Best Mattress for Fibromyalgia

Mattress Nerd consulted Dr. Alaina Brinley to ensure that this article met our editorial standards

Finding the best mattress for fibromyalgia after you’ve been diagnosed is essential. Fibromyalgia is a whole-body, life-changing condition that can have a drastic impact on every corner of your life, including your sleep. If you’ve been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, you may experience sensitivity to heat and cold, tender spots, pain in the musculoskeletal system, sleep disorders, and other factors that make regularly achieving a good night’s sleep a serious challenge.

While deep rest is recommended for everyone, paying attention to sleep habits is especially important for fibromyalgia patients. The right mattress can help reduce pain, alleviate pressure points, and bring you one step closer to a healthier night’s sleep and improved overall wellness.

In this guide, we’re sharing the best mattresses for fibromyalgia. You’ll learn our top picks for the best mattresses to help with the condition, their pros and cons, their construction, and which of these mattresses for fibromyalgia might be best for you and your unique set of symptoms.

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Best Mattress for Fibromyalgia of 2021

• Loom & Leaf —Editor’s Pick
• Nectar—Best for Fibromyalgia and Arthritis
• Brooklyn Bowery—Best Value
• Nolah Evolution—Best for Back Sleepers with Fibromyalgia
• Saatva—Best for Side Sleepers with Fibromyalgia
• Helix Dawn—Best for Stomach Sleepers with Fibromyalgia

The Loom & Leaf is a luxury mixed foam bed that’s available in two firmness settings. The appeal of the Loom & Leaf for fibromyalgia patients is in its cooling surface and superior pressure point relief, also making it one of the best mattresses for seniors. The bed is constructed with a quilted cotton cover that encases 4.5 inches of gel memory foam and traditional memory foam in the comfort layers and 7.5 inches of polyfoam in the support core. The gel-infused top layers improve the mattress’ breathability, an essential quality for fibromyalgia sufferers who sleep hot, while the bottom support layer creates a surface that’s virtually silent and very motion isolating.

If you’ve been suffering from fibromyalgia for some time and have the budget to invest in a mattress that’s bound to alleviate pain and move you one step closer to a great night’s sleep, you’ll enjoy sleeping on the Loom & Leaf and all the luxury amenities, like White Glove delivery, that come with your purchase.

Read our full Loom & Leaf mattress review to learn more.

The Nectar mattress has a medium firm feel that’s balanced—it conforms to the body but provides adequate support. It’s constructed with two comfort layers, including quilted memory foam and gel-infused memory foam, to enhance contouring and provide the body with a pressure-relieving hug, making it one of the best memory foam mattresses. Its middle-of-the-road firmness level also makes it appropriate for sleepers in virtually any sleeping position and weight class.

Fibromyalgia and arthritis sometimes go hand-in-hand. On their own they can be a nightmare, but together they can be debilitating. We find that almost anyone suffering from pain will improve or alleviate their issues thanks to the top two comfort layers, which allow you to sink in and relax without sacrificing spinal alignment. These qualities may help relieve some of the discomfort caused by fibromyalgia and arthritis. The Nectar is priced affordably and also comes with generous policies, including a 365-night sleep trial, a lifetime warranty, and free shipping.

If you’re most concerned about arthritis, take a look at our best mattresses for arthritis roundup.

Read our full Nectar mattress review to learn more.

Product description: The Bowery by Brooklyn Bedding is a mixed-foam mattress that provides close conforming, motion isolation, low noise, and more. It’s constructed with a quilted polyfoam cover, a dual-layer comfort system, and a dense polyfoam support core. The result is a medium firmness level and a feel that’s alleviating for aches and pains while supportive of spinal alignment.

The Bowery’s thick comfort layers (five inches) provide an exceptionally soft feel that provides amazing pressure relief for fibromyalgia patients who sleep on their side or back. We recommend the Bowery for average weight and lightweight sleepers, but it can work for heavyweight people who prefer more moderate firmness settings. The Brooklyn Bowery is also available in a hybrid model and comes with free shipping, a 120-night trial, and a 10-year warranty.

Related: Brooklyn Signature mattress review 

One of the most sought-out mattress qualities by fibromyalgia sufferers in the market for a new mattress is a plush, soft, memory foam mattress feel. The Nolah Evolution is a hybrid bed that provides the foam mattress feel, as well as the support that back sleepers need to keep everything aligned.

