Best Mattress for Side Sleepers with Shoulder Pain

The best mattress for side sleepers with shoulder pain is one that lets your shoulder sink into a soft top layer while firmer layers underneath hold your hips and waist level, and our AR2 is built exactly that way. It is Soft on top over two Medium layers of certified GOLS organic latex. In our own words, it helps reduce pressure points on your hips and shoulders, making it ideal for side sleepers.

The rest of this page explains why that shape works, which of our arrangements fits which body, and what to do if the first one is not quite right. Because our beds are built from separate layers, the answer to that last question is a single layer, not a new mattress.

Why the shoulder hurts on the wrong mattress

When you lie on your side, almost all of your weight comes down on two narrow places: the point of the shoulder and the point of the hip. On a mattress that is too firm, those two points take the whole load. The shoulder gets pushed up toward your ear, your arm goes numb, and you wake up turning over to get off it.

On a mattress that is too soft, you sink until your waist is holding you up. The shoulder and hip still carry the load, just lower down, and now your spine bends like a hammock. You trade one ache for another.

What a side sleeper with a sore shoulder needs is a surface that gives way under the shoulder and the hip and stays put under the waist. Then your weight is shared along the whole side of your body instead of stacked on two joints.

The shape that works: soft on top, firm underneath

A one piece mattress has to pick one feel for the whole depth of the bed. A layered mattress does not. That is the whole reason we build the way we do.

• The top layer decides how the surface feels against your shoulder. For a side sleeper it needs enough give that the shoulder can sink in.
• The middle and bottom layers decide whether your hips and lower back hold their height or drop. They need to be firm enough for your weight.
• The cover is a Tencel and polyester zip cover that holds the layers together.

Every layer we make is 3 inches of latex in one of six firmness levels: Ultra Soft, Soft, Medium Soft, Medium, Medium Firm and Ultra Firm. A bed is three or four of those layers stacked. That is 216 ways to arrange three layers, which is why we can set a bed to your shoulder instead of asking your shoulder to get used to the bed.

Which of our four arrangements fits a side sleeper with shoulder pain

We sell four ready made latex arrangements, AR1 through AR4. Each one starts from $1,300, and each one can still be changed layer by layer afterwards. Here is how they line up for a side sleeper.

Arrangement	Layers, top to bottom	Who it suits
AR1	Ultra Soft, Medium Soft, Medium Soft	Lighter body weights, side sleepers, and anyone who wants to sink in
AR2	Soft, Medium, Medium	Our most popular. Reduces pressure points on hips and shoulders, ideal for side sleepers
AR3	Medium Soft, Medium Firm, Medium Firm	Firm support with a cushioned top, so shoulders and hips sink in while the back stays supported
AR4	Medium Firm, Ultra Firm, Ultra Firm	Heavier body weights, or anyone who wants a truly firm bed

Start with the AR2 if you are an average size side sleeper

The AR2, our best seller, is extremely comfortable without being too soft or too firm. It has several pressure relief points for average size sleepers. With its construction, it helps reduce pressure points on your hips and shoulders, making it ideal for side sleepers. The two Medium layers underneath are right for the majority of sleepers, and the Soft top layer is where the shoulder lands.

Choose the AR3 if you need more holding underneath

If you are heavier, or you move between your side and your back, the AR3 with its Medium Soft top keeps the same shape with firmer support. Medium Soft over two Medium Firm layers means your shoulders and hips sink in while your back stays supported. The AR3 can also be good to relieve pain in the neck or shoulders caused by sitting in one place for long periods of time. It is perfect for people who lean towards the side when they sleep or like to hug their pillows when they doze off.

Choose the AR1 if you are lighter

A lighter person does not press far enough into a Soft layer to get the full benefit. The AR1, our softest arrangement, puts Ultra Soft on top over two Medium Soft layers. It is plush and cradling, made for lighter body weights and anyone who loves a soft bed.

Best mattress for side sleepers with shoulder and hip pain

The best mattress for side sleepers with shoulder and hip pain has a soft top layer that lets both the shoulder and the hip sink in, over firmer layers that stop the hip going too far. On your side those two points carry almost all of your weight, so they tend to hurt together, and they need the same fix.

Our AR2 is built for it. In Lee’s words, it helps reduce pressure points on your hips and shoulders, making it ideal for side sleepers: Soft on top over two Medium layers of certified GOLS organic latex. If your hip sinks too far and your lower back starts to complain as well, go one step firmer underneath with the AR3, Medium Soft over two Medium Firm layers, so your shoulders and hips sink in while your back stays supported. If you are lighter, the AR1 puts Ultra Soft on top, and Lee calls it perfect for side sleepers.

Because every layer is separate, if the hip or the shoulder still feels pressed after a couple of weeks you soften the top layer, not the whole bed.

Why latex instead of memory foam for a sore shoulder

There is a part of the night that rarely makes it onto a mattress page: turning over. Memory foam keeps the shape of where you were lying for a moment after you leave it, so rolling onto your other side means pushing up out of a hollow. With a sore shoulder, that push is often the moment that wakes you.

