Millions of people sleep on their stomach. It’s a personal preference and pretty difficult to change. After all, you have no control over what your body does once you doze off! Although sleeping on your stomach can reduce snoring and diminish Sleep Apnea, it can also lead to trouble for your back and neck. That can lead to poor sleep quality and back pain throughout your day.
It doesn’t have to, though. By outfitting your bed with the perfect pillows and the best mattress for stomach sleepers, you can keep the comfy position you love and avoid chronic back pain and bad morning moods. Here’s everything you need to know!
Common Sleep Problems for Stomach Sleepers
It all starts with the spine. According to the Mayo Clinic, sleeping on your stomach places a strain on your back and spine. This is because most of your weight is in the middle of your body. This makes it difficult to maintain a neutral spine position when you're sleeping. Essentially, your back curves the wrong way as you slumber. If that doesn’t sound good, that’s because it’s not! Whether it’s in the neck, back, or joints, this pain can affect how much sleep you get. More pain means you’re more likely to wake up during the night to roll around. You’re sure to feel less rested in the morning. Night after night of this means chronic fatigue begins to set in.
Choosing the Right Pillows for Stomach Sleepers
It doesn’t have to be this way, though! Building a better bed all begins with the right pillow. Because sleeping on your stomach includes twisting your neck all night long, the pillow you choose is even more important than for those who sleep on their side or back. Stomach sleepers need a thin, yet supportive pillow. On our website, we have an entire section dedicated just to pillows for stomach sleepers! Just a few we recommend include:
Malouf Gelled Microfiber + Gel Dough This pillow adds the comfort and support of memory foam to the plushness of gel-coated fibers. The Gelled Microfiber® fill is soft like down. A layer of gel-infused memory foam offers a smooth, supportive surface that helps regulate temperature. It comes with a 250 thread count pure cotton cover.
Tempur-Pedic’s Adapt Pro Cooling Pillow You already know and trust the Tempur-Pedic name brand. This pillow allows you to experience one-of-a-kind pressure relief and cooling comfort. This supportive pillow utilizes exclusive layers of TEMPUR® technology that adapts to your shape and cradles the neck and shoulders when activated by the unique characteristics of your body.
Down Décor LanaDown Pillow Nothing beats the organic fluffy softness of down! This pillow is filled with a special 30-70 blend of wool and down expertly combined to create a perfectly luxurious sleeping experience. We recommend the Medium Density option for those who sleep on their stomach.
It’s important to note here that you may need more than one pillow. Experts recommend that you put a thin pillow under your head and another pillow under your pelvis. This will reduce the "bowing" of your spine mentioned above that is the cause of so much lower back pain.
The Best Mattress for Stomach Sleepers
Once you’ve chosen a great pillow (or two!) you can get to the real focal point of your bed. We’re talking, of course, about your mattress. With the right mattress, sleeping on your stomach doesn’t need to result in morning back pain. People carry a good portion of their weight across the chest, hips, and belly, which means sleeping on your stomach can cause an unnatural curving of the spine. This bowing, for hours on end, then leads to back pain. You need to find a high-quality new mattress with the proper support you need and overall comfort you want. Often but not always, this means looking for a firm-feeling mattress. Our experts say these are some of the best mattress for stomach sleepers:
PranaSleep Nidra Extra Firm This mattress is a favorite among those who want a truly firm bed. This mattress is carefully crafted with a PranaSleep Performance Talalay Core®. This core is made from PranaSleep’s proprietary formula with more than triple the natural rubber as ordinary Talalay latex. It’s a firm yet comfortable feel provided by some of the world’s finest materials, handcrafted by experts!
Tempur-Pedic TEMPUR-ProAdapt Firm The ProAdapt mattresses have 25% more Tempur material to help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. The comfort layer is Tempur-APR™(Advanced Pressure Relief), a new technology that provides a more firm feel. The support layer is the original Tempur material.
Stearns & Foster Estate Rockwell Luxury Firm The Rockwell models feature an exclusive Indulge HD Memory foam that is made for Stearns and Foster by the scientists of Tempur-Pedic. Indulge foam offers pressure relief, motion reduction, and support. The IntelliCoil support system provides lasting comfort and support along with the Precision Edge support for breathability. It’s everything you could ask for in a mattress and more!
While all of us sleep, none of us sleep in the exact same way. The best sleeping position is generally the one that promotes the best slumber for you. If you love to sleep on your stomach, the pillows and mattresses above are a great way to do it while staying ache and pain free. If you have any additional questions about which products would be best for you, reach out and ask! You can do so by speaking with a live Sleep Expert online. Simply click the red button at the bottom right corner that says “Chat with us.” You can also visit your nearest City Mattress location and chat in person, plus lie down on a few great options. The choice is yours!