Help with Shovlin Nirvana mattress

A few weeks ago, I purchased a Shovlin Nirvana latex mattress. Tried several in the store, and found both the “soft” and “medium” to feel comfortable. The salesperson suggested that since both felt comfortable, the soft would be the better choice since many people who choose a firmer mattress exchange for something softer. I bought the “soft” with a 2" pillow top. I’m a 5’6". 135lb male stomach sleeper.

So here’s the issue. I don’t generally have back problems. The Nirvana feels great when I climb into bed, but toward morning if I’m up to use the bathroom at, say 4am or later, my lower lumbar feels strained. Hard to get back to sleep, as the strain persists while in bed. When I rise for the day, the strain goes away in the first hour or so.

Shovlin customer service is great and they will replace the mattress. Trouble is, I’m not sure if I need something firmer (like their “medium”), something softer (like their “plush”), or if I just need to give this one more time to adjust to my sleep position. It feels as though I need to have my lumbar region raised slightly. Tried sleeping without the pillow top, but felt the same early morning strain.

Grateful for any guidance,

-Mark F

Mark,

Sorry to hear that the mattress isn’t working out better for you. Based upon being a stomach sleeper, your description of lower back pain that dissipates within an hour or so as well as your belief that your lumbar region needs to be raised slightly all point to your need for a firmer and more supportive mattress. Stomach sleeping requires a relatively firm mattress to prevent hammocking which most often results in lower back muscle strain. So I’d suggest discussing this with Shovlin to determine if the medium version of the mattress would likely resolve the issue for you or if another model would be better suited. Not sure of their policy but many retailers only allow one exchange so you want to ensure that you get it right.

Good luck,

  • Bill