For reference, I’m around 120lbs, 5’0", combination back/side sleeper with sleep apnea and I am the Princess and the Pea. I’m looking for an organic mattress, no chemicals.
I ended up returning my Saatva classic luxury firm and replacing it with a SweetZZZ Honey hybrid medium-soft. I’m kind of regretting this, because the new mattress is giving me lower back and hip pain…I can’t seem to get comfortable. The Saatva had become tolerable with an adjustable base and their down alternative topper, but was still very hard on my shoulder when I slept on my side. However, it was great for my back and I didn’t have any hip or back pain with it.
I thought this new hybrid would be the answer because it’s better for lightweight side sleepers, but it feels like it’s not supporting my back well at all, like my hips sink in too much and the curve in my back doesn’t get the right support. I’m wondering if my body just doesn’t like dunlop latex? Would I be better off getting something like a latex-free Naturepedic coil bed (I want all organic) and adding a talalay topper? I’m at a loss. To exchange the Honey Hybrid for the medium-firm will cost $300, so I’m not really keen to do that if I’m just going to have a problem with the dunlop latex again and have to send it back, too. It is better for my shoulder, but I think I’d still ultimately want a topper for my shoulder even with the medium-soft, so it’s not the right mattress for me. Although I will say, it’s not KILLING my shoulder (ie, giving me an injury I needed 2 massages for and months of pain) the way the Saatva did for months. Getting very tired of this as I have had life-ruining sleep problems and I need a mattress that’s helping, not harming, my recovery.
Thoughts?
That is a tough decision. For my heavier weight, soft latex before the springs works for me. But thats because i believe my heavy body is pushing the latex hard enough to get to the support sooner.
For your weight it may be just soft enough to where its holding you up, but not enough. And it’s unfortunate that the mattress does not come in a zippered cover. Because my recommendation for you would not be 3" of soft latex which is what i believe they use, it would be 2" of super soft latex on top of 2" of medium latex. That way you have the plush layer but you reach the support of the medium layer sooner. But the thing is that mattress has a 1" super soft cotton top, on top of the already soft latex.
With the way i think about an optimal build for a latex hybrid, you know latex is bouncy because it’s rubber. So it can feel soft in the hand yet firmer when actual pressure is applied.
Only when you make it super soft does it become truly only a plush top layer. Even in soft, latex can act as a weak support, which is the most harmful kind of bed. Being supported, but in a manner that throws off alignment. This is why my preference is for an ultra plush top layer, and a medium layer underneath. The ultra plush is so soft it does basically nothing except for make the bed feel super stress relieving, and then you have the medium for actual support so your body wont become misaligned.
Latex, yes it’s bouncy and for me laying directly on top of a medium dunlop layer, it was too responsive and i couldnt relax on it. This is why having a 1" layer of soft cotton or something on top is very good on a latex bed. It settles the action of the latex and allows relaxation.
I really am not a fan of the saatva classic, its just cotton on top of pocket springs, on top of an open coil innerspring. I know its rated highly but i dont like it.
It’d be great if it didnt cost so much to exchange the sweet zzz, but from what i see the luxury firm is rated a 6 out of 10 which seems better in general. You can always use a topper or something to add a little softness to a bed that’s too firm, but if you have a bed thats too soft, and its basically in the base of the bed, and you cant change that layer then that’s a huge problem.
I believe the medium firm could be the better option. Sorry about the expense but mattress shopping is like that, i bought like $500 more layers than i should have for my diy before i figured out exactly what i wanted
Thanks for your reply! 
Yeah, I did read that Saatva isn’t the best brand and that the mattresses tend to last like 2 years anyway, so that’s one reason I returned it.
I don’t mind paying to exchange the Honey Hybrid for the med-firm, I guess the concern is that I’ll still not like the feeling of dunlop latex and perhaps should just return it altogether and try this: https://www.naturepedic.com/chorus-organic-mattress-buy?466=1090
(With the Sleep EZ soft Talalay topper)
Well, I guess the exchange would be worth the try, to be sure about the dunlop latex/hybrids. I do like how cool this mattress sleeps, but it doesn’t feel so sturdy to me.
