Best Mattress for Sleep Apnea
Have you ever had any complaints from your sleeping partner about your loud snoring? Did you ever wake up the next day feeling really sleepy up to a point where it got in the way of focusing on your daily tasks? Do you wake up gasping for air, not really sure why your breathing stopped? It could be because you have sleep apnea. If you’re not really sure what sleep apnea is, how your sleeping position might affect it, and if there are any good mattresses to help with that, you’ve come to the right place.
| Rank | Product | Highlights |
| #1 | 
Zoma Sports Mattress |
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| #2 | 
LUCID L300 Adjustable Bed Base with LUCID Hybrid Mattress |
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| #3 |  Classic Brands Mattress
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| #4 |  LUCID L300 Base & Mattress
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| #5 |  Classic Brands 14-inch Mattress
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| #6 |  Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress
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Table Of Contents
- Understanding Sleep Apnea
- Can a Mattress Really Help?
- Best Mattresses for Sleep Apnea
- 1. Zoma Sports Mattress
- 2. LUCID L300 Adjustable Bed Base with LUCID Hybrid Mattress
- 3. Classic Brands Mattress
- 4. LUCID L300 Base & Mattress
- 5. Classic Brands 14-inch Mattress
- 6. Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress
- Conclusion
Understanding Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a very serious sleeping disorder characterized by repeated stop and start of one’s breathing. Sleep apnea can be obstructive (and occurs when your throat muscles relax), central (happens when the brain fails to signal the muscles that control breathing), and complex (when a person has both obstructive and central sleep apnea simultaneously).
Snoring is considered to be one of the most common signs that someone has sleep apnea, but it doesn’t occur with all patients. In some cases, the sleeping habits that indicate signs of sleep apnea might not be observed by the sleeper, but rather by their partner, who might notice the loud snoring or the gasping for air episodes.
When your breathing stops, your brain signals you to wake up and catch your breath, but these waking episodes are so short, there are high chances you won’t even remember them. Other symptoms of sleep apnea include dry mouth when waking up, problems staying asleep, irritability, morning headaches, or hypersomnia.
You have higher chances of ending up with obstructive sleep apnea if you have a thicker neck (which results in narrower airways), suffer from obesity, are male, are of old age, have a nasal congestion, are a smoker or drinker, or if you have a family history of sleep apnea. You are more likely to develop central sleep apnea if you are older, a male, have heart disorders, use narcotic medication, or have suffered a stroke.
Needless to say, sleep apnea can lead to a number of other health problems and lifestyle inconveniences, such as daytime fatigue, heart problems, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, liver problems, or relationship problems as loud snoring can prevent those around you from getting a good night’s sleep.
Can a Mattress Really Help?
It’s important to understand that a mattress doesn’t not directly help with sleep apnea, but it can help them adjust their sleeping position, especially when paired with the right adjustable bed base.
A study conducted back in 2015 revealed the fact that people who have obstructive sleep apnea are more likely to experience severe breathing problems when sleeping on their backs. That’s because back sleeping puts you in a position where your tongue and throat muscles relax, leading your airway to be blocked. During the study, memory foam mattresses to support side and stomach sleeping were used.
One the conclusion is that mattresses with memory foam in their comfort layers make it easier for people to sleep on the side, therefore reducing the odds of triggering their sleep apnea. Adjustable beds, on the other hand, can elevate the upper part of the body and prevent snoring due to airway blockage in people that have sleep apnea.
Best Mattresses for Sleep Apnea
1. Zoma Sports Mattress
SPECS:
- Available Sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King, Split King
- Height: 11 inches
- Construction: memory foam
Editor’s Pick
Another mattress that’s suitable for those who have sleep apnea in the Zoma, an all-foam bed that also happens to have an adjustable base available as a separate purchase. With these two combined, you can adjust your sleeping position and open up your airways to prevent snoring and air shortage due to sleep apnea.
This memory foam mattress offers zoned support because different parts of your body are going to sink into the bed more or less, depending on your sleeping position. The support core of the bed is made from high-density polyfoam. The 11-inch mattress also features a mesh cover with moisture-wicking properties. The cover is made from a polyester and spandex blend, which makes it highly stretchable.
The Zoma Sports mattress is a bed that will help you sleep cool because it comes with a top layer that’s infused with gel. Due to its foam construction, the bed is also really good at isolating motion and comes at a really good price point for those of you looking to stay within a more restrictive budget. While the Zoma mattress performs really well in terms of motion isolation, temperature neutrality, pressure relief, and makes almost no noise, it does have poor edge support, a little bit of off-gassing, and the durability isn’t exceptional (no worries, this is a common issue with all foam beds because their body-shaping properties make them more likely to sag compared to other materials that are used in the mattress industry).
