Top pick
The Stearns & Foster Estate (Pillow Top Firm) is the most supportive-feeling mattress we tested.
Back-sleepers will likely appreciate the extra thickness and the quilted, pressure-relieving, medium-firm feel, which evokes a five-star-hotel-bed experience (thanks to a memory-foam pillow top created by Tempur-Pedic). Some of our testers didn’t care for the “bumpy” texture created by the deep quilting on the surface, though.
Return policies depend on where you purchase the mattress.
Top pick
The Tempur-Adapt (Medium Hybrid)’s substantive foam-on-coil construction keeps the spine aligned while also embracing every curve of your body with a slow memory-foam sink.
It’s on the firm side of medium-firm, but because it’s so conforming it doesn’t feel stiff.
You may be able to try it out at showrooms and department stores around the country. If you decide you don’t like it within 90 days, you can return the mattress for a full refund, minus the transportation costs.
Top pick
With coils and a thick, foamy pillow top, the WinkBed (Luxury Firm)’s cushioned, supportive, medium-firm feel should appeal to back sleepers. It’s been a crowd favorite since we first started testing it in 2019, appreciated for its muted springiness and solid construction.
It’s made with high-quality materials (including dense foam and sturdy coils), so it’s a good investment for back-sleepers who find it comfortable. Coils around the perimeter provide decent edge support, and they should keep the edges from slumping over time, so you’ll be less likely to deal with sagging years from now. And because those coils are individually wrapped, you’ll have good motion isolation.
The WinkBed comes with a lifetime warranty and a 120-day trial period.
Top pick
The 13-inch-thick Charles P. Rogers Estate SE should satisfy a wide range of back-sleepers.
It consists of two pieces: The bottom is flippable (so you can choose between a medium-firm feel to something slightly firmer), and it contains strong, house-made coils as well as durable and supportive latex. The top piece—which gently cushions and conforms to the shoulders, lower back, and hips—has a touch of springiness to it and will likely appeal to those who want pressure relief but not a billowy surface.
Thanks to its sturdy materials, we think this mattress should hold up better than most of the other mattresses on this list, even for people who weigh more than 200 pounds.
The company offers a 100-night trial, within which time you can return the mattress for a refund (but you’ll pay a $200 “recycling fee” and in-home delivery fee, if you chose that in lieu of free FedEx shipping).
Top pick
The Novaform ComfortGrande’s loose, cuddly sensation at the surface, along with undeniable support beneath it, should work great for most back-sleepers, including those who sometimes also sleep on their sides.
Its construction keeps the spine from overarching but still offers a soft cradle for shoulders, hips, and lower back. Its foam densities suggest that it should hold up best for people who weigh less than 200 pounds.
If you need to return the mattress for any reason, at any time, Costco offers a full refund.
Top pick
Saatva’s Zenhaven Latex is made completely of latex, and although you can find less expensive all-latex mattresses, the 10-inch Zenhaven feels more supple than its cheaper latex competitors, offering curve-conforming cushioning to the shoulders, lower back, and hips. It also has an intrinsic springiness that is likely to suit people who prefer a foam cushion without stickiness.
The Zenhaven Latex is flippable: One side is medium-firm, which appeals to back-sleepers who sometimes sleep on their side (or just prefer a softer feel); the other side is slightly firmer, which is helpful for aligning the spines of those who spend most of their time on their back. (This versatility may be appealing to people who aren’t sure about their firmness preferences.)
Saatva offers a 365-day trial (though you have to pay a shipping cost of nearly $100 to return the mattress) and a lifetime warranty.
Top pick
Back-sleepers who want a slightly softer mattress may find the Leesa Sapira Hybrid to be a good compromise.
It’s on the softer end of medium-firm, but thanks to its coil layer, the mattress has more bounce than an all-foam mattress and even other hybrid mattresses (those made with coils and foam). And because it’s designed with a denser memory foam than cheaper beds (4 pounds per cubic foot, as opposed to the typical 3), it feels sturdier.
You can try the mattress for 100 nights, and return it for a full refund if you don’t like it, as long as it’s your first Leesa mattress.