I have a large spinal fusion, from T5 to my sacrum and my hips are uneven so it is very difficult for me to get comfortable. Even on a great mattress I end up in a V shape, with my legs and body higher than my hips. I’ve spent 100s of dollars on pillows and foam trying to figure out how to manage with my non-standard back.
In 2012 I bought a Serta ISeries Haydon firm mattress with an ergomotion adjustable frame. The mattress is foam over coil. I loved it when I got it although maybe I just loved the adjustable frame. If you look at it from the side, the mattress is U shaped with a big sag in the middle. After trying to compensate for the sag by putting pillows and foam over the sagging part I found a website that suggested putting pillows under the mattress. This idea is is so simple yet brilliant! I used pieces of 4" thick high density foam. I put the foam between mattress and the frame across the middle of the bed, where my butt would be when I lie down. Now the mattress is higher where the foam is. In fixing the sag I accidentally discovered how to make a bed comfortable for me. When I lie on the bed the foam sinks and the mattress is flat. I haven’t been this comfortable on a bed since I had my last surgery 5 years ago. I needed the bed to be flat after I lie on it and not sink lower under my hips. The mattress still shapes itself to my body, it just isn’t sinking lower in the middle.
I am still shopping for a new mattress. I’m trying to figure out how to use what I’ve learned when buying something new. Maybe I can get custom shaped foam to put under the bed so the mattress isn’t hanging off the higher parts where the foam is. Or a mattress with a zipper so I can add layers where I need them. It would have to be a lighter mattress than I have now. I can’t lift or move this mattress by myself. I’d like to be able to use the adjustable frame. It is just me, 5’ 3", 140 pounds, and a 45 pound dog using the bed.
I’ve had my Eureka moment. . Does anyone have any suggestions on the best way to use this in a new mattress?
I’m sorry to hear about your spinal fusion, but I hope the procedure has resulting in some relief for you.
What you’ve effectively created is your own “zoned” mattress, with extra reinforcement in the center of the product to not allow your hip to sink in so deeply. I don’t know that you can gauge how much extra firmness to use in the center third (the 4" pieces you’re using right now) as a gauge with a new mattress, as much of the support factor of the foams in your current mattress in the center area will have been lost, so in effect right now you’re “overcompensating” a bit to make up for that poorer performing foam.
Mattresses with zoning systems can be very useful for someone in your particular situation with a challenging circumstance. There is more about zoning in this article and in post #11 here. There’s also more in post #2 here and post #7 here (latex momzone unique properties).
There are hundreds of zoned mattresses in the market in many different mattress categories (including “all latex” mattresses) most of which use “fixed” zones but there are a few that use customizable zones as well. One of the more experienced zoned brands that use customizable zones is Flobeds . They are a member here of the site and I think highly of their advice with unique situations like yours. The Reverie Dream Mattresses (although they aren’t “zoned” in the more traditional sense of the word because they have cylinders that can be rearranged to provide different levels of firmness and feel) is another example of a customizable zone system. Some of the Sleeptek/Obasan mattresses also have separate zoned sections that can be changed and Nxtbed also has custom zoned mattresses and Elements of Rest in Atlanta also have mattresses that have customizable zoning (although they aren’t all latex). There are probably others as well that don’t immediately come to mind, but overall it seems as if you desire something that doesn’t allow your hips to sink down as deeply to accommodate your fusion.
While your situation is quite unique, I think your thoughts of leaning toward a customizable system are good and could prove quite useful to you, and the few options I mentioned would all use higher quality componentry than your current mattress.
