Bumping up from prior post: seeking help with severe hip pain and feedback on <4PFC foam density

Mattress Talk
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Reposting/hoping for feedback given the ongoing intense pain I’m having that is totally disrupting all sleep. I’m a 120lb female, primarily a side sleeper, but some back sleeping. Have tried several new mattresses and continue having intense hip pain. Seems I just haven’t I have found the right combo. AI research that suggests I need a coil base with foam top but the foam should be ILD 14-19 due to my 120lb weight, and more “give-able” coils. It suggested Helix Sunset model. Open to all ideas as I’m desperate at this point- severe pain, no sleep

  1. Is there any feedback on the ILD top layers of Helix Sunset and how “intense” the coils might be in the Helix Sunset for a 120lb side sleeper?
  2. Are there any recommended hybrids with ILD 14-19 and “gentle/elastic” coils? Seems I need the coils for some back support but all the new hybrid mattresses I’ve tried have given me immense hip pain.

Thank you!
List of mattresses tried so far:
(Currently on new Stearns & Foster Lux Estate Plush PillowTop with Saatva foam topper and having immense pain. Previously tried: Saatva Classic Medium and Plush Soft (with Saatva foam topper); BeautyRest Heavenly Bed Equivalent; iComfort Pro Level 2 Plush Pillow Top - all of these gave me hip pain and I went back to my old mattress using Saatva Foam Topper for 6 months. In June, I tried Saatva RX, and added Saatva foam topper, but still had extreme hip pain.)

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I think you need a zoned comfort layer: different ILDs for hip section and for shoulders.

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Hi kkcc2026!

Chronic hip pain that’s wrecking your sleep is miserable, and it’s frustrating when mattress after mattress isn’t fixing it.

A few thoughts on your questions:

On the “ILD 14–19” target: that range is on the softer side for a comfort layer, which makes sense for a 120 lb side sleeper — you need enough give for your hip and shoulder to sink in without the tissue underneath getting compressed against a firmer layer. That said, ILD numbers alone don’t tell the whole story. Foam density, layer thickness, and what’s directly underneath the top layer (transition foam vs. going straight to coils) all affect how “hips-friendly” a mattress actually feels. A soft ILD layer that’s too thin, or that sits right on top of firm coils, can still bottom out and cause pressure at the hip.

On coils specifically: what usually causes hip pain in hybrids for lighter side sleepers isn’t the coils being “too firm” in an absolute sense, but rather the transition — if there isn’t enough softer material between you and the coil layer, you can feel the coils’ edges/support at exactly the point your hip is trying to sink in. So it may be less about finding “gentler” coils and more about finding enough cushioning depth over whatever coils are used.

I’m tagging @HelixSleep directly here so they can speak to the actual ILD and coil specs used in the Sunset — that’ll give you a more reliable answer than any AI-generated guess about the specific numbers.

Given that toppers haven’t solved this across multiple different base mattresses, it might be worth considering: a step up in topper thickness/quality (a 3" high quality latex or soft memory foam topper rather than a thinner topper) rather than another hybrid mattress purchase, or looking at all-foam/all-latex options instead of hybrids entirely, since that removes the coil-transition variable altogether. At 120 lbs you likely don’t need coils for support the way a heavier or combo sleeper would.

It might help other members give you more targeted advice if you can share: the actual thickness/type of topper you’re using now, and whether the pain is worse right at the hip bone itself (suggesting need for more give) or more of an ache after sleeping (which can sometimes point to alignment/firmness mismatch rather than pure pressure).

NikkiTMU

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The sunset elite IS very soft. I could not imagine it causing any pressure points.

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Thanks for all of the feedback. My extreme hip pain is on the side of the hip, and it is when I wake up in the morning (and all day long) after I’ve been on the mattress all night. Also, I just learned that my topper is only 1.5 inches.

I wanted to send a few other questions and kindly request feedback - after doing more research yesterday - and seek feedback on the Nest Sparrow and Nest Owl and Engineered Sleep options, and any others. (someone mentioned considering All Latex). Thank you for the feedback on the Helix Sunset, but now that I’ve learned about the 15.5, and some even have 16 (EOS), gauge coils, I guess I would lean only toward that 15.5 gauge of coils if I am doing hybrid, unless someone suggests otherwise!

It seems it is suggested the 15.5 TPS coils as being the most flexible, and I saw that for Nest Owl they use this base and have the soft Talalay layer 14 ILD. I have never tried (or tested) Talalay, but I am sort of interested given that I know foam can be a little hard to turn on after sinking into it. I do turn quite a bit from side to side and side to back - so really need something with no pressure on the hip but still some lower back support.

Would 14 ILD for Talalay be soft enough for me as a 3 inch top layer? Or I suppose I could put a LaNoodle on top and add additional softness if 14 ILD would feel too springy? I came across one company offers a top Talalay layer of 10 ILD but forget who this was. I mention that because it suggested that 14 might not be the softest Talalay?

Or would folks recommend going with the Nest Sparrow, which I think has the 10 ILD foam layer?
(I do see that Nest also has an all foam mattress, which someone suggested I perhaps consider -that is what I slept on for 12 years prior - but am wondering now if I am over the aspect of the extra effort it takes to turn on the All Foam.)

Are their any concerns about top Talalay layers in these beds wearing out too quickly under a 120lb weight? I saw someone state that these can wear out in 2 years…

I see that Engineered Sleep has 19 ILD as their top Talalay layer, so don’t know if this would definitely be too bouncy and give pushback.

Also on Nest - any issues with those coming in a box, and any impact on the quality? I would be ordering a king so this would be a bit difficult to manage.

Thanks so much for all the feedback, and I am open to any other ideas on top of your thoughts to the above!

1 Like
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The softest spring layer TPS is called the PLUSH option and it’s softer than the 15.5g