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When you think ‘cozy,’ do you imagine a soft pile of pillows or a carpeted floor?

I’m willing to bet it’s the former.

Two women sit on the Helix Dawn Mattress for stomach sleepers, photographed on a light wooden bed frame in a blue bedroom

But once the initial comfort had passed, fidgeting set in.

I struggled to fight gravity at the hips, with my lower back pulled deep into the mattress.

At first, I was hesitant.

A woman lies on the Helix Dawn Mattress in a stomach sleeping position

Then I rolled onto my front, my preferred sleep position, and everything slotted into place.

And trust me, sleeping on a soft mattress I couldfeelall the problemsfront lying was causing for my back.

Stomach sleeper mattressesare typically firm.

A hand presses into the surface of the Plank Firm mattress, testing the temperature regulation, pressure relief, and firmness

As a result your spine is under less pressure, relieving aches and pains.

Soft mattresses provide a different kind of relief pressure relief.

Propermattresses for side sleepersemphasize pressure relief.

A woman sits on the side of the Helix Dawn mattress on a bed frame in a bedroom, testing the edge support

And it isn’t just the hip support that keeps me coming back to firm beds.

Firm mattresses also tend to have betteredge supportthan soft mattresses.

But I’ll never be the kind of sleeper who stays in one position from dusk ‘til dawn.

A woman lies on the Helix Dawn Mattress in a back sleeping position

Soft mattresses tended to trap me in place, making it harder to move around when I grew uncomfortable.

Firm mattresses lack the ‘hug’ of soft beds, allowing you to move freely.

I’ve found switching sleep position only takes a moment, for minimal disruption.

A woman lies on her stomach with her head resting on the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Cloud pillow

But I’m not quitting sleep softness altogether…

Enter: the extra soft pillow.

As a stomach sleeper, soft, low-loft pillows are best for keeping my spine and neck aligned.

Helix midnight elite mattress

A woman wearing green tshirt sitting in bed with her bed tilted and her hand on her neck.

Helix Midnight Luxe Mattress

Two women sit on the Helix Midnight Elite mattress as they look for the right mattress for their sleep position, a Tom�s Guide Sleep Awareness Week deals graphic (right)

Two people sit on top of the Plank Firm flippable double-sided mattress in a bedroom

Two women sit on a Leesa Legend Hybrid Mattress in a bedroom, testing the feel of the mattress.

A split image featuring the Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress on the left and the DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid on the right, leading into the DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid vs Nectar Classic showdown

The image shows a woman sitting up in bed and clutching her shoulder in pain

The Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt mattress on a bed frame in a bedroom, a man and his young sun sitting on top of it, smiling. A Tom�s Guide price drop deals graphic (right)

A couple using the Scandinavian Sleep Method

Bed bugs

The Saatva Murphy Bed Mattress on a Murphy bed frame lying flat, in a bedroom

Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller in "The Last of Us" season 2

The Sunny Health & Fitness Under Desk Elliptical unboxed and on a table

iPhone 16 colors hands-on.

Michael B. Jordan as Smoke in "Sinners" movie

Recipes in the food section of Apple News Plus on an iPhone

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 Ti

Green skull on smartphone screen.