My husband and I have been sleeping on a Brooklyn Bedding BME soft for over 3 weeks and I am having problems with hip pressure/pain. I am 128 pounds and a side sleeper. This pain goes away when I turn over to my other side, but starts up almost immediately again on the side that I am laying on. I am constantly tossing and turning all night long. We are coming from a 13 year old Beautyrest pillowtop that still was comfortable, we just felt like we were being forced to the middle of the bed. In your opinion, is hip pressure normally due to a bed being too firm or a bed that is too soft? I’ve talked to Brooklyn Bedding and they said that the latex can take 60 days to be broken in. I’m confused as I thought there was a short break in period for latex. Thank you for any help/advice you can give me.
Hi heatherp,
There will be a break in and adjustment period for any new mattress or sleeping system as the mattress loses any of it’s “false firmness” and the cover stretches and loosens a little and the materials settle and your body gets used to a sleeping surface that is different from what it is used to (see post #3 here). This would typically be a few weeks but it can be shorter or longer depending on the specifics of the person and the mattress (higher density materials can take longer) and it can be surprising to many people how much their sleeping experience can change over the course of the break in and adjustment period.
Unfortunately it’s not possible to “diagnose” mattress comfort issues on a forum with any certainty because you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unique unknowns, variables, and complexities involved including body type, sleeping positions, health conditions, and individual sensitivities and preferences that can affect how each person sleeps on a mattress in terms of “comfort” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) or any “symptoms” they experience so a mattress that would be “perfect” for one person may be unsuitable for someone else to sleep on. Having said that … there is more about the most common symptoms that people may experience when they sleep on a mattress and the most likely (although not the only) reasons for them in post #2 here.
While I don’t know which firmness level you chose … if I had to guess based on your comments and lighter weight I would say that the most likely (but not the only) reason for your symptoms would probably be comfort layers that are too firm for you and you may do better with comfort layers that are slightly softer.
If your mattress is too firm then some of the comments in post #2 here may be helpful as well.
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
Thank you so much for your help! I greatly appreciate the time you devote to helping people like myself! I have read some of the posts you have recommended, and I feel like my issues lean more towards pressure points because of too firm of a mattress.
I have spoke with Chuck at DreamFoam and know that their Aloe Alexis latex bed level 10 has a 14 ILD comfort layer and 19 ILD support layer versus the 19 ILD comfort layer and 32 ILD support layer in the BME soft we currently have. Is the difference between 14 and 19 ILD that much of a difference in softness that I would be likely to notice a difference, especially being that I am on the lighter side?
Hi heatherp,
All the layers and components in a mattress will affect the feel and performance of every other layer and component both above and below it.
While I can’t speak to what anyone else will feel on a mattress or how two mattresses will compare for any specific person because some people don’t seem to notice much difference between mattresses that most people would consider to be very different and others that are much more sensitive may feel a difference that most people wouldn’t notice at all … for most people there would be certainly be a noticeable difference between two mattresses if one included two 3" top layers that are 14 ILD and 19 ILD and the other one included two 3" top layers that are 19 ILD and 32 ILD if the type and blend of latex were the same in both mattresses.
I would also keep in mind that different types and blends of latex aren’t always directly comparable to each other in terms of ILD (see post #6 here) so using the ILD of a particular layer or combination of layers as a reliable indication of how any mattress will “feel” or how firm will feel to you compared to another mattress that uses different types and blends of latex or a different combination of layers can sometimes be more misleading than helpful.
When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed 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 and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else. Brooklyn Bedding and Dreamfoam are sister companies so they would both be very familiar with how their mattresses compared to each other.
Phoenix
I just ordered a Dreamfoam Aloe Alexis Level 10, which is their softest level. I will be sure to update once I receive it! Thanks for all your help again!
Hi heatherp,
Congratulations on your new mattress 
You certainly made a great quality/value choice and one of the advantages of the Alexis is that you also have the option to exchange a layer for a different firmness level after a purchase if you need to as well.
I’m looking forward to your comments and feedback once you’ve received it and have had the chance to sleep on it for a bit as well.
Phoenix
Hi heatherp,
I am in a similar situation with my soft BME! Just wondering how your Dreamfoam is working out for you. Thanks!
