First Quality Mattress and Having Back Problems

I was sleeping on an old firm coil spring mattress for 20 years and recently upgraded to THIS Queen Memory Foam Mattress in Medium and THIS foundation.

I’m 6’0" and 160lbs and a side sleeper. I’ve been sleeping on this for about 2 weeks now and always wake up with back pain that goes away after about 1 hour of moving around.

It’s definitely super soft which after research I got because I’m a side sleeper and wanted the back pain and pressure point relieve.

The main issues I feel are it’s super soft which I’m not used to, but also feel like my hips sag into the foam, while my legs and upper body sit more on top of it. Think that might be causing the pain, not sure if my spine is aligned or not.

Basically, do I need more than 2 weeks to get used to it? Do I need something firmer or a hybrid mattress? Is there anything I can do with the current mattress before returning to make it better?

Also, do you think the foundation is sturdy enough and could be the issue?

Hi delfam.

Welcome to our Mattress Forum!

The description of your sleep posture and discomfort is a classic example of a too soft of a mattress lacking appropriate support for your needs. Even though you are not able to visually assess your spinal alignment you definitely have enough clues that point to inappropriate spinal alignment. I’d call this more of a blind purchase as you were not able to assess either of the 2 important criteria when purchasing a mattress 1. The quality of the componentry and 2) the level of comfort/support this mattress offers.

Even though an inconvenience the returning this product may be more of a blessing in disguise as you’d have a second chance to make a more informed mattress purchase the second time around. Typically the road to a successful mattress purchase starts with finding the specifics of what is inside any mattress you were considering to assess the quality of the materials (see the article about the Mattress specifications you need to know) which will tell you much about how long you can sleep well on any mattress you consider… a mattress is only as good as the quality of the materials inside.
While you’ve selected the firmer version of the 2 comfort levels BB offers for their Coper Dream line, there is not much meaningful information that will allow you to assess the quality of materials inside the mattress (density) and the IFD that would be a more appropriate way of measuring softness comfort in this case. This is the only information they list on their site which is not enough to make an appropriate selection or whether it has any obvious weak links in terms of durability.
(12") Copper Dreams
1.5" copper-graphite infusion memory foam (density, IFD unknown)
2.5" memory foam (density, IFD unknown)
2" transition foam (density, IFD unknown)
6" HD polyurethane foam core (density, IFD unknown)

As you are experiencing sinking in and misalignment from start, any further “breaking-in” of your new mattress would only exacerbate the issues. So I’d not wait in your case for the recommended 30 days of adjustment period. Typically within a period of around 30 days, the foam will soften gradually and the fabric covering your mattress will stretch out, as well as you adjusting and losing some of your own personal “learned alignment”.

You seem to be in need of more support. This can be achieved by all types of mattresses (from hybrid to all foam) however, in terms of needs and preferences it would be impossible for anyone to say to pinpoint a configuration that works for you as only you can feel what you feel on a mattress. This also involves you having an experiential baseline of some sort, of what worked in the past, with a more detailed description of the comfort/support layers that work for you. You’d also need to collect all the specifics of any new mattress that you are considering which will allow you to make more meaningful comparisons.

It’s much more difficult to firm up the support of a mattress that is too soft (unless you can exchange a layer) because this involves removing or replacing layers or components. So it looks that you’d be better off returning the product(s) and starting anew with a more informed purchase approach. (see suggestions below)

The bedframe is an important part of the sleeping system and is the part that supports everything else (the foundation, the mattress, and the people on the mattress). In the case of a steel bedframe, I would make sure it has at least 1.5" angle iron and good center support to the floor (preferably with at least two legs for king sizes) and legs that don’t bend or collapse when you move the bed. I would avoid the cheapest versions which can be weaker and not as solid or well-constructed. I would look at more heavy-duty frames.

Regardless of the name of the manufacturer, once you determine the minimum level of quality you’d accept in your mattress, then determine the type of materials you prefer in your mattress. Only after this you can start looking into finding if the mattress you are considering is a good match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) …. The mattress shopping tutorial here has the basic information, steps, and guidelines including suggestions about how to test a mattress for what I call PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) that can simplify your search and help you make the best possible choices.

