Assistance required—can’t find right mattress

I’m in a lot of discomfort and some direction would be grateful.

I’m approximately 138 pounds, side sleeper. Bed is shared with two large dogs (adding ~180 additional pounds—not sure if that matters). I have joint issues from osteoarthritis after getting hit by a car as a pedestrian in my 30s and breaking shoulder and knee joints, which isn’t helping.

I’ve been on the hunt for years for the “right” fit. I’ve tried innumerable memory foams and some cheap basic mattresses in earlier years. For the last couple of years I’ve been on a Saatva Classic Plush Soft. It really wasn’t a good fit from the beginning in terms of comfort and pressure but I mistakenly confused the need for pressure relief for a need for a softer mattress. Saatva sent me a topper which didn’t help. I bought a Eco Terra Talalay topper (3”/ 28ILD) to see if I could “fix” it. Still miserable. I end up feeling like all my weight is on my hip within minutes of a lie-down and my body feels like I am sinking my stomach/midriff whilst my hips and shoulder remain above holding my weight.

Started shopping and liked the feel of Aireloom’s Streamline Plush M1 and Luxetop Plush M2, but they’re spendy, especially the latter. Worse is my concern about mixed reviews (I read the post here about the reviews possibly stemming from department store lower quality ranges but even their site FAQ mentions that it must be rotated every two weeks at first and that “impressions of up to 1.5” will remain through life of mattress and aren’t a warranty concern.” That seems like an awfully deep impression on a very spendy mattress.)

I like the feel on Aireloom that there is substantial spring pushback—in a good way. The Aireloom felt like I was still on top of the mattress instead of bowed and with enough hip cushion to not feel like that part of me is holding all my weight. I’m a bit concerned if I don’t go with some sort of spring (instead of pure foam) I won’t get what I need, but willing to hear expert advice. I looked at trying to create a mattress from components but not sure how it would end up. I even looked at just buying Aireloom’s topper but it’s nearly the cost of a mattress itself.

TLDR version: I think I need a firm’ish mattress but one that isn’t hard on pressure points of hips/shoulders. Open to suggestions but suspect I may need coils instead of just foam. Absolutely miserable at night and most of day. Please help me get reacquainted with restful sleep. If possible on something less spendy than Aireloom or if not, some assurance that I won’t spend 4K to end up 1.5” in a divot in a few months.

Firm with a bit of softness? Aireloom M1 Firm, but try the other variants!

Most bad Aireloom reviews are from the lower quality Airelooms from Macys. Dont buy those!

I dont think you will get 1.5 in impressions, but all mattresses get some impressions!

The gold is in front of you: Aireloom. Its for your health. Dont have the $$$? Put it on a credit care. Dont be cheap with your mattress!

John

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Credit card!!!

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Welcome MyBackandHipsHurt,

I’m sorry to hear about the discomfort you’re experiencing—it sounds really challenging. Finding the right mattress can be a journey, especially with specific considerations like joint issues and shared bed space with pets. We can try to narrow down some options based on your needs and preferences.

Considering you like the idea of a firmer mattress with good pressure relief, as well as your positive experience with the spring pushback of the Aireloom mattresses, here are a few generic suggestions along with a few brand names thrown into the mix:

  • Hybrid Mattresses: These mattresses combine the support of innerspring coils with the comfort of foam layers. They often provide a good balance of support and pressure relief. Brands like @DLX, @EngineeredSleep, @Arizona_Premium, @Sleep_EZ , @My_Green_Mattress, and @TheCleanBedroom offer hybrid mattresses with various firmness options and features designed for pressure relief.

  • Latex Mattresses: Natural latex mattresses can offer excellent support and pressure relief, especially for joint issues. Latex has a more responsive feel compared to memory foam and can provide good support without feeling too firm.
    .

