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We all have our preferences when it comes to the position we find most comfortable for sleep. Some people like to lie flat on their backs while others like to be propped up on pillows. For some, it’s most comfortable to lie on the stomach hugging a pillow.
Many people sleep on their sides and roll from one side to the other throughout the night. Though this position may be the most comfortable at first, it does have its issues. If you’re not sleeping on the right mattress, or if you have an underlying condition, side sleeping could trigger or worsen hip pain.
In this article, we’ll explore the common causes of hip pain at night and talk about some tips to relieve your pain. You’ll learn how sleeping on the wrong mattress might make your pain worse and what you should be looking for in a new one. You’ll also see our picks for the best mattress for hip pain sufferers.
[alert type=”success” icon-size=”normal”]Which are the Best Mattresses for Hip Pain?
- Best Overall: Casper Wave
- Best Budget-Friendly: Amerisleep AS3
- Best Luxury: Brooklyn Bedding Aurora
- Best Memory Foam: Puffy Lux
- Best Dual-Sided: Layla Memory Foam
- Best Pillow-Top: Helix Luxe
- Best for Side Sleepers: Nolah Signature
- Best for Athletes: Bear
- Best for Customization: Saatva Air
- Best for Lightweight Sleepers: Leesa Legend
- Best for Heavy Sleepers: WinkBed Plus
What Are the Most Common Causes of Hip Pain?
The term “lateral hip pain” is the broad term used to describe pain on the outer side of the hip. This type of pain can begin suddenly (acute pain) or develop gradually over time (chronic pain). For many people, the pain develops or worsens at night and it seems to be most prevalent in women between 40 and 60 years old. The primary cause is overuse or injury, though it can also be caused by underlying issues.
These are some of the most common causes of hip pain:
- Hip Bursitis – Bursae are fluid-filled sacs that cushion the joints when you move. When the bursae in the hips become inflamed, it triggers hip pain and a condition known as hip bursitis.
- Osteoarthritis – The most common form of arthritis in the hips, osteoarthritis is typically the result of wear-and-tear on the cartilage at the ends of your bones. As it wears away the bones start to rub against each other which causes inflammation, swelling, and hip pain.
- Tendonitis – The tendons are what attaches muscle to bone and hip tendonitis occurs when the tendon in the hip becomes inflamed. It often causes a deep ache in the groin and buttock pain.
- Piriformis Syndrome – The piriformis muscle is a small muscle deep in the buttock that can become inflamed or irritated, leading to irritation of the sciatic nerve and resulting pain.
- Scoliosis – This condition is characterized by a sideways curvature of the spine that typically develops in childhood. It usually causes back pain but, depending on the degree of curvature and the direction, could contribute to hip pain as well.
If your doctor rules out underlying conditions as the source of your hip pain, you may need to look at other causes. Waking up regularly at night from hip pain could be a sign that you’re sleeping in the wrong position or that you’re sleeping on the wrong mattress.
[alert type=”info” icon-size=”normal”]Read Also: 10 Best Mattresses for Sleep Apnea Sufferers in 2022[/alert]Does a Bad Mattress Make Hip Pain Worse?
If you struggle sleep at night because of pain or you wake up with sore hips, you may want to think about upgrading your mattress. A mattress that’s either too hard or too soft can trigger pressure points which may lead to sore joints, including your hips.
What really matters most in a mattress is a balanced combination of support and pressure relief. Keeping your spine in proper alignment during sleep is essential, but pressure relief is required to make that happen. You need a mattress that conforms to the contours of your body just enough that it prevents pressure points but doesn’t sink so much that it allows your spine to fall out of alignment. Pressure point relief is particularly important if you sleep on your side.
Buying a new mattress won’t necessarily relieve your hip pain if it’s related to an underlying condition, but it could certainly help. You do, however, need to choose the right mattress.
Here are the benefits of upgrading your mattress:
- Depending on the materials and quality, mattresses should generally be replaced every 7 to 10 years – the older the mattress, the less supportive it may be.
- Upgrading to a new mattress gives you access to newer, more modern materials which are designed with support and pressure relief in mind.
