Hello all! I’ve been reading posts here quite a bit but finally decided to ask for you to weigh in on my situation. I’ve learned a lot here reading posts but need a shorter term fix for now.
I have been sleeping on the same brand and model of a raised air mattress for 6 years. I get a new one, same model, every year or so and have never had a problem with pain of any kind and some of the best sleep of my life.
Four months ago, I ordered my yearly new bed but received a different model of the same brand of air mattress and soon after, started experiencing extreme, central low back pain- especially when sleeping but even during my day. This went on for some time and I worried something was really wrong with my back. I scheduled an appointment with an ortho but knew I’d have to get a “real” bed and try that before the appointment since no matter what, the air mattress would be blamed.
I purchased a used bed that had been recently purchased by my neighbor who was moving to a new apartment that was furnished (I knew she had and she gave me the receipts). Having said that, the last real beds I had were old school – mattress and box springs and I have never met a bed I didn’t like, but now things sure have changed!
“New” bed consisted of metal frame with metal slats about 5" apart, a VERY firm coil 8" mattress and a 2 inch memory foam topper. It felt fine when I tried it, not so much once I slept on it.
BEFORE my back pain started on the newer air mattress, I’d been a side sleeper who would sometimes switch to my back, but mostly side sleep- with no problems whatsoever with hip or back pain. NONE.
On new coil bed – I HATED the memory foam and the hip pain the bed caused was horrid. I ended up having to remove the memory foam and sleep directly on the rock-hard mattress. My back pain stopped during this time (although I did not ever sleep on my back on this bed, just my side) but my hip hurt and ached. I had to sleep that way for awhile before I finally decided to try a latex topper on it.
I got a 2 inch soft latex topper and could still feel the bed through it and had hip pain….
In the meantime, my back had stopped hurting completely and after so many nights with hip pain from new bed, I dragged out the airbed and slept on that with the 2 inch topper for one night and the horrid back pain returned. It was then even I had to admit it was the air mattress that had caused it. I guess I’d gotten lucky with the original model I had been getting for years….
I then ordered a 3 inch soft latex topper (and planned to return the 2 inch one) because SURELY the 3 inch would do it! Nope. No such luck. I’d already repackaged the 2 inch topper but out of curiosity, I got it back out and added it on top of the 3 inch topper and it felt lovely at first. It took some time for the hip point pain to go away but it finally did. 5" of soft latex was too much as I started to have what I thought was side pain (the side I sleep on). Now I’ve been sleeping on 3" of latex and my hip point of contact itself doesn’t hurt but now I realize the “side pain” is in my back just on the side I sleep on and aches in my sleep every night. My central lower back pain is gone now though.
The innerspring coil mattress is HARD and I can feel springs even through the latex, I think, as well as maybe the latex is too soft. I have to add that I dragged the mattress off of the horrid frame onto the floor to rule that out as the problem. It sure wasn’t helping…
I now have an idea of a real bed I want but I may be moving across the country after first of year and don’t want to spend that kind of money now if I can address this for short term with the right combo of toppers or materials.
I am female, 140lbs – 6’ tall – mainly side sleeper (oddly enough I’ve had hip surgery on one of my hips and only sleep on that side occasionally and that side has not hurt through any of this)
All of this to ask…WHAT can I do to make the pain stop? Short of buying a new bed, that is. I haven’t had good sleep in months, and can’t stay asleep anymore. Would a high density poly foam layer on top of the innerspring and then maybe the 2 inch latex work, or am I fighting a losing battle? I don’t remember any bed, ever in my life hurting me this way.
Any thoughts are appreciated!