There is some fairly extensive general information in the mattresses section of the site (particularly in the sections about sleeping style, preferences, and statistics along with putting the layers together and the page on tips and tricks here ) that can give you some general concepts, guidelines, and insights about the effects of different body types, sleeping styles, and mattress designs for different people but this is only generic and not specific to any particular person and may be more complex than you really need to know.
It looks like budget is a big consideration so I’d also look at your other parts of your personal value equation

Once you have a chance to read through the information provided, let us know if you have additional questions.

Phoenix

BB provided these details on the Copper Dreams:

The Copper 12-inch mattress is a medium-firm comfort level memory foam mattress. It is approximately 12" tall and has a cooling top cover.

6" High Density Foam (1.8lb)
2" Transition Foam (1.8lb)
2.5" Memory Foam (3.5lb)
1.5" Copper Graphite Memory Foam (3.5lb)
55 pounds
Firmness 7

The mattress is now a hybrid, replacing the base layer with 6 inches of Ascension coils. A support rep explained the company made the change due to foam shortages.

I have the all-foam model and have found it the most acceptable of the mid-to lower-priced mattresses I’ve tried (Sleep On Latex, Bear, Allswell, BB Signature). However, it’s still a bit too firm for comfortable combo/side sleeping. The other mattresses were just too hard!

As my trial period is running out and I don’t see any great mattress options out there for my needs (sciatica, shoulder, neck), I’ll likely accept the company’s offer to ship out the new hybrid model.

For those interested in details on the 13-inch Copper Dreams (again, with coils replacing the base layer):

The Copper Dreams 13" is a medium-soft memory foam mattress. It is approximately 13" tall and offers cooling technology in the cover.

6" High Density Foam (1.8lb)
2" Transition Foam (1.8lb)
2" Memory Foam (3.5lb)
3" Copper Graphite Memory Foam (3.5lb)
64 pounds
Firmness 4

Hi slobjones,

Thanks for your post and for taking the time to list the specs and the material change updates for the Coippper Dreams that BB provided to you.

For the benefit of others reading this thread, and asking for recommendations about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for them in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP it is interesting to note that the previous poster in this thread, delfam, was reporting an opposite experience with the same mattress.

delfam

These shared experiences of different people who purchased the same mattress only go to show how unique the needs and preferences of each individual are and the multitude of interrelated varriables involved in the selection process. This is a good reminder that each person is the only one that can feel what they feel on a mattress and that there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation.

Phoenix

[quote=“phoenix post=89265”]
These shared experiences of different people who purchased the same mattress only go to show how unique the needs and preferences of each individual are and the multitude of interrelated varriables involved in the selection process. This is a good reminder that each person is the only one that can feel what they feel on a mattress and that there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation.
Phoenix[/quote]

To clarify, delfam indicated he purchased the medium Copper Dreams, which is the 13" model. Wary of a too-soft mattress, I purchased the 12" firm model.

The mattress is too hard, although not as hard as others I’ve tried. I’m still searching for that combination of sink and support that will relieve pressure points but not trigger sciatica.

I can’t sleep on this thing without arranging pillows around and under my trunk, and just wonder if foam mattresses are a bad idea all around.

Hi Slobjones,

Thanks for the clarification. Sorry to hear that the sciatica is triggered by your current mattress and that you have to do pillow permutations.
I don’t think it is a matter of foam mattresses “being a bad idea” … it is more likely the construction, the type of foam, and softness firmness that is a good match for your PPP (posture and alignment, pressure relief, and personal preferences)

Aside from using pillows under your trunk is there anything else you tried? What type of foundation do you have under your mattress? I always suggest a ground-up" assessment to make sure that there is nothing under the mattress that may be contributing.

If the only issue with a mattress is that it is too firm and if there are no soft spots or sagging in the mattress then a good quality topper can certainly be an effective way to add some additional softness, “comfort” and pressure relief to your sleeping system but the only way to know for certain whether a specific mattress/topper combination is a good “match” for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP is based on your own careful testing or personal experience on the mattress/topper combination. If you can’t test the combination in person then there will always be always some risk and uncertainty involved in adding a topper because the specifics of the mattress itself along with your own body type, sleeping position, and preferences can affect which specific topper would be a suitable choice on any specific mattress.

You may also want to reassess both primary or “deep” support and secondary or “surface” support and their relationship to the firmness and pressure relief and the “roles” of different layers in a mattress (see post #2 here and in post #4 here that may also be helpful in clarifying the difference between “support” and “pressure relief” and “feel”. Post #6 here has some good information as well.

Phoenix