Finally purchased mattress 3 weeks ago from local sleep shop. The mattress has 1 inch of 5lb memory foam quilted in the top layer and 3 inches of 5lb memory foam below that on top of a 2.5 HD Base. I must say it is very well made. First couple of nights were rough for both my wife and I , the mattress felt a little much on the firm side and my wife had some stiffness in neck. We were told this was not uncommon and to give body time to adjust. Fast forward to today- My wife has adjusted and is sleeping like a baby . I on the other hand am tossing and turning and seem to feel discomfort (not soreness) around the bottom of the rib cage when on my side. The mattress has softened some over the last couple of weeks. My question is how long should one wait to see if they can adjust? The second being that I wonder if I am sinking through the comfort layer and the base is causing my promblem? If this is the case perhaps I need a little thicker comfort layer. The store owner said they could switch out the comfort layer to something softer but not sure if this would fix my problem. Any thoughts? Appreciate your input as always
This can vary significantly from person to person (adjusting to a new sleeping surface) and from mattress to mattress (different types of materials will have more or less initial softening) and in a few cases can take up to about 90 days or so but in the large majority of cases 30 days or so (and often less) would be much more common.
With 4" of 5 lb memory foam that’s not too likely and you would be feeling it more on your shoulders or hips if you were. It’s more likely that your more “pointy” parts are sinking into the memory foam more easily and this could result in a little more pressure on your ribcage (and less on your shoulders) than you are used to. I would probably give it just a little longer to make sure the initial foam softening is complete and to increase the odds that your own adjustment has “stabilized” and not changing in either direction so your experience is more indicative of your long term experience.
It could be that the 5 lb memory foam is “giving” under your pressure points such as the shoulders but staying firmer under the area of discomfort where there is less pressure and less heat. If you replace the 5 lb memory foam with a lower density memory foam it could increase the likelihood that you would “go through it” more easily.
If its necessary, rather than using lower density memory foam in the whole comfort layer which would also be less durable you could consider adding a thin layer of softer memory foam to provide a little more surface softness and a little more responsive and less temperature sensitive memory foam (that doesn’t have as wide a range from firm to soft with heat) to the top of the mattress. This is one of the reasons that a couple of inches or so of 4 lb memory foam over a couple of inches or so of 5 lb memory foam or similar types of construction are quite popular because they have a little more surface softness and then the firmer denser memory foam is underneath.
Would a 4 pound density memory foam topper accomplish this? Is there a downside to using a topper vs going into the mattress and adding it that way? Thanks
In theoretical terms and assuming this is the root cause of what you are feeling … then yes.
The “arguments” for each would be a little different.
If you add a topper you are increasing the overall thickness of the comfort layers which in turn could increase the risk of alignment issues (your heavier areas would be able to “travel” more before they were “stopped” by the firmer support layers. The advantage of a softer or lower density topper is that if it wears out faster (and layers that are lower density, softer, and closer to the top of a mattress will be less durable) … then you can just replace the topper rather than the whole mattress.
The advantage of adding the softer top layer inside the mattress is that it would maintain the overall thickness of the comfort layers and have less affect on alignment and support. The down side to this is that it would be more difficult to replace if it wears out or degrades faster than the other layers.
Since you are dealing with a manufacturer that is able to open a mattress and replace a layer … it seems to me that in your case your odds may be better by replacing the top memory foam layer rather than adding a topper. I would also talk with them in a little more detail about whether their thoughts and experience with their mattresses indicate that this may have good odds of solving the type of issues you are experiencing. Sometimes the specific experience of a manufacturer with their mattresses and customers and more detailed conversations with them can be more helpful or “practical” than “theory at a distance”.
Thanks for your quick response as always. I am not sure how to explain my discomfort with this mattress, it gives and is supportive but does not have much conformity. It certainly does not have the molding feeling of say the temp rhapsody. I keep thinking I will get use to it but as of yet am not sleeping as sound as I like. Since the top layer is 1 inch of quilted 5 pound foam and I assume is stretched to cover the whole mattress be the cause the lack of conformity? Would it have more of that memory foam feel if it had a velour or coolmax cover instead of a quilted top? Perhaps it is just the properties of the foam itself.
Quilting will “pre compress” the foam and make it firmer than it would otherwise be yes. Different types of memory foam of the same density will also have different properties as you can see in post #9 here and post #8 here. Density is the main factor of quality and durability but different memory foam versions of the same density can have different properties.
As an example … the tempurpedic 8 lb memory foam is actually softer feeling than their 5 lb memory foam and also more conforming while their 4 lb memory foam is softer than both but also less conforming than both. memory foam is also quite tricky because it responds to pressure as well as heat, humidity, and time it is compresses (it relaxes over time) while faster response foams respond mainly to pressure alone.
It’s quite possible that a simple stretch cover could make a difference but there are also other factors that could play a role as well including what is under your mattress, what is over your mattress (mattress protector, sheets, and bedding) and the temperature of your room. Post #6 here and post #2 here and post #6 here and post #2 here about “fine tuning” may also be helpful to help you identify the “cause” behind your symptoms.
. I on the other hand am tossing and turning and seem to feel discomfort (not soreness) around the bottom of the rib cage when on my side. The mattress has softened some over the last couple of weeks. My question is how long should one wait to see if they can adjust? The second being that I wonder if I am sinking through the comfort layer and the base is causing my promblem? If this is the case perhaps I need a little thicker comfort layer. The store owner said they could switch out the comfort layer to something softer but not sure if this would fix my problem. Any thoughts? Appreciate your input as always