- You may not need to choose from a single mattress material like you used to – hybrid mattresses combine two or more materials to deliver a combination of benefits.
- Modern mattress companies sell directly to the customer which saves you the hassle of having to visit a mattress dealer in-store and it saves you money by cutting out the middleman.
- Most modern mattresses come with a risk-free trial period that allows you to test the mattress for up to a year (sometimes longer) with the option of free returns if you don’t like it.
What to Look for in a Mattress for Sore Hips
Hip pain can be triggered or worsened by pressure points, especially if you sleep on your side. When you sleep on your side, the majority of your weight rests on your hips and shoulders. If your mattress doesn’t absorb that pressure and conform to the contours of your body, it could make your pain worse. You may also find that your back becomes sore because your spine isn’t being supported properly.
Switching to sleeping on your back or stomach might help, or you could try sleeping with a pillow between your knees to support your spine. If those options don’t work, it’s probably an issue with your mattress and you should consider upgrading to a better one.
Here are some tips for choosing a new mattress:
- Look for a medium-firm mattress to deliver the ideal combination of support and pressure relief – it should conform to the contours of your body without sinking too much.
- Consider a mattress that offers additional support in the lumbar area – these mattresses help with alignment issues which can contribute to pressure points and back pain.
- Memory foam is a great material for pressure relief, but it sinks a little too much for some people – if that’s an issue, consider latex which is more responsive and has a little more bounce.
- Consider a hybrid mattress if you are used to the feel of an innerspring mattress but you want the pressure-relieving benefits of foam or latex.
- Check the length of the trial period and warranty before you buy – it’s important to be able to test the mattress for at least 100 days to make sure it is the right choice for you.
Now that you understand the benefits of upgrading your mattress and you have some idea what to look for, you’re ready to start shopping! Read on to see our top picks for the best mattresses for side sleepers and hip pain sufferers.
[alert type=”info” icon-size=”normal”]Read Also: 10 Best Mattresses for Snoring in 2022[/alert]The Best Mattress for Hip Pain
While there may not be a single best mattress for sore hips and hip pain, there is a mattress out there that’s the best for you. We’ve done our best to provide you with a varied list of options in different categories to help you narrow it down to the brands you are most interested in. You may need to do more of your own research, but our recommendations will get you started in the right direction.
Here are our top picks for the best mattress for sore hip pain sufferers:
Casper Wave
Best Overall: If you suffer from hip pain, you need a mattress that relieves pressure without sacrificing support. Our top overall pick for the best mattress for hip pain is the Casper Wave. This unique hybrid mattress features continuous ergonomic zones loaded with gel pods to relieve your aches and pains. It’s customer-approved to relieve pain and it delivers maximum support with cooling features.
The Casper Wave is built on a supportive base of resilient springs with firm edge support. The next layer consists of zoned support foam with gel pods under the waist and lower back, so your spine stays perfectly aligned in any position. On top you’ll find layers of Airscape memory foam filled with tiny holes to promote cooling airflow, finished with a thin coating of cooling gel and a breathable fabric cover.
- Pros: Maximum pressure relief and support, cooling benefits for comfort, unique hybrid design
- Cons: Significantly more expensive than many models
Amerisleep AS3
Best Budget-Friendly: You can’t put a price on a good night’s sleep, but that doesn’t mean you have to pay a fortune for a better mattress. If you’re looking for a quality mattress that will help relieve hip pain without draining your bank account, we recommend Amerisleep. This company offers five different models at different firmness levels, our favorite being the AS3. The AS3 is more breathable than traditional memory foam but still offers the pressure-relieving benefits you need to mitigate hip pain.
The Amerisleep AS3 provides a blend of support, softness, and pressure relief at a surprisingly affordable price. It has a medium feel and is made from unique plant-based Bio-Pur materials which have an open-cell design to sleep cooler than traditional foam. This mattress is Amerisleep’s most popular model, designed to enhance sleep, and it comes with a risk-free 100-night sleep trial as well as free shipping and hassle-free returns. If it’s not the perfect mattress for you, you can return it for a full refund.
