Sleeping Position Guide 2026
Best Mattress for Side Sleepers Australia
Your shoulder and hip need somewhere to go, and your spine needs to stay level while they get it. Five mattresses ranked on how well they do both.
Updated: August 2026
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5 mattresses compared
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7 min read
Side sleeping puts almost all of your weight on two points — the shoulder and the hip. A mattress that is too firm holds them up and leaves your waist unsupported, which bends the spine sideways; one that is too soft lets the hip drop below the shoulder, which bends it the other way. Both give you the same sore lower back in the morning.
What you want is a surface that lets the shoulder and hip sink in while still holding up everything between them. That is a narrower target than it sounds: around 5.5 to 6.5 out of 10 for most people, and ideally with zoning so the mattress is softer where your shoulder lands than where your hips do.
How these are ranked. Each score is the average of two things: the comfort sub-score from our full review of that mattress, and how close its firmness sits to the ideal for side sleeping. That second part peaks at 5.75 out of 10 and falls away in both directions, because side sleeping has an optimum rather than a range — too firm presses the shoulder, too soft drops the hip. The firmness figures are the same ones stated on our other guides, so nothing here contradicts them.
At a Glance
The five, side by side
| Rank | Mattress | Firmness | Why it suits side sleepers | Trial | Score |
| #1 | Luxara Platinum | ~6 / 10 | 10cm pillow top over 2,020 springs | 100 nights | 9.4 |
| #2 | Emma Comfort | ~5.75 / 10 | Closest to the ideal firmness, and cool with it | 150 nights | 9.2 |
| #3 | Sleeping Duck | Adjustable · per side | Set each side separately, change it later | 100 nights | 9.2 |
| #4 | Yinahla | ~6.5 / 10 | Zoned — soft at the shoulder, firm at the hip | 150 nights | 8.9 |
| #5 | Ecosa | Adjustable · ~6 softest | Three settings, so you can find your own | 100 nights | 8.8 |
#1 Best Overall
Best for: Side sleepers with shoulder or hip pain
Why it works on your side
A 10cm pillow top gives the shoulder and hip somewhere to go, and 2,020 pocket springs in two layers hold up everything between them. That combination is the whole answer for side sleeping, and it is hard to get: a plush layer on foam would let the hip keep dropping, while springs alone would push the shoulder back. Here the softness is in micro springs and natural fibres rather than a thick foam pad, so it cushions without collapsing.
Its comfort sub-score of 9.3 is the second highest of any mattress we cover, and at around 6/10 it sits almost exactly where side sleepers do best. The honest caveat: this is the one brand here with no large pool of verified owner reviews to check it against, so we are relying on construction and one independent review rather than thousands of buyers. That is worth knowing before you spend at this level.
🛏️ 100 nights to change your mind — sleep on it through a full month before you decide
~6 / 10Firmness
2,020Pocket springs
10 yearsWarranty
AustralianMade
Exclusive code
$100 off any Luxara mattress
BESTMATTRESS100
#2 Best Value
Best for: Most side sleepers, and anyone who also runs hot
Why it works on your side
At roughly 5.75 out of 10 it lands nearer the side-sleeping optimum than anything else here, which is the single biggest factor in whether your shoulder settles or gets pressed. Airgocell foam contours around the joint rather than resisting it, and because it is open-cell with airflow channels through it, you get that contouring without the heat foam usually brings — it holds our highest cooling sub-score at 9.0.
This is the one most side sleepers should buy. It costs a fraction of the pick above, its 150-night trial is the longest here, and 8,914 owners rate it 4.6 — by far the largest body of feedback behind any mattress on this page. Where it gives ground is edge support, which scores 6.0 in our review: if you sleep right at the edge of the bed, you will feel it give. Emma also discounts heavily and often, so check the price against its RRP rather than taking the first number as the deal.
🛏️ 150 nights to change your mind — the longest trial on this page
~5.75 / 10Firmness
AirgocellOpen-cell foam
10 yearsWarranty
4.6 / 58,914 owners
#3 Most Adjustable
Best for: Couples where one of you sleeps on their side
Why it works on your side
Side sleeping is the position where getting the firmness wrong hurts most, and it is also the hardest to judge in a showroom — the shoulder complains after weeks, not minutes. This is a pocket-spring hybrid you can reconfigure after delivery, zone by zone, and differently on each side of the bed. If you sleep on your side and your partner does not, no fixed mattress can suit both of you.
We earn nothing if you buy this. It is here because it removes the one real risk on this page: choosing a firmness you cannot undo. Comfort scores 8.8 and edge support 9.0 in our review, and 5,742 owners rate it 4.8 — the largest sample of any spring mattress here. The trade-off is price, and that it asks you to make a decision rather than making one for you.
🛏️ 100 nights, and you can change the firmness instead of returning it
AdjustablePer side
9.0Edge support
10 yearsWarranty
4.8 / 55,742 owners
#4 Best Zoning
Best for: Side sleepers whose shoulder or hip pain has not responded to anything else
Why it works on your side
Zoning is the mechanism side sleepers actually need, and this is the best example of it we cover. The springs are softer where your shoulder lands and firmer under your hips, so the mattress does not have to compromise between the two — it gives in one place and holds in the other. Its comfort sub-score of 9.4 is the highest of any mattress we review, and it carries both the Australian Spinal Research Foundation endorsement and Bedbuyer’s Best Back Care Mattress 2026.
