Short back sleeper in pain looking for a new mattress, any help appreciated!

Mattress Talk 3) Needs & Personal Preferences
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Height: 5’
Weight: 165 lbs
Sleeping Position: primarily back, occasionally (now rarely) side
Firmness: mid firm (nothing too hard or too soft)
Temp: run hot when sleeping + getting older so cooling may be nice but not necessary
Current Mattress: Serta iComfort Hybrid CF2000 Firm (circa 2020)
Based in TX (there is a place reasonably close but they do customs and I don’t know enough to utilize them)
Mattress size: Queen (current adjustable base is a queen as well)

Tldr; having a hard time figuring out where to start and need something with support to prevent hip/back/shoulder pain but not so hard it makes my ankles/back of head hurt.

After a few months of not so great sleep, I have finally decided it’s time to get a new mattress. I have been reading through the guided provided but I need somewhere solid to start (like brands, specific models, etc) and would appreciate any suggestions! Please excuse the length, I have been obsessing over this.

Some quick backstory: A few months ago, I noticed that I was waking up sore and having to get out of bed hours earlier than normal because the hip and back pain was becoming too intense. Most nights, I wake up every few hours and sometimes (though rarely) I have to get up and walk around and come back and try again. Sometimes that soreness follows me through the day, sometimes it stops once I’m up and moving.

My current mattress (according to the tag) appears to be a Serta iComfort Hybrid CF2000 Firm mattress (could be this one, they look alike at least: Serta iComfort Hybrid CF2000 Firm Mattress). It was unfortunately purchased from a Rooms To Go back in 2020 when I was in desperate need of a new bed + frame and it was the closest store that could deliver everything at once (the previous was a spring mattress that made metal sounds so I assume it was very old). The tag says it was produced in 2020 and the current iComfort model has most likely been updated so I’m not sure what the composition is. It would’ve been 6 years old come summer.

Up until a few months ago, the mattress felt perfectly fine and allowed for comfortable side and back sleeping. Then it became just back. And now, even back doesn’t feel all that good. The mattress has sunken in where my lower back is and creates a lot of pain for my back and hips (the pain goes up the opposite side of my back from my hip if I try to lay on my side). Sometimes a pillow under the knees helps, other times it sets off my shoulders by putting pressure on them. Most of my nights are spent elevating one or the other or both (and shuffling them as I go if I wake up feeling pain). I used to be able to sit in bed and even found it a little more comfortable whenever I needed some reprieve but it seems to be just as bad at times, often making my tailbone ache.

I am not sure where to start but I can say that after trying to scoot out of the middle and sleep on one of the firmer sides, I woke up faster than before with pain in my ankles and back of head/neck (the solution: rolling back into the hole with a pillow under my knees and surrendering). This might mean I’m done with firmer mattresses and may need something leaning more towards medium firm (or firm with a softer topper?). The website I found my current one on says it’s an 8 on the firmness scale, so maybe a 6 would be fine?

Things of Note:

  1. I sit in bed most evenings and weekends, as well as on days I work from home (1 - 2 days a week). I am heavy + curvy for my height and both of these combined with this bed may have caused more wear and tear than expected. Sitting at my desk isn’t an option because my cat will destroy me/my pc for trying (she is a good girl and she gets what she wants).

  2. My current mattress is on an adjustable base with a frame. I would prefer to keep the base if possible should I need it down the road, but I am open to putting a box spring or something else to give better support (I would say I’d replace it all but that can get pricey and my room isn’t very big).

  3. I am happy to try a topper along with a mattress. I even saw some recommendations I considered getting with my current one but decided it might not be worth it since the center is so sunken in.

  4. I have hypermobility and this has been exacerbating it. I am making appointments with doctors to make sure it’s just a bed going bad and nothing new but the wait time is just too long to go without a decent bed.

  5. Budget is preferably in the 1 - 3k range if it can last 10-15 years. Can be cheaper or a little more, I just need quality that will hopefully last. Doesn’t need to be a name brand but if they offer a service to take away the old one, that’d be ideal.

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You’re in luck! Check out the nest and wild hybrid. Under $1000 for a queen size with their 10% discount and comes with a 15 year warranty. Has a supportive quadcoil base spring, but is soft on top with a cooling cover. Feels like medium-firm ultimately.

I could go into more detail about it, but first of all i want to say i am not at all affiliated with the brand it really just is that good of a bed for the money. I love it.

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Thank you so much for the suggestion! This one does look super promising. Would you say they hold up pretty well? And they don’t sink too much under weight?

I also forgot I’m a bit sensitive to odor, do you think a new one might have a strong scent?

I’m also looking at Nest Bedding options.

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It does hold up well because his foams are both made in house and go through a pre stressing process for durability. The top layer is latex/memory foam hybrid which is open cell for breathability, and the layer of memory foam is made with the pneumatic process meaning not chemical, which is how hes able to make it 22 ild which is hardly found on the market today. the spring system is the texas pocket coil quadspring which is very high quality, and uses taller springs than the pocket of fabric meaning they are preloaded. This increases durability as well.

There is a slight smell just like with almost every bed, but it fades fast.

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My mom described it as firm for a little bit, but shes sensitive of course. My dad loved it and hes about the same bmi as i am. Im 220 pounds at 5’11 and it holds me up just good enough. It’s got a firm strong support spring with a soft pressure relieving top.

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Honestly, your situation sounds less like “wrong mattress type” and more like a worn-out support core. That sag under your lower back is a classic sign once that happens, no amount of pillow adjustments will fully fix the alignment issue.

