I’ve gone down the rabbit hole searching for answers but just keep coming up with more questions.
I currently have a 10ish year old Bear Hybrid bed and it’s mostly been good but slightly too firm. As I’ve gotten older and gotten addicted to pickleball my shoulders have paid the price and I wake up in agony. I put a tempurpedic topper on it and it helps a bit but I’m looking for a new bed.
I’m 5”2 and weigh 130. I also think because of my height the “zones” or whatever that the bed manufacturers say cradle my hips and shoulders aren’t in the right place.
I fall asleep on my side and wake up on my back.
I don’t care too much about motion. It’s more about keeping alignment in my spine while not killing my shoulders and hips.
any thoughts on where to start? I’m in Raleigh NC and didn’t see any local places to check out in the recommended vendors. I did check out a mattress firm but felt like I visited a used car lot. Lots of anecdotes but no real knowledge.
Hey Newbhikku.
Welcome to our Mattress Forum. 
In the past, consumers in your area have recommended:
-Sleep Essentials
-The Organic Bedroom
-Original Mattress Factory
We haven’t been to or verified any of the products at their locations, but they could be good/useful locations for testing and gathering data points in terms of what you like/don’t like in the event you’d like to shop around online. We have a Mattress Shopping Tutorial you may find interesting, and this little article about how to know whether the retailer/manufacturer you’re shopping at is on the trustworthy side.
Unless you’re sleeping on a zoned mattress, this generally shouldn’t matter - howwwwweverrrr more petite profiles don’t compress mattress layers as deeply, so it can be harder to “fill the gaps” when side sleeping, for example. Many lighter-weight sleepers benefit from thinner, softer comfort layers with a firmer support layer beneath.
NikkiTMU
This is super helpful. I visited the original mattress factory today and found them to be no nonsense and straight forward. Thank you!
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If you’re looking for a mattress designed with athletic recovery and pressure relief in mind, one option worth considering is the Brooklyn Bedding Spartan. It comes in three firmness levels, so you could opt for the softer version to help with that shoulder pain you mentioned.
While it’s a zoned mattress, which you noted can sometimes miss the mark for shorter sleepers, the Spartan has symmetrical zoning on both sides, rather than just in the center of the mattress. At your height (5’2"), it would likely line up more accurately with your shoulders and hips than other zoned models might.
Even though zoned support isn’t essential for everyone, in your case it could offer a nice balance between spinal alignment and pressure relief, especially since you start on your side and wake up on your back.
While I am not a big advocate of zoning, it has it’s place and if positioned correctly can resolved many comfort issues a sleeper may encounter. Just a thought.
Probably a blessing in disguise you passed over the used car parking lot.
Maverick
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