  • Customizable Mattresses: Some brands offer mattresses with customizable layers, allowing you to adjust the firmness and support to your liking. Brands like @DLX, @EngineeredSleep and some others offer customizable options where you can adjust the firmness on each side of the bed, and switch out comfort layer inserts to satisfy comfort feels without having to exchange the entire mattress system, which could be beneficial if your preferences change over time. Many of the Trusted Members who offer latex hybrids and all latex can offer some type of customizable mattress in your price range.

While Aireloom makes a fine mattress with quality materials, brands like Shifman offer similar mattresses with all natural foams and fibers too, starting at the 2-3k range. Millbrook is another mattress that offers British materials built here in America.

Almost every mattress brand mentioned in this response, offers a very supportive firm support system with varying comfort layers and materials to accommodate your lighter weight frame, and will satisfy and dog in the neighborhood :dog: :dog2: :poodle: :service_dog: :guide_dog:.

Many of the mattresses mentioned are priced below $3,000 offer comparable quality, comfort, and longevity to non-private labeled versions like Aireloom, ( unlike the ones commonly found in stores like Macy’s or Bloomingdale’s, as John pointed out).

It’s important to prioritize factors like materials, construction, and customer reviews rather than solely focusing on brand recognition or price when selecting a mattress. By considering these aspects and paying attention to warranty coverage and return policies, you can find a high-quality mattress within your budget that meets your specific needs for comfort and support.

Now that you have a clear sense of your comfort preferences, it’s entirely reasonable to base your purchase decision on comparative specifications alone. This approach becomes even more viable when partnering with a trusted mattress provider. With a success rate of over 90% when directly collaborating with clients, these experts can help tailor your mattress to achieve your optimal comfort level. By leveraging their expertise and focusing on specific features, you can confidently select a mattress that prioritizes your comfort and satisfaction.

Ultimately, finding the right mattress may take some trial and error, but with careful consideration of your needs and preferences, you can hopefully find a mattress that provides the comfort and support you need for restful sleep.

I would encourage you to start by looking at @DLX and @EngineeredSleep as they offer mattresses that can be manipulated at the comfort layers rather then the need for exchanging an entire mattress.

Hope this gives you a bit a perspective to narrow your search.

Maverick

OH! Forgot to mention “impressions”. The is a discernible difference between body impressions and sagging, particularly on a mattress made with natural fibers and foams.

While body impressions on a natural fiber mattress are a natural occurrence and often do not significantly affect comfort or support (as shocking as they may appear), sagging due to poor quality materials can have a notable negative impact on both the longevity and comfort of the mattress. The discernable differences lie in the material composition, depth and shape of impressions, uniformity of support, durability, resilience, and overall sleeping experience.

Maintenance!!!
I can not stress enough that maintenance plays a very important roll in overall comfort and longevity.

Rotate the mattress

Every 3 months. This is important when the mattress is new. The fibers and foams have not been “stressed”. When you sleep, body impressions are normal. One a king mattress in particular, you may develop that “ridge” between sleepers down the middle, head to foot. In a better quality mattress, this is due to each sleeper’s compressing their sides and the middle remains at expanded height, thus creating the ridge. Rotating the mattress, even at times, a 90 degree rotation will allow for even wear and be visually pleasing.

Topper Rotation and fluffing

I rotate and flip my 3" wool topper every time I change the sheets. The sheets are off anyway, so I rotate the topper, and fluff the mattress topper by shaking it multiple times, in a motion akin to the rope exercise, helping to redistribute the filling and restore its shape and loft. It does create a noticeable difference upon lying on the mattress after the linens are reapplied.

For more in depth look at mattress ridging see this excellent article by @DLX

For a more extensive take on mattress maintenance and longevity another article by @DLX

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Welcome to the Mattress Underground!

I think you hit the nail on the head here:

I mistakenly confused the need for pressure relief for a need for a softer mattress.

So many people do this - and I used to as well. Living with a spouse who has a bad back has taught me that sometimes more support is better.

You have identified that you want to be ‘on’ the mattress not ‘in’ the mattress - so you would like the ‘pushback’ that you get from coils.