Given your stats (back sleeper, 165 lbs, runs hot), I’d probably steer you toward a true medium-firm (around 5.5–6.5), but with good lumbar support and a slightly pressure-relieving top layer. Not rock hard, not too plush just enough give so your hips don’t sink out of alignment.

Since you’re also dealing with heat, something with breathable foam or a hybrid with airflow would help, but I wouldn’t make cooling your top priority over support.

One option you might want to look into is a Mattress in a Box / vacuum-packed mattress style setup these have come a long way in the last few years. Good ones are easy to set up (especially useful since you already have an adjustable base) and often balance support + comfort better than older big-brand models. This type of mattress is designed to expand evenly, which helps avoid the kind of sagging you’re dealing with now.

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Hey jimmyneutron.

Welcome to our Mattress Forum. :slight_smile:

Since your current Serta has a literal crater in the middle, you’re basically sleeping in a hammock, which is a nightmare for hypermobile joints (fellow EDS friend over here).

The DLX Premier Hybrid is a solid place to start. The best part is the zipper; the whole top comes off. Since you spend a lot of time sitting in bed to work, that middle section is going to take a beating. With this, you can just swap out the foam layer in a few years instead of tossing the whole mattress. It’s a smart move for longevity.

For that “push-back” support that keeps your joints from overextending, Nest Bedding’s Owl is great. It uses latex, which has a buoyant feel. It’s not that “stuck in the mud” memory foam feel that people tend to want to avoid. It’s responsive, it stays cool, and it also has that zippered top so you can adjust the firmness if your back starts acting up.

If your priority is temperature regulation, Brooklyn Bedding’s Aurora Luxe is probably worth a gander. It’s actually cold to the touch. They also zone the coils, so they’re stiffer under your hips. That should stop the sagging you’re dealing with now. Helix does something similar with their Dusk Luxe, which is specifically built for back sleepers. It’s that middle-ground firmness that supports your spine without making your heels or the back of your head ache.

If your pain levels are all over the place and you’re looking into something you can adjust by pain/support/comfort needs by the minute, Personal Comfort’s A8 is worth considering. It’s an air-adjustable bed. Some days you might need it to be a brick for stability, and other days you might need it soft. It gives you that control (who doesn’t like control?). :rofl:

Since you’re in Texas, if that local shop is a factory-direct builder, go talk to them (go talk to them either way tbh). They usually use much better materials than the big-box brands and can probably build exactly what you need for that $1k-$3k range.

That said, you actually have some of the best local options right in your backyard.

Texas Mattress Makers in Houston is a massive resource. Because they manufacture everything themselves, they have a huge range of latex and hybrid options. For your build and the hypermobility factor, I’d look at their latex hybrids. Latex doesn’t have that “quicksand” feel that makes it hard to move; it stays buoyant so your joints don’t get stuck. Plus, being local, you can actually go lay on them to see if a “Medium” feels right for your head and ankles before you commit.

Then you have The Mattress Factory in Fort Worth. You already mentioned them, and honestly, they’re a gem for a reason. Having four generations of experience means they’ve seen every type of body and sleep issue. Since you can talk directly to the people building the bed, you can explain the hypermobility and the fact that you work from bed. They can literally beef up the center support or use higher-density foams that won’t crater while you’re sitting there with your laptop (and your cat).

Thank you for coming to my TED talk. :joy:

NikkiTMU

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Okay, the personal comfort a8 for $1700 is a real good deal.

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Your current mattress is basically done (the sagging + hip dip + waking pain is classic support breakdown), so a topper won’t really fix it anymore.

Good starting options in your budget:

  • WinkBed (Luxury Firm or Plus) – best for back/hip pain + long-term durability, very supportive
  • Helix Midnight Luxe – better balance for back + occasional side sleeping, good pressure relief
  • Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe (Medium) – supportive but a bit softer + cooler if you run hot

What you should aim for: medium-firm hybrid with strong support core (not ultra-firm foam, not soft pillow-top).

Top pick for your situation: Eterna Firm (or Plus if you want extra durability).

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Hello there ~ I can relate to a lot of what you described, especially the “mattress rabbit hole” part. I went through something very similar with hip and shoulder pain and kept assuming I needed a completely different mattress. What surprised me is that the thing that helped the most wasn’t actually replacing the bed itself. I ended up finding information about incline sleeping — slightly tilting the entire mattress so your body isn’t completely flat. There’s a site called Incline Sleep that explains the concept pretty well. I tried their foam wedge underneath my existing mattress and it honestly made a huge difference for me ~ much more than I expected. My hip and shoulder pain improved within a relatively short time, and I stopped waking up constantly trying to reposition myself.
Reading your post, the part that stood out to me was how much pressure sensitivity you’re dealing with depending on position (hips, shoulders, ankles, head, etc). That was very similar to what I experienced. I kept thinking I needed a softer or firmer mattress when really my body just seemed unhappy being completely flat all night.
What I liked about the wedge setup is that it didn’t drastically change the feel of my mattress itself. It just changed the angle enough that my body seemed to relax differently. It actually felt like I was floating and it kept my spine in allignment. I also liked that it worked with my existing bed instead of starting another expensive mattress trial-and-error cycle. It was very affordable ~ I got the 6" wedge.
Obviously everyone is different and it may not be the answer for you, especially if the mattress itself is badly sagging now, but since you already have an adjustable base and are experimenting with elevation/pillows, I thought it might at least be worth looking into before spending several thousand dollars on another mattress. Hope this helps!

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Eterna doesn’t ship to US