Hi katex,
I’m not sure how long you’ve had your mattress but I would keep in mind that here will be a break in and adjustment period for any new mattress or sleeping system as the mattress loses any of it’s “false firmness” and the cover stretches and loosens a little and the materials settle and your body gets used to a sleeping surface that is different from what it is used to (see post #3 here). This would typically be a few weeks but it can be shorter or longer depending on the specifics of the person and the mattress (higher density materials can take longer) and it can be surprising to many people how much their sleeping experience can change over the course of the first month or so.
If your mattress is too firm then some of the suggestions in post #2 here may also be helpful.
While other people’s comments about the knowledge and service of a particular business can certainly be very helpful, I would always keep in mind that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and I would be cautious about about usinganyone else’s experiences or reviews on a mattress (either positive or negative) or review sites in general as a reliable source of information or guidance about how you will feel on the same mattress or how suitable or how durable a mattress may be for you and in many if not most cases they can be more misleading than helpful because a mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person or even a larger group of people may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (even if they are in a similar weight range). In other words … reviews in general certainly won’t tell you much if anything about the suitability, quality, durability, or “value” of a mattress for any particular person (see post #13 here).
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
Thank you for your advice! This site is awesome and so full of info!
I’ve been sleeping on my soft BME for about 3 months. The Brooklyn Bedding customer service has been great. I’m a female side sleeper, 5’6, 120lbs. After having hip and shoulder pressure point issues about 2 months in they sent me a memory foam topper. I’ve been using it for 2 weeks now. It has helped pressure points a bit, but I still toss and turn a lot and my low back is very achy as the night goes on. In the morning I can’t wait to get out of bed and stretch a bit.
Trying to figure out what to do next, just don’t know.
Hi kates,
Two months would almost always be long enough to go through the break in and adjustment period.
If you scroll back to post #2 in the topic there is a link to more information about the most common reasons for various “symptoms” that people may experience on a mattress.
I’m not sure which firmness level you chose but the most common reason for pressure points would be comfort layers that are too firm.
The most common reason for lower back pain would be a mattress that has comfort layers that are too thick and/or soft.
It sounds like with the additional topper you may have gone from one extreme to the other and possibly “skipped over” the firmness level that was ideal for you. It’s possible that a thinner (or perhaps a firmer) topper may be closer to the comfort/support range that is most suitable for you (although only your own personal experience can confirm this).
I don’t know if you are using a mattress protector or a mattress pad but it’s also possible that your “symptoms” could be related to a mattress protector or mattress pad you are using that could be affecting the ability of the comfort layers to contour to the shape of your body and help with pressure points and/or secondary support.
It’s also possible that it could be related to the support system you are using under the mattress. Any foam mattress with a polyfoam support core will generally do best with a firm, flat, and evenly supportive support surface underneath it that has minimal to no flex under the mattress and for larger sizes with at least one center support beam that has good support to the floor to prevent any sagging in the middle of the mattress. The components (bedframe and foundation or platform bed) need to be strong and durable enough to support the weight of the mattress and the people sleeping on it without some of the parts bending, sagging, shifting, or breaking with extended use. The support surface under the mattress (which may be slats or a steel or wire grid) should have enough surface area to prevent the mattress from sagging through any gaps or spaces in the support surface over time but still allow some airflow under the mattress. If a foundation has a slatted surface then I would suggest that the gaps between any slats are no more than about 5" (with 1 x 3 slats) as a maximum although less than 4" would be better yet.
You could check this by putting your mattress on the floor to see if it makes any difference and if it does then your support system may be at least part of the cause of your issues or “symptoms”.
Of course if you aren’t able to identify the cause of your “symptoms” and resolve them then the only reasonable alternative would be to exchange or return your mattress and find a mattress that was a more suitable “match” for you in terms of PPP.
Phoenix.
Hi Phoenix,
Thank you for all your help!
I have the “soft” firmness, which is what they recommended when I purchased. I think you may be onto something with the topper. My alignment seems off while using the topper, I can really tell as the night goes on. I tried to sleep without the topper last night, but the pressure points were too much for me.
I’ve had the mattress on the floor for the last month, as part of my problem solving. The mattress protector I’m using is thin and quite loose.
I will read through your topper info again. It’s kind of mind boggling trying to figure out what might work :). I have about 2 weeks left of my trial period.
Thanks again, you are awesome!