While the idea of sleeping on an extra firm mattress won’t be for everyone, others will be drawn to the benefits of sleeping on an ultra hard surface. For instance, back sleepers seeking a mattress with dedicated lumbar support, or stomach sleepers looking for a superior spinal alignment.
But what is an extra firm mattress, and how can you tell if you need one? Many of the mattresses included in our best mattress guide offer customizable firmness options, including firm. However, an extra firm mattress is a bed with a firmness rating of 9/10, which means they’re most suited to those who require additional support.
Here, we’ll dive into what defines an extra firm mattress and who these hard beds are best for — because an extra firm mattress won't be right for everyone. We'll also look at the top three extra firm mattresses you can shop in today's mattress sales. Let's get started.
What is an extra firm mattress?
Extra firm mattresses are a step up in sturdiness from the best firm mattresses. They have little give and don’t hug the body like softer mattresses do. An extra firm mattress will score around a 9 out of 10 on the firmness scale and is a step up in sturdiness from a firm mattress (usually 8 out of 10), offering ultimate support and rigidity.
This makes them primarily suited to heavy back and stomach sleepers, who benefit most from the healthy spine alignment an extra firm mattress provides. Side sleepers will find extra firm mattresses unsuitable, due to the lack of cushioning across pressure points like their shoulders and hips.
Extra firm mattresses achieve rigidity from a combination of sturdy materials. They usually have an open coil structure made from strong steel wound into coils to form the extra firm mattress core.
Other materials include high-density reflex foam, which provides a solid sleeping surface, innerspring coils for additional support and latex foam, which helps airflow and increases breathability, making the mattress cooler to sleep on.
5 signs you need an extra firm mattress and not a firm bed
If you're currently sleeping on one of the best firm mattresses but you don't feel it provides quite enough support, you could be better off with an extra firm. Here's how to tell if you need an extra firm mattress and not a firm bed.
1. You have a heavier build
Most standard mattresses can comfortably accommodate up to 250lbs. Heavier people require a mattress with a heavier weight capacity to avoid sinking through the mattress support layers.
The best mattress for heavy people will be an extra firm one that offers more pushback to support the heavier weight. Aside from firmness, other important features heavy people should look for are lumbar support for pressure relief promote correct spinal alignment, as well as strong edge support to ensure you can sit safely on (and sleep right up to) the edge of the bed.
2. You're experiencing back and neck pain
The World Health Organization estimates that over 600 million people globally are affected by lower back pain. If you’re experiencing pain in your lower back and neck while you sleep, solid lumbar support should be a priority for you when shopping for a new mattress.
Quality extra firm mattresses offer just that, providing robust support for healthy spinal alignment which alleviates pain. This is why several of the entries in our best mattresses for back pain guide are firm beds.
3. You sleep on your front
Word of warning — chiropractors and sleep experts generally agree that stomach sleeping is bad for you due to the prolonged pressure it places on your spine. But if you just can’t help drifting off in this position, an extra firm mattress is a good idea.
An ultra firm sleep surface will align your spine with the rest of your body, even in this difficult position. You'll sleep on top of an extra firm mattress rather than sinking into it, which stops your spine curving further.
4. You get woken up by your partner
Due to their solid surface, extra firm mattresses limit motion transfer extremely well, meaning you’re less likely to feel your partner tossing and turning or getting in and out of bed when on a different schedule.
5. You toss and turn
It is worth considering an extra firm mattress if you’re a combination sleeper who likes to be able to shift positions easily throughout the night. There is less hug and sinkage with a solid sleep surface, which makes movement easier. While this will be off-putting for some sleepers, such as those who sleep on their sides, others will be drawn to the responsiveness of an extra firm mattress.
3 top-rated extra firm mattresses to shop today
