adjustable mattress
Product Review, Bed, mattress, sleep, Furniture, Mattress

We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Here’s our process.

When you hear “adjustable mattresses,” you might think of the ones you’d find in a hospital, but rest assured, commercial adjustable beds designed for your home can do more than just elevate your head and legs.

Many of the mattresses that are available are loaded with high-tech features that allow you to adjust the firmness or temperature of the mattress with a click of a button.

If you pair your adjustable mattress with an adjustable base, you’ll be able to elevate your head and legs — which is supposed to simulate the neutral position of your body in zero-gravity — and you may get the most comfortable, relaxed sleep yet.

There aren’t a ton of adjustable mattress options out there, but we did the research to find the best adjustable beds for back pain.

We took into account a lot of factors when creating this guide.

  • Customer reviews. Companies can say anything about their mattresses, so we took a look at what customers had to say to verify our recommendations are actually as good as the brand claims.
  • Company reputation and transparency. Before recommending any mattress, we check that the brand has a good reputation and is known for transparent business practices.
  • Company policies. We also made sure that brands include solid warranties and in-home trial periods for you to figure out if it’s really the right pick to put your back pain to bed.

Pricing guide

The prices are based on a queen size mattress.

  • $ = under $2,600
  • $$ = $2,600–$5,200
  • $$$ = over $5,200

Best rated adjustable mattress for back pain

Saatva Solaire Adjustable Mattress

  • Price: $$
  • Type: Airbed with foam comfort layers
  • Height: 13 inches
  • Sizes available: twin XL, full, queen, king, California king, split California king

The Saatva Solaire is made with six layers of support.

The Solaire mattress is made with a combination of latex and foam and has a layer of air chambers and individual controls that allow you to choose from 50 levels of firmness.

Pair the Solaire mattress with the Saatva Lineal adjustable bed base to adjust the elevation of your head and feet for added back and neck pain relief. The base also features a wave massage option for added relaxation.

Saatva also offers free white glove delivery, which means they’ll come set up the mattress and haul away your old one. This can be a great option for anyone with back pain who’s looking to avoid any heavy lifting while searching for a new mattress.

Pros

  • 50 levels of firmness.
  • Cool, Breathable.
  • 180-night home trial.
  • Delivery and setup are free.
  • Your old mattress can be recycled.
  • 25-year warranty

Cons

  • It is not designed to be flipped.
  • High-tech mattresses are not ideal for all sleeping people.
  • The price point is higher than other options.

Buy the Saatva Solaire Adjustable Mattress online.

Best temperature-regulating adjustable mattress for back pain

Eight Sleep The Pod Pro

  • Price: $$
  • Type: Foam
  • Height: 12 inches
  • Sizes available: full, queen, king, California king

Research from 2018 found that sweating at night can reduce sleep quality, which can “impair task performance and post-physical activity recovery.”

So if you tend to sleep hot, getting good sleep can be harder to come by. The Eight Sleep Pod mattress was designed to keep sleepers at the perfect sleep temperature all night long.

The bed can be adjusted by detecting when you fall asleep and wake up, room temperature, humidity, and local weather, and can be set to either 55 to 112F (12.8 to 43C) or 112 to 112F (12.8 to 43C) depending on the

The manufacturer advises against using an adjusted base for the Eight Sleep Pod mattress, as it can be used with a standard box spring. This may be a problem for people who want to raise their head or legs.

Note: Healthline does not currently endorse the Eight Sleep smart bed sleep tracking technology because we’re unable to validate its health claims. We’ve included this recommendation solely for its temperature adjustability technology.

Pros

  • The temperature is adjusted high tech.
  • Each side of the mattress has a temperature adjustment.
  • 5 layers of foam for medium firmness
  • A trial lasting 100 nights.
  • Free shipping and returns.

Cons

  • Only continental U.S. can it be shipped in.
  • The 2-year warranty is shorter than some competitors.
  • It is not recommended to pair this mattress with an base.
  • manufacturer suggestion to set up your pod 2–3 hours before bed
  • The water requirement for the water storage area.
  • There is a suggestion to avoid using mattress toppers.