The naturpedic bed you shared i really do like the build of. My current build is 8" quadcoil, 3" quadmini springs with just a 2" layer of latex/memory foam hybrid on top and i love it.
What I’m saying is, there definitely are ways to build beds naturally that don’t involve latex. Mini, micro and nano coils. They’re made in the same ways different firmness of foams are.
With foams you have base, then transition, then comfort layer.
Pocket springs serve as the base, mini springs are a transition layer, then there are micro coils they’re kind of like medium/soft comfort layers, and nano coils are super soft - a whole bunch of very tiny springs in one layer.
The bed you shared uses 1.5" micro coils which are fairly soft, and are layered with the wool and cotton on top of the pocket springs. That’s a well built bed.
What i like about springs is they only equally react to your body. Latex is an over responder and that’s why soft material on top is needed.
Standard build for a latex mattres is a layer of medium latex on top of the springs with about an inch of material on top whether wool or cotton. And i really like that layer of material because it settles down the bounce of latex.
All things considered, as a back sleeper you do need medium/firm. Then theres the topper for side sleeping. Which i think you said you had a soft latex topper and that’d be great on top of a medium or medium/firm latex mattress.
Your story was my story…until 1 year ago when I finally received my 3rd mattress in the journey of trying to find a mattress that didn’t cause back or shoulder pain (or both!). It had started with the Saatva and then I moved on to a Gardner organic material mattress, which was more expensive and came with more lower back pain. I also tried the whole topper thing with various latex and other products. It was so absurd that I dreaded going to bed at night.
Somehow in my endless online research to find a solution, or at least an improvement, I read about a British company called Winstons in an article about handmade premium mattresses. The article was comparing Haastens, ViSpring, and Savoir mattresses and another company called Winstons. The first three are so expensive and well beyond my budget, but I was getting desperate and started calculating how I could swing the price. I found the website for Winstons in the UK and got in touch with customer support. OMG the gentleman on the phone (Aron) spent 45 minutes talking to me about my experience with the other mattresses and my back and shoulder pain. I did the unthinkable. I took his advice for which model and spring tension in a Winstons might be best for me ( the “Shropshire “), and I ordered a mattress from ENGLAND!!! I paid via credit card and then asked myself if I had lost my mind. It took almost 3 months to be manufactured and delivered to my house in Massachusetts, USA. Everything went so smoothly with the delivery, but then the moment of truth. I went to sleep that night and woke up the next morning not feeling like I hadn’t slept. After a week I realized that my back felt better. The mattress is not a miracle, but it is fantastic and I sleep well with my back supported and my shoulder comfortable. This mattress checked all the boxes for quality, comfort, and construction. Per the recommendations of Winstons I rotated and flipped every 4 weeks for the first 6 months then every 3 months thereafter. The mattress is so well made and HEAVY (I have a King size), that I actually hired “Lugg” movers to do the lift and rotate/flip because it would be impossible to do myself.
Basically it was/is worth it and at 1 year later I am still so happy that I took the plunge ( there is a return policy, with a restocking fee, but thankfully I didn’t have to do any exchanges, etc)
I am NOT in sales nor the mattress industry, actually I do orthopedic surgery in my professional life.
I don’t have a solution for your exact situation, but I am your size/weight and have the same issues with my shoulder and lower back.
I wish you luck. I am trying to pay it forward because I don’t know what I would have done without accidentally learning about Winstons. I read all the reviews on TrustPilot and appreciated the feedback from those who were honest about Winstons. If you have a moment to chat either via chat box, (live human not a bot), or via telephone, I encourage you to reach out to Winstons in the UK and speak with Reese or Aron.
All the OR nurses that I work with can vouch for this story, hahaha. And they might have been happier than I when I stopped complaining about the Saatva!
I am 5’5" and 118 lbs. I have a weak back. I sleep on the recommended configuration for latex (3" soft, 3" medium, 3" firm). This is soft enough to avoid any hip or shoulder pain, and supportive enough for my back. I tried about a dozen different configurations with latex layers and this was the best for me. It did take a while for me to get used to, but now I am very happy.
