6 Best Mattresses for Osteoporosis: Expert Tested and Reviewed

Best Memory Foam: Nectar Premier Memory Foam

Score: 9.8 out of 10

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Pros and cons

Pros

• Dense memory foam cradles the body
• Excellent motion isolation 
• Gel-infused foam layer helps dissipate heat

Cons

• Changing positions could take more effort
• Foam edges may sink too much under weight

Features

• Materials: Memory foam
• Firmness: Medium firm
• Pressure relief: 4.5 out of 5
• Spinal alignment: 4.6 out of 5

Key takeaways from our testing

Cushions pressure-sensitive joints. One of the Nectar Premier Memory Foam’s defining qualities is how its memory foam cradles the body. For older adults with osteoporosis-related joint sensitivity — particularly at the shoulders, hips and knees — this bed’s dense memory foam may help redistribute weight and ease pressure in those areas. “I feel firmly supported on the mattress,” said Donna, a 60-year-old tester who is a side sleeper. “I don’t feel any pressure building up, and it feels like a gentle hug.”

Helps dampen motion. Memory foam is known to dampen movement, and this mattress didn’t disappoint. In our couples’ motion isolation test, Donna awarded this bed a perfect score. This assessment involves a blindfolded tester who lies on one side of the bed as another tester switches positions on the other side and asks how much movement the blindfolded tester can feel. “I barely felt any movement,” Donna said of this assessment, noting she thought the dense memory foam helped absorb motion rather than letting it ripple across the bed’s surface. If you have osteoporosis and have a sleeping partner who tosses and turns, this bed’s ability to absorb movement may help you sleep through the night.

Dense memory foam may make it harder to change positions. While this bed’s dense memory foam may help ease pressure on weakened bones, it may also make it harder to change positions in bed. That’s because memory foam typically lets you sink deep into a mattress for a cradling sensation. But you may have to “fight” the material to change positions. For older adults with osteoporosis, this bed’s memory foam construction may make it harder to sit up and change positions, which could stress achy joints. 

Best Cooling: Leesa Sapira Chill

Score: 9.6 out of 10

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Pros and cons

Pros

• Helps regulate temperature
• Perfect spinal alignment
• Relieves pressure

Cons

• Middling motion isolation 
• May not be the best choice for adjustable bases

Features

• Materials: Hybrid
• Firmness: Plush, medium firm or firm
• Pressure relief: 5 out of 5
• Spinal alignment: 5 out of 5

Key takeaways from our testing

Cool-to-the-touch cover. The Leesa Sapira Chill lives up to its name. It earned a perfect score in our cooling gun test, retaining only 7.9 degrees of heat. Tester Donna said the cover felt instantly cool to the touch, likely due to its “phase-change” materials — or substances that store and release thermal energy on the mattress’s surface — that Leesa says help pull heat away from the body. A bed that helps prevent you from overheating, especially for older adults experiencing menopause-related hot flashes, can help you stay asleep longer, which may in turn reduce your osteoporosis risk.

Standout pressure relief and spinal alignment. This bed’s pocketed coil base promotes spinal alignment, and the foam layers above it soften the feel at the hips and shoulders without creating pressure. Osteoporosis fractures often occur at the hips, so a bed with good base support and pressure-relieving foam can help cushion this sensitive joint. “I feel very comfortable,” Donna said. “My body feels really well-supported, and I feel like I'm sinking in just enough.” She awarded this bed perfect scores for pressure relief and spinal alignment in every tested sleeping position. 

Not the best for light sleepers who share a bed or people who use adjustable bases. Hybrid beds aren’t usually good at isolating motion, and the Leesa Sapira Chill is no exception. It nabbed just an average score in our couples’ motion isolation test. “When my partner switched positions, I could definitely feel the bouncing that extended throughout the whole bed,” Donna said when evaluating this measure. If you’re a light sleeper who shares a bed with a partner, and motion isolation is important to you, this average performance may be a dealbreaker. Another con to consider? If you sleep on an adjustable base — a type of electronic bed frame — this bed likely won’t be a good fit. During our assessments, testers said there were gaps between the bed and the adjustable base in positions like zero-gravity mode, which elevates the head and feet slightly to ease pressure on the spine. Gaps between a bed and an adjustable base can make it easier to fall out of bed. 

