I purchased a memory foam bed about 8 mos ago. Initially loved it and added a 2lb topper to it 4 mos ago. The composition of the overall bed includes:
7 inches of 2 lb support layer
2 inches of 5.2 lbs comfort layer
2 inches of 4.1 lbs plush layer
And on top was 2 inches of the 2lb topper
For past 2 weeks have been waking up with shoulder and hip pain. I am mostly a stomach and side sleeper. I have been able to move to my back, even though not usually fond of this position, and fall asleep with resolution of the shoulder and hip pain. Was wondering if the issue may be the topper - but if it is, wondering why now? I am a relatively small 5’3" and 125 lbs.
I went back to read your previous posts and I believe that you purchased a Novosbed Aria and then added a gel memory foam topper to your mattress because it was a little bit too firm … is this correct?
While there is no way for me to “diagnose” why you would suddenly be having an issue after sleeping well for 8 months … there are really only a few possibilities that would normally account for a more sudden change in how you sleep.
The first possibility would be the support system under your mattress and I would check to make sure that nothing is broken or sagging and that the support surface has little to no flex and is still providing suitable support for your mattress. You could also check this by putting your mattress on the floor and seeing if that makes any difference in how you sleep.
The next possibility is the topper. If your topper is gel memory foam and is only 2 lb density then this would be a very low quality material and it would be likely to soften or break down fairly quickly. Good quality memory foam or gel memory foam would be in the range of 4 lbs or higher. Since your mattress is relatively soft already and adding a 2" soft topper would make it softer yet … this could also cause issues if you are spending more time sleeping on your stomach so I would also try removing the topper to see if sleeping on the mattress without a topper makes any difference.
The next possibility is that the layers in your mattress have softened or broken down but given the quality/density of the layers this would tend to happen much more gradually over time and not suddenly so this is not that likely.
The last possibility is that something else has changed with you. It’s possible for example that you are sleeping in different positions or that there may be some other change in your physical condition that is affecting your posture and alignment, your pressure points, and how well you sleep.
I also noticed in your previous posts that you mentioned …
And this would also point to the possibility that your mattress with the topper (especially if it has softened or broken down) may be too soft for you.
I noticed as well in our previous posts that on several occasions you mentioned that you slept well on a mattress (or a layer combination) for a few weeks and then developed shoulder issues and it’s also possible that your shoulder issues could be related to the thickness and firmness of your pillow … especially if the amount of time you were spending in different sleeping positions changed. Stomach sleepers for example tend to need thinner pillows but side sleepers tend to need thicker pillows to keep your head and neck in good alignment so if your pillow is more suited to one sleeping position than another and you are spending more time in different positions then this can also affect upper body symptoms (including your neck and shoulders)
There is also more about the different types of symptoms that people may experience on a mattress and some of the most common reasons for them in post #2 here that may also be helpful but because your symptoms seem to have appeared fairly suddenly I would tend to suspect that the cause is related to something else that happened more suddenly and at the same time as well.
It may take some trial and error to isolate the cause of your symptoms but I would guess that they are more likely to be related to a mattress/topper combination that is too soft for your current needs and preferences (or perhaps something that has broken in your support system or the topper has softened too much) than being related to a sleeping system that is too firm.
Thanks Phoenix. I suspect that it is the topper - and will try to take it off to see what happens. I doubt that the problem is the pillows - they are so heavenly (latex) and my most favorite ever. I will see how things react once the topper is off and start again. I don’t think that anything has really changed with my body structure, but hey - who knows.
I’m looking forward to finding out how your experience changes when you remove the topper. Hopefully it will solve your issues but if the topper has softened or has broken down and if nothing else has changed or if there are no other obvious causes then replacing it may also be worth considering.