This mattress works really well for side and back sleepers that weigh a maximum of 230 pounds, offering zoned support and a medium feel with close conforming. It is, however, too soft for people who weigh more than 230 pounds, and might not provide as much support as needed, causing sleepers to sink into the mattress instead of pushing them to sleep on top of it.
| Pros | Cons |
| Poor edge support |
2. LUCID L300 Adjustable Bed Base with LUCID Hybrid Mattress
SPECS:
- Available Sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King, Split King
- Height: 10/12 inches
- Construction: memory foam + pocketed coils
Runner Up
As mentioned before, there are so many things a good mattress can do to help you with sleep apnea, but the benefits can be extended when paired with an adjustable base. This example right here is a combo that features LUCID’s adjustable base and one of their hybrid mattresses. The mattress combines 2 inches of bamboo charcoal memory foam, a transition layer made from foam and infused with aloe vera, and one extra inch of support foam to protect the 6.5-inch layer of pocketed coils underneath. The mattress is sold together with the company’s adjustable base, featuring a remote control that allows you to fiddle with the different settings, including separate control for the heat and foot area, a convenient flashlight, a memory function, plus a button that helps return the base to its original flat position.
| Pros | Cons |
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3. Classic Brands Mattress
SPECS:
- Available Sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King, Split King
- Height: 12 inches
- Construction: all-foam bed
Best for Side Sleepers
The Classic Brand mattress offers plenty of support for side sleepers that want to avoid the dreaded position that triggers loud snoring, which is back sleeping. It starts with a memory foam layer infused with cooling gel that promises to prevent this comfort layer from trapping heat up to a point where it becomes uncomfortable for you to sleep on this mattress. The second layer consists of foam designed to relieve pressure and help transition to the base below. Speaking of the base, we’re dealing with high-density foam that helps the mattress retain shape and supports the weight of the sleeper(s).
| Pros | Cons |
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4. LUCID L300 Base & Mattress
SPECS:
- Available Sizes: Full, Queen, King
- Height: 12 inches
- Construction: memory foam + latex + pocketed coils
Best Adjustable
When you want a more high-tech adjustable base with a higher quality hybrid mattress, this combo right here might tick all the right boxes. We’re talking about a bed that combines a comfort layer made from 1.5 inches of latex foam and another inch of gel memory foam, both offering amazing contouring, support, and durability. The transition layer is made from an inch of foam, with an extra inch meant to protect the 6.5-inch pocketed coil base. The adjustable base that pairs with this mattress has some pretty impressive specifications as well, such as the dual charging USB ports located on the sides, the remote control that allows you to adjust the angles of the upper and lower body regions, and the footrest brackets that prevent the mattress from sliding off the base.
| Pros | Cons |
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5. Classic Brands 14-inch Mattress
SPECS:
- Available Sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
- Height: 14 inches
- Construction: all-foam bed
Best Tall Mattress
If you want a taller mattress available at a good price that helps support your side sleeping if you have sleep apnea, this Classic Brands choice is a bed with a pressure relieving all-foam construction that’s worth your money. It is designed with a comfort layer made from 2 inches of cool gel memory foam. The transition layer is made from another 2 inches of memory foam to prevent you from sinking into the bed too deep. The base is made from a block of 8 inches of high-density foam. It’s really important that you pay close attention to what you’re ordering, as this mattress is available in multiple height options and the thickness of each layer will depend on the mattress profile you choose.
| Pros | Cons |
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6. Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress
SPECS:
- Available Sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Short Queen, Queen, King
- Height: 6/8/10/12 inches
- Construction: all-foam bed
Best Cost Effective
The Zinus mattress often takes the award for being one of the most cost-effective all-foam beds on the market. Let’s start off by mentioning the fact that you can choose between 4 different thickness profiles. If you choose the 8-inch version of this bed, you can expect to find a 2-inch layer of memory foam with a green tea infusion to enhance the material’s antibacterial properties; 2 more inches of comfort foam in the transition layer, and a high-density foam base that measures 4 inches in weight. If you choose the 12-inch version, the first 2 layers are followed by 2 x 3-inch layers of convoluted foam that measure 3.5 inches each.
| Pros | Cons |
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Conclusion
When you suffer from sleep apnea, a mattress can be somewhat helpful, although it is not a direct part of treatment for this condition. A proper mattress can encourage you to adopt a different sleeping position rather than always lying on your back. It can also offer support if you have to sleep with a CPAP machine (although the pillow is of much greater importance than the mattress itself), and, when paired with the right adjustable base, it can elevate the upper part of your body to prevent snoring and potentially open up your airways so that you can breathe without interruptions.
Photo credit: Ermolaev Alexander/Shutterstock