It ranks fourth rather than first for one reason: at around 6.5 out of 10 it is slightly firmer than the side-sleeping optimum, so it is doing the work through zoning rather than through give. That suits some people better and some worse. The other thing to weigh is cost — this is several times the price of Emma above, and for most side sleepers that is money they do not need to spend. If your pain has not responded to a mid-priced mattress, this is the one to try.
🛏️ 150 nights, and a 20-year warranty — the longest of any brand we cover
~6.5 / 10Firmness
ZonedPocket springs
20 yearsWarranty
4.9 / 5Owner rating
#5 Best If You’re Unsure
Best for: People who move between their side and their back
Why it works on your side
All-foam is the wrong construction for stomach sleeping, because it contours where you need pushback — but side sleeping is the position where contouring is exactly the point. Ecosa’s foam lets the shoulder settle rather than resisting it, and its softest arrangement sits around 6 out of 10, inside the band. Three settings mean you can start soft and firm it up if your hips begin to drop.
This is the pick for anyone not certain they are really a side sleeper — plenty of people start on their side and finish on their back, and one setting rarely suits both. The 15-year warranty is among the longest here and 555 owners rate it 4.6. Where it gives ground is edge support, which scores 6.5 in our review, and the fact that foam softens over time in a way springs do not: the setting that holds your hips up today may not in three years.
🛏️ 100 nights, and you can change the setting at home instead of returning it
3 settingsAdjustable
~6 / 10Softest
15 yearsWarranty
4.6 / 5555 owners
What Side Sleepers Should Look For
- Aim for 5.5 to 6.5 out of 10 — firmer than that presses the shoulder, softer lets the hip drop. This is a narrower target than for any other sleeping position
- Zoning beats uniform firmness — a mattress that is softer under the shoulder and firmer under the hip does not have to compromise between them
- Skip the very firm mattresses — Sleep Firm at a genuine 9/10 and Origin at 7-8/10 are both excellent mattresses and both the wrong shape for you. They hold the shoulder up rather than letting it settle
- Check edge support if you sleep near the edge — side sleepers end up closer to the edge than back sleepers do, and a soft perimeter effectively narrows the bed
- Give it three weeks — shoulder pain from a wrong mattress builds up over time rather than announcing itself on night one. Do not judge it early, and do not start counting the trial until week two
- A softer pillow matters more than you think — side sleeping needs a thicker pillow than back sleeping to fill the gap between shoulder and ear. Getting the mattress right and the pillow wrong will still leave you sore
FAQ
Common questions from side sleepers
What firmness is best for side sleepers?
Around 5.5 to 6.5 out of 10 for most people, and the optimum sits near the softer end of that. The reason it is narrow is that side sleeping loads two points — shoulder and hip — while leaving the waist unsupported in between. Too firm and the shoulder cannot settle; too soft and the hip drops below it. Both bend the spine sideways and both feel like lower back pain in the morning.
Why does my shoulder hurt when I sleep on my side?
Almost always because the mattress is too firm for you. Your shoulder is narrow and bony and carries a lot of load in that position, so a surface that does not give under it concentrates all of that pressure in one place for hours. If your current mattress is firm and your shoulder aches on waking, that is the cause — and a topper will tell you cheaply whether softening the surface fixes it before you replace the whole thing.
Are memory foam or spring mattresses better for side sleepers?
Both work, for different reasons, and this page has each at the top. Foam contours around the shoulder, which is exactly what side sleeping wants — the opposite of what we say on our stomach sleeper guide, where contouring is the problem. Springs solve it differently, through zoning: softer coils under the shoulder and firmer under the hip. What matters more than the material is the firmness, and whether the mattress is zoned.
I’m a side sleeper with back pain — same answer?
Mostly, but the emphasis shifts to zoning. If your back pain comes from the spine bending sideways at night, a zoned mattress fixes the cause rather than cushioning the symptom — which is why Yinahla appears both here and at the top of our
back pain guide. If you want the cheaper route,
Sleep Republic carries the same spinal endorsement, though at 6.5/10 it is firmer than the side-sleeping optimum.
Can I return it if my shoulder still hurts?
Yes — every mattress here gives you at least 100 nights, and Emma and Yinahla give 150. That matters more for side sleepers than for anyone else, because shoulder pain from a wrong firmness takes weeks to show up rather than nights. Read the return terms first though: most brands require the mattress to be unmarked and on a proper base, and several ask you to arrange the collection or donation yourself.
📢 Affiliate Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. If you purchase through our links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not influence the order — these five are ranked on the comfort sub-score from our own review of each and how close their firmness sits to the side-sleeping optimum, and three of the five earn us nothing. We include honest pros AND cons for every mattress. Prices change often, so we link to the brand rather than quoting a figure that goes stale. Last updated August 2026.
