Hammock effect in new mattress after rolling from side to back

I have a mattress with foam top that hasn’t supported my lower back and hips for the last 3 years, both on my side and on my back.

I got a Hamuq a couple months ago and had high hopes for the first few days, but while it’s still fine when I’m laying on my side, when I roll over during the night onto my back I wake up in the morning feeling insufficiently supported.

It’s like when I’m side-sleeping the focused weight depresses the foam top which then creates a hammock effect (ironically unfortunate given the brand name) that’s unable to support my hips when I roll onto my back. Is this an expected “behaviour” for a bed for a combo (side+back) sleeper?

My work isn’t good on my lower back, sitting at an office chair most of the day, but all I can really do is do additional stretches. Massage therapy relieves the bed+back issues for a few days then the problem returns, which suggests the problem is more with my back than the bed, but I can’t afford multiple massages a week.

What are some of my options? Firmer mattress? Mattresses with stiffer lumbar/hip support section?

I share the mattress with my girlfriend who seems immune to this issue, although she does have scoliosis and pain in her hip that she doesn’t attribute to the mattresses we’ve tried.

Thanks for suggestions.

Hi Hu,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum! :slight_smile:

I’m sorry your old mattress and your new Hamuq are not working out well for you. :frowning:

Unfortunately your situation doesn’t have any specific answers that would apply to people in general because there are too many “it depends” that are part of the answers to be able to provide you with any specific advice because suggestions that can help one person or even many people may be completely unsuitable for someone else because each person and set of circumstances are very different. But I’ll do my best to provide some good general guidelines that I hope will be helpful.

There is some information about the many different symptoms that people may experience on a mattress and some of the most common causes behind them in post #2 here that may be helpful, but the most common reason for lower back pain is a mattress that has comfort layers that are too thick/soft or a support core that is too soft. It certainly may be that you personally prefer and item with a firmer deeper support layer, as well as firmer surface comfort layers.

Another thing for you to consider would be the foundation upon which you are placing your mattress to make sure that it is flat and non-flexing, as that can also negatively impact your alignment.

When selecting a mattress, the first place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.

Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).

Outside of PPP (which is the most important part of “value”), the next most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new so I would always make sure that you find out the information listed here so you can compare the quality of the materials and components to the durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.

In its simplest form … choosing the “best possible” mattress for any particular person really comes down to FIRST finding a few knowledgeable and transparent retailers and/or manufacturers (either locally or online) that sell the types of mattresses that you are most interested in that are in a budget range you are comfortable with and that you have confirmed will provide you with the all the information you need about the materials and components inside the mattresses they sell so you will be able to make informed choices and meaningful comparisons between mattresses and then …

  1. Careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial) to make sure that a mattress is a good match for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP … and/or that you are comfortable with the options you have available to return, exchange, or “fine tune” the mattress and any costs involved if you can’t test a mattress in person or aren’t confident that your mattress is a suitable choice.

  2. Checking to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress you are considering relative to your weight/BMI range that could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress.

  3. Comparing your finalists for “value” based on #1 and #2 and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

Phoenix

Not sure if all mattress companies charge shipping or have different MRPs. I have bought two Serta mattress. One from Bangalore for my dad before they opened a showroom in my hometown. Second from the Coimbatore showroom. The MRPs were the same and shipping to my dad’s house as well to my 4th floor apartment was included.