I’m really struggling to find a mattress that works for my whole body. I have hypermobile joint issues that cause joint pain generally, but are exacerbated when my mattress is not right. I also had to have a cervical disc replacement less than a year ago for a herniated disc and continue to have nerve issues down my neck and into my shoulder and arm. I am also a side sleeper. I have tried the Saatva classic in luxury firm, which was way too firm and all my joints were screaming on it. It was better was a memory foam topper on it, but after doing LOTS more research I thought a hybrid mattress would be best, so I exchanged it for the Saatva Rx. This seemed great at first, especially for my neck and shoulders. But after a few months (3–4), it now feels like it’s too soft at my hips and I’m having bad hip pain and numbness and frequently can’t sleep through the night. Though it’s still pretty good for my neck. I’m hoping someone can give me some advice because I’ve done lots of research myself, but it’s hard to weed through it all and reviews, etc, are often so contradictory. It seems like hybrid might still be the right idea for me, but maybe I need one that’s firmer/more supportive at the hips? And I think it’s probably better to go with a brand that is not a bed in box, but it’s even harder to find reviews and info about which of those higher end, never rolled up brands might be good for me. And I need a full sized mattress. The Saatva Rx was just under $3000, and I’d rather not spend a lot more than that, but I am willing to invest in a good mattress. I hope you might have some good ideas/advice. Thank you, Lydia.
I don’t like any of the saatva mattresses except maybe the latex model. What you want is softness on top for pressure relief and a good support base layer. My recommendations would be Glacier Apex in medium for under 1500 or a nest and wild hybrid for under 1000 with their current discount. Always keep in mind a bed with a solid support may take a few days to get accustomed to. That’s how it was for my parents and I on our nest and wilds but we love them now.
Commonly here either full latex or latex hybrids are recommended. Full latex has a buoyant feel, while a latex hybrid has I guess about 30% of that same feel because the base is springs.
Hello lg2293 and welcome to the forums and thanks for the inquiry! You might want to consider the 10" organic mattress from Sleep EZ - https://sleepez.com/product/organic-latex-mattress/
The organic and natural mattresses (the Select Sleep mattresses) are our flagship products. They’re fully customizable, meaning you can order the mattress to be as soft or as firm as you’d like. They’re also fully adjustable, meaning you can change the softness, firmness, back support, pressure relief, etc. AFTER you get the mattress in your home. To be more specific, the 10” is our most popular, and these mattresses normally go out with three 3" layers of different firmnesses - normally the softest layer (or the cushion & contour layer) is on top and the supportive layers are on the bottom. This helps ensure our customers get the right balance of contour for their hips and shoulders but also support for their lower back. If you start with a certain setup and find that it’s too soft, you can unzip the cover and rearrange the layers to get a firmer feel out of the mattress, or you can exchange a layer to make it softer. Additionally, latex mattresses typically last 20 years. If, in 5 or 10 or 15 years you decide you want a softer or firmer mattress you would only have to buy a new layer instead of an entirely new mattress. Lastly, if the mattress starts to break down in 15 – 20 years, it’s normally the top layer that breaks down first, and at that point you can likely just buy a new top layer of latex instead of a whole new mattress and get an additional 8-10 years out of the mattress.
Furthermore, queen, king, and cal king mattresses are available with what we call “split layers,” which means you can have us cut the layers down the middle (from head to foot) so that you can have a different feel / firmness on your side versus your partner’s side, and you can adjust each side independently over the 20 year lifetime of the mattress. About 95% of our mattresses go out with all split layers from top to bottom, and we get zero complaints on being able to feel the split and we get zero complaints about the layers shifting or anything like that, even if you sleep right on the middle of the mattress.
If you’re wondering how to pick the layers for this mattress, you can go to the natural or organic mattress page, click the green button that says “Build Your Mattress Now,” then click the gray oval that says “Personalized,” and you’ll be able to enter your information. The website will then make a personalized recommendation based on your information (the layers in the mattress diagram will reflect the recommendation after you click the “Apply” button. Please note that our initial recommendations have a 90% success rate (we only have a 10% layer exchange rate) so there’s a 90% chance that the recommendation turns out to be your perfect setup!
Although it’s not likely that you’ll need to rearrange layers or exchange layers, you certainly have the option to adjust the mattress according to you and your partner’s specific needs and preferences, both in the short-term and long-term. We have a 90 day exchange and return period, so you can exchange a layer within the first 90 days for a flat-rate $30 fee for the first exchange and the full cost of shipping for any subsequent exchanges. We will ship your layers first, and we will ship them with extra plastic that you can use to package your current layers, and we will ship it with a pre-paid Fed Ex return label. Also, if you will please call us when you are ready to ship your layers back we will schedule a free Fed Ex pick up for you. You will have 30 days after its arrival to return a layer of your choosing, so you’ll have plenty of time to try a few different combinations with the layers you have and the layer we will be sending you so that you can get your comfort and support levels just right.
Hi Lydia thanks for sharing all of this context. I’m sorry to hear that you’re struggling to find a mattress that works for you. The Saatva Rx is made with memory foam that are heat-activated and pressure-sensitive, meaning they conform more deeply over time as your body heat and weight work into them each night. Conversely, mattresses made with natural latex behave differently: latex is buoyant and immediately responsive rather than slow-conforming, so it rebounds when you shift positions instead of “holding” a compressed shape throughout the night.
Given your budget and the complexity of your needs, I’d focus on brands that build with certified natural latex and allow meaningful customization, not bed-in-a-box brands. Berkeley Ergonomics’ Fairmont GOLD uses a zoned Talalay latex design with targeted differentiation between the shoulder and hip zones, which directly addresses the sinkage problem you’re experiencing .The Berkeley Fairmont GOLD is an all latex mattress. Whitney Natural pairs a natural latex comfort layer with a sturdy coil support system; you get that latex responsiveness with a hybrid’s firmer structural base, which can be especially helpful for keeping your hips in alignment without sacrificing the shoulder relief your side-sleeping. For full organic certification, Naturepedic’s EOS line is also worth considering- it’s fully configurable and a strong choice when chemical sensitivity or material purity is a factor post-surgery. We carry all three at The Organic Bedroom (theorganicbedroom.com) and are happy to walk you through the differences based on your specific needs - feel free to reach out.
Hi Lydia,
Whatever mattress you end up with I hope you have been or will consider seeing a Chiropractor to assist with your troubles. It sounds like you need, in addition to a good mattress, a little bit of extra hands-on help!
If I go with what my chiropractor recommends, it would be a medium to firm latex mattress. There are of course half a million choices… We personally prefer Talalay latex as it is superior in that it is more consistent throughout the mattress compared to Dunlop. Perhaps check out our reviews on Google, Facebook and our website. We have had a number of people who came to us with very specific back issues (herniated discs, old age backpain - if there is such a thing, etc.) and though I tell all of them that our mattress design is not a doctor, it was designed by a Swiss man (Balthasar Huesler) who was told there was no help for his back pain. Then after a few years of tinkering he invented this movable slat system in combination with latex which cured him and many since then.