IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS!

Check out the best pre-Christmas sales. 

Best Mattresses For Stomach Sleepers

Best Mattresses For Stomach Sleepers UK (2023)

Last updated: 31.10.2023 Reading time: 6 Min.

What’s the best mattress to choose if you like to sleep on your stomach? Of all the sleeping positions, sleeping on your stomach seems to be the least common. This may be because doctors usually advise against it as it carries an increased risk of back pain with it.

This is particularly true if you choose the wrong mattress. This can lead to a hollow back, resulting in neck and back pain.

If you sleep on your stomach, you will undoubtedly turn your head to one side, which misaligns your neck with the spine, putting both of these under additional strain.

That said, we won’t delve into the negatives about sleeping on your stomach.

If this is your preferred choice, then we want to help you find the best mattress for you!

Best Mattresses for Stomach Sleepers

Our top stomach sleeper recommendations

Best For Stomach Sleepers

Origin Hybrid Mattress

The Origin mattress combines a HexaGrid orthopaedic layer, graphite-infused cooling foam, and antigravity pocket springs for a firm and breathable sleep.

The Origin Hybrid is our top choice for stomach sleepers who need firmer support. 

The Origin Hybrid mattress combines six unique layers for firmer-feeling support

These layers include:

  • HexaGrid layer
  • Graphite-infused (cooling) foam
  • Low-density foam
  • Antigravity pocket springs
  • Polyurethane
  • 100% quilted bamboo Tencel fabric top cover

The Origin mattress stands out from other hybrid mattresses with its HexaGrid orthopaedic layer.

The HexaGrid layer has hexagon-shaped grooves that cradle your pressure points and offer relief to your joints.

The mattress also has a graphite-infused cooling foam layer that regulates body temperature and antigravity pocket springs that give individual support to each area of the body.

The bamboo Tencel cover is high quality and feels soft and gentle on sensitive skin.

origin hybrid mattress

Although the mattress is rated as having "soft and firm support," it is on the firmer end of the scale.

This firm feel makes it ideal for stomach sleepers who require a firm mattress that promotes a straight spine.

It also offers excellent edge support for those that like to sit on the edge of the mattress.

The Origin Hybrid mattress also includes a generous 15-year guarantee and a 200-night sleep trial

40% OFF ORIGIN HYBRID£ 299

  Origin Hybrid 
Composition: Hexagrid foam, graphite-infused foam, pocket springs, polyurethane 
Firmness level: Very firm
Height: 25 cm (10 inches)
Trial period: 200 nights
Guarantee: 15 years
What makes this mattress special? The Origin Hybrid mattress is one of the firmest mattresses we've ever tested.
Best Orthopaedic Support

Emma Luxe Cooling Mattress

The Emma Luxe Cooling Mattress is Emma Sleep UK's most advanced mattress with temperature regulation technology.

Conveniently, the Emma Luxe Cooling mattress is available in a range of both UK and EU mattress sizes to meet all your requirements. 

Emma's Luxe Cooling mattress is the latest - and most advanced - mattress by the award-winning Emma Sleep. 🏆

This medium-firm mattress features a total of six mattress layers, which include:

  • A temperature-regulating top cover that's removable and washable
  • A top layer of ThermoSync® foam, infused with graphite particles that capture excess heat to promote temperature regulation
  • A layer of Halo memory foam for body-hugging comfort
  • A transitional layer of supportive foam to reduce pressure points
  • A layer of 12 cm (4.8 inches) Aeroflex pocket springs for breathability, surrounded by foam for superior edge support
  • A base layer of High Resiliency Extra foam for additional support and durability 

This mattress has the perfect medium-firm feel. 🧸🧱

It allows for some sinkage to promote optimal spinal alignment and gives you very targeted support but the mattress still provides enough push-back so you won't feel like you're sinking into the foams.

emma luxe cooling mattress from the top
The Emma Luxe Cooling is a medium-firm hybrid mattress.

Conveniently, the mattress also has excellent edge support, which isn't always the case with bed-in-a-box mattresses.

It features enhanced temperature regulation technologies so you won't feel as hot and clammy on this mattress as you may feel on other Emma memory foam mattresses.

