Hello all,
Glad to have found this forum ! Everywhere I look “soft” for side sleepers and “firm” for stomach sleepers! Okay what do I choose. I am 170 pound female 5’4. I love to sleep “IN MY MATRESS” and had a tempurpedic for 10 years but now that I am over 65 I need something that doesn’t take a truck to pull me out of. I have been looking at the hybrids. Tried purple and felt like I was on a trampoline and now I am on Layla hybrid but the soft is too hard. I was also hoping to maybe find a pillow top with memory foam or something SOFT. I am getting more confused the more I try. Again all the reviews say two different mattress’ for stomach/side sleeper. Any help will be very much appreciated and thank you in advance.
Hi rsh916.
Welcome to our Mattress Forum. 
To quote our sleeping positions article…
Combination sleeping is the most common of all and most people fall into this group although different people spend more or less time than others in different sleeping positions. Combination sleeping is also more difficult to deal with than someone who sleeps in one position since the different positions have different basic requirements.
Since most of us fall in this group, it is important to choose a mattress that is able to keep you comfortable in all your sleeping positions. Fortunately better quality materials and constructions have a range of different positions they can respond to and even extreme differences in profile (such as stomach/side sleepers) can be accommodated with different materials and styles of mattress. With combination sleeping it is usually wise to choose a comfort layer that is a little thinner than your “deepest” sleeping position would normally require (typically side sleeping) and then choose a support layer underneath that helps you to sink in a little extra when you need it.
A middle layer or “transition layer” can be especially useful for those who sleep in multiple positions and it can help you to sink in enough to help with pressure relief and also help keep you from sinking down too far and causing back issues. Innerspring designs that are more conforming like pocket coils or offset coils or different foams that are softer on top and become firmer faster when they are compressed (such as latex) also make very good choices here.
Stomach sleepers typically need 1" of material in the comfort layer where side sleepers need up to 4". So you would theoretically be searching in the 2" to 3" range.
I hope this helps you get started!
NikkiTMU
I’m a 168, 5’6" side sleeper on my 7th mattress in 2 years. I’m exhausted physically and mentally. Depressed even because how hard should finding a comfortable mattress be? My friends/family think I’m nuts. Esp after the Sleep Number didn’t work. Praying final mattress on the way is it. Don’t know what I’ll do if not!
Hi Mique111.
Welcome to our Mattress Forum.
I hope you found my reply to rsh916 helpful. Are you also a side/stomach sleeper, or just a side sleeper?
Are you experiencing any pain on a mattress, or is it just generalized discomfort? Of the 7 mattress you have tried, was there one that you felt came close to being “the” mattress?
NikkiTMU