Buy the Eight Sleep The Pod Pro online.

Most customizable adjustable mattress for back pain

Selectabed Air-Pedic 1000

  • Price: $$$
  • Type: Airbed with foam comfort layers
  • Height: 14.5 inches
  • Sizes available: twin XL, queen, California king, Eastern king, split king, split-top king

The mattress is made with a 1-inch pillow top and three layers of foam that are designed for a plush, body-contouring feel.

You can use the handheld remote to adjust the comfort level of the bed from 10 to 99 using the app.

This mattress also allows for customized firmness in three zones: feet, lumbar region, and head. This makes for an ultra-personalized feel to help you find the perfect firmness for your ideal spinal alignment. For even more pain relief potential, you can purchase their separate adjustable base.

Customers praise the company for its exceptional customer service, which is important when making a big purchase.

Pros

  • dual-sided customization
  • Highly rated customer service.
  • 120-night trial
  • 30-year limited warranty.
  • CertiPUR-US is certified.

Cons

  • The base is available separately.
  • The price point is higher than other options.

Buy the Selectabed Air-Pedic 1000 online.

Best luxury adjustable mattress for back pain

Personal Comfort A10 Bed

  • Price: $$$
  • Type: Airbed with foam comfort layers
  • Height: 15 inches
  • Sizes available: twin, twin XL, full/double, queen, king California king

The Personal Comfort A10 Bed is the plushest mattress on the list.

The bed has 9 inches of comfort layers, including a coolingtop layer, a gel- infused comfort layer, and an air flow comfort layer.

At the base is the bed’s air chambers, which can be adjusted to increase or decrease the firmness. You can choose from 45 different settings, ranging from 5 to 50, to find your ideal comfort. Paired with their Power-Flex 4 base, you have even more options for customizing your comfort.

If you opt for a split king, the queen size comes with a “flex head” option, which allows you to lower and lift your head from your partner.

Pros

  • Most plush option.
  • The cover is reversed.
  • cooling
  • The warranty is 25 years.
  • 2 remotes are included for no extra charge.

Cons

  • The base is available separately.
  • The price point is higher than other options.
  • For an added fee, in- home delivery services are available.

Buy the Personal Comfort A10 Bed online.

Best firm adjustable mattress for back pain

Sleep Number 360 c2 Smart Bed

  • Price: $
  • Type: airbed, 2-inch gel-infused comfort layer
  • Height: 8 inches
  • Sizes available: twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, split king, Flextop king, California king, Flextop California king

You’ve probably heard of Sleep Number before. This manufacturer is pretty famous for its mattress lines that feature an adjustable air chamber. This chamber is how you adjust for your firmness preference, inflating or deflating it until you’ve found your “just right” level.

This is the most firm option of the mattresses. The side of the mattress that is not firmness-sensitive can be adjusted. The mattress is also responsive.

“The model that was originally not feature a foam top has a 2-inch gel- infused comfort layer. It is worth pointing out that a 2-inch layer isn’t very plush, which probably helps make it one of the firmest options from the brand.”

The brand says that there are a number of Sleep Number bases available, but they are not available for twin size mattresses. These are available at different price points.

Pros

  • budget friendly
  • 15-year limited warranty.
  • A trial lasting 100 nights.(slightly lower number than many competitors)
  • There is a solid selection of bases.

Cons

  • not cooling
  • Does not seem to offer relief.
  • The thin comfort layer is 2 inches.

The Sleep Number c2 smart bed is available for purchase.

Price Type Height Sizes available Product callouts
Saatva Solaire $$ airbed, foam layers 13 inches twin XL, full, queen, king, California king, split California king – organic cotton pillow top
– 6 layers of comfort and support
– 50 firmness levels,
– coolingand breathable
– 180-night home trial.
– 25-year warranty
Eight Sleep The Pod Pro $$ foam 12 inches full, queen, king, California king – temperature regulating on both sides
– 100-night trial
– free shipping
– 5 layers of foam for medium firmness
– only a 2-year warranty
Selectabed Air-Pedic 1000 $$$ airbed, foam layers 14.5 inches twin XL, queen, California king, Eastern king, split king, split-top king – dual-sided customization
– 120-night trial
– highly-rated customer service
– 30-year limited warranty
Personal Comfort A10 Bed $$$ airbed, foam layers 15 inches twin, twin XL, full/double, queen, king, California king – most plush option
– cooling
– 25-year warranty
– two remotes included
Sleep Number 360 c2 Smart Bed $ airbed, thin gel-infused comfort layer 8 inches twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, split king, Flextop king, California king, Flextop California king – most firm
– adjustable firmness on both sides
– not cooling
– collection of adjustable bases available

