I’m in a very similar position, and thought it best to add my post to this thread than start a redundant thread.
In my case, I think I’m just having pressure point issues.
I’m about 310lbs and have had my current innerspring mattress for about 14 years. I’ll have to verify, but I don’t think it has any sagging issues. My sleep issues are related to me gaining 40 lbs over those years and aging 14 years (I’m now in my mid 40’s, where before I was in my early 30’s).
Typically, I wake with aches under my shoulder blades or upper back, and sore upper arms and numbness down my arms to my small fingers. Likely all from compression related to my body design in general and I suspect to pressure sensitivity to a mattress that was fine for an early 30’s guy and now isn’t so great for a mid-40’s guy.
I’ve concluded the mattress is the culprit for the same reasons as Jezo.
For the past month, I was on travel out of country and slept on a wide range of hotel mattresses for the 4 weeks ranging from twin sized beach-hotel quality ones to Marriot hotel queen size beds. During all that time, my morning aches disappeared and I was able to sleep much better.
Get back home on Friday, go to sleep on my home bed again, and next morning my arms and shoulders ache again, and I’m just miserable. Over the past 2 weeks the aching has seemed to get less, but I suspect I’m must adjusting back to the ‘normal’ that is me sleeping on that bed and it just doesn’t feel as bad as I get used to the bad feeling.
One thought was: get a new mattress. But that is spendy and I’m getting so much analysis paralysis that its getting frustrating.
In rethinking about my current mattress, as stated, it doesn’t have a sag (just me sleeping in the king at this point), and I don’t have lower back pains, so I don’t think the inerrant support of the mattress has gone away. I’m suspecting the comfort/top layer of padding has just compressed over 14 years combined with my body getting 14 years older and less willing and able to tolerate pressure points.
So I’m thinking “add a comfort layer topper” as well.
My needs are to get the pressure point relief in my upper torso, shoulders and arms, and most of my weight is not in those areas. So what thickness and material might be a good choice for a topper given I’m 310lbs?
I’ve been visiting a local chain store (Sleep Country) to try out different mattresses to get a feel for the technology in today’s mattresses. I’ve tested Tempurpedic, Serta iComfort, and Sterns & Foster toppered innerspring, and they all feel different, but nothing in their inherent material is a turn-off. So I’m ok with memory foam, latex foam, etc… so long as it provides the pressure point relief I think I need without having to spend $2k+ on a new mattress needlessly when the existing one is probably just fine in the support layer department.