One mattress made by a reputable company that you may like is the Naturepedic EOS mattress. It is a hybrid, and you can customize both the support layer (which is coils) and the cushioning layer of latex to meet your needs. There are five different firmness configurations. A queen size comes in at under 3K right now with the Memorial Day sale going on.
If you need to tweak it after buying, you have 90 days to swap out layers. Or - if you wish you can add a topper, which also helps prevent the impressions you were talking about.

I agree with both BillyIdol and Maverick - there is some maintenance required with even a higher-end mattress, particularly when you first get it. Rotating and flipping components or the whole mattress really help.

There are some other options on our site also - The EOS comes in a pillowtop version as well (although it may be more cushioning than you would like). We do have some all latex mattresses that can be customized to be more on the firm side also. The Laurel by Healthy Choice would come in at under $3,400 now on sale, for example.

Good luck with your search! We’re here to help if you need it.

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Hi Mybackandhipshurt and welcome to the forums! You might want to consider the 10" organic latex mattress by Sleep EZ - https://sleepez.com/product/organic-latex-mattress/

The organic and natural mattresses (the Select Sleep mattresses) are our flagship products. They’re fully customizable, meaning you can order the mattress to be as soft or as firm as you’d like. They’re also fully adjustable, meaning you can change the softness, firmness, back support, pressure relief, etc. AFTER you get the mattress in your home. To be more specific, the 10” is our most popular, and these mattresses normally go out with three 3" layers of different firmnesses - normally the softest layer (or the cushion & contour layer) is on top and the supportive layers are on the bottom. This helps ensure our customers get the right balance of contour for their hips and shoulders but also support for their lower back. If you start with a certain setup and find that it’s too soft, you can unzip the cover and rearrange the layers to get a firmer feel out of the mattress, or you can exchange a layer to make it softer. Additionally, latex mattresses typically last 20 years. If, in 5 or 10 or 15 years you decide you want a softer or firmer mattress you would only have to buy a new layer instead of an entirely new mattress. Lastly, if the mattress starts to break down in 15 – 20 years, it’s normally the top layer that breaks down first, and at that point you can likely just buy a new top layer of latex instead of a whole new mattress and get an additional 8-10 years out of the mattress.

Furthermore, queen, king, and cal king mattresses are available with what we call “split layers,” which means you can have us cut the layers down the middle (from head to foot) so that you can have a different feel / firmness on your side versus your partner’s side, and you can adjust each side independently over the 20 year lifetime of the mattress. About 95% of our mattresses go out with all split layers from top to bottom, and we get zero complaints on being able to feel the split and we get zero complaints about the layers shifting or anything like that, even if you sleep right on the middle of the mattress.

If you’re wondering how to pick the layers for this mattress, you can go to the natural or organic mattress page, click the green button that says “Build Your Mattress Now,” then click the gray oval that says “Personalized,” and you’ll be able to enter your information. The website will then make a personalized recommendation based on your information (the layers in the mattress diagram will reflect the recommendation after you click the “Apply” button. Please note that our initial recommendations have a 90% success rate (we only have a 10% layer exchange rate) so there’s a 90% chance that the recommendation turns out to be your perfect setup!

Although it’s not likely that you’ll need to rearrange layers or exchange layers, you certainly have the option to adjust the mattress according to you and your partner’s specific needs and preferences, both in the short-term and long-term. We have a 90 day exchange and return period, so you can exchange a layer within the first 90 days for a flat-rate $30 fee for the first exchange and the full cost of shipping for any subsequent exchanges. We will ship your layers first, and we will ship them with extra plastic that you can use to package your current layers, and we will ship it with a pre-paid Fed Ex return label. Also, if you will please call us when you are ready to ship your layers back we will schedule a free Fed Ex pick up for you. You will have 30 days after its arrival to return a layer of your choosing, so you’ll have plenty of time to try a few different combinations with the layers you have and the layer we will be sending you so that you can get your comfort and support levels just right.

Based on the information you’ve provided, we would recommend the 10" organic with soft Talalay over firm Dunlop over extra firm Dunlop, just FYI.

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