- Pros: Five models to choose from, plant-based Bio-Pur materials, targeted pressure relief system
- Cons: Could be stronger in edge support, may not have enough bounce for some sleepers
Brooklyn Bedding Aurora
Best Luxury: Hip pain that keeps you from sleep is not something you should have to deal with. If you’re looking for the best mattress out there to relieve your pain and help you sleep better, check out the Aurora mattress from Brooklyn Bedding. With a luxury hybrid design, this mattress delivers optimal pressure relief and cooling comfort with the support you need for proper spine alignment.
The Brooklyn Bedding Aurora mattress is built on a base of high-density foam with individually encased coils. Choose from three levels of firmness and enjoy the comfort of three layers of premium memory foam designed to wick away heat, relieve pressure, and cradle your body in all-night comfort. This mattress adapts well to different sleeping positions and the coil base decreases motion between sleep partners. It all comes with a 10-year warranty and a 120-night sleep trial.
- Pros: Luxury hybrid design, relieves pressure and absorbs motion, sleeps cooler than memory foam
- Cons: A little pricy compared to other models, may not have enough bounce for some sleepers
Puffy Lux
Best Memory Foam: Memory foam is one of the best materials for hip pain because it delivers unbeatable pressure relief. Originally designed by NASA, memory foam responds to pressure by conforming to the shape of your body. Whether you sleep on your side, back, or stomach, this type of mattress will make you feel like you’re cradled in a cloud. The Puffy Lux is our top pick for the best memory foam mattress for hip pain.
The Puffy Lux is an all-foam mattress rated between 5 and 7 on the 10-point firmness scale, making it a great choice for hip pain sufferers. This mattress features an exclusive layer of Body Adapting Dual Cloud Foam in addition to Puffy’s signature Cooling Cloud and Climate Comfort foams. It is built on a base of firm core support foam to create a relaxing but supportive environment for sleep and wrapped in a luxury fabric cover. Puffy mattresses come with free shipping and returns, a 101-night sleep trial, and a lifetime warranty just to make sure you love it.
- Pros: Designed for cooling comfort and support, climate-adaptive materials, strong pressure relief
- Cons: Significantly more expensive than many models, may not be firm enough for stomach sleepers
Layla Memory Foam
Best Dual-Sided: Finding a mattress that is comfortable is difficult enough, but what happens when your preferences change over time? The last thing you want to do is spend hundreds of dollars on a mattress just to have to buy a new one a few years later. If you’re looking for a solution, the dual-sided Layla memory foam mattress might be just what you need. Because it has two sides, you essentially get two mattresses in one – just pick the side you find most comfortable!
The Layla memory foam mattress features a unique flippable design, the Layla mattress is soft on one side and firm on the other, so you can choose between a 4 or a 7 on a 10-point firmness scale. This mattress is built on a 4-inch core layer of support foam, surrounded on either side by layers of Max Airflow foam and copper gel memory foam. The mattress is covered in luxurious fabric infused with Thermo-Gel cooling technology as well, so you’ll enjoy a cool and comfortable night of sleep. Layla mattresses come with free shipping, a lifetime warranty, and a 120-night sleep trial.
- Pros: Flippable two-sided design, copper-infused memory foam for cooling, comfort and support
- Cons: Slow response foam may make it tough to change positions
Helix Luxe
Best Pillow-Top: When it comes to choosing a mattress, sometimes you want something familiar. Pillow-top mattresses are extremely popular and, for many people, they’re what you’re used to. If you suffer from hip pain, a pillow-top mattress may deliver an added degree of comfort and pressure relief to help mitigate your pain. Helix offers a luxurious pillow-top mattress in their Luxe product line.
Helix offers a variety of different options but we like the Midnight Luxe mattress for hip pain sufferers because it is rated a medium level of firmness. This mattress delivers an ideal combination of comfort and pressure relief through a hybrid combination of individually wrapped coils and premium memory foam. This mattress is built on a base of DuraDense foam under a Zoned Body Shape layer that consists of over 1,000 individually wrapped coils to provide advanced lumbar support. On top you’ll find layers of high-grade polyfoam, gel visco foam, and memory plus foam that conform to the contours of your body, relieving pressure as needed.
