Best Mattress For Sleep Apnea
5 Top-Ranked Beds Designed for Adjustability and Limited Motion Transfer [2024]
A Sleep Apnea diagnosis can change your whole life. One minute, you’re chronically exhausted, falling asleep all the time, and waking up feeling like you’ve never slept at all. The next, your sleep issue has a name, and you have a solution.
Whether your Sleep Apnea requires some lifestyle changes or you have to accommodate the CPAP machine, having a mattress that complements your diagnosis may be just the thing to get your life back on track.
If you aren’t sure where to start looking, keep reading. We’ve put together a list of our favorite mattresses for Sleep Apnea plus answered a few questions you might have about how to choose. Let’s take a look.
In This Article
Why Should I Upgrade My Mattress?
A new mattress can’t completely cure your sleep apnea, but there are a few excellent reasons why you might rethink keeping your old one.
Adjustable Friendly
If your old mattress isn’t friendly to an adjustable bed, you might want to reconsider. An adjustable frame elevates your head and unblocks air flow during the night. You snore less and wake up less often.
Even if you don’t have an adjustable frame now, it’s very possible that you’ll want one in the future as you deal with this condition. Upgrading now to a mattress that’s compatible with an adjustable frame makes that transition a lot more smooth.
Plus, many of the mattresses offered as part of the revolution in the mattress industry have the option of adding an adjustable base to your purchase. You can make the entire transition all at once for probably a lot less than what you’re thinking.
Motion Transfer
If you have a partner, the constant waking and adjusting probably messes with their sleep as well. If your old mattress shakes around every time one of you moves, it’s probably time to change.
Modern mattresses take steps to reduce motion transfer. Layers of foam and individually pocketed coils prevent movement from spreading across the bed, which means your partner is less likely to wake up every time you do.
Memory foam is the end all of motion isolation, but innerspring and hybrid mattresses have gotten in on the action. They use foam layers and individually wrapped coils. The result is less motion and a smooth surface for every partner to sleep.
Respiratory Issues And Allergies
Your mattress is one of the biggest culprits for allergies and respiratory issues. Old mattresses harbor dust mites, mold, and bacteria. If you’re snoring at night anyway, allergies can further constrict your airway and make things worse.
When you upgrade a mattress, you have the opportunity to get rid of a massive source of those allergies and prevent the same type of toxic build up. Beds that are dust mite resistant and mold resistant should help you relieve a few of the issues you’re currently having with your allergies. If nothing else, having a cover that can come off and go in the wash will do wonders for your allergies.
What Kind Of Mattress Do I Need?
Let’s look at a few things to check off if you’re a sleep apnea sufferer.
Side Sleeping
Many of those who suffer from Sleep Apnea do better sleeping on their sides. If that describes you, you need a slightly softer mattress with more cushion and contouring to get you into a good position and help you stay there.
Mattresses on the medium-soft to medium scale are good for side sleeping. Your pressure points such as shoulders and hips have plenty of space to sink into the mattress so that your spine straightens out. The mattress conforms to your curves rather than your body adapting to the mattress.
Edge Support
Mattresses with good edge support can help get you into a better position. Edge support is critical if you plan to sleep towards the side of the mattress because too much compression makes you feel like your falling.
You still need a form of support within the mattress to keep your airways open and your spine straight. Look for beds that have dense support layers or hybrids of soft foams and coils or micro coil layers, so your spine and airways are as straight as possible.
Back Sleeping And Combination Support
If you’re a back sleeper with the CPAP machine, you may want a slightly firmer mattress to keep things aligned. There are a few mattresses out there that you can either split (if your partner has different sleep preferences) or feel softer on top while remaining medium firm to firm underneath.
Ultimately what matters is that your mattress fully supports you in whatever position you like while keeping your airways clear. It should provide contouring so that you don’t wake up with pain or toss and turn during the night looking for a comfortable place.