Adjustable features

If you want a mattress that can be made softer or more firm without being too fancy, look for air beds that allow for firmness customization.

If you want to control temperature, look for mattresses like Eight Sleep The Pod that are specifically designed for that purpose.

Some companies claim that their smart beds can provide health metrics based on their technology. This option is exciting and high-tech, but it is not a good idea to take these claims with a grain of salt.

We recommend choosing the actual mattress over any sleep tracking technology.

Adjustable base or frame

“You can pair the mattress with an option to have the base adjusted. If you already own an scuplture base, make sure it works with the new mattress you are considering so you don’t void your warranty.”

Mattress type

Airbeds are the most common type of mattress. The air chambers are similar to the coil in innerspring and hybrid mattresses in that they provide extra support. Airbeds can increase or decrease pressure for a more custom support system.

The foam comfort layers on the airbeds can hold up to the stretching and angling of the air chambers. Double-check with the manufacturer to make sure that the mattress is compatible with the base.

Mattress performance and comfort

If you purchase an airbed, you may need to pay special attention to the comfort layers above the air chambers to determine if the mattress will provide pressure relief, temperature control, or edge support.

Look at what reviewers say about these features. They will always give an actual snapshot of how the mattress performs.

In-home trial periods

A major purchase is a bed with an adjustment mechanism. You should take advantage of the at- home trials to test out the beds because they are more expensive than standard mattresses.

A review of studies concluded that a mattress that is subjectively identified as a medium-firm and is self-adjusted is optimal for improving spinal alignment and sleep quality. This means that adjustable mattresses can be a great option for people with back pain.

“It’s important to know which mattress to buy for back pain relief or proper spine alignment. Even if your needs change frequently, you can change the firmness of the bed to suit your needs.”

It is possible to get even more comfortable as you sleep with an option to elevate your head and legs.

The beds are perfect for couples sharing a bed. With dual settings and separate controls for each side, the beds take the negotiation of firmness and temperature levels out of the equation.

Finding the right mattress is important for healthy sleep and can help you find the best sleeping position for your back pain. It’s still best to talk with a doctor if one is available to you. This is especially true if your back pain has been bothering you for a week or longer.

They can help you find the cause of your back pain and recommend treatment options. There are simple lifestyle habits that may help ease back pain. Still, sometimes in more severe cases, your doctor may suggest injections, prescription medication, or surgery.

Do adjustable beds actually help with back pain?

Studies suggest that medium-firm beds that are self-adjustable may help improve spinal alignment and back pain.

Do doctors recommend adjustable mattresses for back pain?

Studies show that medium-firm andadjustable mattresses are the best for back pain, so your doctor may suggest this type of mattress for you as well. Your doctor can suggest treatment options for your back pain that are best for you.

Do adjustable mattresses help with sciatica?

People living with sciatica may benefit from specific sleeping positions and sleeping on certain mattresses. Again, according to research, adjustable beds can help ease back pain and establish proper spinal alignment.

If you have chronic back pain, you can use a mattress that is more expensive than standard beds, but if you are comfortable with the price point, they are a great option.

A Houston-based journalist named Shanley Chien Pierce is a specialist in covering health, science and medicine. She received her masters degree in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at the University of Chicago in 2015. Outside of writing, she likes to explore the vibrant restaurant scene in Houston, drink a glass of single malt Scotch, and work out.

Breanna is committed to helping people live their most authentic lives. Her work focuses on health and well being. Breanna is a pop culture enthusiast. She holds a degree in journalism from Kent State University.