What Causes Pressure Points, and How Can a Mattress Help?

If you wake up in the morning with aches and pains — especially pain in your back, neck or hips — you might be sleeping on a mattress that doesn’t do anything to alleviate pressure points in your body while you sleep. Ideally, your mattress should support you through every sleep position and help you maintain a relatively neutral or straight spine. That means that your bed needs to conform to you in certain places, depending on how you sleep. 

Find the right mattress for your sleep position

Pressure points are the places where your body presses down into your mattress during sleep. And your sleep position has the biggest impact on where your pressure points are. For side sleepers, your pressure points are in your hip and shoulder areas, and your mattress should relieve pressure there. Stomach sleepers need to feel extra cushion in the upper torso and shoulders, and back sleepers need more give in the hips and lower back.  

In some cases — we’re looking at you, stomach sleepers — you’re best off trying to change your sleep position. We know: old habits die hard. Especially sleep habits. But if you’re experiencing neck pain and you sleep on your stomach, you might find quite a bit of relief by sleeping on your back or side. Turning your head to one side or the other all night, as stomach sleepers do, can cause pinched nerves or strained neck muscles. 

If you’re dealing with pain, consider a foam mattress or a hybrid 

The invention of high density memory foam was a huge step forward in pain relief and pressure point management for the mattress world. Foam mattresses and hybrid mattresses now offer even more, like cooling properties and adjustable base options. Hybrid options with many (in some cases, thousands) individually wrapped coils can also deliver high-quality pressure point relief.

With the right mattress and an adjustable foundation, you’re sure to find a comfortable sleeping position. 

Supplement your mattress with a great pillow

When managing pain or pressure points, your pillow is just as important as your mattress. And in addition to supporting your head and neck, you can use pillows to relieve pressure points on other areas of your body. For instance, side sleepers can use pillows under their knees to help align their hips. Side sleepers can also wrap their arms around a pillow at chest height, which can take some pressure off of the bottom shoulder. 

If you’re looking for relief from pain or uncomfortable pressure points, we can help you find the right mattress — or the right pillows. Come talk to our sleep experts, and we’ll find the right fit for you, no matter your preferred sleep position.