Best Mattress for Side Sleepers: Saatva Rx

Score: 9.4 out of 10

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Pros and cons

Pros

• Extra lumbar support
• Eases pressure on sore joints
• Stable edges

Cons

• So-so bounce
• Expensive

Features

• Materials: Hybrid
• Firmness: Supportive plush
• Pressure relief: 4.6 out of 5
• Spinal alignment: 4.6 out of 5

Key takeaways from our testing

Supportive on the lower back and designed for sensitive joints. Like other beds on this list, the Saatva Rx has extra support in the lumbar zone to promote spinal alignment. That, combined with its supportive plush firmness, helps ease pressure on sensitive joints like the hips. Tester Donna gave this bed near-perfect scores in pressure relief and spinal alignment in all tested positions. Lying on her side, Donna said, “I feel extremely supported. It is very comfortable — I feel like I’m floating almost, and my weight feels nonexistent. There is zero pressure buildup.” 

Edges that support easier movement. Donna noted that the edge support was solid overall, with enough responsiveness to help her get out of bed. This feature may be helpful for older adults with osteoporosis who prioritize being able to get out of bed safely on their own. She also said she felt supported while sitting on the edge and said this bed’s bounce made it easier to stand up from a sitting position. For a bed with firm edges, it also performed surprisingly well with an adjustable base. During testing, Donna noted how well the mattress conformed to the base in zero-gravity and TV modes. An adjustable base may also reduce fall risk, since you can raise the head of the bed and get into a sitting position with less effort. 

Average bounce. This bed earned only a midrange bounce score, which we measure by dropping a 15-pound ball onto the mattress and measuring how high the ball rebounds. In testing, the ball bounced only 15 inches on this bed, while the average bounce height for every bed we’ve tested is 17.25 inches. This bed is also pricey — it’s the most expensive on this list at $3,449 for a queen. If you need a more wallet-friendly option with better bounce, you may consider the Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid

Best Hybrid Mattress: Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid

Score: 9.9 out of 10

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Pros and cons

Pros

• Excellent spinal alignment
• Good mix of cradling and support
• Almost-perfect motion isolation

Cons

• Middling cooling performance
• Passable adjustable base compatibility

Features

• Materials: Hybrid
• Firmness: Soft, medium or firm
• Pressure relief: 5 out of 5
• Spinal alignment: 5 out of 5

Key takeaways from our testing

Promotes spinal alignment. Allison, a 51-year-old tester and side sleeper, said she loved this bed. We tested the medium firmness model. “There are no gaps or spaces between the bed and my body. I feel good contouring on my lower back. It’s a great combination of softness and firmness,” she said. That mix of structure and cushioning may help ease stress on sensitive bones and joints for older adults with osteoporosis. Allison gave this bed perfect marks for spinal alignment in every tested sleeping position. 

Above-average motion isolation. Bryan, a 62-year-old combination sleeper who is awoken easily, said he barely felt any movement in the couples’ motion isolation test, awarding this bed admirable marks. “I could tell there was a person there, but I don’t think it’d wake me up,” he said. As noted, strong motion isolation may make it easier to sleep through the night if you have a partner.

Midrange cooling and adjustable base compatibility. This bed earned a so-so rating in our cooling test, retaining 17.3 degrees of heat. When Jennifer, a 45-year-old tester, lay on this bed, she said, "I feel like it's soaking up my heat and retaining it.” In testing, Allison also found that this mattress earned a below-average score for adjustable base compatibility, noting a large gap between the mattress and the base in multiple positions.

How we tested the best mattresses for osteoporosis

We began our search for the best mattresses for osteoporosis by researching the market. What features help ease symptoms of osteoporosis or help prevent it from developing? Which companies have the best customer reviews — and are the reviews legitimate? After talking with medical experts, we narrowed our list to the options featured on this page.

To identify each bed’s strengths and weaknesses, we used controlled lab tests that measured performance metrics such as pressure relief, spinal support, temperature regulation, motion isolation and edge support. Then we recruited more than 15 testers, ages 45 and older, to give us their unbiased feedback.

Testers answered questions like: Did the mattresses cradle sensitive joints? Did their edges provide a stable surface to reduce the risk of falling and breaking a bone? Do the beds support your spine? 

Beds that did well in our tests made our list of the best mattresses for osteoporosis. For more details on our testing process, see our mattress testing methodology.

How to choose a mattress for osteoporosis

If you have osteoporosis, finding a good mattress can involve considering several factors. 

As Dr. Adam Kreitenberg, a rheumatologist and internal medicine specialist based in Los Angeles, explains: “Sleep is a prolonged period where spinal alignment matters, so inadequate support can exacerbate discomfort and structural stress over time for people with osteoporosis.” 

So if you’re looking for a new mattress, you may want to consider the following features, which appeared most consistently in our testing and in the expert guidance we received as important considerations for people with osteoporosis.

Firmness 

Firmness is one of the most important considerations for older adults with osteoporosis, and the right level depends largely on sleep position and body weight.

