Hi halcyondaze,
[quote]At first things seemed good, both my girlfriend and I were fine with it. However as the months went on, I started getting severe back pain. At first I attributed it to other issues I was having with my legs/back that was the primary reason for getting a new mattress. Now though it looks like the mattress is likely part of the problem, as both my girlfriend and I are having significant back pain.
First off, I’m not a small individual. I’m 6’8" 305-310 lbs, girlfriend is 6’0 ~180lbs.
My layers are X-Firm, Firm, Medium, hers are Firm, Medium, Soft.[/quote]
The first thing I would confirm is that what is under your mattress has no flex and provides even rigid support for your mattress including center support to the floor. What type of foundation and bedframe are you using and is it in good condition? You can check this by trying your mattress on the floor as well.
It would also be helpful to know if you have anything over your mattress and what it is (mattress protector or a mattress pad).
Your layers are within the range that would work well for most people of your height/weight so you may be outside the “averages” which works well for most people which means that a little detective work or trial and error may be needed to identify the underlying cause of your symptoms.
When you have “symptoms” on a mattress … it generally has little to do with the material itself (in this case latex) and more to do with the suitability of the design or layer combination for your specific needs and preferences. All materials or mattress “categories” will have designs that work well for some people and not as well for others so the key is to track down the most likely reason why you are having the symptoms you re having.
Generally (but not always) lower back issues “point to” the pelvis sinking down too far which tilts the pelvis and can put the lumbar spine out of alignment. This is generally connected to the firmness of the support layers or the thickness/firmness of the comfort layers.
Upper back issues can point to a comfort layer that is too firm.
Stomach sleepers in particular need a thinner or firmer comfort layer so that the pelvis is “stopped” more quickly to prevent hyperextension of the lumbar spine. For those who sleep in a combination of positions then “just enough” thickness and softness of the comfort layers to relieve pressure in the most pressure prone position (side sleeping) is usually better for alignment for back and stomach sleeping.
For you … a medium top layer would “act” softer because of your higher weight and would usually be an appropriate choice and for your girlfriend a softer comfort layer would generally be the most suitable choice … although each person has their own preferences and circumstances as well depending on the specifics of their body type and sleeping style. The thickness of the top layer can be important as well because with thinner comfort layers your pelvis be “stopped” more quickly because there is less soft material in between your body and the firmer layers below it.
The most common adjustment on your side to increase the firmness of the comfort layers would be switching the X-Firm and the Firm layers so the X-Firm is directly under the medium layer. This would still give you the softness you would likely need for side sleeping and increase the underlying support you may need for back and stomach sleeping. The next most likely layering would be a firm on top, a firm under this and the extra firm on the bottom (you would need to 'borrow" a layer from the other side for this). This would give you the “next softest” comfort layer and firm support underneath it. You could also use F/XF/F to increase the support even more.
It’s also important when you are trying to track down the layering that works best to describe the difference between each combination instead of just a “works or doesn’t work” because the type and degree of any changes in your symptoms is also an important part of the feedback that can help point to a solution.
Since you can’t change the thickness of your top layer … then it may also be an idea to consider zoning and the suggestions in post #11 here may be helpful.
For your girlfriend it would also be helpful if you could describe the differences between each of the combinations she has tried and which ones were better and worse in terms of pressure relief and alignment and the specific differences in her symptoms between each combination. This will also provide some helpful indications of the direction she needs to go as well. The “clues” are always in the specifics of how each combination is different from the last and which one is better or worse for pressure relief and alignment rather than just “works or doesn’t work”.
It sounds to me like both of you may need to “lift up” your pelvis a little more (which is the typical cause of lower back issues) but it’s also possible that you may need some extra support under the lumbar curve as well.
I’m also curious whether your symptoms were evident during the first 90 days during the exchange period. Normally these types of issues show up early and you would have plenty of time to re-arrange or exchange layers but if they only showed up later then this could also point to other issues behind your symptoms that may not be connected to your mattress (although there still may be adjustments you can make that can be helpful).
So overall it would be helpful if you could list the specifics of each layering you have tried and the specific symptoms you felt on each combination compared to the others so the differences between your experience on each combination can help track down the changes that may be most helpful.
As frustrating a it may be if your circumstances are more complex or “outside the norm” … taking one step at a time, trying each combination for a few days at least to to rule out any anomalies in your experience on a combination that comes from the circumstances of the day, and with as much information as possible about the differences between each combination and the one before it, has the highest odds of success in identifying the underlying cause of your symptoms and what may help correct it.
Phoenix