- Pros: Luxury hybrid design, medium firmness level, comfort and pressure relief, 100-night sleep trial
- Cons: Fairly expensive compared to some brands, may be too soft for heavy sleepers
Nolah Signature
Best for Side Sleepers: When you sleep on your side, most of your bodyweight rests on your hips and shoulders. If you don’t have a mattress that adjusts to your sleeping style, you’ll end up feeling sore. If you’re looking for a mattress that relieves pressure without sacrificing support for your spine, we recommend the Nolah Signature mattress which comes with a 120-night sleep trial and a lifetime warranty.
The Nolah Signature mattress is very versatile – it actually has two different firmness levels, depending which side you sleep on. This mattress features a 7-inch core of high-density support foam with an additional support layer of high-resilience foam. On either side you’ll find a layer of cooling Nolah AirFoam which relieves pressure by contouring to the body without trapping body heat. This mattress stands 12 inches tall and is wrapped in a luxurious organic cotton cover.
- Pros: Two-sided design to choose firmness, cooling foam for comfort, 120-night trial period
- Cons: May not be a good choice for heavyweight sleepers, somewhat pricier than other options
Bear Pro
Best for Athletes: For many people, hip pain is related to arthritis or simply aging joints. If you’re an athlete, however, you may be younger than the typical hip pain sufferer but feel much older. Athletes put their bodies through a lot and when you finally sink into bed at night, you want to feel like you’re going to wake up feeling refreshed. Bear is a unique mattress company that focuses on pain relief and muscle recover – the Bear Pro is one we recommend for hip pain.
The Bear Pro mattress is made with advanced cooling copper foam that wicks away body heat to keep you comfortable all night long. A supportive base layer of high-density foam paired with a transition layer of responsive foam adjusts to your body while the middle layer of gel memory foam removes unwanted body heat. On top you’ll find that layer of copper-infused foam with a breathable Celliant cover over it to help speed muscle recovery. It all comes with free shipping and a 100-night sleep trial.
- Pros: Copper-infused foam for cooling comfort, medium-firm feel, compatible with all foundations
- Cons: May be too firm for some sleepers, may not be supportive enough for very heavy sleepers
Saatva Solaire
Best for Customization: When you think of air mattresses, you probably picture a blow-up bed that deflates overnight, leaving you and your partner crumpled together in the middle by morning. The Saatva Solaire is entirely different and it’s an excellent choice if you need customizable comfort. This mattress features dual air chambers that enable you to change the firmness level are much as you want and as often as you need.
The Saatva Solaire mattress is a masterpiece of sleep engineering, representing the combination of advanced firmness technology with superior comfort. This mattress offers 50 increments of firmness that quietly release or inflate with the touch of a button. Plus, with dual air chambers, you can adjust each side of the bed separately. You’ll enjoy the pressure-relieving comfort of a quilted cotton cover and the convenience of free concierge delivery with in-person setup and free mattress removal.
- Pros: Dual air chambers, adjust to 50 increments of firmness, free concierge delivery and setup
- Cons: Significantly more expensive than traditional models
Leesa Legend
Best for Lightweight Sleepers: Most mattresses are designed for average-weight sleepers but if you weigh less than 150 pounds, the average mattress might not be right for you. When you weigh less than the average sleeper, your mattress might not respond the same way under your body weight which could prevent you from enjoying the full degree of the pressure-relieving benefits. You might need a slightly softer mattress to enjoy these effects, which is why we recommend the Leesa Legend.
The Leesa Legend is a hybrid mattress rated medium-firm, between 5 and 7 on a 10-point firmness scale. Though rated medium-firm, many users find it to be slightly on the softer end of that 5-7 range. This mattress combines two layers of springs for edge-to-edge support – pocketed coils topped with microcoils for targeted hip and shoulder support. The Leesa Legend also incorporates pressure-relieving memory foam for enhanced contouring and a soft fabric cover made from Merino wool and 100% organic cotton. It comes with a 100-night risk-free trial and free no-contact delivery.