Related: Best Mattress for Hip Pain

With this mattress, you’ll enjoy the softness of foam without feeling stuck, a very important quality for back sleepers. This mattress will be tender on the joints and other areas of pain, and its firmness level makes it technically appropriate for back sleepers. It’s medium-firm construction makes it best-suited for lightweight and average weight individuals, although heavyweight fibromyalgia patients who enjoy a soft bed may be satisfied with the Nolah Evolution. The mattress comes with free shipping, a 15-year warranty, and a 120-night trial.

Read our full Nolah Evolution mattress review to learn more.

The Saatva earns our pick for best mattress for side sleepers with fibromyalgia thanks in part to its three firmness options, making it a good choice for any sized side sleeper.

Average and lightweight side sleepers with fibromyalgia would do well with the plush-soft option, while heavier folks should consider the luxury-firm to help keep their hips and shoulders supported.

The conforming of the Saatva provides pressure relief, yet the surface of the mattress doesn’t collapse enough to throw the spine out of alignment. The Saatva comes with a 180-night sleep trial, a 15-year warranty, and free shipping.

Read our full Saatva mattress review to learn more.

It’s somewhat rare to see hybrid mattresses on the list of recommendations for best mattresses for fibromyalgia or back pain sufferers, but the Helix makes our list for good reason. 

We like this option for fibromyalgia patients who sleep on their stomachs because it has a high firmness level that is well suited to stomach sleepers, but is just cushy enough to comfort areas in pain.

If those sound like qualities that would help with your fibromyalgia pain relief and the quality of your stomach sleeping, we’d recommend the Helix Dawn. It comes with free shipping, a 100-night trial, and a 10-year warranty.

Read our full Helix Dawn mattress review to learn more.

Best Mattress for Fibromyalgia Buying Guide

Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain and is often accompanied by fatigue, disturbed sleep, memory loss, and mood swings. The condition is difficult to diagnose due to the variety of symptoms and is  considered a “diagnosis of exclusion,” which, as our expert reviewer Dr. Alaina Brinley informed us, means other diseases must be ruled out first. Studies suggest that fibromyalgia is accompanied by nerve stimulation that enhances the number of neurotransmitters that communicate painful sensations throughout the body.

People with fibromyalgia often feel the symptoms listed above in addition to general musculoskeletal pain, acute joint pain on both sides of the body, burning sensations and muscle twitching, fatigue, poor sleep, brain fog, dry mouth, frequent urination, and more. The condition is caused by genetic factors, infections, and some types of trauma. Women are much more likely to be diagnosed than men. “The causes of the condition are not well understood,” Dr. Brinley told us, “but could be related to genetic factors, infections, stress, and trauma”.

How Sleep Impacts Fibromyalgia 

Sleep and fibromyalgia are somewhat like the chicken and the egg: it’s hard to say what comes first. Poor sleep worsens fibromyalgia, and widespread joint pain as a result of fibromyalgia can make it difficult to sleep. 

Pain throughout the night can cause patients to have restless sleep, leading to fatigue and worsening the condition. This leads to feeling poorly rested and tired the next day, which can then exacerbate the cycle of poor sleep. It is essential to attempt to achieve deep sleep if you suffer from fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia patients not only experience insomnia as a result of their pain but also deal with sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome in some cases. Sleep apnea is characterized as a temporary loss of breathing while asleep. Restless leg syndrome is characterized by painful tingling sensations in the legs while lying in bed. These can also lead to sleep loss.

What Type of Mattresses Are Best for Fibromyalgia? 

There’s no single best type of mattress for fibromyalgia, as each style of construction offers various benefits for patients. Read below for our analysis of how the different types of mattresses stack up for fibromyalgia patients.

Innerspring

Foam

Latex

Hybrid

How Your Sleeping Position Can Affect Fibromyalgia

If you suffer from Fibromyalgia, you likely select your sleeping position based on the pain you’re experiencing at any given time. If sleeping on your stomach one night causes the least amount of pain, then it is only natural that you would sleep on your stomach. Still, you should be aware that your sleeping position can have long term effects on your comfort that are not immediately apparent. Thankfully, there are ways of mitigating these effects.

Side Sleeping with Fibromyalgia

There are several things that any side sleeper should look for in a mattress, but this goes double for side sleepers with Fibromyalgia. When on your side, the heaviest areas—your shoulders and hips—push into the mattress. If your mattress is too firm, then the bed pushes back against your shoulders and hips, which can lead to soreness.

