Hi halcyondaze,
[quote]We’re currently using as our frame the Tatami Platform Bed from Tatamiroom which I found out about originally through here.
I will try to disassemble the bedframe and see if it makes a difference.[/quote]
The Tatami platform bed has firm slats so I doubt this would be an issue.
[quote]My girlfriend’s issues I wish I could explain, I think she was weary of changing the mattress earlier due to just how much research I was doing and the fact I was having so many issues before getting the mattress and didn’t want to “rock the boat”, she started complaining about it after the 90 days, so it’s entirely possible that it was happening beforehand.
From what I’ve noticed it’s as follows. The only way she can even attempt to sleep in the bed now is Firm bottom, Medium middle, Soft Top, however she does not sleep soundly and ends up sleeping in another bed midway through the night due to lower back pain. Any other combination, she cannot get to sleep, and immediately experiences pain.[/quote]
Lower back issues generally indicate the need for firmer support layers and the “most logical” fix for this or at least the next step for testing would be switching around the firm and the X-Firm layers so the X-Firm was under the soft layer and “stopped” her pelvis/hips from sinking in a little bit more quickly. I didn’t find which positions she sleeps in and that would also make a difference.
[quote]So far the best combination form me has been Firm bottom layer, Extra Firm middle layer, and medium top layer, but i still get
some pain in the spine below the shoulder blades waking up, as well as some mid back pain when attempting to get to sleep.
The other combinations i’ve tried (layers from bottom to top).[/quote]
This would make sense to me because it would have the comfort on top you need and the maximum firmness underneath this for support/alignment.
While pain can “travel” from the cause to other areas of the body … the most logical place to look for the source of any pain or discomfort is in the area of the pain itself. Since this is in the upper back and shoulder blade area it may indicate a pillow issue (a pillow that is too high for stomach sleeping can affect the upper body alignment).
It may also be worth putting a thin pillow under your upper pelvis lower abdomen when you are sleeping on your stomach because this can raise the pelvis and offset some of the risk of sleeping on your stomach.
One other layering that may be worth testing is using two of your layers (medium over firm) for a few nights to see what happens with your back.
Beyond this … it may be worth exploring various forms of zoning (see post #11 here).
The combination of your weight with pre-existing back issues and stomach sleeping is a very challenging combination and means that finding an ideal layering will likely be a significant challenge. It’s also quite likely that the mattress itself may not be the biggest factor in the issues you are dealing with and that no mattress will completely resolve all your issues until the effect of all the other contributing factors are reduced as well. In other words … “best possible” rather than “ideal” may be the most realistic expectation for the moment.
Phoenix