I purchased a firm latex mattress (it is a solid 6 inch piece of latex) about 5 months ago from a recommended retailer (E Escondido Mattress Company). I have lower back problems and purchased this latex mattress to help reduce some of my lower back pain.
When I originally made my mattress purchase, I mistakenly though that the words āsupportiveā and āfirmā were synonymous. I assumed that a firmer mattress would be more supportive, thus more beneficial to my back. In the time since purchasing my mattress, I have heard and read so many conflicting opinions regarding mattresses. My orthopedic surgeon said that they donāt matter THAT much. My chiropractor said that firm mattresses are bad for back pain (whoops, too late now! )
I spent a lot of time researching mattresses (including spending a lot of time on the Mattress Underground) prior to my purchase and I thought I had found the perfect bed. Now after months on my firm mattress, I am not sleeping well. I am a back sleeper, but my body (mainly my entire back) is sore when I wake up in the morning and I have started getting some numbness on my left hip. I thought that I just had a really bad back (mind you, I am only 24), but I recently went on a 5 day vacation and stayed in a hotel where I slept on an innerspring mattress. This particular mattress wasnāt the greatest (in fact, when I first laid down on it, I thought āgreat, this mattress is going to screw up my backā), but surprisingly, it didnāt. My back felt better than normal during those 5 days. I came home from my trip and I have just been feeling uncomfortable in my latex bed.
Now, I know that each individual and each situation is different and you clearly canāt ādiagnoseā my problems based off of what I explain in a forum, but I was hoping to gain some insight as to what may help make my mattress more comfortable. I read through many other posts (and your accompanying suggestions) regarding too firm of mattresses, but everyoneās mattress was a little different than mine.
I went back to Escondido Mattress Products to look into getting a latex mattress topper. They sell 2" toppers in medium and soft, but they werenāt very helpful in terms of helping me understand what might be a better option. What are the chances that a topper will help my problemā¦.in other words, do toppers make a large difference or will the root of my problem still lie in my firm mattress? Besides āpersonal preferenceā, are there any other factors that I should consider when deciding between medium or soft topper? If I already think that my firm bed is too uncomfortable, will medium make enough of a difference or should I lean towards a soft topper? If I have a 6 inch latex mattress with a 2 inch soft latex topper, will the firm part of my bed still be āsupportiveā enough for my back? Should I try the latex topper, or should I go another route (some other type of topper)?
I know the area of mattress is very difficulty because everyoneās preferences are different, but I am really hoping for any insight beyond āwhatever feels best for youā like I received at the store. I wish it was easy to figure out what was best for me while in the store, but unfortunately, it is so hard to figure this out until you have purchased and slept on it.
Thank you in advance for any help and advice! I look forward to your response.