When shopping for a new mattress, "firmness" is always the word you'll hear the most. But what does it actually mean? It’s not just about how "hard" or "soft" a bed feels—it’s the single most important factor that determines your quality of sleep and your long-term spinal health.
Choosing the wrong firmness for your body and sleep style is the number one reason people wake up with aches and pains.
The good news is that you don't need to make a blind guess. Your primary sleeping position is the best guide you have. Whether you're a side, back, or stomach sleeper, there is a perfect firmness level designed to support you.
First of all，before we start to search for the right matress, we need to understand how mattress firmness will affect our spinal alignment. The ultimate goal of any mattress is to keep your spine in a neutral, straight line, just like when you're standing with good posture. Firmness is the key to achieving this. Ideally, a good mattress is neither too firm or too soft.
In summary, the right firmness provides a perfect balance of pressure-relieving comfort and solid, foundational support.
Recommended Firmness: Medium-Soft to Medium
This is the most common sleeping position, and it’s also the most vulnerable to pressure points. When you lie on your side, your body weight is concentrated on the sharp, narrow surfaces of your shoulders and hips.
A firm mattress will feel like sleeping on a board, jamming your shoulder and twisting your spine. The best mattress for a side sleeper needs to be soft enough to allow your hips and shoulders to sink in, relieving pressure and allowing your spine to remain straight. This deep contouring is a hallmark of memory foam.
Product Spotlight: A mattress like the Novilla Bliss Memory foam Mattress is an ideal choice for side sleepers. Its multi-layer foam construction, including a top layer of NanoGEL memory foam, is specifically engineered to provide "ergonomic layers" that cradle your body, "easing tension from head to toe" while you sleep.
Recommended Firmness: Medium-Firm
Sleeping on your back is great for spinal health, but only if your mattress provides the right support. The biggest challenge for back sleepers is the lower back (the lumbar curve).
A mattress that is too firm will leave a gap between your lower back and the mattress, leaving it unsupported. A mattress that is too soft will let your hips sink in too far, straining the same area. The best mattress for back sleepers is a medium-firm one that provides a "sweet spot" of support—it’s firm enough to hold up your hips but has just enough "give" to support the natural curve of your spine.
Product Spotlight: This is where a hybrid mattress truly shines. The Novilla Grove Hybrid Mattress combines supportive innersprings with contouring foam. This design provides what the product page calls "the perfect balance of support and contouring," making it an excellent choice for back sleepers who need that robust, underlying support.
Recommended Firmness: Medium-Firm to Firm
This is the most challenging position for spinal alignment. When you lie on your stomach, most of your weight is in your midsection. If a mattress is even a little too soft, your hips will sink, which puts a significant strain on your lower back and twists your neck.
Stomach sleepers must avoid soft mattresses. They need a firm, supportive surface that keeps their hips level with their shoulders. This prevents the "hammock" effect and protects the spine. A responsive hybrid often works well here, as the coils provide a "floating on top" feel rather than a "sinking in" one.
Recommended Firmness: Medium-Firm
Do you fall asleep on your back, roll onto your side, and wake up on your stomach? If your anwser is yes, it is one hundred percent sure that you're a combination sleeper. What you need is a mattress that can keep up with you- a mattress that's too soft will make you feel "stuck" and will be unsupportive when you're on your stomach. A mattress that's too firm will hurt your hips when you roll to your side.
A medium-firm mattress is the perfect compromise. It’s responsive enough to let you change positions easily, supportive enough for your back and stomach, and has just enough cushioning for your side. A medium-firm hybrid, like the Grove Hybrid, is often the best solution.
Your sleeping position is the starting point, but your body weight is the final, critical adjustment.
And finally, consider your preference! If you're a side sleeper but just love a firmer feel, that's okay. Just look for a firm mattress that still has a thick comfort layer to provide that essential pressure relief.
A: A mattress that is too firm will not allow a side sleeper's shoulders and hips to sink in. This forces the spine out of alignment and puts intense pressure on those joints, which can lead to shoulder pain, hip pain, and numbness or tingling in the arms.
A: Medium-firm is the most versatile firmness. It is an excellent choice for back sleepers (as it supports the lumbar curve) and is the best option for combination sleepers (as it's a jack-of-all-trades). It can also work for average-weight stomach sleepers.
A: This is a classic dilemma! The best compromise is a medium or medium-firm mattress. This will be firm enough to support the back sleeper's spine while having enough contouring foam (like on a hybrid or premium memory foam mattress) to provide pressure relief for the side sleeper.
A: It is the most important feature. Without adequate pressure relief, a side sleeper will experience pain. This is why materials like memory foam, found in both the Novilla Bliss and the comfort layers of the Grove Hybrid, are so beneficial—they are specifically designed to contour and cushion those high-pressure zones.
A: A soft mattress allows a stomach sleeper's heaviest part—their hips and abdomen—to sink too far into the bed. This creates an unhealthy "U" shape in the spine, putting significant strain on the lower back and potentially leading to chronic pain. A firm surface is required for support.
