Beginner, need mattress help!

Hi, I’m new to the Mattress Community and have no idea what I’m doing to I’m wondering if someone can help me. I’m looking for a mattress for myself and my wife. I’m 27, 5’9 195 lbs, side sleeper with semi broad shoulders. She’s 30, 5’5, 118 lbs, also side sleeper. We both tend to have lower back issues from sleeping.

Hi EricDean.

Welcome to our Mattress Forum. :slight_smile:

Thank you for sharing some of your sleeping statistics with us.

To quote Phoenix…

While there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone to predict which mattress would be the best match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) based on “theory at a distance” (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here) … if your back issues are being caused or aggravated by your mattress the odds are high that you can find a mattress that will be a better fit and alleviate that low back pain you mentioned.

The first place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you with how to make the most suitable choice … and know how and why to avoid the worst ones.

There is also more about the most common “symptoms” that people may experience on a mattress in post #2 here that may help you identify why the mattresses you have chosen weren’t working well for you. The most common cause of lower back pain is an alignment issue from a mattress that either has a support core that is too soft or comfort layers (or toppers) that are too thick/soft for your body type or sleeping positions but a mattress that is too firm and doesn’t provide good support under the recessed parts of your body (such as the small of your back) can also lead to lower back pain.

The most important “requirement” for any mattress purchase regardless of any back issues is always to make sure that it provides good alignment in all your sleeping positions.

There is more about primary and secondary support and their relationship to pressure relief and firmness in post #4 here and in post #2 here that may help you visualize what good support and alignment “looks like”.

There is also more about the different ways to buy a mattress and how to minimize the risks involved in each of them if you aren’t confident that a particular mattress is a good match for you in terms of PPP in post #2 here that may also be helpful.

What kind of mattress are you sleeping on now? What have you and your wife liked about previous mattresses, and what have you disliked about them? I’d be happy to try and narrow down a list of “must haves” and “dealbreakers” for your ideal mattress to help put you on the right path towards a better fit.

NikkiTMU

Hi Thankyou for the reply. I do know that we’ve found we can’t sleep on a mattress that’s too firm or one that’s too soft, it has to be somewhere in the middle. Right now we’re sleeping on a “Sealy Performance with Posturepedic Technology”. I find it too firm and really bouncy. The last mattress we had was some 3,000 that was the opposite, not very firm and the opposite of bouncy, you could basically jump on one side and not feel it on the other. That one hurt my back too. I really didn’t know where was this much to buying the right mattress and it’s all very confusing, I don’t even know where to start so some recommendations would be great.

If you both are side sleeper I’ll suggest you the plank mattress. I also have the same mattress. It’s a flippable memory foam mattress that has two sides, firm and extra firm, and excellent support for stomach sleepers.

Here 8 Best Mattresses for Stomach Sleepers Reviewed in Detail (Winter 2023) i found an article about mattress suggestions for stomach sleepers, that looks good.