- Pros: Great for lightweight sleepers, excellent pressure relief, dual coil design for edge-to-edge support
- Cons: May be too soft for stomach sleepers, may not be firm enough for heavier sleepers
WinkBed Plus
Best for Heavy Sleepers: When you weigh a little more than the average sleeper, you may find yourself sinking into the mattress more than you like. A firmer mattress might work better, but if it isn’t specifically designed for someone with your body type it still might not be the perfect fit. Heavy sleepers suffering from hip pain may do well to consider the WinkBed Plus, a mattress uniquely designed for individuals over 300 pounds.
The WinkBed Plus features a hybrid design that blends the support of coils with the comfort of foam. You’ll enjoy edge-to-edge support and protection against sagging with the additional support of the proprietary LumbarLayer. This mattress utilizes SleepCalm motion isolation technology as well, which is good news if you sleep with a partner, and it uses a triple layer of Heat Disperse technology to wick away body heat. WinkBeds come with free shipping and a 120-night sleep trial.
- Pros: Uniquely designed for individuals over 300 pounds, 7-zone support layer, maximum heat transfer
- Cons: May not sink as much as traditional foam mattresses, some find it too firm
Everyone experiences hip pain differently and the things that relieve your pain might not work as well for someone else. Preferences are just as different when it comes to mattresses, so it’s ultimately your choice to pick the right mattress for your needs.
When choosing a new mattress, however, it’s important to find the right combination between comfort and support. The best mattresses for side sleepers tend to be medium to medium-firm while back and stomach sleepers may find a medium-firm to firm mattress more comfortable. Think about the materials from which the mattress is made as well.
We’ve done our best to provide you with the information you need to understand your issue and to get you started in shopping for a new mattress. If you’re still not sure what to look for, start with the recommendations for the best mattress for hip pain made above.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Does exercise improve hip pain? –
If your hip pain is the result of a serious injury, talk to your doctor before engaging in any exercise that might aggravate your injury. For other causes of hip pain, however, exercise is often beneficial. Low-impact exercises like walking, swimming, and cycling are good options and you can do exercises that strengthen the hip, thigh, and gluteal muscles as well. Be sure to wear appropriate footwear and always warm up and cool down properly when exercising.
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Is it better to sleep on firm or soft mattresses for hip pain? –
The firmness of your mattress may not be directly related to your pain, but it could be a contributing factor. If your mattress is too soft or too firm, it may create pressure points that trigger hip pain. Many experts recommend medium-firm mattresses for back pain and hip pain because they relieve pressure but still offer the support you need for proper spine alignment.
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What sleeping position is best for sore hips? –
The best sleeping position is generally whatever you find most comfortable but, if you suffer from hip pain, you may want to try sleeping on your back or stomach. Just remember that the firmness of your mattress plays a role in determining the best sleeping position. If you sleep on your back or stomach, you may need a slightly firmer mattress than if you sleep on your side. If you want to keep sleeping on your side, choose a mattress that has adequate pressure relieving properties.
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Is my memory foam mattress causing hip pain? –
When it comes to hip pain, new mattress recommendations are often for memory foam models. Memory foam is actually one of the best mattress materials for hip pain because it does an excellent job of pressure relief. The key is to find the right firmness level, however. A mattress too soft will sink under your weight while a mattress too firm won’t sink enough. Both of these issues can create pressure points on the hips which might worsen your pain, not to mention failing to support your spine.
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What else can I do to relieve hip pain? –
The best treatment for hip pain depends on the underlying cause. If you’re experiencing cute or chronic pain, you should first talk to your doctor to see if you can identify the problem. Some causes like osteoarthritis and scoliosis are long-term issues that may require ongoing treatment, though others may be resolved more quickly. If your hip pain isn’t caused by an underlying health problem but seems to be related to overuse, making changes to your lifestyle might help.
Try exercises that strengthen your hips, thighs, and gluteal muscles and rest from activities that aggravate your hips. Avoid sitting for long periods of time with your legs crossed and don’t stand with your weight on one leg. NSAIDs help to relieve pain and inflammation, though you can also try applying ice to reduce pain and swelling. You may prefer a heat pad over ice.