Hi carolhgore,
Unfortunately there is not a lot you can do to the upper comfort layers of a mattress to improve it’s support because support comes from the firmness of the lower layers in combination with the thickness of the upper comfort layers (how far away you are from the support layers) and you can’t change either of these. A topper is generally a solution for a mattress that is too soft and needs better pressure relief.
Heavier weights can generally use thicker comfort layers because they can “go through” them more easily and they can sink into the thicker comfort layers more evenly. Body type (where you tend to carry more weight) can also play a role in how evenly you sink into the comfort layers and you may be sinking in too much in only one area of your body (probably the hips/pelvis area).
There are a couple of things you can try though to see if it makes a difference.
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You can put the mattress on the floor to see if the foundation may be flexing and contributing to the problem. If this seems to solve the issue … then either replacing the foundation for one which doesn’t flex at all or adding the sheet of plywood may help. If the floor experiment doesn’t help … then the issue is likely in your mattress and not any additional flex in the foundation.
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You can try a topper or a thicker mattress pad which will put you further away from the memory foam and reduce the amount of heat that reaches it and help to firm it up somewhat. Generally though this will only be a partial fix because it may only affect how long the memory foam takes to soften. It will also change the feel of your mattress and reduce the slow response feel of the memory foam and add the “feel” of the type of topper you are using. If you do use a thicker mattress pad or a topper … it would need to be soft enough to allow you to sink into the mattress enough to relieve pressure or you could end up replacing an alignment issue with a pressure relief issue. Some options would be a natural or synthetic fiber topper or pad or a latex topper (soft enough that it wouldn’t create pressure problems for you).
Some of the suggestions in post #4 here may be helpful as well.
Because you will be experimenting and only your personal experience will find out if the experiment works enough to make a difference … it would be a good idea to buy any mattress pad or topper from a retailer that allows a refund if it doesn’t work. The big box stores are good for this type of experimentation.
So a thicker mattress pad such as a featherbed or fiberbed or alternatively a latex topper in the rage of 2" and “just soft enough” that you would be comfortable sleeping on it would be the two choices that I would try but if neither works then you may be facing the reality that the mattress is not suitable for your needs and preferences.
Choices such as the SmartSilk topper, some of the wool toppers here (again making sure any one you choose is refundable), or some of the mattress pads here (as examples as the other big box stores that offer refunds would also have similar choices) would all be possibilities and worth trying to see if they can affect your mattress enough to solve the issue before considering more drastic options such as mattress surgery or replacing the mattress.
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