Hi Ana.
It was only today that I became aware of your call for help. We are doing daily triages and your posts did not show up on my board. So sorry for the delay… I was taking the “silence” as a god sign thinking that all is good with you now. I am glad to see the good progress you made (even if it does not seem so) and that you’ve had great guidance from Mattrebuild. Having worked so methodically we all gained e a better understanding of your sleeping landscape and IMO you are in a much better position now than before. As you are an 80% side sleeper with wide shoulders and hips, and a narrow waist, it looks like you’ve reached the end of what this mattress can do for you (with or without a topper) because of the width and weight differential of different body sections.
It seems like you are very well tuned in to your body as you’ve been able to clearly identify and describe what you are experiencing on each different mattress/topper setup. The photos and overview you uploaded are demonstrating alignment issues (nice to see the little one chiming in. to help mom:)) and I agree with Mattrebuild that the “clean slate” approach with zoning in mind is probably the best way to move forward.
In your case zoning systems could be very useful and well worth considering. Zoning, in general, is suitable for people that have more difficulty finding a mattress with the right “balance” between comfort/pressure relief (under the shoulders especially) and support/alignment (under the hips/pelvis especially) or who have more challenging circumstances or sensitivities, body types that are more difficult to “match” to a mattress, more complex medical issues, or who have a history of having more difficulty in finding a mattress that works well for them. There is more about zoning in
this article and in
post #11 here and the additional posts it links to but the only way to know whether any specific mattress (zoned or otherwise) will be a good match for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP will be based on careful testing or your own personal experience.
Zoning would be necessary because of the difference in weight, thickness/thinness, and surface area of three main areas of the body that are the most difficult to accommodate. The first of these is the hip/pelvic area which carries the greatest amount of weight and has the greatest density, no matter what type of body you have, and often has a wider profile (especially in women). The second is the waist/lumbar area which is often lighter and thinner and has a lower density. The third is the shoulder/chest area. When sleeping on the side the shoulders have a narrower/less surface area and will sink in more easily until they reach the torso which is often wider than the hips but lighter and lower density. Dealing with these 3 areas in all the different sleeping positions and differences in body profiles and the difficulties associated with balancing them in terms of pressure relief and alignment is the reason that zoning is sometimes used in more unusual profiles or extreme body weights. It is appropriate and can be very helpful when a progressive or differential method of construction cannot accommodate the circumstances. You have done ample experimenting and have not been able to accommodate your unique needs.
Some of the theory behind zoning schemes with more zones (which have to be matched to the individual sleeper)… a firmer section under the recessed area of the lumbar can also be useful so you can have a softer shoulder section, a firmer pelvic section, and a section under the recessed part of the lumbar curve or waist that is a little firmer yet under the inward curve of the lumbar (on the back) or the waist (on the side). These would be a “standard” zoning scheme that would generally fit the most people. A firmer section under the knees to help keep them from bending sideways (on the side) or keep them slightly bent (on the back) can also be helpful. In general terms the recessed spaces of the body can benefit from firmer materials and the protruding pressure points can benefit from a softer material. Other less critical areas that can benefit from zoning would be some of the other recessed gaps or wider areas in the body profile such as the space between the buttocks and the thighs, the thighs, the neck and cervical spine, and under the heels which for some people can be a pressure point. With more and narrower zones the odds become higher that some people may not line up with the zones as well (see post #18 here ).
We do have a zoning expert Flowbeds that you could reach out to for guidance on their own dedicated forum. FloBeds offers a zoned option in varying firmness levels.
This is one of the Flobeds configurations that I think would be good for you
Also, have you reached out to My Green Mattress to explain what you’ve been experiencing on the mattress, your experiments, and asked for anything they may advise? They are extremely knowledgeable and would certainly recognize when they reach the end of what the mattress can offer for a particular body type.
There are other members that offer zoned constructions but I don’t know how well these can fit someone with such wide differences between the 3 main body areas (shoulders waist and hips).
The Hybrid Slumber System by Luma is also zoned.
Beloit also offers zoned options.
Given your unique comfort and support needs, it’s important that you have a detailed conversation with each vendor prior to your purchase. The companies above are Trusted Members of The Mattress Underground and are knowledgeable and experienced online manufacturers that can help with making the best comfort/support choice if they are given your stats and information about your body types, sleeping styles, general preferences, and history, some general information about mattresses you have tested and done well with, and any other specific information or circumstances that could affect your choice of a mattress.
I am very interested in your next steps and hopeful that you are now on the right track for finding a unique mattress solution that matches your specific needs.
Phoenix