What Are The Best Mattress For Side Sleepers With Shoulder Pain

When you fall into bed with that anticipated bliss to relax and chill out, waiting for a good night’s sleep.

Only to be plagued by a pain in your shoulders?

Not nice is it…

There can be many reasons why you have shoulder pain, it could be your bed, you might play a sport that causes pain in your shoulders.

Maybe you might have a medical issue with your shoulders.

Whatever it may be when it comes to you rolling onto your side.

We are all side sleepers at some time of the night.

You get this pain that is darn-right annoying and hurts.

You just cannot go to sleep.

And if this problem just does not go away, you need to find answers to help you get a better night’s sleep.

There are sports out there that can cause reoccurring problems with your shoulders, and these are the ones that require you to use your shoulders a lot.

A few to mention are shoulder problems for tennis, football, cricket to name a few.
So shoulder pain at night can affect young and old.

When I Sleep On My Side My Shoulder Hurts?

Yep…

That will do it!

If your shoulder aches, turning on your side is not going to help.

Did you know that the most common form of pain in your shoulders is due to what we call rotator cuff tendinosis and shoulder bursitis?

If you are not sure what this means let’s have a little look closer at these medical terms…

Rotator Cuff Tendinosis – Is, in fact, an inflammation of a group of muscles in the shoulder, together with an inflammation of the tendon.

That rope-like, fibrous tissue that connects the muscle to the bone…

Shoulder Bursitis – Bursitis is a little different, it is the inflammation of the fluid-filled sac, called the bursa, which acts as a cushion between the bones and the tendons or you could say muscles surrounding the bone.

It can not be explained why your shoulder pain is worse at night, yet we could say the same for any sickness – you just feel worse, don’t you.

Yet some factors could be with sleeping on your side, with the direct pressure on your shoulder.

Your mattress I am sure can help elevate it in some way.

Now you wouldn’t sleep on a wooden plank when you have a sore shoulder, would you?

You would not entertain the thought (even though I have just brought it up).

Can Sleeping On A Bad Mattress Cause Shoulder Pain?

Yes, indeed a poor mattress can also contribute to the shoulder pain you are having.
Some reasons are due to the incorrect positioning of your head, neck, and back when you lay on your bed.

And the longer you are in bed the worse it gets.

Now we all get out of bed with a few aches and pains at some time or the other – but generally, we are pretty good.

A too-firm mattress (like a wooden plank, had to add that in) will not contour to your body as well as a mattress that has more give in it.

Yet, a sagging mattress may not provide you with enough support for your back and shoulders…

Not enough, too much…

I know…

Just to top it off, too many or overstuffed pillows can cause you back and shoulder pain as well.

So what is a person to do…

Is there no hope?

Of course, there is don’t despair, I am sure we can sort something better than the situation you are in right now.

Can A Firm Mattress Cause Shoulder Pain?

I am more inclined to say yes to this one more than a saggy mattress because your shoulders just don’t have anywhere to go.

You’re bound to end up sleeping on your side.

Don’t we all…

And I can imagine it would be a bit like sleeping on the floor, fine for some.
But with shoulder pain, ouch!

A too-firm mattress can also contribute to your shoulder pain due to the incorrect positioning of your head.

Just think of it, if your head is laying on a pillow that might be too high or too low, your neck is not aligned with your spine, your shoulders feel like they’re jutting out as the widest part of your body not folding nicely into your mattress, but pointing into it.

A too-firm mattress will not contour to our body, no matter how much you bash away at it trying to tenderize it so that it will be a better night’s sleep hopefully the night after…

Now we know that side sleeping can put undue pressure on the shoulder.
So we need to see what sort of mattress is going to not be too saggy (soft) and not too hard, the plank, I mean firm mattress.

So Enter The Memory Foam Mattress

Is Memory Foam Good for Shoulder Pain?

You might ask me again…

That’s why we’re talking about it, you see with memory foam, those denser, sharper pointy bits of your shoulder will be more supported. It forms to your shoulders, not only cradling the widest part of your body.

Thus people increasing your chances of a pain–free night.