• Back sleepers generally do well with a medium-firm surface, which is about a 6.5 out of 10 on the firmness scale, with 10 being the most firm. This firmness level helps support the curve of your spine while also providing cradling relief. 
• Side sleepers tend to prefer something in the medium or soft-medium range (about 4 to 6.5 on the firmness scale) that allows the hip and shoulder to settle in enough to relieve pressure at those points. Hips are common sites of injury for people with osteoporosis, so it may benefit you to find a bed that cradles and supports the hips.
• Stomach sleeping is usually not recommended for adults with osteoporosis because this position can lead to neck strain and spinal misalignment. That said, if you sleep on your stomach, a firmer surface (about a 7 and up on the firmness scale) may minimize strain on your back. 

Material and construction

The material inside a mattress determines how it responds to pressure, transfers motion and manages heat, which are all factors directly relevant to managing a comfortable sleep environment if you have osteoporosis. 

• Memory foam conforms closely to the body and usually excels at providing cradling pressure relief. But that cradling can mean this material allows for limited bounce and can make movement in bed more difficult. 
• Hybrid mattresses combine a pocketed coil base with foam comfort layers, typically offering more responsiveness, better airflow and stronger edge support. Foam layers can offer extra support for fragile bones while responsive coils can assist with movement. 
• Latex foam beds typically have some of the best durability and responsiveness. This responsive foam could benefit people with osteoporosis, as it may limit the need to switch positions at night and protect fragile bones. However, latex foam tends to be a heavier material, so if you need to set up or move a latex bed, it may be best to ask for assistance to avoid injury.

For most older adults with osteoporosis, our testing suggests a hybrid construction tends to cover the broadest set of needs, though individual sleep habits ultimately determine the best fit.

Spinal alignment

Spinal alignment is a key factor to consider if you have osteoporosis and are looking for a new bed. Kreitenberg, the rheumatologist based in Los Angeles, points out that “a medium-firm mattress that supports the natural curvature of the spine can help distribute pressure more evenly” for people with osteoporosis. That means there could be less concentrated stress on fragile bones and aching joints.

Meanwhile, a mattress that allows the spine to curve too much, either by sagging at the hips or by creating too much resistance at the shoulders, can worsen pain and place stress on joints, which could result in injury for people with greater sensitivity due to osteoporosis. Consider mattresses with a zoned support system to distribute pressure away from the lower back.

How much do the best mattresses for osteoporosis cost?

The mattresses in this roundup retail from $1,465 to $3,449 for a queen, although we’ve frequently seen discounts on many of these beds. You can see the table below for a breakdown.

FAQs

What is osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a condition in which bone density decreases to the point where bones become fragile and more susceptible to fractures. It is most common in adults ages 50 and older, particularly in postmenopausal women. Dr. Adam Kreitenberg, a rheumatologist and internal medicine specialist, notes that “it’s a silent disease that develops over decades, often without symptoms until a fracture occurs.” The spine, hips and wrists are the most frequent sites of injury. Beyond fracture risk, osteoporosis can contribute to chronic back pain, postural changes and reduced mobility, all of which can have an impact on sleep quality. 

How can osteoporosis affect sleep?

Osteoporosis can affect sleep by disrupting it. “This condition makes the spine more sensitive,” says Dr. Casey Slattery, an orthopedic surgeon. That sensitivity can lead to spinal injuries in more advanced cases of the condition, which can cause pain that wakes you during the night or pain that can make finding a comfortable position difficult. 

Is there a best sleeping position for osteoporosis?

Experts we spoke with said back sleeping is generally considered the most spine-friendly position for older adults with osteoporosis, as it evenly distributes your weight and keeps the spine in a more neutral alignment. Placing a pillow underneath your knees can further reduce strain on your back. Side sleeping can also work with the right mattress and a pillow between the knees to keep the hips aligned. To reduce spinal stress, Kreitenberg advises against positions that twist your back. Stomach sleeping is not typically recommended, as it places the spine in an extended position that can increase discomfort over time.

What is the best firmness for a mattress for osteoporosis?

Medium firm is the most widely recommended firmness by experts for people with back pain, and this recommendation can also extend to older adults with osteoporosis or older adults with arthritis. Preferences may vary, though, when it comes to mattress firmness. If you have questions about what could work best for you, it’s best to discuss with a health care provider.

Is memory foam good for osteoporosis? 

Memory foam can work as an option for people with osteoporosis, particularly for side sleepers and older adults dealing with joint pressure at the hips and shoulders. Its conforming foam distributes weight evenly and helps reduce pressure on bony joints, which can be especially beneficial if you’re concerned about your bone density. The trade-offs, however, are a slower response time, which can make repositioning at night more of an effort, and foam’s tendency to retain heat.

Questions or feedback? Email us at AARPSmartPicks@aarp.org.