100lb Side Sleeper looking for new mattress.

Hi I’m looking for a mattress that will work well for a side sleeper who is about 100 lbs, 5’2" and fairly tiny. Not looking for any specific material or anything. Just something that will align the spine for someone who weighs so little and sleeps on their side. Not trying for anything too expensive but any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Hi CatCuddler,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum! :slight_smile:

While I can help with the “how” to choose a mattress, I can’t predict “what” would be best for you. The first place I would start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly help you know how and why to avoid the worst ones.

Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists (based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you).

The first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more accurate than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or if you can’t test a mattress in person then your own personal sleeping experience (see post #2 here). Generally, someone sleeping upon their side would want to make sure any mattress they were considering offered enough surface conformation to allow their shoulders and hips to sink in a bit while still offering enough support to maintain a more neutral alignment.

As you mentioned you wanted to keep your price lower, for those on a more restricted budget post #4 here and the posts it links to also include many of the better lower budget online options I’m aware of as well.

I hope that helps you get a good start on your search!

Phoenix

I’ve read most of the articles on this website and as helpful as they are it’s still been incredibly difficult finding a bed. I was hoping for some specific suggestions perhaps by someone with similar experience might offer up what they found works. When you weigh so little it’s harder to find mattresses that actual conform to you than say someone of average weight.

Hi CatCuddler,

It really is a personal preference, and over the years I’ve been doing this I’ve had petite individuals choose anything from very soft to very firm. And while people with a lower BMI “tend” to favour items in a more “plush” range, I would also keep in mind that there are also no “standardized” definitions or consensus of opinions for overall firmness ratings and different manufacturers can rate their mattresses very differently than others so a mattress that one manufacturer rates as being a specific firmness could be rated very differently by another manufacturer.

Different people can also have very different perceptions of firmness and softness compared to others as well and a mattress that feels firm for one person can feel like “medium” for someone else or even “soft” for someone else (or vice versa) depending on their body type, sleeping style, physiology, their frame of reference based on what they are used to, and their individual sensitivity and perceptions. This is all relative and very subjective and is as much an art as a science. There are also different types of firmness and softness that different people may be sensitive to that can affect how they “rate” a mattress as well (see post #15 here and what it links to for more information on mattress “softness” ).

If you can’t test a mattress in person, then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc.) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs, options, and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.

Ultimately, the only way to know for certain whether a mattress feels soft or firm to you or whether it fits your criteria will be based on your own personal testing or experience.

Phoenix

Thank you for all the help. I really appreciate it. Any brands/models/materials I should avoid at all due to poor quality?

Hi CatCuddler

How to select a mattress and what to look for is covered in quite a bit of detail in the mattress shopping tutorial that I linked in my previous reply. Also, the major brands such as Sealy/Stearns & Foster, Simmons, and Serta all tend to use lower quality and less durable materials in their mattresses than most of their smaller competitors that will tend to soften or break down prematurely relative to the price you pay which is why I would generally suggest avoiding all of them completely (along with the major retailers that focus on them as well) regardless of how they may feel in a showroom along with any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the type and quality/durability of the materials inside it (see the guidelines here along with post #3 here and post #12 here and post #404 here).

Phoenix