Mattress Toppers...combos..

[phoenix]

Hi rellwood,

Within the last month I have woken up in the middle of the night to a completely numb hand. Then recently my lower back started hurting as well as my hips and upper thighs. Basically the whole pelvic and lower back area has been hurting. It’s odd but I have muscle pain in the exact spot on my leg if I were sitting down, placed my hand on top of my thighs (not along the side, but the top front that faces the sky when you sit down in an upright chair) only a hands length and width from exactly the bend in my legs at the pelvis. Both sides. I also am a side sleeper and curl up rather than straight. Oh, and terrible hip pain while laying on my side in an unsupported couch or bed.

These could all be symptoms of the topper and/or the upper layers of your mattress softening and degrading (and this wouldn’t be unusual at all after 2 years with the combination of higher weight and low density topper topper and probably comfort layers softening as well). You are probably “going through” the softer layers into firmer layers below them.

Ok enough… I decided that a new topper was in order so I got the one at Costco that is 3". First night 5 minutes in, I sunk all the way down to compress it to about half an inch. My hips were screaming. It was the hardest pain. I may as well have been laying on concrete. My weight is mostly in stomach, boobs, hips and thighs. I am built tall and now with the weight, I am a Big guuuurl! . My hips really don’t have a lot of padding over the pressure spot, so they are sensitive. Last night, I threw my 2" over the new 3" and it’s ok just until I get something more permanent.

While it’s not possible to know without knowing the actual density of the topper you bought (Costco has several toppers and they don’t list the density for some of them) and knowing the details of the layers in the mattress you have … if I had to I would guess that both your topper and the top layers of your mattress have softened … not just the topper. If this is the case then a topper may only have a limited or temporary benefit because it will just “follow” the soft spots in your mattress. Post #4 here and post #4 here may give you some insights into what may be happening.

With your weight … lower density memory foam (under 5 lbs) will not last very long. If the top layers of your mattress have also softened as well under the heavier parts of your body then a topper won’t be the best solution anyway and you may need to replace your mattress (again depending on what is in it and the condition of the top layers) but if you did want to experiment with toppers then a thicker topper (in the range of 3" or so) using higher density memory foam may give you the best odds of providing better pressure relief but you would also be taking a risk that the thickness of the topper and the softer top layers of your mattress combined could create support and alignment issues.

Can I just purchase a topper or two or do I need a whole new bed. The current one has no dips or anything, it’s only two years old. I was thinking latex because of my size. Would a solid latex mattress topper , topped with a latex squishy tube inner fill “featherbed” (i read the four pages posed on that topic, so im up to speed on that)be the best route? i only discovered latex today, and don’t know Some specific suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Please take my info in to consideration, and point me in the right direction…

I’m not sure what you mean by a “latex squishy tube innerfill featherbed” but it’s not really possible for me to guess without knowing what is in your mattress although its very likely that the foam in your bed has softened even if it doesn’t have any permanent dips when you are not on the mattress (it has just enough resilience left to “come back”). If your mattress has softened then latex would also follow the soft spots in your mattress and “bend” into them although like the higher density memory foam it may also provide better pressure relief.

While I don’t have enough information to know anything for certain (and even with more detailed information about your mattress it would generally take a more detailed phone conversation to even guess at the type of topper someone may need) … you can see some topper guidelines in post #8 here which may help you assess whether a topper may be helpful and if it would the thickness and type that may be best. A topper though is really most appropriate for softening a mattress that is too firm and if yours was soft enough at one point and now you are feeling more of the deeper firmer layers (or sleeping out of alignment which can also cause pain in the joints) … then it’s quite likely that the top layers of your mattress have become too soft as well which would mean that a topper may only provide a limited or temporary benefit at best.

If you haven’t tried it you could try rotating your mattress 180 degrees so that your heavier areas may be on slightly firmer foam layers (which may isolate you more from the firmer layers below them similar to when your mattress was newer) and then sleep on that for a few nights (or as long as you could if a few nights were too long) to get a sense of how much more thickness and softness you may need and then based on the guidelines choose either a higher density memory foam (5lbs or higher) or a latex topper (if you prefer a faster response sleeping surface) on top of that.

Phoenix