For Sciatica sufferers it is recommended that you sleep on a mattress that is as firm as you can make it while still feeling comfortable enough to fall asleep, and stay asleep.

In this way, you can be certain that the mattress will arrive fully customized to meet your needs.

DynastyMattress Grand Cool Breeze HD GEL Memory Foam Mattress – Honorable Mention

Not everyone can afford a fully customizable mattress. Furthermore, many individuals who suffer from Sciatica sleep alongside a partner who has their own specific sleep habits and requirements.

The Grand Cool Breeze HD GEL Memory Foam Mattress manufactured by DynastyMattress is a versatile sleeping solution for all sleepers, including those with severe sciatic nerve pain.

The mattress consists of four layers, all of which were designed to add to the overall quality of your sleep and dampen motion so that you and your partner can rest easy without disturbing one another.

The Grand Cool Breeze HD GEL Memory Foam Mattress makes the list of best mattresses for sciatica because it combines firm, cradled spine support with the added comfort of multiple foam layers.

Getting into the Grand Cool Breeze HD GEL Memory Foam Mattress doesn’t feel like your sinking into a hole, and the gel beads infused into the foam exert even pressure throughout the entire mattress.

The overall versatility is what distinguishes the DynastyMattress Grand Cool Breeze HD GEL Memory Foam Mattress from the other mattresses on this list.

It also comes with a 120-day trial period in which you can return the mattress for a full refund should you be unsatisfied with the quality of your sleep.

Best Sciatica Mattress Winner: The Perfect Cloud Atlas Gel-Plus

There are a lot of factors that go into determining whether a mattress is ideally suited to alleviate sciatic nerve pain and provide quality sleep for those who suffer from Sciatica.

A mattress needs to be firm, provide support and alleviate pressure on the spine, neck, lower back and all of the pressure points throughout the body.

For years memory foam was considered the best option to provide comfortable support. However, it is the implementation of a gel layer that accelerates the Perfect Cloud Atlas Gel-Plus to the top of the list for best mattress for sciatica.

Though all of the mattresses featured in this list are quality mattresses for those who suffer from Sciatica, the Perfect Cloud Atlas Gel-Plus is the only mattress that combines the best of support, pressure relief and comfort.

The gel infused layers are uniquely suited for relieving pressure on the spine and pressure points while providing just enough support to feel comfortable without the sinking feeling associated with memory foam.

The Perfect Cloud Atlas Gel-Plus, on top of providing comfortable support for sciatica sufferers, is also a well-rounded, affordable mattress that keeps you cool while providing the good night sleep that is needed to recoup from chronic sciatic pain.

Sciatica is painful, but your sleep shouldn’t be. A good night’s sleep is a cherished thing. It improves your health and wellness and provides your body with the energy it needs to fight sciatic pain.

Your bed should alleviate Sciatica, not exasperate it. Any of the mattress featured here would make a superb choice to help fight sciatic nerve pain and keep you active, mobile and feel rested no matter your age or medical condition.