What you need is a mattress soft enough to allow the hips and shoulders to sink in, while at the same time providing support and not allowing them to sink in too far. Medium-firm is what we usually recommend side sleepers look for.

In addition to firmness, there are several tricks for how to properly sleep on your side. There’s even a best side to sleep on.

Related: Best Mattress for Side Sleepers

Back Sleeping with Fibromyalgia

Back sleepers, even one’s without Fibromyalgia, often do well with a mattress that has a slightly above-average firmness level. Something soft enough to contour around their hips, but with plenty of firmness so as to keep everything aligned. 

If you find that sleeping on your back helps with your Fibromyalgia, you should be aware of some other potential drawbacks. Namely, it could increase the likelihood of snoring and exacerbate problems related to sleep apnea. Unfortunately, sleep apnea may be more of a concern to those with Fibromyalgia than those without. 

Dr. Brindley states, “Fibromyalgia patients not only experience insomnia as a result of their pain but may also deal with sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome in some cases,” and goes on to say, “Sleep apnea is characterized as a temporary loss of breathing while asleep”. 

Related: Best Mattress for Back Sleepers

Stomach Sleeping with Fibromyalgia

Stomach sleeping certainly isn’t the best sleeping position, regardless of whether or not you have Fibromyalgia. But again, if you find that it is the easiest way for you to get good sleep, there are ways for you to properly sleep on your stomach.

First, you should look for a mattress on the firmer end of the scale. Of all sleeping positions, stomach needs the most support in order for their spine to remain properly aligned, which is very important in preventing/reducing pain. 

Next, consider your pillow. If you’re currently using something very thick, then it is likely causing you to position your neck at an awkward angle when you turn your head to sleep. A very thin pillow, or no pillow at all, may be the best bet for you; take a look at our best pillows for stomach sleepers list for some great options.

And if you think it may be worth considering, our article how to to train yourself to sleep on your back can help you switch your preferred position.

Related: Best Mattress for Stomach Sleepers

Other Considerations

Firmness

The best firmness level for fibromyalgia sufferers will depend on individual preferences, sleeping position, and body weight. In general, medium-firm mattresses offer a middle-of-the-road feel that most average weight sleepers in almost any position will feel rested on. 

If you’re lighter, you may need a softer mattress. If you’re heavier, a firmer mattress that supports your bodyweight will be more appropriate. There’s no right or wrong firmness, but a firmness level that’s poorly suited to your body type can make pain symptoms worse.

Support

Support refers to how effectively the mattress encourages a flat sleep surface and healthy spinal alignment. If your mattress is too soft or too firm, it may not support your spine, depending on your weight and preferred sleep position. The ideal mattress for fibromyalgia will promote healthy spinal alignment, which will prevent more aches and pains from being created throughout the night.

Pressure Relief

A mattress’ firmness, construction, and materials all play a role in how closely it conforms to the body and alleviates aches, pains, and pressure points. Models that have close conforming and are designed to alleviate pain in sensitive areas—notably the back, shoulders, and hips—can be very beneficial for people suffering from widespread fibromyalgia pain.

Temperature Neutrality

Increased sensitivity to both heat and cold are common with fibromyalgia. While cold sensitivity can be dealt with via layering down blankets, duvets, and warm sleepwear, overheating at night should be mitigated via a temperature neutral mattress or, better yet, one that sleeps cool. 

Hybrid mattresses and innerspring mattresses tend to sleep cooler than all-foam and latex models. Some foam mattresses are infused with cooling materials, like gel and copper, to prevent them from retaining too much body heat.

Conclusion

If you’re suffering from widespread pain as a result of fibromyalgia, choosing a mattress with qualities that cater to your condition is ideal. There’s no right or wrong style of mattress, but choosing one that addresses the most prevalent symptoms of your condition is a start. We recommend making a list of the symptoms you believe are the most significant contributors to poor sleep and selecting a mattress whose design addresses those issues on the head.

For example, if you struggle with aches and pains, sleep hot, and sleep with a partner, a mattress with high conforming and pressure relief as well as breathability and motion isolation would be ideal. We hope this list of the best mattresses for fibromyalgia and our guide to shopping for a mattress when you have this condition puts you one step closer to reducing nighttime pain and pressure on a regular basis.

Recap: Top Rated Mattresses for Fibromyalgia