I have a Purple Mattress with a 2 inch foam topper, hoping to help with shoulder pain but it doesn’t help. I am disabled & 65 years old, 220 pounds, what can I do ? I toss all night with little sleep. My original reason for disability is back & hip pain, now both hips & shoulders are killing me. This is NO quality of life.
Hi Tim_Bo,
Welcome to the Mattress UnderGround and becoming a new MUGster!
I’m sorry to hear about your struggles with pain and sleep. It sounds like you’re dealing with a lot, and it’s understandable that it’s affecting your quality of life.
When someone experiences shoulder pain, it’s essential to assess several factors related to their sleep environment. These include the firmness of the mattress, how deeply the sleeper sinks into it, and the alignment provided by the pillow in relation to the sleeper’s body profile. These elements are crucial as they directly influence the level of comfort and support, particularly for side sleepers prone to shoulder pain.
The use of the proper pillow is vital. As a matter of interest, I often quote the pillow as the mattress for your head and shoulders. It must provide proper support, targeted comfort and have a cover that breathes. Much like a mattress.
We can discuss that further, but for the immediate:
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The Purple Mattress, known for its unique grid design, might not offer the ideal firmness level for your specific needs. Given your history of back and hip pain, you might benefit from a mattress that is slightly firmer to provide more support. Look for mattresses labeled as medium-firm or firm, as these can often provide better support for individuals with back and hip issues.
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Upgrade Your Topper: While the 2-inch foam topper you have might not be providing sufficient relief, consider upgrading to a thicker or more supportive topper. Although memory foam toppers, in particular, are known for contouring to the body and relieving pressure points, they do tend to swallow you like slow quick sand and can cause hammocking of the body placing a strain on the back muscles. Plus, for someone with mobility issues they can make it difficult to move around and get out of the bed as people sometimes complain they feel stuck in the mattress topper.
One common criticism of the Purple grid design is its tendency to feel gimmicky due to the exaggerated marketing claims surrounding its benefits. Some consumers have found that the grid doesn’t live up to the hype, particularly in terms of providing significant pain relief or improving sleep quality for everyone. Additionally, the grid’s unusual appearance and marketing-focused messaging have led to skepticism among some consumers about its actual effectiveness.
While the Purple grid may offer unique properties, it may not be the ideal solution for everyone, especially those with specific orthopedic or pain-related issues. Some users have reported that the grid design doesn’t provide adequate support for their needs, particularly if they require more targeted pressure relief or spinal alignment.
Furthermore, the longevity and durability of the Purple grid have also been called into question by some users. There have been reports of sagging or indentations forming in the grid over time, which can compromise its effectiveness and comfort.
Here is a video when a respected industry mattress expert opened the purple mattress to reveal it’s components. This video is not an outlier, it is rather a common theme.
When assessing and searching for a topper:
Look for a topper that is at least 3 inches thick for better support, and consider options with natural fibers such as wool, horsehair, cottons or feather/down and latex toppers.
It may be of value to share my personal perspective with you. I’m 6’0 tall, 220 pounds, and turning 64 in a couple of months. In my younger years, I was a college athlete, deeply immersed in competitive baseball. While those days are behind me, the aches and pains in my shoulders and lower back from those years are still very much a part of my daily life. It’s important for people to understand that these pains aren’t just temporary inconveniences; they shape one’s daily experiences and influence how we live and sleep.
It’s a delicate matter to suggest considering another mattress, but as you’ve mentioned, it’s likely that the Purple mattress wasn’t the ideal choice for your needs.
Finding the right mattress involves prioritizing PPPs: Posture and Alignment, Pressure Relief, and Personal Preferences.
If you were able to provide some additional information regarding you PPP’s, previous mattress history, positive experiences on specific mattresses, assessing the next steps could be less of a challenge.
Some of our Trusted Members here offer body profile assessments such as @CST CST Body Assessment Profile as you peruse their site you can see the magic that can be performed by targeting isolated parts of the body.
There are mattresses such as the @DLX premier hybrid that offer split internal mattress comfort layers. I found this handy when purchasing a mattress for an 85y.o. elderly relative who has some significant medical issues, including knee and hip replacements in addition to spinal complications. The DLX Premier has changed her life as her pain level has been reduced to minimal proportions. This after living with a horrible experience of a mattress, namely a BeautyRest Silver of less than two years, that developed a NY sized pothole under her hip.
No one can say what you are comfortable with, but at TMU we have mattress experts who can evaluate and recommend the best options to place you on a path to a comfortable night’s sleep. From more traditional styled mattresses, like the DLX to conforming and pressure relieving latex mattresses such as what @Sleep_EZ, @Arizona_Premium and the very customizable @CST designs offer.
Plus more sophisticated and luxurious design materials that combine the best of the various natural foams and fibers that @TheCleanBedroom have to offer.
Tim we look forward for your update on what your preferences and history reveal.
Maverick
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Thank you so very much, at this point in my chronic pain life, I sometimes get in that “Only Me” way of thinking. I’ve always had a firm mattress but my wife bought this purple mattress because our old bed was so high, we both had trouble lifting our leg high enough to get in bed. I too played baseball & football and had jobs requiring steel toe boots on cement floors. Like you, I’m paying for it now. We both are on a disability fixed income which puts us in a place where a new mattress is not in our future at this time. Plus, try and tell the wife she chose the wrong mattress. I agree with you totally and thank you for the quick response. I did order a 3 inch memory foam topper that some people thought was a little firm for them, maybe I’ll get lucky.
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I will share the solution I found for my Mother-in-Law. Initially, I replaced her 8-inch foundation with a Zinus 4-inch metal and wood slatted foundation, spaced 2.75 inches apart. The 4-inch drop made a significant difference for her.
However, considering her other health issues, I opted for a Yawnder4 adjustable base later on. This base allows for height adjustments in 3-inch increments, starting from 3 inches off the ground. It’s been incredibly beneficial for her. With just a press of a button, she can elevate her upper body, making it much easier for her to get up with her walker. Additionally, she can raise her legs, activate the massage feature which helps with her swollen calves and ankles, and there are even USB ports and a night light under the bed, all easily accessible with a touch of a button.
As for the 3-inch memory foam, while it can offer plushness and pressure relief, selecting the right type can be tricky due to the various variations available. I recall purchasing a Tempurpedic 3-inch memory foam topper years ago, which my wife absolutely disliked. It felt like sinking into quicksand, making it difficult for her to get out of bed due to its motion isolation properties. Personally, I could tolerate it, but convincing my wife to live with it was out of the question. So, goodbye TP Topper!
Now, with our newer mattress, we’ve opted for a 3-inch wool topper. It’s nearly as expensive as the mattress itself, but I wanted to try it out firsthand rather than relying on theory to recommend it to folks.
I hope the topper works well for you. Remember, you don’t always have to splurge on a mattress to get quality. While brands like Purple can be pricey, there are reasonable and customizable options like the DLX.
Let me know how the topper works out for you!
Maverick