The Lemon Fool

I decided to replace my mattress and am beginning to wish I hadn't now. I weigh about 65kg and sleep on my side. I'm having trouble finding a mattress that doesn't cause me to wake up with an ache running down my spine between my shoulder blades. It doesn't really seem to be doing any long term harm, it's very uncomfortable when I first wake up but once I get out of bed it's pretty much entirely gone by the time I've finished brushing my teeth. I do wonder if I would sleep better and wake less early if I could address the problem though. I suspect it is because the mattresses that I have tried are all too firm so that, due to my light weight, maybe my shoulder doesn't sink deeply enough into the mattress to get neutral spine alignment when I'm lying on my side.

So far I have tried both Casper and Leesa mattresses (they're both on 100 day free trial). I don't really see a huge difference between them. I'm told that all these mattress-in-a-box products are aiming at the medium-firm level with Eve at the firmer end of that spectrum and Leesa and Simba at the softer end. I'm wondering now whether to make a third attempt with a Simba or whether to write-off the mattress-in-a-box experiment on the basis that they are all medium-firm anyway and go elsewhere to try and find a soft or medium-soft mattress.

Has anyone travelled this path before? Have any light side-sleepers out there arrived at the point of deciding that they might need a mattress that is softer than the medium-firm that most of the mattress market seems to concentrate on? If yes then did it work for you and what mattress did you get?

- Julian

Julian wrote:maybe my shoulder doesn't sink deeply enough into the mattress to get neutral spine alignment when I'm lying on my side.

Perhaps the premise is wrong: there is no reason a neutral spine alignment should be especially good. We are animals, accustomed to lying on hard ground.

I used to have similar back problems -- pain towards top of spine -- until we bought thin, firm, Japanese-style mattresses on a rice-straw mat base. Have had virtually no back trouble ever since. Two days in a soft hotel bed restores the agony, until I put duvets on the floor and sleep on top of those, and then I'm fine again by the next day.

Perhaps give very firm a shot?

GS

Can't answer, but food for thought.

Are you sure your problem is with hardness? A mattress has several characteristics, of which hardness and firmness are but two. Most modern mattresses are pocket-sprung, which is supposedly much better than those of our younger days, but don't suit everyone.

Two suggestions:
- A different pillow(s) can make a big difference: they certainly make all the difference to me.
- Have you tried those mattress toppers that give you a couple of (extra) inches of soft layer without losing the firmness of the mattress?

Have you tried those mattress toppers that give you a couple of (extra) inches of soft layer without losing the firmness of the mattress?

My mattress certainly felt more comfortable after adding a mattress topper, along with a firmer pillow intended for side sleepers.

Some people also seem to like the spongy ‘ memory foam’ type mattresses, though I have no direct experience of them.

madhatter wrote:My mattress certainly felt more comfortable after adding a mattress topper, along with a firmer pillow intended for side sleepers.

Some people also seem to like the spongy ‘ memory foam’ type mattresses, though I have no direct experience of them.

I found memory foam (not at all spongy) supremely comfortable when I tried it in a shop. That was a little over five years ago, when I ended up buying my present bed.

I didn't buy it, because I did a bit of research, and found some potential problems. That may be different next time, in an age of no-commitment trial periods.
- They're very hot to sleep on. That's a killer for me.
- Some people complained of back problems after a few weeks. Need a trial period!
- Some reviews say the foam forms around you, affecting you when you try and shift position in the night. Possibly but not necessarily connected with the reports of back problems.

You could spend a night at a Premier Inn. They use Hypnos mattresses and have a slogan of 'A good night's sleep guaranteed' with your money back if you don't sleep well.

If I may drift ever so slightly off topic, the money back guarantee does have some caveats which I found amusing, you can look them up but I thought claiming your money back if you can't sleep due to a war breaking out of an earthquake were quite reasonable.

Anyhow, the mattresses are pretty good and they sell to the public for very realistic prices*. We have the six foot model and as a side sleeper I find it suits me fine.

Regards,

B.

* This is a nice link to an article about mattresses which despite being American has some useful information:
https://moneyinc.com/expensive-mattresses-entire-world/

The article says a Hypnos costs $15,000 - Premier Inn sell the six foot bed and mattress for £1200 or so delivered.

https://johnryanbydesign.co.uk/

There is a lot of info on mattresses on this site, including a detailed breakdown of the Premier Inn Hypnos.


John