I’m 5’8, 155lbs, side sleeper. I’ve got a new SleepEz organic with soft talalay comfort layer (19ILD), medium Dunlop middle layer (28D), firm Dunlop base layer(38ILD), on a wood frame with slats 2.75 inches apart.
I’m usually an easy going sleeper and have never had sleep pain, being in my 20s helps. But I have had shoulder pain ever since the first night on this mattress (I’m on week 2.5)!
The last several days I’ve removed the wool cover and been sleeping directly on the latex. I still don’t think it’s going to work out.
My guess is that it’s too firm; but I’m not positive. I was originally on a dreamcloud premier which I’ve enjoyed for the last several years. I can do a SleepEZ layer exchange and replace the middle with a soft, or the bottom with a medium, but not sure that’s going to help my shoulder pain.
Please, any help is so appreciated. And feel free to share your own experiences, paths, what worked for you, etc.
I’d prefer to stick with companies with generous return policies like SleepEZ in case I’m not satisfied with my choice.
I can use toppers if necessary, but don’t feel like that’s appropriate for a brand new bed…
How thick is your comfort layer? I wonder if you’re sinking through and hitting the medium Dunlop layer.
Have you spoken to SleepEZ about your setup and experience, and about a potential layer exchange? I’m sure they’d also be happy to troubleshoot with you and try to figure out the source of your shoulder pain.
Have you changed your pillow, at all? Research has found that the most common reasons for shoulder, cervical and upper thoracic pains are connected with pillow issues (thicker/thinner or firmer/softer pillow) which could also affect pressure on the shoulders. You don’t want your head to be too elevated, or not elevated enough. This is especially important when sleeping upon your side, as cervical /upper thoracic issues tend to be pillow-related.
Something that you may find assistive while you fine-tune your mattress would be to sleep with a pillow up against your back, allowing you to lean back slightly when sleeping on your side, effectively allowing you to “roll” your shoulder slightly forward so that you’re not sleeping directly upon it. Also, consider using a body pillow or a thicker pillow in front of you, upon which you may place your free arm. This also will take some pressure off of both of your shoulders. Finally, don’t forget to reassess your pillow whenever you get a new mattress to make sure that it is the proper thickness to fill in the gap from the outside of your shoulder to your ear, helping to take that weight off of your shoulder joint as well.
May be worth troubleshooting the pillow first, and then if that doesn’t help create a solve, look into a layer exchange.
Thankfully I am in the trial period so I can return if needed. Last night I tried replacing the bottom firm layer with a medium layer and oooooof, still hurts the shoulders…… I have tried different pillows throughout the trial, one small; one medium, and one large. None seem to make a significant difference.
I did for night use a large long pillow so I was effectively half stomach/half side sleeping. The reduced pressure on my shoulder reduced pain significantly in the AM. But feels like cheating since I’ve never had to do that before
I feel like if I return it I’m back at square zero. No idea what to buy.
Thank you for chatting with me today! As we discussed, your initial S/M/F setup is ideal for your comfort needs. However, if you want a bit more softness, you can exchange your medium Dunlop for a medium Talalay, which will soften the surface without compromising overall support. For a significantly softer feel, you can exchange the medium Dunlop middle layer for a soft Dunlop layer, although we agreed that this might not be the best long-term configuration for you.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any further questions. Have a wonderful weekend!