Best Side Sleeper Mattress in Australia: Buying Guide
For most side sleepers, the best mattress is medium to medium-soft. It should be soft enough that your shoulder and hip sink in, but firm enough underneath that your waist doesn't sag and your spine stays roughly straight. Pocket-spring hybrids and latex suit a lot of side sleepers. Memory foam suits people who like a hugged feel and don't sleep hot. Very firm innerspring beds are usually the worst fit. Your pillow is the other half of the job: side sleepers need a firmer, higher pillow than back sleepers, and a good mattress paired with a flat pillow will still leave your neck bent.
What a side sleeper needs from a mattress
Lying on your side puts most of your weight through two narrow points, the shoulder and the hip. On a hard surface those points push back, which is why side sleepers on firm beds often wake with a numb arm or a sore hip, and roll over again and again during the night.
A good side sleeper mattress has to do two jobs at once:
- Give way at the shoulder and hip so pressure spreads out instead of building in one spot.
- Hold up the waist and ribcage so the spine runs level from neck to tailbone rather than dipping in the middle.
Too soft and your hips sink further than your shoulders. Too firm and your shoulder gets pushed up toward your ear. Most of the decision is finding the point between those two.
Firmness depends on your weight
Australian brands usually rate firmness on a 1 to 10 scale, but the same mattress feels different depending on who lies on it. As a rough starting point for side sleepers:
- Under about 60 kg: medium-soft (around 4 to 5). Lighter bodies don't sink far, so a firmer bed won't let the shoulder in.
- About 60 to 100 kg: medium (around 5 to 6) suits most people.
- Over about 100 kg: medium to medium-firm with a strong support core, often a hybrid, so the hips don't bottom out.
If you share with a back or stomach sleeper who wants something firmer, medium is the usual compromise.
Mattress types compared
| Type | How it feels on your side | Heat | Suits | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memory foam | Deep, slow contouring around the shoulder and hip | Can run warm | Lighter to average sleepers who stay put | Harder to roll over; cheaper low-density foam can soften and dip |
| Pocket-spring hybrid | Foam or latex comfort layer over individually wrapped coils | Breathes better than all-foam | Most side sleepers, heavier bodies, couples | A thin comfort layer still leaves pressure points |
| Latex | Contours, but springs back quickly | Cooler than memory foam | People who switch positions during the night | Heavy to move, usually costs more |
| Open-coil innerspring | Firmer and flatter, little contouring | Cool | Guest rooms and tight budgets | Shoulder and hip pressure, more motion transfer |
You'll find all of these in Australian showrooms such as Forty Winks and Snooze, and from online brands like Koala, Ecosa and Emma. Many online brands offer home trial periods, and side sleepers should use them. Five minutes on a showroom bed won't tell you whether your arm goes numb at 3 am.
Climate matters too. If you sleep hot through a Brisbane or Perth summer, a hybrid or latex mattress will usually feel cooler than solid memory foam.
Before you replace your mattress, try a topper
If your mattress is still supportive (no dip in the middle, no springs poking through) but feels too hard at the shoulders, a topper costs far less than a new bed. Dosaze sells several in the DreamAlign range, including the DreamAlign Side Sleeper Mattress Topper, named for this sleeping position, and the DreamAlign Pressure Point Relief Mattress Topper.
A topper won't rescue a sagging mattress, though. A soft layer laid over a hollow just follows it down. If you can see a dip or you keep sliding toward the middle, replace the mattress.
Why a firm pillow matters as much as the mattress
On your side, your head sits above the mattress by roughly the width of your shoulder, often somewhere around 10 to 15 centimetres for an adult. The pillow has to fill that gap and keep filling it at 4 am, not just when you first lie down. That's why side sleepers usually do better with a firm pillow: soft ones flatten under the weight of your head and your neck tilts down.
The pillow and mattress also affect each other. A softer mattress lets your shoulder sink, which shrinks the gap, so you may need a slightly lower pillow. A firmer mattress means a higher one. If you change your mattress or add a topper, check your pillow height again.
Pillow fills for side sleepers
- Solid memory foam holds its height all night and follows the curve of the neck, but you can't adjust it and some people find it warm.
- Shredded foam lets you add or remove fill and breathes a bit better, though it can clump over time.
- Latex is springy and tends to sleep cooler.
- Feather, down and polyester fibre feel soft and squash easily. Most side sleepers end up folding them in half.
- Buckwheat is very firm and mouldable, but heavy and a little noisy when you move.
Signs your setup isn't working
- You fold your pillow or sleep with an arm jammed under it.
- Your neck is stiff on waking and eases within an hour.
- The arm you sleep on goes numb or tingles.
- You toss between sides all night.
Where Dosaze fits (and where it doesn't)
We don't sell mattresses, so if your bed is worn out, a new mattress from one of the brands above is the fix. Where we can help is the topper and the pillow.
For the pillow, the Dosaze Contoured Orthopaedic Pillow is premium memory foam shaped to cradle the natural curve of your neck and promote spinal alignment. It suits side, back and stomach sleepers. The cover is a naturally cooling, anti-microbial fabric and it zips off for washing. The foam is CertiPUR-US certified, and it ships locally across Australia.
The trade-off is that it's solid foam. You get a firm, consistent height through the night, but you can't take fill out or add more. If you'd rather fine-tune your pillow height by hand, an adjustable shredded-fill pillow may suit you better.
Frequently asked questions
Should a side sleeper have a soft or firm mattress?
Most side sleepers do best on a medium to medium-soft mattress. It lets the shoulder and hip sink in while still holding the waist up. Lighter people usually want softer, and people over about 100 kg often need medium to medium-firm with a strong support core.
What is the best type of mattress for side sleepers in Australia?
Pocket-spring hybrids suit the widest range of side sleepers because they combine a contouring comfort layer with coil support and better airflow. Latex is a good choice if you move around or sleep hot. Memory foam suits side sleepers who like a hugged feel and don't overheat.
Do side sleepers need a firm pillow?
Usually, yes. Your pillow has to fill the gap between your head and the mattress, which is roughly the width of your shoulder, and soft pillows flatten through the night. A firm memory foam, latex or shredded foam pillow keeps its height better than feather or polyester fibre.
Can a mattress topper make a firm mattress better for side sleeping?
Yes, if the mattress underneath is still supportive and simply too hard at the shoulders and hips. A topper adds a softer layer on top. It won't fix a mattress that has sagged or has a dip in the middle, because the topper will follow that dip.
How high should a pillow be for a side sleeper?
Roughly the distance from your neck to the outside edge of your shoulder, often around 10 to 15 centimetres for adults. Broader shoulders need more height and petite sleepers less. On a softer mattress your shoulder sinks further, so you may need a slightly lower pillow.