Latex does not behave that way. It pushes back as soon as the weight comes off it, so the surface is flat again by the time your shoulder gets there. If the hardest moment of your night is the one where you change position, that difference is the thing to pay attention to. We cover it in more depth in how latex differs from memory foam.

Our latex is certified GOLS latex, which proves it is made only of the sap of the rubber tree. We do not blend our natural rubber with synthetic fillers. And our mattresses are the only beds made entirely without fire retardants, so there is no chemical treatment, no glass fiber and no silica in the bed you are pressing your face and shoulder into every night.

How to set the layers for your own shoulder

Start from your weight, then adjust for how you sleep. Side sleepers soften the top layer one step for pressure relief at the shoulder and hip. Back sleepers usually leave it where their weight put it. Front sleepers firm the whole stack one step.

1. Pick the arrangement for your weight. AR1 for lighter, AR2 for average, AR3 or AR4 for heavier.
2. Tell us which shoulder. If one shoulder or one hip is carrying noticeably more than the other, say so when you call, because the layer we would change is not the same one.
3. Sleep on it for a couple of weeks. Your body needs time to settle into a new surface.
4. Change the one layer that is wrong. If the shoulder still feels pressed, soften the top layer. If your hips feel low, firm the middle layer.

If you would rather set every layer yourself from the start, you can change any single layer in the builder and see the price as you go.

Swap one layer later, not the whole bed

This is the part that matters most for shoulder pain, because shoulders change. An injury heals, a new one starts, your weight moves up or down. A bed chosen for how your shoulder felt last winter may not be the bed you want next summer.

With our beds you keep the cover and the layers that are working, and you change the one layer that is in the wrong place. One AR2 owner wrote in his review that the firmness was fine for him but his wife said it was too soft, so Lee sent a firmer layer and now she says it is perfect. That is the whole fix. No return, no second mattress.

Every bed also comes with our 60 day comfort assurance and a 10 year non prorated warranty.

When you and your partner need different beds

A side sleeper with a sore shoulder and a heavier back sleeper do not want the same mattress. You do not have to pick one of you to lose. A split firmness bed is one mattress divided down the middle, with its own arrangement on each side. Pick an AR2 for your side and an AR3 or AR4 for theirs.

If your back or other joints hurt too

Shoulder pain rarely travels alone. If your lower back is the bigger problem, read our page on the best mattress for back pain, because a back sleeper with a sore lower back usually wants less give than a side sleeper with a sore shoulder. If it is hips, knees and hands as well, our guide to a mattress for arthritis and aching joints walks through how to set the layers when the sore spots move around. And for the general question of how soft is too soft, see choosing between firm and soft.

Talk to the person who builds them

Every one of our beds is built in Roanoke, Virginia, and ships nationwide. Height, weight, how you sleep and where it hurts: five minutes on the phone and you will know which one is yours. Call 540-397-2337, and tell us which shoulder.

Common questions

What is the best mattress for side sleepers with shoulder pain?

One with a soft top layer for the shoulder to sink into over firmer layers that keep your hips and waist level. Our AR2 is built that way: Soft on top over two Medium layers of certified GOLS organic latex. It helps reduce pressure points on your hips and shoulders, making it ideal for side sleepers.

Is a firm or soft mattress better for shoulder pain?

Neither extreme. Too firm and your weight lands on the point of the shoulder. Too soft and you sink until your spine bends. What works is a softer top layer over firmer support, so the shoulder has somewhere to go while the rest of you is held up. With our layered beds you adjust the softer part afterwards.

Is latex good for side sleepers with shoulder pain?

Yes. Latex gives way under the shoulder and hip and pushes back as soon as the weight comes off, so turning over does not mean climbing out of a hollow. Our latex is certified GOLS, made only of the sap of the rubber tree, with no synthetic fillers.

Which arrangement should a heavier side sleeper choose?

Start with the AR3. It is Medium Soft on top over two Medium Firm layers, so your shoulders and hips sink in while your back stays supported. If you need even more holding underneath, the AR4 is our firmest arrangement, made for heavier body weights.

What if the mattress feels wrong for my shoulder after I buy it?

You change one layer, not the whole bed. If the shoulder still feels pressed, soften the top layer. If your hips feel low, firm the middle layer. Every bed also comes with a 60 day comfort assurance and a 10 year non prorated warranty.

Can my partner and I have different firmness on each side?

Yes. A split firmness bed is one mattress divided down the middle with its own arrangement on each side, so a side sleeper with a sore shoulder can have an AR2 while a heavier back sleeper has an AR3 or AR4.

Does a side sleeper need a different top layer than a back sleeper?

Usually. Side sleepers soften the top layer one step for pressure relief at the shoulder and hip. Back sleepers usually leave it where their weight put it, and front sleepers firm the whole stack one step.

How do I order the right one?

Call 540-397-2337 and tell us your height, your weight, how you sleep and which shoulder hurts. We build every bed in Roanoke, Virginia, and ship nationwide.