3 reasons why your once-comfy mattress is causing you lower back pain — plus the mattresses I recommend this Black Friday

As someone who experiences back pain, I know from bitter experience how quickly your dream mattress can turn into the mattress from hell as it passes its expiry date.

If you’re suddenly experiencing lower back pain on your mattress, you might be wondering what's causing the problem. Even the best mattresses in the world can't last forever, but back pain can have quite specific roots.

I'll look at the three most common reasons for a mattress to be causing lower back pain and giving you my recommendations for the best Black Friday mattress deals to take advantage of to find your back friendly replacement. Let's get started...

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3 reasons why your once comfy mattress is causing you lower back pain

Your mattress has reached its sell by date

Even the best luxury mattresses and expensive beds won’t have an infinite lifespan. Over time, mattresses lose their support, as foams and coils become weaker. And this can again cause aches and pains.

If your mattress is over 10 years old, lumpy of sagging or has springs poking out, it’s time to invest in a new one.

A mattress in this state won’t be supporting your body, making it incredibly easy for your spine to drop out of alignment and cause lower back pain.

Your mattress doesn't support your sleeping position

Okay, so you might well be sitting there and thinking, "but I've slept comfortably on this mattress for ages, so it must be right for my weight and sleeping position". And that might well have been true when you first purchased it.

But, as we get older, our mattress needs change. That means that the mattress that was once comfy could be causing you pain.

If the mattress is now too firm or too soft, it could well be causing you lower back pain as you toss and turn at night trying to get comfortable.

Your mattress doesn't have dedicated lumbar support

Now, I'm not saying that a good mattress has to have enhanced lumbar support and indeed, some of our best mattresses for back pain picks don't but, as a lower back pain sufferer myself I firmly believe that the key to avoiding a build up of aches and pains in this area is to pick a mattress with dedicated lumbar support.

Your existing mattress may well have been extremely comfortable when you purchased it but, as the foams and springs age, the lumbar section could start to dip. Enhanced lumbar support will give you more longevity in the area you need it most.

The mattresses I recommend you invest in this Black Friday

Saatva Classic (twin): was $1,399 now $999 at Saatva
Hands down the best all-round choice for lower back pain, the Saatva Classic has enhanced lumbar support in the form of Lumbar Zone Quilting in the cover and a gel-infused lumbar crown, combined with zoned coils that keep your spine aligned however you sleep. In our Saatva Classic mattress review, it scored near perfect marks in all our tests and this Black Friday we've got a semi-exclusive discount in the Saatva Black Friday mattress sales that takes $400 off all sizes. This takes a queen down to $1,739 and you'll also get free white glove delivery and old mattress removal, a 365-night trial and lifetime warranty.

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Helix Midnight Luxe (twin): was $1,436 now $1,048.28 with code TOMS27 at Helix
The Helix Midnight Luxe is hands-down the best mattress for side sleepers but it's also firm enough to keep back sleepers happy as well, as we discovered in our Helix Midnight Luxe mattress review. The Helix's coil layer has enhanced lumbar support to give a firmer feel under the hips but, for the very best lumbar support, I'd recommend adding in the optional ErgoAlign layer for even more lower back support. Our exclusive TOMS27 code gives you 27% off in the Black Friday Helix mattress sales, taking a queen down to $1,751 and you'll also get a 120-night trial, lifetime warranty and free shipping and returns.

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Nolah Evolution (twin): was $1,810 now $1,047 at Nolah
In our Nolah Evolution mattress review our tester praised the mattress for its excellent pressure relief and I think this is another excellent pick for lower back pain sufferers. The Nolah combines a layer of tri zone foam with firmer support in the center third with zoned coils to offer enhanced lumbar support that will keep your spine perfectly aligned all night long. The Black Friday Nolah mattress sales mean you can pick up a queen for $1,480 and you'll also get a 120-night trial, lifetime warranty and free shipping and returns.

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