The Luxe Cooling mattress also comes with a removable cover that can be machine-washed at 60℃, which is great for people struggling with allergies or those with hygiene concerns. 💦

You can upgrade the Emma Luxe Cooling to the Emma Luxe Cooling Plus, which includes an advanced temperature-regulating Diamond Hybrid comfort cover. 

The Emma Luxe Cooling mattress is delivered rolled up in a compact box, making it relatively easy to manoeuvre, but be aware that this mattress is on the heavy side. 

emma luxe cooling mattress delivery
The mattress is delivered tightly rolled up in a cardboard box.

Delivery and returns are free, and the mattress also comes with a 200-night trial and a 10-year guarantee.

As an aside: The Luxe Cooling mattress we tested was damaged on delivery, but we had a positive experience with the Emma customer support team, who responded to our request within 48 hours.

55% OFF EMMA NEXTGEN LUXE + 5% OFF W/ "SLEEPHEROUK5"

  Emma Luxe Cooling Mattress
Composition: Multiple layers of foam, memory foam, and pocket springs
Firmness level: Medium-firm
Height: 25 cm (10 inches)
Trial period: 200 nights
Guarantee: 10 years
What makes this mattress special? Exceptional edge support with a comfortable medium-firm feel.
Best Guarantee

DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid

The DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid mattress is a 5-layered premium mattress that combines memory foam with pocket springs.

This is a high-quality mattress designed for enhanced breathability, comfort, and support. 

The DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid is a premium mattress from the same company that's brought you the Nectar memory foam mattress.

It combines high-quality memory foam with full-size pocket springs (called ActiveEdge coils), each measuring 15 cm (5.9 inches).

DreamCloud luxury hybrid

This is an orthopaedically designed mattress with medium-firm support to help eliminate back, neck, and shoulder pains.

The mattress offers enhanced breathability to help keep you cool and refreshed all night long. ❄️

It also has low motion transfer and great edge support, making it a great choice for couples.

The DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid mattress is 28 cm (11 inches) thick and stands out as a key feature in any bedroom. 🏆

The mattress comes with free delivery & returns, a remarkable 365-night risk-free trial period, and a lifetime guarantee.

£540 OFF DREAMCLOUD + FREE BEDDING SET£ 408.07

  DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid
Composition: Memory foam, pocket springs
Firmness level:  Medium-firm
Height: 28 cm (11 inches)
Trial period: 365 days
Guarantee: Lifetime warranty
What makes this mattress special? Fantastic premium-choice option suitable for most; revolutionary trial period and a lifetime guarantee.
Great For Couples

Hypnos Wool Origins 6 Mattress

The Hypnos Wool Origins 6 mattress offers tailored orthopaedic support, sustainable materials certified by Red Tractor, and a decade-long guarantee, all crafted in the UK.

The Hypnos Wool Origins 6 mattress is made from breathable materials, including wool and cotton. 

The Hypnos Wool Origins 6 mattress is a bestselling mattress by the Hypnos brand. 

We recommend the Hypnos Wool Origins 6 mattress to:

  • Side (medium option) and stomach sleepers (firm option)
  • Couples & restless sleepers
  • Eco-conscious people
  • Hot and cold sleepers
  • Luxury shoppers

The Hypnos Wool Origins 6 mattress is made with ReActivePro 6-Turn pocket springs.

These springs are designed specifically to respond to your body's unique pressure points, like the hips and knees, ensuring a supportive night's sleep. 

One of its standout features is the use of natural fibres of wool and cotton.

These materials, certified by the Red Tractor Assurance, not only contribute to sustainability but also help regulate sleep temperature for a cooler, more breathable experience. 

Wool naturally regulates temperature, wicking away moisture in warm seasons and insulating heat during colder months.

Hypnos Wool Origins 6 mattress
The Hypnos Wool Origins 6 mattress is a popular choice. 

The Hypnos Wool Origins 6 mattress has two firmness levels, medium and firm.

The medium firmness provides a perfect balance of support and pressure relief for side sleepers.

The firm version would be particularly suitable for stomach sleepers and heavier-weight back sleepers.