See also Avenco Queen Mattress Review

Yet…

‘Here we go you say.’

With memory foam, you need to keep in mind when choosing your mattress that you want something soft but also supportive.

With a mattress giving ‘pressure relief’ which they through around in the mattress industry.

What they are really saying is when we lie down on our mattresses, our weight is heavily concentrated in two areas of our body.

Yey – the shoulders and the hips and when we go horizontal, our weight there.
If the pressure of your bed is just right you will not have to endure undue pressure on these areas, which can cause that pain, numbness, and general discomfort.

So watch for that word ‘Pressure Relief’ when looking for your mattress.
Let’s get back to the memory foam mattress, shall we…

The Memory Foam Mattress

One of the mattress for side sleepers is the premium memory foam mattress.

The pressure-relief and body-contouring features give you that much-needed support you are looking for when sleeping on your side.

The makeup of this memory foam mattress allows it to evenly distribute your weight when you lie down- giving you the right amount of ‘sink’ for your shoulders and the desired comfort you need.

Now, if you’re a bit worried about getting hot at night on a memory foam mattress, don’t worry.

New technologies these days have thought about this, yes they have, and actions have been put in place to make memory foam mattresses much cooler these days.
So you don’t have to sleep hot these days.

Choose A Slightly Soft Or Medium-Firm Memory Foam Mattress

Memory foam creates that balanced feeling for all side sleepers.

Offering both the support you want for your frame and comfort that you should not do without when sleeping at night or day whatever floats your boat…

The foam contours to the body’s shape while letting those all so sensitive areas sink a little as you move around.

This is very much needed when you are having to deal with and want to avoid shoulder pain.

A Firmness Level Determined By Your Weight

If you’re a heavyweight side sleeper on a soft mattress; let’s face it.

You’re only bound to sink and be hugged by the mattress right – which may not be the most comfort that you are looking for.

Now, if you’re a lightweight sleeper on a firm mattress, it’s not going to go well and can only lead to pain on your shoulders and your hips.

I thought we should mention those as well.

Below is a General Weight Guideline for Side Sleepers.

Weight Firmness Level
Below 90 kilograms Medium-soft to Medium
Above 90 kilograms Medium-firm to Firm

Dream Foam Mattress

One of the most affordable mattresses for people who experience shoulder pain is a Dream Foam Mattress.

It has plenty of cushioning for pressure relief for your shoulders, and enough support to keep your spine straight at night.

If you’re on a budget try this because it could be one of the best mattresses for sore shoulders.

But remember that the price also reflects the issue that it might not last a long, but if you’re ok with that, no problem.

The Dynasty Mattress

It’s thick, with a deep gel foam comfort layer to relieve shoulder pain, and also has special ventilation foam to dissipate heat under your shoulders.

The Cool Breeze is definitely a mattress that feels like the deluxe of mattresses, and it has that mattress depth to have a good shot in relieving shoulder pressure and pain for side sleepers.

The Not So Good Mattress For Side Sleepers

Innerspring

The innerspring mattresses being the most traditional and popular is not going to be the best for side sleepers, and therefore your shoulder pain.

Spring is known for concentrating weight on certain areas when you lay and that can worsen uneven sinking.

Spring is great for breathability thought and airflow because there are spaces in between all those coils.

But the coils are not going to mould to a person’s individual contours and cannot distribute the weight as evenly on the mattress as other mattresses out there.
So not the best for shoulder pain people.

Is Latex The Best Mattress For Side Sleepers With Shoulder Pain

Like the innerspring mattresses, latex mattresses are great for airflow.

They are often perforated with holes to maximize their breathability.

Yet does not have many of those conforming properties that you are looking for when it comes to shoulder pain.

It is bouncy and quick to respond, it does not, however, have the same pressure-relieving (see pressure-relieving) properties that foam has on an everyday basis.
So as you can see I have given you a guide as the better choices for your shoulder pains at night and the not do good choices.

And I hope that is starting to make all those choices a little bit easier so you have an idea where to start when it comes to looking for your best mattress choice on this subject.