Hello ~ you mentioned you have an adjustable base. I looked a the Saatva site to see what kind they have because I have recently found out there there are a couple different types of adjustable foundations. I was having similar issues with shoulder and hip pain and searched for hours on the internet about ways to help with this. I stumbled across a site called Incline Sleep and I’m so very glad I did! Even though I had never heard of this concept, apparently it’s been practiced for literally thousands of years! So it’s about actually tilting your entire foundation (not just the head of the bed) and once I started learning about it I was so convinced I ordered the 6" wedge because it was an affordable solution to just try this and also because I did like my current mattress. Oh my gosh ~ it had made ALL the difference for me. It seriously feels like I’m floating because the very slight incline uses gravity to remove the weight from my joints. If you’re curious you should check it out. It sounds like you’ve already been through quite a bit trying to a solution for your pain… I know it’s frustrating but this helped me so much so I wanted to share the info.
Hey, glad you found a good solution. I have an adjustable base. I tried a wedge but it absolutely killed my neck and shoulders…now it’s on the sofa. If you love the wedge you’ll definitely love an adjustable base!
Just curious… did you try a wedge pillow or the type of wedge I got that goes under the mattress and tilts the entire sleep surface?
If she put it on the sofa it was probably just a wedge pillow
ohh yeah it was a wedge pillow. Sorry, I didn’t understand. But anyway I couldn’t do without my massage feature on the bed…lol
Has anybody used a wedge that goes under the mattress and compared it to an incline where the entire foundation is tilted and not just the head of the bed? I realize results will vary by individual, but I’m interested in anyone’s experience using either or both. Thanks
Hey! So interesting that you asked that because I actually just stumbled across a website about incline sleeping and got a 6" foam wedge that goes under your existing mattress and it’s been fantastic! That was the most affordable option for me ~ I was trying to find a solution for my shoulder and hip pain and this was exactly what I needed without having to get a new mattress because it uses gravity to remove the weight from your joints. The website I found explains so much about the benefits of this practice Incline Sleep If you have any questions about my wedge let me know… some people have asked if it makes the mattress slide and mine hasn’t moved at all. It’s the 6" one and my 88 pound pit bull jumps up and down off it several times a day. At first it did look a little odd but when I lay down it feels completely normal and comfortable.
I totally get the “Princess and the Pea” struggle—I’m currently dealing with wild hip pain on a new latex setup myself. It sounds like your hips are sinking too far in, so maybe a firmer base with a soft Talalay topper would give you that support without the shoulder injury?
Yeah I’m going to try to exchange for the medium-firm instead of the medium-soft (Honey Hybrid). Might as well try that first as it seems to be the easiest option right now. And then buy a talalay topper. Interestingly I’ve put my Saatva down alternative topper on the medium-soft and it seems to have helped it feel a bit comfier, but my hips still sink in too much when I’m on my back. 
Overall the mattress is decent though, I mean, it’s all organic and had no smell, sleeps very cool etc. So no complaints there. Fingers crossed the medium-firm + topper will solve the issues.
What is your latex setup? I read some bad reviews on the Naturepedic one I thought would be a good option…weirdly so many people say it’s WAY too hard and about as many people say it’s WAY too soft. Like…what? Mattresses are so tricky!!! The thing I DID like about the Saatva was that it felt quite…solid. Like my lower back didn’t hurt at all with it and it had great edge support etc. unlike the SweetZZZ I have now.
I think you will like the medium firm option. That is unless for some reason theyre using a base spring that’s the same between soft or medium firm..hopefully its a good strong base spring and then a layer of medium on top.
Ugh I’m not so sure…they have a 1 exchange OR return policy, so if I don’t like it I’m stuck with it. I might just return and try something else. This is so frustrating. Chat GPT says I need something with zoning. I feel like every mattress I look at though has a million awful reviews and a million positive reviews…thinking of trying Eco Terra. Or maybe I need to shell out more for a Naturepedic EOS (yikes) or an Avocado ultra plush… 