We also recommend this Hypnos mattress to couples as the individual pocket springs ensure disturbances from a partner's movements are minimised. 👩‍❤️‍👨

This award-winning product includes a 10-year guarantee from Hypnos.

£507 OFF HYPNOS WOOL ORIGINS 6 MATTRESS

  Hypnos Wool Origins 6 Mattress
Composition: ReActivePro 6-turn pocket springs, viscose, cotton, wool
Firmness level: Medium or firm
Height: 29 cm (11.4 inches)
Trial period: /
Guarantee: 10 years
What makes this mattress special? Sustainable materials, made in the UK, targeted orthopaedic support, and minimised partner disturbances. 
Luxury Option

Eve Premium Hybrid

The Eve Premium Hybrid is a hybrid mattress with 5 layers of new generation foam and over 1500 pocket springs.

This high-end mattress promises to support people of all weights and body sizes - and it's perfect for couples!

The Eve Premium Hybrid is the most luxurious hybrid mattress by Eve Sleep.

eve premium hybrid mattress

It combines multiple layers of foams and springs, including:

  • Graphite-infused cooling foam
  • Evecomfort foam that's 30x more breathable than traditional memory foam
  • Open-cell support foam
  • Up to 1666 full-size pocket springs
  • High-resilience base foam

This unique combination guarantees a high degree of comfort in all sleeping positions.

The mattress adapts to the body of the sleeper, allowing for optimal spinal alignment. 📏

The Eve Premium Hybrid is particularly great for people suffering from back pain.

It also has exceptional motion isolation, making it a great choice for couples. 👩‍❤️‍👨

The Eve Premium Hybrid mattress comes with free delivery & returns, a 200-night risk-free trial period, and a 10-year guarantee.

BUY EVE PREMIUM HYBRID£ 1,249

  Eve Premium Hybrid
Composition: Graphite-infused foam, memory foam, full-size pocket springs
Firmness level: Medium-firm
Height: 28 cm (11 inches)
Trial period: 1 year
Guarantee: 10 years
What makes this mattress special? 5 layers of premium comfort & support

How we test products

Our mission is to take the guesswork out of finding the perfect sleep products.

We've dedicated hundreds of hours to testing mattresses and sleep accessories, and rely on a team of testers of differing weights, temperature preferences, and sleeping positions to evaluate each product. 

Tested products are granted the Sleep Hero tested stamp of approval, a mark of our review's reliability.

To learn more about our testing process, check out our methodology page.

If we haven't personally tested a product, please be assured that we invest significant time and energy into scouring the UK market and researching the best recommendations, and we work with a team of sleep experts who review our articles, ensuring that the insights we provide are not only relatable but also reliable.

Why is sleeping on your stomach so bad for you?

Sleeping on your stomach is not the ideal position for your body. This is the position where you'll develop the most back problems, largely caused by a hollowing of the back, which strains your spine. In the long germ, this results in lower back pain. This problem is exacerbated if your mattress is too soft or your pillow too thick and fluffy.

You may also develop breathing problems as your rib cage as less space to open.

If you want to continue sleeping in this position, then we can help you choose the ideal mattress.

But if you want to break the habit of sleeping on your stomach, here are some tips that can help you:

  • Try to fall asleep on your back or your side. If you wake up on your stomach, turn to your back and side again before going back to sleep.
  • If you try to fall asleep on your side, hug a pillow. This will make it more difficult for you to roll over onto your stomach.
  • If you sleep with a partner, ask him/her to move you back on to your side or back during the night (if your partner happens to wake up during the night).

The importance of stability

Sleeping on your stomach increases the pressure on your upper body. This can not only lead to restless sleep but also to severe back pain if the mattress cannot properly reduce and relieve pressure points. This is why stomach sleepers need to choose a mattress with high stability and good support.

Another difficulty with stomach sleepers is that they necessarily have to turn their head to the side while sleeping. The neck area is thus heavily overloaded and no longer forms a uniform line with the spine.

To rectify this, it is very important that people who sleep on their stomachs also choose the right pillow (see below). It also suggests that a mattress must offer particularly good stability in the neck area.

Some mattresses offer contour zones, which will be able to offer that necessary stability. Contour zones support your body as you’ll sink in more in some areas than in others. This keeps your spine straight and stable.

