Best Mattresses for Older Adults with Arthritis and Joint Pain

Roughly 22% of all Americans have some form of arthritis—that’s about 59 million people nationwide, with those who are over 65 being the highest at-risk group. The most common form of this degenerative joint disease is osteoarthritis, which occurs when the cartilage at the end of the joints wears down causing bone-on-bone friction leading to pain, aching, stiffness, and swelling. The second most common form is rheumatoid arthritis, which is categorized as an autoimmune disease in which the body mistakenly attacks its own joint tissue. Other types of arthritis are psoriatic arthritis and gout. Regardless of the diagnosis, the disease progresses over time and leaves older adults at risk for complications.  

According to Medical News Today, researchers have found that arthritis can be worse during nighttime hours when the body produces less cortisol, which can lead to inflammation and pain. Those with arthritis may also be sleeping in positions that put more pressure on already stiff and swollen joints. But the biggest culprit of all might be your mattress. 

There are two things to look for in a mattress for arthritis: support for the spine and pressure relief for the joints. While some mattresses do one job better than the other, it’s important to find a mattress that does a good job of both. In this article, we feature the best mattresses for seniors with arthritis in several different categories, highlighting product details, pros, cons, pricing, and more.

Top Picks:

• Best Value: Saatva Loom and Leaf Mattress
• Best Luxury: Helix Midnight Luxe Mattress
• Best for Pressure Relief: Purple Plus Mattress
• Best on a Budget: Zoma Hybrid
• Best for Couples: Tuft and Needle Mint Mattress
• Best for Side Sleepers: Puffy Royal Mattress Hybrid
• Best Cooling: Tempur-Pedic TemperLUXBreeze Mattress
• Best for Back Pain: Casper Wave Hybrid Mattress
• Most Comfortable: Bear Elite Hybrid Mattress
• Best for Spinal Alignment: DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid Mattress

Best Mattress Comparison Table

We broke down each mattress by price, mattress type, sizes available, level of firmness, sleep trials available, material, and shipping:

Our Top Mattresses for Seniors

How to Choose the Right Mattress for Arthritis

There are many factors that should be considered when choosing a mattress for arthritis. Here are a few tips about the most common mattress attributes and how they can help with arthritis pain for a better night’s sleep: 

• Pressure relief: Mattresses designed for arthritis should evenly distribute body weight and prevent sore spots and joint pain. When you’re shopping for a mattress for arthritis, look for pressure relief features like firmness and contouring. 

• Material: The most popular mattress materials include foam, gel, latex, cotton, or other synthetic materials. The ability of the material to create a supportive surface is the key factor in choosing the best type of mattress for your needs.   

• Firmness: Firmness describes the level of support given by your mattress. For those with arthritis, a medium-to-firm mattress can alleviate pressure on joints and support the spine and promote healthy alignment. 

• Ease of movement: This refers to the amount of effort needed to move around on the mattress. Minimal sinkage and the ability to return quickly to its original shape determines a mattress’s ease of movement. 

• Edge support: Edge support describes the level of support around the perimeter of a mattress. The greater the edge support, the less sagging and falling toward the edge. Edge support is important for those with arthritis because it keeps the overall support of the mattress at consistent levels for the life of the mattress. 

• Mattress type: There are five major types of mattresses including foam, latex, innerspring, hybrid, and air. Each one offers its own pros and cons depending on your sleeping position, body type, and extent of your arthritis. 

• Price: Most mattresses cost anywhere between $500 to $1,500, with luxury mattresses going as high as $5,000 or more. Not to worry, though. Most older adults can find a good mattress in the $1,000 price range. Innerspring mattresses are the least expensive, and hybrid models are on the higher end.   

• Contouring: Contouring describes how a mattress forms to your body. For instance, a memory foam mattress gradually contours to the body, while an innerspring mattress does it nearly instantaneously. 

• Warranty: The average mattress has a warranty of 10 to 20 years, although the length, term, type, and coverage differs from company to company. 

Different Types of Mattresses for Arthritis

Along with the different factors that go into choosing the right mattress, there are also different types of mattresses. Each one can alleviate arthritis pain in different ways, depending on the support needed.

• Memory foam: A memory foam mattress is softer than other models and is made to hug the body. 

• Innerspring: Innerspring is associated with the classic mattress, which is made up of springs with cushioning for better responsiveness. The downside? Some innerspring mattresses can’t be used with adjustable beds.

• Hybrid: A hybrid mattress combines comfort and support by incorporating foam, gels, coils, and other materials. 

• Latex: Latex mattresses provide different levels of support for pressure relief and can be helpful for restless sleepers who toss and turn. 

• Airbeds: Airbeds have air-filled chambers that can be adjusted for firmness by the user. 

Sleeping Positions and Their Effect on Back Pain

You can have the right mattress and the right adjustable bed for your arthritis, but is the way you sleep affecting the overall quality of your rest? It’s possible. Here is some more information on specific sleep positions and how they affect arthritis and back pain: 

• Back sleepers (supine): Back sleepers face less problems with spinal alignment but can still have joint problems if their mattress isn’t supportive enough. 

• Side sleepers: Side sleepers experience more hip, shoulder, and knee pain.

• Stomach sleepers (prone): Stomach sleepers may face issues with lower back and hip pain.  

• Combination sleepers: Combination sleepers may fall asleep in one position but wake up in a totally different one, often changing throughout the night. So, depending on the amount of time in any of the above positions, the pain they experience may differ from night to night.  

How We Wrote the Best Mattresses for Arthritis Article

We reviewed mattresses based on the following criteria:

• Cost
• Warranty
• Features
• Comfort 
• Size
• Materials
• Level of firmness
• Ease of delivery
• Expert sources
• Customer service accessibility and performance
• Customer satisfaction reviews
• Company reputation

Why You Can Trust Our Reviews

The bed reviews that we list follow an extensive examination of manufacturers, stated specifications, and reviews. Our reviewers are people who like comfortable beds and who want to be sure that claims made by bed-makers are ones that are backed up by performance and results.

Our ratings consider factors we list in the review: comfort, manufacturer guarantee, return policy, cost.

During our research process, we:

• Consulted with medical and sleep sources
• Surveyed different models of beds
• Spent hours researching adjustable beds
• Read hundreds of verified customer reviews

Many products and services featured on AgingInPlace.org will play a crucial role in your daily life. As these products should help enhance aging at home, we work to uncover as much as possible about the products and services we review. We also consult audiologists, geriatricians, professional adult caregivers, and other experts in the field to ensure we’re providing the most accurate, helpful information.