New to the forums here. I am looking for new mattres after owning one for 3 years I can’t stand mine because it is extra firm queen one and didn’t realize it’s been causing sleep issues such as back pain and neck pain. I’ve been sleeping on air mattress that’s only exclusive to the middle in my house. So I need to pick one that’s less firm possibly an air mattress or something with a similar effect? I bought my mattress from bobs furniture.
Hi Shadow,
Welcome to the Mattress UnderGround.
Sorry to hear about your relatively new mattress. Have you tried placing a topper, such as a 2-3" medium latex topper to reduce the firmness and pressure. Also, a firm mattress often requires a change in pillow combination and loft. Generally, taller or folks with wide shoulders, who sleep on a firm mattress, require a loftier, pillow/pillow combination to raise the head and upper body, to keep it in alignment, prevent the shoulders from digging into the firm surface of the mattress, and cause a strain of the upper and middle back muscles.
Air mattresses tend to have that floaty feel, as does latex. Perhaps the option of a latex topper might solve the issue along with re evaluating your pillow combination.
It may be worth a try, before you jump into a new mattress, that may not guarantee the comfort your are looking for long term.
Could not hurt to give it a shot.
Maverick
HI Shadow9657 and welcome to the forums! If your current mattress is too firm, then I agree with Maverick, I think a topper might be an excellent choice! If you’re thinking about a latex topper, here are some things to consider to help ensure you get the right topper: A 2” topper will make a noticeable difference but, depending on how much you want to change the feel of your mattress, may still leave something to be desired. The 3” topper will change the feel of your mattress the most, and if that’s the change that you’re looking for then this would be the best bet. The best way to summarize it would be to say that a 2” topper will make the mattress feel moderately softer and the 3” topper will make the mattress feel much softer.
Both the thickness and the density makes a difference when choosing a topper. Ultimately, how you make your decision will depend on the following: how firm your mattress is now; how much softer you want your mattress to be; your height, body weight, and sleeping preference (For example, if you weigh more than about 200 lbs I would recommend a medium topper; if you weighed more than 200 lbs and bought a soft topper, you would likely bottom out and sink right through the topper to the firm mattress that you’re trying to move away from). We normally recommend soft for folks under 200 pounds, medium for folks between 200 and 250 pounds, and firm for folks over 250 pounds. Even though we call it a “firm” topper, it will actually feel quite soft to anyone over 250 pounds, just FYI.
Aside from that, Talalay is bouncier and springier and is generally better at contour and pressure relief on your hips and shoulders. Dunlop is denser and firmer and is generally better at support and maintaining proper spinal alignment so Talalay is much more common for toppers. Talalay can also be helpful in avoiding back pain because it provides more of what we call secondary support. Secondary support fills in the gaps between your body and the mattress. For side sleepers, this is normally the area between a person’s ribs and waist. For back sleepers, this is normally the area between the small of your back and the mattress. If these parts or your body aren’t being held up by the mattress, your muscles will work all night to hold those parts of your body up, which can lead to back pain. So Talalay is much more common for toppers because of the extra pressure relief and secondary support it offers.
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