New generation foam mattresses are recommended for stomach sleepers. The combination of memory foam with other foam layers ensures optimal body adaptation and good pressure relief in all the necessary areas.

Mattresses that consist of latex in the top layer are also very suitable, as this provides good pressure relief and cushioning, resulting in a very stable body position.

Choosing the right pillow

Many stomach sleepers choose the wrong pillow. They may spend a lot of time trying to choose the right mattress but completely forget that the right pillow is equally important, especially for stomach sleepers.

Since stomach sleepers sleep with their head to the side, which adds strain to the neck area, the right pillow is of the utmost importance.

You need a pillow that is quite flat and not heavily filled. As your body lies flat on the mattress, you need a pillow that supports the neck, while still allowing you to lie as flat as possible.

If the pillow is too high, then you will strain your cervical spine and promote further pressure points. This will increase neck pain.

Of course, other factors such as adaptability to your head shape, cooling, and comfort are also important when choosing your pillow. But if you sleep on your stomach and want to prevent tension and pain, then making sure the pillow is low enough to keep your body as flat as possible is the most important thing to consider.

You may also consider sleeping without a pillow, which will help rebalance your spinal position.

A quick tip: A small flat pillow placed under your stomach can also help avoid a hollow back.
Flat Pillow
Choose a flat pillow if you sleep on your stomach

The right degree of firmness

The right degree of firmness plays an important role in every mattress purchase. If you choose a mattress that is too soft or too firm, you’ll feel this in the first few weeks through back and neck pain.

A mattress that’s too soft will allow your body to sink in more profoundly in the abdominal region, creating a hollow back and causing your spine to sag. This results in back pain. To prevent this, it is advisable to choose a firmer mattress. But if you choose a mattress that’s too firm, then your spine won't be optimally aligned either, again leading to back pain.

If you sleep on your stomach, then the ideal degree of firmness would lie between 5 and 7 on our Sleep Hero firmness scale. Your body characteristics (body weight, height) are also important factors to consider. Light-weight sleepers can choose a slightly softer model (5 - 6.5), while heavier-weight sleepers can choose a slightly firmer model (6-7).

It is important that the right mattress offers the right degree of firmness as well as the required stability. It should also be made of high-quality materials.

Firmness according to sleeping position

Conclusion

We would recommend a mattress that is both stable and that adapts well to your body.

The combination of firmer and softer foams is also ideal. Make sure your mattress has a stable, springy top layer and a soft and comfortable foam layer second layer. Adaptable foams such as memory or gel foam and stable base foams such as cold foam or PUR foam are recommendable.

With this combination, you’ll be able to enjoy your sleep and prevent back and neck pains.

Nicky

Nicky

Content Director & Partner Relations

My mum calls me "bear" because I like to sleep so much. I never thought that, one day, I'd be a certified sleep coach and apply my skills more widely. Can you tell that I've found my calling? 

Was this article helpful?
Yes
No

Thank you for your feedback. If you're ready for more, subscribe to our newsletter:

Message sent successfully - thank you for your feedback!
Oh no - message sending failed.

Why trust us?

We understand the importance of trust and reliability when it comes to product reviews - but why trust us?

  • Dedicated testing facility: We've tested over 180 products globally and now operate our own testing facility equipped with state-of-the-art equipment to analyse product performance.
  • Approved by sleep experts: We collaborate with international sleep experts who train our team, review our articles, and provide invaluable insights on sleep health.
  • Industry connections: We maintain close relationships with manufacturers and brands, giving us a head start in the latest trends, upcoming products, and the technology that drives them.
  • European market leader: We are proud to be the #1 review site in Europe, part of an expansive network that continues to grow across the globe.

With millions of visitors each year, our global reach isn't just about numbers - it's about making better choices more accessible to everyone.

>180 products tested

>19,836 hours of research

>6 million people trust us

7 experts

#1 on the European market

Our favourite discounts:
You may also be interested in:
    s

    Yes, please!
    No, thank you. Take me to the UK site.

    We have an affiliate relationship with some manufacturers, where we receive a commission on sales if you click over from our site. This does not affect the purchasing price. In contrast: By using our discount codes, you'll get the best deal possible.