Can a Mattress Cause Back Pain? Learn How to Avoid It & Sleep Better

While many things can throw your back out of whack (lifting too-heavy items, bending the wrong way, etc.), assessing your mattress as a potential culprit to your back pain is step one. Learn to spot the warning signs and how to identify what kind of mattress you need to heal back pain and get a good night's sleep.

Learn the Signs That Your Old Mattress Isn't Working for You:

A telltale sign that your current mattress is causing you back pain is if you're waking up in pain after going to bed feeling fine. Even if you're able to stretch it out in the morning, dealing with consistent discomfort can lead to chronic back pain. Other signs that your mattress isn't treating your body right include:

• You're tossing and turning throughout the night to get comfy
• You're feeling increased pressure on parts of your body when sleeping in certain positions
• Your mattress is unforgiving to the natural curve of your body

Read up on why your mattress might be hurting your back (and how to fix it).

Common culprit: Your mattress is too soft or too firm

What is the best mattress to prevent back pain? While personal preference factors in, your new mattress should be ultra-supportive while allowing your body to relax into a profoundly comfortable sleep position.

Soft mattresses don't usually offer enough spinal support (especially if you're of average weight or above). This lack of proper support causes poor sleeping posture, making your spine fall out of alignment. Your mattress is probably too soft if you sink so much into it that you have trouble moving around.

Inversely, too much firmness means you don't sink into the mattress at all—which can be uncomfortable. Ideally, your hips and shoulder should sink just slightly into the mattress so they're hugged and supported—keeping your spine in a neutral alignment. Depending on your sleep posture, and especially if you weigh less than the average Canadian, a very firm mattress might create pressure points around your shoulders and hips.

The best solution? Choose a medium-firm mattress with pressure relief like the Endy Mattress . Medium-firm mattresses are known as the Goldilocks of options to provide fantastic comfort and quality support. Plus, studies tend to show that this type of firmer mattress helps with chronic lower back pain relief.¹

Common culprit: Your mattress is too old (or too new)

As a general rule of thumb, you should be changing your mattress every 8-10 years to keep back pain at bay. Even a high-quality mattress engineered for durability will start to sag and lose support after a decade of use.

Some people also experience discomfort or back pain from a new mattress. It can last for a few days or a few weeks as the body adjusts to a new sleep surface. Think of it as breaking in new skates—you new mattress may feel uncomfortable at first, but you're getting better support and performance in the long run. If you're still experiencing minor pain after a few weeks, though, your new mattress may not be right for you.

The solution? Buy your new mattress from a retailer with a generous warranty and return policy. The award-winning Endy Mattress comes with a 15-year warranty upon registration and a 100-night risk-free trial period (because we're so sure you'll love it).

The Impact of Sleeping on the Wrong Mattress

In the short term, the repercussions are obvious—you're not comfortable, you struggle to fall asleep, and you end up feeling achy and sore in the morning. It's not a big deal if it happens once in a while (at your friend's cottage or on a trip), but sleeping on a bad mattress every night for weeks, months or years on end can cause serious chronic issues.

It puts pressure on your spine and muscles

Without the right level of support in your mattress, your spine is likely to get misaligned. When that happens, your back muscles try to bring it back into alignment while you're asleep. Even though it may sound like a free back muscle workout, it's quite the opposite! When your back muscles stiffen up and don't have time to heal and repair overnight, they can't get stronger.

It affects your sleep quality

Needing a long time to fall asleep, tossing and turning to get comfortable, and waking up constantly at night all translate to poor quality sleep. Not getting the rest you deserve affects your mental and physical health in many ways—from low energy levels to high blood pressure and, obviously, back pain.

A good night's sleep is one of the best ways to care for your health. Investing in a quality, supportive mattress that won't cause you back pain is an excellent investment that will bring you comfort and peace of mind for years to come. Read up on more tips to improve your quality of sleep →

How the Endy Mattress Helps to Prevent Back Pain

The Endy Mattress is supportive enough to keep your spine aligned yet soft enough to gently cradle your hips and shoulders for maximum relaxation.

Comfortable and supportive layers

Three layers of top-quality foam work together to create the perfect mattress:

1. Endy's comfort layer cradles and supports your body to encourage better spinal alignment and reduce tossing and turning.
2. Our transitional foam provides a gradual transfer of energy to achieve zero motion transfer while relieving pressure points in any sleeping position.
3. Our high-density foundational layer provides ultimate structural support for the upper layers.

Perfectly firm year-round

Endy Comfort Foam is not like traditional memory foam, which tends to sink in the summer and feel firm as a rock in the winter. Because Endy foam is temperature insensitive, your mattress maintains a consistent feel through every Canadian season, no matter the temperature. Plus, our foam's open-cell technology enhances breathability and cooling throughout the night.

Chiropractor approved to ease back pain

The Endy Mattress and Endy Hybrid Mattress are the only mattresses in Canada endorsed by the Canadian Chiropractor Association (CCA). We are the official mattress of the CCA because we thoughtfully constructed the Endy Mattress and Endy Hybrid Mattress with ultra-supportive Endy Comfort Foam for restorative sleep night after night. Endy is the perfect choice for pain-free chiropractor-approved sleep.

Award-winning comfort

The Endy Mattress was scientifically engineered for maximum comfort through extensive lab testing. But you don't have to take out word for it—you can trust its 4.9 average star rating based on 27,000+ customer reviews. Order your mattress now and see the difference!