Non-Toxic Materials
Mattresses sometimes off-gas. The odor caused by the materials of lesser quality mattresses can cause irritation in the respiratory system. If you’re prone to snoring, you’ll want to invest in a bed with little to no off-gassing and odor.
Materials such as Talalay latex, organic cotton, and proprietary foams all have less odor than traditional petroleum-based memory foam. Again, it won’t cure your snoring, but it won’t make things worse either.
Does Size Really Matter?
Not particularly, but if you’re sleeping as part of a couple, you may want a bed that doesn’t require you to contort to find space. Adequate space allows you room to open up your airways and space for your machine.
If you sleep alone, having enough space to stretch out either on your back with the machine or on your side to alleviate snoring is essential. However, it’s better to get a mattress that provides support and contouring than it is to have a bigger bed.
Best Mattress For Sleep Apnea
We have a list of a few favorites that should check all your boxes now that you have your diagnosis.
Zenhaven – Best Overall
Zenhaven is an all Talalay latex mattress with no off-gassing and eco-friendly materials. It has a firm side and a softer side so as you transition through your sleep apnea treatments, you have a choice. It has excellent motion isolation and good edge support.
The soft side is suited to side sleeping. The cover materials are organic cotton, and underneath is a zoned support layer plus another layer of foam. Underneath is the dense support layer that provides structural support and keeps your spine aligned. If you flip the mattress over, it’s suitable for sleeping on your back if you have the machine. There are fewer layers of contouring foam on the firm side.
You can try the mattress out for 120 nights before you decide if it’s the right one. If it isn’t, you can return the bed for a full refund. You’re also covered by a 20-year warranty against mattress defects.
Zenhaven mattresses can’t be compressed without damaging the latex, so Zenhaven offers free white glove delivery. Your mattress will arrive at a predetermined time, and the delivery person will help you set everything up. They’ll also haul away your old mattress.
None of the sizes will cost you more than $2500, so you’re getting a premium mattress for a lot less than a standard showroom. It’s worth it for the flexibility in firmness and knowing that nothing about the mattress will irritate your respiratory system.
If you need an adjustable foundation, the company offers a compatible one through the same checkout process.
DreamCloud – Runner-Up
Dreamcloud’s eight-layer mattress has the feeling of a soft bed while still fully supporting your spine and joints. The pillow top style is made of two layers of memory foam, one gel and one quilted. Underneath, two more layers of transitional foam that ease your body to the support layer.
The first support layer is a natural latex that’s hypoallergenic and very bouncy. The second is a highly responsive support foam that adjusts to whatever position you’re in. Underneath, pocketed coils to reduce motion transfer and push back against your body. The coils are arranged in a zoned support system, designed to give way underneath your shoulders but be more supportive under areas that need it (like the legs).
If you don’t use a machine, sleeping or learning to sleep on your side helps reduce the amount of snoring and airway blockages you have during the night. The DreamCloud’s construction encourages you to pick a position and stay there without tossing and turning.
It’s covered in a cashmere material that’s breathable and has a natural flame retardant layer. These materials are eco-friendly and have a low initial odor.
DreamCloud gives you a full year to sleep on the mattress before deciding if it’s the right one. You also have a lifetime limited warranty against defective mattresses. The first ten years the company will replace a defective mattress. After ten years, they’ll decide whether to replace or repair the bed. You have the option of white glove delivery or standard boxed delivery.
Honorable Mention Mattresses
We have a few more alternative recommendations for mattresses based on specific criteria. The first two are excellent overall choices, but you might like one of these in particular cases.
Zinus – Best Budget Option
Zinus got started trying to solve snoring. They’ve expanded to include other types of issues, but they’ve still got some offerings that can help you out if you’re on a very tight budget.
We love the Pressure Relief Euro-Top, Pocketed iCoil hybrid model. It’s a little bit softer for side sleepers, and it relieves pressure at common pressure points such as the shoulders. You get plenty of sink to hug your curves, but the coils provide excellent support for your spine.
