I have spent more hours in the mattress store than I’d like to admit. I bought a Helix Sunset Elite, hoping that was the end of my journey. There’s a lot I like about it, most importantly I don’t feel any pressure points and it is soft. However, it appears that my hips are sinking too low and I’m lacking some support. I thought this was supposed to have extra support in the middle, but I’ve developed some lower back pain that I didn’t have before that I believe is from my hips sinking low.
Any ideas of what I should try next?
I know the natural next step is to swap it out for the helix midnight elite, I’m just scared it won’t be as pressure relieving or that I would have the same lower body sinking issue.
I sat on every mattress at mattress warehouse as well, but nothing really stood out to me except the Aireloom Opus luxury firm (which felt incredible, I felt fully held up/supported but also very light/airy/pressure free). But the price is insane.
I do weigh a lot more than you, but i had the same issue with the sunset. When i laid on it in store my mind was blown because i had never felt something so soft. I laid in it another 10 minutes and noticed i actually did not enjoy it that much.
No matter what bed a person sleeps on, they have to reach the support point soon enough to maintain alignment. With the midnight version, it is still plenty soft, you just reach that point soon enough for it to actually feel good instead of annoyingly plush like the sunset. It is still soft enough to be comfortable.
Hey @yellowhatmattress! We’re so sorry to hear that the Sunset Elite is not working out for you. All Helix Elite mattresses do have zoned support (extra support in the middle of the mattress) via both the ErgoAlign contour layer and zoned coil unit.
The Sunset series is our softest mattress series for side sleepers which may simply be too plush for your comfort preferences. You are absolutely right that the next best step would be swapping out the Sunset Elite insert for the Midnight Elite insert for a slightly firmer feel. The Midnight Elite is a medium firmness, but still uses pressure relieving foam layers designed for side sleepers. You may also want to consider the Twilight Elite insert which will provide a firm feel, while still giving pressure relief for side sleeping.
Our CX team will be happy to help you navigate the next best steps. We would recommend providing them details about your comfort preferences, body type, and sleep style for them to provide the best solution. Feel free to reference our contact webpage where you can find our support phone number and contact form: https://helixsleep.com/pages/contact-us.
Hello there! I saw your post and thought I’d share what worked for me. What stood out to me is that you’ve already solved one half of the problem. You found a mattress that eliminates pressure points and feels comfortable. The issue now sounds more like alignment and support than comfort.
I can definitely relate to that. I went through a period where I kept trying to find the perfect balance between pressure relief and support, and it felt like every mattress fixed one problem while creating another. The softer models helped my shoulders and hips but sometimes left my lower back unhappy. The firmer models improved alignment but brought back pressure points.
Reading your post, it sounds like your body is telling you that the Sunset Elite may be allowing your hips to sink a little too deeply, even though the surface comfort is working well. The fact that you specifically mention developing lower back pain despite having no pressure points is what makes me think alignment may be the issue.
One thing I discovered during my own mattress search was the concept of incline sleeping. I came across the Incline Sleep website while trying to solve hip and shoulder pain. What interested me was that instead of changing the mattress feel itself, the entire mattress is placed on a gentle incline. I eventually tried a foam incline wedge underneath my mattress, and for me it improved both comfort and support without requiring another mattress swap. It was amazing for me and also affordable, which is great.
The reason I mention it is that your post sounds less like “this mattress is terrible” and more like “this mattress is almost right, but something about my body position isn’t working.” That’s exactly where I found myself. I kept looking for the next mattress when the bigger issue turned out to be how my body was positioned throughout the night.
I’m not suggesting you shouldn’t exchange it if you’re still within the trial period. The Midnight Elite may very well provide a better balance of support and pressure relief for your body type. But before going back into another round of mattress-store visits, it might be worth reading about incline sleep as another way to address the hip-sink/lower-back issue while keeping the pressure relief you already like.
At 150 pounds, the fact that you’re getting excellent pressure relief but still developing lower back pain makes me think you’re asking exactly the right question: not “How do I get softer?” but “How do I stay supported without losing the comfort I’ve finally found?” Hope my input helps!
Hi @HelixSleep . I was trying to decide whether to do the midnight or the dusk next. I know they’re both medium firm so it’s hard to decide. Can you tell me which one people are happier with or how you would decide? I’m 150 pounds.
Hi @yellowhatmattress! The Midnight series is the most popular across all of our mattress collections. However, the best way to decide which is best for you would be considering your sleep style and preferences. If you are a back/stomach/combo sleeper, you’ll find that the Dusk Elite is a better fit: providing more responsiveness (easier to move around on and less sink). If you are a side sleeper, you’ll find the Midnight Elite is a better fit: offering more pressure relief on hips and shoulders from the cradling feel of the memory foam. If you are still struggling to decide, I would recommend chatting into our customer experience team for additional guidance!