What Type of Mattress Topper is Best for Hip Pain?
Living with chronic or even occasional pain can be difficult, especially if it interferes with the ability to get a good night’s sleep. Pain that interrupts your sleep can negatively impact your health and well-being; conversely, getting better rest can improve pain symptoms for people with chronic pain.
If you’re not sure about the source of your hip pain during sleep, see your healthcare provider to determine whether there’s a medical cause of the pain and explore potential solutions. Regardless of the reason, if hip pain is keeping you up at night or you’re waking with sore hips each morning, read our mattress topper overview to see if a bedding upgrade can help.
What is a mattress topper?
Mattress toppers are not the same as mattress pads or mattress protectors, which are designed to protect against spills or dust allergies. A mattress topper is a padded layer designed to rest on top of a mattress to improve comfort. Depending on the condition of an existing mattress, a quality topper can revitalize a ho-hum sleep setup.
Mattress toppers come in a few different types of materials, including natural and organic latex, polyurethane foam, cotton, wool, and down. Mattress toppers can also vary in terms of depth and softness/firmness, so you can customize the level of comfort you’d like to add to your existing mattress.
The type of mattress topper that is best for hip pain
Everyone’s body is unique, and there’s no one-size-fits all comfort solution for individual sleep needs. If your current mattress isn’t right for your needs, certain areas known as “pressure points” that rest on the surface of a mattress can become uncomfortable or painful. These pressure points include the hips and shoulders, which means that finding a topper that’s good for side sleepers may help alleviate some of that discomfort.
A common comfort strategy for people with hip pain is to choose a topper with enough firmness to keep your body from sinking too far into the mattress at the hips, but with enough softness and “give” to offer comfort for tender areas. However, you know your needs best, so you may need to experiment with toppers of different firmness and depth until you settle on the right one.