Softness isn’t the Nolah Evolution’s only advantage: It also has hole-punched foam that adapts to your body’s shape, a reinforced border that uses breathable gusset fabric to release trapped body heat (and counteract the warm nature of memory foam), and a firm lumbar layer that supports your lower back by keeping your spine in a neutral position.
Our Tester’s Take
The Nolah Evolution is a great option for pressure relief and bouncy comfort—and the fact that it comes in several different firmness levels, including plush, luxury firm, and firm, was a favorite feature for our test team. According to Robbie Mann, physical therapist and Regional Director of the Mideast at FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers, softness in the mattress’s top layer is beneficial for those with back pain, so long as the mattress has solid support underneath to keep the spine neutral and joints aligned.
The Evolution is built with an 8-inch bed of support coils, split into three different compression levels at the head, middle, and foot for targeted support. Six inches of foam sit on top of that innerspring base, distributed between four layers. Some help the bed feel bouncy and responsive, while others provide zoned support to hold your body in a natural, neutral position and prevent any spinal misalignment issues. One layer, made with organic cotton and a border gusset, even has the ever-crucial task of dispersing body heat to keep the entire bed cool.
Best Luxury Mattress for Back Pain: Saatva Rx
The Saatva Rx was designed specifically for sleepers with chronic back pain. It has multiple zoned support layers instead of just a centralized one like most mattresses, which help to provide more customized firmness and pressure relief for your lower back.
Our Tester’s Take
There’s nothing wrong with shelling out a few extra bucks for a high-quality mattress that will last you a long time—especially if it helps address your back pain. The folks at Saatva designed the Rx to alleviate discomfort from chronic conditions like sciatica, arthritis, scoliosis, and herniated discs. Multiple layers contour your body, relieve pressure on joints, and support your back’s natural curves all at the same time. Even better, the Saatva Rx has the stamp of approval from the American Chiropractic Association, the largest professional organization of chiropractors in the United States.
Take the top layer of the mattress, for example. Each of the three quilt patterns represents a different compression level for your shoulders, hips, and legs. Gel memory foam in the mattress’s upper half provides plushness, but coils in the core bear your weight to prevent sinking, which in theory, helps to defend against developing back pain from poor body alignment. As if that’s not enough, there’s also an extra mini micro-coil layer between the memory foams for even more support.
“I associated the Saatva Rx’s name with being a cold, stiff hospital bed, but the memory foam and innerspring coils were seriously like a hug when I laid down on it,” says our tester. “I felt right at home on it.”
Not-so-fun fact: Lower back pain isn’t always only felt in your lower back. Research has shown that pain can travel up nerve or muscles and radiate to your legs, back, and even feet. The Bear Elite Hybrid can help folks with low back pain get a good night’s sleep because you can choose the firmness level, sink into the contouring foam, and still sleep cool with the bed’s Celliant fibers (a cooling agent found in athleisure).
Our Tester’s Take
Sitting on a cheap office chair all day won’t do you any favors when it comes to back pain, but sleeping on the Bear Elite Hybrid will. Instead of a foundation of coils that move in unison, the coils move independently. That way, if your hips need more support than your shoulders, the coils will adapt.
The Elite Hybrid is a great choice for those with lower back pain because of its reinforced center that’s soft and plush on the outside, supported by the dense center on the inside. Extra strong coils prevent your hips from sinking too deep into the mattress, which could consequently save you from further aches in your lower back. As a bonus, the fabric weaves in copper, a natural antibacterial material that’s been shown to enhance cooling.
Our tester, a combination sleeper, loved the bounciness of the mattress and how easy it is to change positions. “The firm center really shines through on the Bear Elite,” she says. ”My partner has low back pain, and although it’s a little too firm for me, she really enjoys having that support.”
Getting hot and heavy in bed—and not in the good way—makes falling asleep feel like a chore. Emma’s Hybrid Comfort combats night sweats through stacks of heat-resistant memory foam.
Our Tester’s Take
Studies suggest the best temperature for ideal sleep is between 60 and 68 degrees. We don’t ever want to see that energy bill, but we do recommend the cozy Emma Hybrid Comfort for a cool sleep setup. The mattress’s three layers of cooling memory foam regulate temperature throughout the night, while the pocket-spring underbelly adds stability to your sleep position and the mattress’s structural integrity. And even after a few months, our tester describes it as sleeping on the cool side of the pillow, every night.
Brooklyn Bedding’s Signature Hybrid mattress is perfect for folks who prioritize convenience: It’s a hybrid mattress-in-a-box that’s ideal for side and back sleepers—with or without back pain—neatly boxed in an affordable package.
Our Tester’s Take
For those who want a reasonably priced answer to back pain and want it now, the Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid is the way to go. It ships in three to five days from its Arizona factory, and its quality far exceeds its price tag, in our tester’s opinion. This firm but bouncy pick is composed of individually cased coils and layers of dense memory foam—and beyond that recommended medium-firm feel, the Signature Hybrid also has some plusher transition foams near the top of the mattress to soften things up.
“I wasn’t looking to spend a small fortune on a mattress, so the Signature Hybrid met my needs,” says our tester. “I’m a side sleeper who prefers soft beds, but the medium firmness level was the perfect compromise.”
Because it’s essentially composed of two layers of foam on eight inches of coils, you won’t have to sit around waiting for a massive brick of foam to decompress. Toss it on your bed frame and you’re practically good to go. It’s a no-brainer for college students or guest rooms that don’t see a ton of use.
