Sleep Innovations Marley 10-Inch Cooling Side Sleeper Mattress

If you haven’t been shopping for a mattress in awhile, get ready for a lot of new terms. It can seem like every manufacturer has some proprietary new spin on memory foam or hypoallergenic fabric to pitch you on. It’s enough to actually make you lose some extra sleep — especially if you tend to sleep on your side.

Side sleepers are pretty common, but they do have some special needs. The bad news is that there’s no one mattress that’s going to be perfect for every type of sleeper, whether they spend most of the night on their side, back or stomach. The good news is that there are some commonalities among side sleepers that can help you weed out the duds.

Unless you’re extremely disciplined at bedtime, the truth is that no one spends all night in any one position. The trick is to minimize the amount of times you change that position and maximize the comfort in your body’s natural sleep posture. For side sleepers, that can be difficult because your body exerts a lot more uneven pressure on the mattress. The best sleeping surface will be one that lets your shoulders and hips sink down a bit while supporting the areas that have less weight. The ideal result will be a nice straight spine — and a good night’s rest.

Foam mattresses tend to do that job the best, though not all of them are created equal. Memory foam is a very popular material for modern mattresses, and it’s much less expensive than it used to be. Well-made ones will contour nicely to your body shape, and they don’t transfer much “bounce” across the bed if you do toss and turn. That’s a great fringe benefit if you’re sleeping with a partner. One downside of memory foam is its tendency to retain heat, but that’s mitigated in most modern mattresses with a layer of insulating gel.

If you like a firmer feel you may want to try latex foam, which can be slightly more expensive. It has many of the benefits of memory foam with a bit more support. It’s also quite durable and you can expect a good latex foam mattress to last for well over 10 years.

Mid-range mattresses these days tend to be a hybrid style that puts a layer of foam over a supporting series of springs. These can be more affordable and very comfortable if you pick the right one. Some good features to look for are individually wrapped or “pocketed” springs (they’re much better at keeping motion to one side of the bed) and good edge support, especially if you have a tendency to sleep toward the edge of the bed.

Mind you, there are still plenty of pure innerspring mattresses around, and those can be the right fit for people who like a firmer surface. “Pillow-top” mattresses are made with an extra layer of padding sewn into the top surface, and that can make all the difference if you need that extra bit of give.

There are other perks like organic and allergen-fighting materials to consider, so do your research if you’ve got special needs. And do it in person if you can: There’s no substitute for a good lie-down on a prospective mattress.

While you’re buying a new mattress, don’t forget that accessories count — and for side sleepers, the most important one will be the pillow. Remember that the ideal sleeping position is one that keeps your spine straight. Your head needs extra support to accomplish that, but that support also needs to be nice and soft.