Hi polmattress.
Thank you for the additional information you provided to help solve your sleep puzzle.
[quote] 1. Our old mattress was a Sealy Posturepedic Euro-top. When we first got it, it was super comfortable. I’d say it was a medium-firm mattress. The pillow top provided the right support, but it didn’t sink in. We both don’t like the sinking-in feel of memory foam. Although we had it for ten years, it stopped being comfortable about two years ago. It was no longer providing proper support, our hips started sinking in, and we could feel the springs.
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You haven’t mentioned any of the Sealy Posturepedic specs, but even if you did, I doubt that we could have used them as a benchmark as there may have been too many changes over the course of one decade both for your body and for the mattress itself. In this case, knowing a bit more about your previous mattress can be helpful only if the mattress was in good shape and if you still found it comfortable (Which would be unlikely for a memory foam mattress that typically has lower density foams in its makeup).
Typically, in one decade, most people go through body shape and weight changes and it is very likely that if you slept now on a newly purchased, exact mattress you owned 10 years ago, you would find it uncomfortable. When you start off with a mattress that meets your needs … as time passes … the incremental body changes as we naturally age combined with the mattress aging and breaking down will lead to the body eventually not being able to adapt and compensate for all changes. Unfortunately, by that time if the mattress was not changed in due time some bad postures and habits became entrenched and habitual and the body will need to unlearn them before adapting to a more suitable sleeping surface.
This is especially the case with the gradual gaining of weight which will cause the body to sink into the mattress more and alter support/comfort balance up to a threshold when these changes become noticeable and people start to feel discomfort. If you are one of the lucky ones to be in tune with your body, you’ll get the signals much sooner and possibly avoid a crisis period with pains and sleepless nights.
Even though the foundation was recommended by the manufacturer, I’d suggest a “ground up” assessment to make sure that there is nothing under the mattress that may be causing the sleeping system to sag under the weight of the mattress and people sleeping on it. You can test if the foundation is contributing to the sag by putting your mattress on the floor to see if you notice any difference. If it does … then it’s quite possible that your support system could be part of the problem as well The foundation should have good center support to the floor. … the mattress needs to rest on an evenly supportive base that will not sag or weaken over time under the weight of the mattress and the people on it.
From what you describe … there may be an overlap of multiple causes. One of which could be that you are in a period of adjustment and unlearning some of the entrenched so I would give your body more time to readjust and find a new balance. I’d pick the configuration that feels most comfortable for you now (as long as you can still get some rest during the night) and give it a bit more time to see how your body reacts to it. I’d closely monitor and keep a log of what you experience during the course of each night. Sometimes things become worse before they become better.
This can be true for higher weights in combination with a thicker mattress The main benefit of a thicker latex mattress is that it can be more adaptable for heavier weights and multiple sleeping positions. It will compress from softer to firmer more gradually which means that there is more “range” of compression without the mattress becoming too firm for heavier weights (or parts of the body). A thicker mattress can also be part of a specific design that requires it such as some types of zoning or layering that needs more layers to accomplish the design goal of the mattress.
People that have much higher body weights or larger body types may choose more than the “average” thickness and may prefer the feel and extra adaptability of say 12" of latex. Thicker mattresses can also use firmer materials because thickness and softness are very related and work together. These would be good questions to ask the manufacturer or retailer you purchased your bed from so they can discuss the differences between the different options they have available in terms that are more specific to the layers they use or options they provide.
Thickness and softness work together and because thicker layers (or mattresses) can have a greater range of compression and are more “adaptable” … it’s also possible to use firmer top layers in a thicker mattress and still have good pressure relief because of the greater range of compression of the thicker mattress which can create a mattress with a firmer “surface feel” but that still provides good pressure relief and adapts well to the body contours.
I wish I could answer this question, but as you can see from my lengthy reply there far are too many interrelated variables for me to say what would work best for either of you. Theory at a distance unfortunately is a poor substitute for firsthand experience. It seems that you already tried all variations available with the layers you have. Now you can settle on the one that felt most comfortable from all and try to hold it for long enough to allow your body to catch up with the change.
Assuming that all your notes are for your side sleeping position, I summarized tehm below and added a few comments
• (10") 6F, 2M, 2S Backpain – Comment: going through the transition and comfort layers to the firmer layer below
• (10") 4F, 4 M, 2 S Hard – Comment: seems that you are experiencing pressure points?
• (10") 4F, 2 M, 4S too soft, good for the shoulder, but having back pain ~ Comment: seems to be a posture and alignment issue indicating not enough support
• (10") 4F, 2S, 2M, 2 S - At first seemed perfect, then feels too soft ended up with upper back pain ~
• (10") 4F, 2F, 2S, 2S "I’m currently sleeping on soft, soft, hard, hard, hard. "shoulders OK but hip pressure points ~ Comment: : this seems to indicate that you carry your weight in your hips and that you are bottoming out on the firmer layers below.
If none of the above constructions work I’d consider “borrowing” a layer from hubby’s side for a while and adding it to the mix.
You did not mention your hubby’s stats but as he is a prone sleeper he would do well with a firmer sleeping surface to avoid hyperextension and the swayback position that can cause lower back issues if the mattress is either too soft/thick comfort layer or too soft support layer.
Yes, this’s possible. Sometimes our internal sensors may play tricks on us and the best way to determine if that is the case is to keep monitoring, slightly changing positions and connect it with the theory and underlying concepts behind comfort, and have a look at post #4 for primary support, secondary support, and pressure relief and how they are related).
Let us know of your eventual decisions and additional questions as you move forward finetuning your system
Phoenix