A good night’s sleep has become one of the rarer luxuries of modern day society. With ailments like insomnia, stress and anxiety as well as the highly undesirable symptoms of Sleep Apnea, something serious had to be done.
Thankfully several mattress manufacturers have heeded the call and developed solutions that will drastically reduce, and in some cases even cure sleep apnea.
Your choice of mattress will help determine your sleep position as it will offer varying degrees of support and cushioning in critical pressure areas. This plays a major role in solving the problem of sleep apnea.
Here is a list of the absolute best mattresses for sleep apnea and other restricted airway related symptoms.
Top Rated Mattress for Obstructive Sleep Apnea
1. Tuft & Needle High Quality Mattress
Sleeping on your side (resulting in better airway alignment) has proven to be one of the simplest and most effective ways to reduce the symptoms of sleep apnea… And there’s no better side sleeping mattress than the Lucid Memory Foam 10 inch.
The plush, adaptive foam surface reduces any pressure on stress points like shoulders and hips while still providing enough base support to stop you from “sinking in” to your bed.
If you’re not someone who loves sleeping on their side, this is your best chance to become a happy, comfortable side sleeper.
The mattress also comes with an incredible 10 year warranty and has a super soft, breathable cover, which will allow for adequate ventilation on hotter nights.
Pros
- Great Side Sleeper
- Exceptionally Comfortable
- Perfect Cushioning
- 100 Night Sleep Trial!!!
- Great Customer Support
Cons
- None… Seriously! We actually tried really hard to find some.
- Perhaps it’s a little pricier than the competition, but it’s worth every cent.
2. Zinus 12 Inch Memory Foam
If you’re looking for a more affordable option with essentially the same benefits as the Tuft & Needle, the Zinus is your next best bet.
With 2 Inch microfiber foam over 2 inches of memory foam and a 3 inch high density base support foam, it offers a very fair balance between the softness needed for side sleeping and firmness required to keep your spine and neck well aligned.
Pros
- Excellent Value for Money
- Genuinely Comfortable
- Well Suited to Side Sleeping
Cons
- Possible Sagging over Time
3. Avana Incline Topper
With an overall incline of 6 inches (from 1 up to 7), your raised upper body will reduce acid reflux triggering any Sleep Apnea symptoms. Discussed in detail here, sleep apnea is often caused by silent reflux and in (some cases) sleeping at a slight incline has completely eliminated any sleep apnea symptoms all together!
The incline goes almost unnoticed and after a few nights, you’ll forget it’s there. But you’ll be grateful you got it.
The topper comes as two separate 30 inch wide wedges and if you already have (or are planning on getting) a high quality mattress, you can simply place the wedges underneath your mattress to obtain the same benefit of an inclined sleeping surface.
Why Mattress Selection is Critical for Sleep Apnea
Side Sleeping
“Side sleeping” drastically improves alignment and has proven to be one of the easiest ways to remedy Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
Having your back and neck aligned in such a way as to reduce strain on the throat will play a major role in reducing the effects of sleep apnea. The easiest way to achieve this is by sleeping on your side.
There’s an old snoring remedy where wives would sew a tennis ball into the back of their husband’s sleep shirt so that they wouldn’t roll onto their back while sleeping. It was a drastic and somewhat ridiculous move, but it works surprisingly well!
Thankfully we’ve evolved from this type of remedy and moved to a much more sophisticated solution…
The desired mattress will allow for pressure relief on high-stress points like shoulders and hips, making it more comfortable to sleep on your side.
Sleeping at an Incline
Sleep apnea may actually be a misdiagnosed case of (or aggravated by) Silent Reflux.
While sleeping, stomach acid may be making its way to your throat and triggering your body’s natural reflex to keep it down. This can feel like you’re “gasping for air”, when in fact, you’re simply closing your airways to avoid acid reaching your throat.
Bear in mind that this is SILENT reflux, called so because you can’t actually feel it. Your body reacts to it and closes your airways before you can feel the burning sensation commonly known as heartburn.
Some people have claimed that sleeping with an elevated head position has caused their sleep apnea symptoms to completely disappear!
This could very well be an indication that the sleep apnea is being caused by silent reflux.