It has two layers of contouring, one padding for the Euro-top feel and the other contouring memory foam. The next two layers are dense support foam to ease your body to the coil layer and provide pressure relief. The coils are individually pocketed to reduce motion transfer. It has excellent edge support, and there’s no sweet spot in the middle of the mattress.
Zinus gives you 100 nights to try out your new mattress to see if it does help reduce your snoring. You’re covered by a ten-year warranty for mattress defects. They don’t offer white glove delivery, so make sure that you have someone to help you if you need it.
You can get a king size for just a little over $400, making this brand one of the reigning kings of budget mattresses.
Ghostbed – Best For Heavy Sleepers
If weight is causing your breathing issue during the night, a regular mattress might not be a supportive as you’d like. Most beds have a maximum weight recommendation that doesn’t extend much beyond average weight and size.
If you’re a lot heavier than average, a bed might show too much compression to be supportive, and you’ll lose the benefits of the contouring layer. It will feel much too firm, but it won’t actually support your joints and spine.
Ghostbed is rated for a combined weight of up to 750 pounds, so there’s plenty of room. We recommend the Luxe model for sleep apnea because it’s a little bit softer than the original and will encourage you to sleep more on your side.
The covers use a proprietary material that has cooling properties woven right into the fabric. The next three layers are different types of cooling foams. These capture heat and disperse it throughout the mattress to return it to ambient room temperature in record time.
Underneath are two dense support layers, one that’s memory foam and one that behaves like latex. It gives the mattress a lot of response, so there isn’t such a dead foam feel. It has excellent edge support and motion isolation. It helps you get into a comfortable position and reduces the amount of tossing and turning you do throughout the night.
You have 101 nights to try out the bed to make sure it’s the right one for you. If you decide it isn’t the right one, you can return it for a full refund. You’re also covered by a 25-year warranty. You don’t have the option of white glove delivery, so make sure you have someone on hand to help you set things up if you need.
Muse – Best Mattress With Firmness Choices
If you aren’t sure what firmness to get, Muse can help you with their handy quiz. They make their mattress in three different firmness options, so you can get some help choosing the one for you.
It uses three different layers. The first is a contouring memory foam with gel infusion to help regulate your temperature. The next is a flexible layer that determines your firmness rating. The final layer is a dense support foam that provides support and pushes back against your body to keep your spine aligned. The cover materials are phase-changing, meaning they actively remove heat from close to your body and prevent it from building up around you.
If you’re a side sleeper, you’ll want their softest version. It’s technically a medium soft at about a five on the ten point scale, so there’s still plenty of support. If you’re a back sleeper, you may want one of the firmer options (6.5 or 8). The benefit of the Muse is you can get an affordable mattress and customize your firmness level. Many of the budget mattresses on the market now have a universal firmness rating.
It’s dye free and chemical free (better for your respiration), and you can even remove the cover to wash it. They’ll give you 120 nights to try the mattress out before deciding if it’s helping you. If you decide that it isn’t the right one, they’ll pick up the bed for free and refund your money.
You’re protected by a ten-year limited warranty against mattress defects. Make sure your Muse is appropriately supported so that you don’t void the warranty accidentally. It’s compatible with all types of bases including adjustable.
Our Final Thoughts
We love the all-natural, supportive features of the Zenhaven. It’s especially convenient for sleep apnea sufferers because it gives you two different firmness options in one in case your treatments change or progress throughout your life. If you’re sleeping on your side now to alleviate snoring, but you have to migrate to back sleeping later in life to accommodate a CPAP machine, you won’t have to change your bed out.
Motion isolation is excellent for your partner, and neither of you will suffer from bed related allergies. There’s no off-gassing and latex is naturally resistant to dust mites. You’ve sorted your respiratory issues as far as your biggest allergy culprit (the mattress) is concerned.
At less than $2500 for all of the sizes, it won’t interfere with your sleep because of budget concerns either. It’s just a well made, versatile mattress that checks off everything a sleep apnea sufferer might want.