I had a sleep ex Talalay Latex bed from sleepez for the past 8 years with a very heavy 4 inch thick memory foam topper. Around this summer, I started having back pain and we saw that it had compressed and were not getting anywhere with the warranty so we decided to get a new bed. My husband never was a fan of this bed - he has osteoarthritis in his hips and it made them sore.
We are both very tall 6’0 and 6’2 and around 250 lbs each. I like to sleep on my stomach and he sleeps on his back and side.
When I sleep on a too firm Mattress my arms go numb.
We ordered a novosbed in August. We went for the firm one. I hated it after the first night, my arms were dead and numb. I ordered a new memory foam topper same day shipping to us and it was a little better. A few weeks passed and I started having numb hands again. I ordered the comfort guarantee in soft and assembled the bed. It was ok. Went on a trip and slept on a Costco novaform bed and slept so well. Came back and started having the dead hands again. Went to the doctor and he said I have cubital tunnel. Went on a work trip and slept on a Simmons hospitality beauty rest and it was amazing! No dead hands, feel great. Came home and had the dead hands again on the novosbed. I don’t know what to order next. I can still return the novosbed- husband loves it but I’m developing serious health issues from it. The novaform and Simmons Beautyrest have dicey reviews at best. Help please! I need a new bed asap
Hi Aldatx,
Welcome to the Mattress Forum! 
I’m sorry to learn of your husband’s osteoarthritis issues. Without knowing the exact ILDs and configuration of your latex mattress, I couldn’t comment upon the overall plushness of the product, but if you added 4" of memory foam on top of it (you didn’t list the density so I don’t know of the quality of this foam), it would seem that you created something that was very soft on top, perhaps to the point of no longer providing proper alignment. And regarding any warranty claims, all foams will soften a bit over time and can take a bit of a set, so without a legitimate actual defect in the foam material, comfort wouldn’t be part of a warranty coverage.
I’m sorry to learn of your cubital tunnel, which would generally be caused environmentally from your daily activities (leaning on a hard surface, holding your elbow at an angle for extended periods of time) as opposed to being caused by a mattress, although if you sleep with your elbow bent and tucked under your pillow you should stop that, as you are most likely exacerbating your condition. It may be that with different pillows and different surface plushness levels you are sleeping in slightly different postures, and this could explain some of your symptoms.
You state that you like a softer surface, yet you ordered a firm Novosbed mattress, and it felt better with more surface plushness. You stated you slept on another memory foam mattress (Novaform), but you didn’t mention which model, so I can’t comment much upon that except that it will also tend to be softer on top. As for the hotel mattress you tried, those tend to be firmer feeling mattresses but there also tends to be some softer top-of-bed products placed upon them for extra comfort, so again I can’t provide much information there. One thing is that your time on the Novaform and the hotel mattress were limited, so in the long run it would be difficult to predict if you would have had the same issues with your arm, or the level of sensitivity and inflammation you had at those times with your elbow.
The first thing I would recommend (if your physician hasn’t already) is to change your sleeping posture to not bend your elbow while sleeping.
Next, you’ll want to address your sleeping style and finding something appropriate. You sleep on your stomach, which is the “weakest” posture for your back, and one that generally requires firmer support and a less plush surface comfort. This doesn’t mean that your mattress needs to feel like concrete, but you want to minimize the amount of deflection of your low back. It may be that you prefer the deeper support that an innerspring offers (like you sampled in the hotel), but then you’d want to find something using good quality and durable materials.
As you’re both in a higher BMI range, the key will be finding componentry that will be of appropriate quality for your specific situation, which will then give you the best chance at have a successful comfort life, 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. Those in a higher BMI range want to be especially prudent in the choice of their components. For those in a higher BMI range, there is more information about selecting a mattress in the durability guidelines here. Specifically, if your BMI is 30 or higher:
Higher BMI ranges will need more durable materials and components in a mattress and in a BMI range of 30 or higher I would include any 1.8 lb polyfoam or 4 lb memory foam as a “lower quality/density” material (relative to a higher BMI only) and minimize their use to a total of “about an inch or so or less” in the mattress.
Polyurethane foam: If your mattress is one sided then I would look for 2.0 lb per cubic foot density or higher. If the mattress is two sided then I would use a minimum density of 1.8 lbs per cubic foot or higher.
Memory foam (or gel memory foam): If your mattress is one sided then I would make sure that any memory foam is at least 5 lb per cubic foot. If the mattress is two sided then I would use a minimum density of 4 lbs per cubic foot.
A high BMI presents special challenges and generally requires firmer materials (in the support layers especially). This could be firmer latex or innersprings (the type of support component would be a personal preference and in the right design either could be suitable) or even a zoned construction. The same overall guidelines apply with higher weights though that PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) along with using high quality durable materials that will maintain their feel and performance for longer periods of time are the way to make the best choices. Heavier people in general will need firmer and thicker comfort layers and firmer support layers than those who are lighter and because no materials will last as long with much higher weights the quality and durability of the materials and components is even more important than normal. I wouldn’t “rule out” any types of mattress and base your choices on your own personal testing. Post #3 here has more information and suggestions about higher BMIs that is worth reading.
Speaking very generally, a mattress needs to have deeper layers that are “firm enough” to stop the heavier parts of your body from sinking down too far and make sure you sleep with your spine and joints in good alignment and upper layers that are thick and soft enough to “allow” any pressure points such as the hips and shoulders to sink down far enough to relieve pressure points in all your sleeping positions as well but “firm enough” and “soft enough” can vary widely from person to person.
In your specific case, you may wish to focus more on a very supportive core (you had good luck with latex previously, or perhaps an innerspring), then finding “just enough” plushness on top to provide the comfort you need. Hopefully that, along with modifying your own sleeping position for your arm, can help not to exacerbate your cubital tunnel issues.
Phoenix
Wow this is a very helpful post! Thank you- rereading and taking notes!
Hi aldatx,
I’m glad the information is proving useful to you!
Phoenix