Stiff neck - KD Gabrielle mattress too soft?

[phoenix]

Hi Or,

In answer to your questions: when I wake up with pain, as always: I always sleep on my right side and cannot keep a pillow between my knees although it feels confortable. All I can bear is sleeping on my right side although in various degrees combined with back sleeping (half back half side, if that makes sense)

Do you mean that it doesn’t stay in between your knees when you switch positions (in which case it may just be a matter of developing a new “habit” like scrunching up a pillow while you are sleeping or perhaps just having it there as much as possible) or for another reason?

Another question. I have been sleeping on this mattress for about 2 weeks. First week my back pain got better everyday and second week declined a bit, although there is general improvement. At that time the other side of the bed is unused as my wife is out of town. I tried sleeping on her side a few days ago. Surprise! First night was great, and I fell very well supported. Following night deteriorated a bit.

This is normal. All foam will go through an initial softening period over the first 90 days or so (mostly in the first month) and then the softening becomes more gradual. You will also go through an adjustment period in about the same time frame (some more or less than others) as your body gets used to a new sleeping surface (see post #7 here).

1. Can I conclude from that what I need is the mattress before the topper conforms to my body?

I’m not quite sure what you mean by this. I would say though that a couple of weeks isn’t enough to really conclude anything yet until both your adjustment and the break in of the mattress is mostly complete although I realize that you have a time limit. Have you stated the process to exchange the mattress?

Beyond that though it’s much like a doctor trying to diagnose someone’s health issue or a mechanic trying to diagnose an issue with a car without being able to see them, know more about their history or circumstances, or check the car in person. There are some simple things that the odds say will likely help (such as the suggestions I made earlier) but beyond that it would need much more detailed information and analysis and probably being able to see you on the mattress to have any real sense of all the complex factors that could be playing a role. This would also involve knowing the layers in your mattress which may also help “point to” what could be happening. This is especially true when the issues appear to be more complex than the “norm”. In these cases you may be dependent on some trial and error and “educated intuition” to solve the issues you are facing.

If you do decide to do a comfort exchange then you may have to do your best to make the best possible choice based on the testing guidelines I linked earlier, listening to your body, choosing firmer rather than softer if everything else seems equal, and trying your best to make sure that the comfort layers at least are good quality. While it may not be possible in your case … normally I would at least prefer wait until the normal changes in the first month or so (in you and your mattress) have been completed.

I tried a firmer bed at the store but my sense was that it had a firmer spring mattress while I need a firmer topper. Any suggestions?

As I mentioned earlier your own testing will be more accurate than any 'theory" I could offer. The best advice i could give is to follow the testing suggestions, use your own experience on your mattress and the information you’ve learned here, and to listen very carefully to your body for any “hints” of your overnight experience to make the best choice possible. I would also ask for the most experienced salesperson they had that was familiar with the types of issues you have to help you as much as possible.

2. Is it possible that because I sleep alone on the King size bed the topper confirms to me too easily and softly sense it has “space to escape to” having no pressure on the other side? Will that change once there is a second sleeper?

Probably not. While another person on a mattress will affect you to different degrees depending on the type of mattress … this isn’t likely to be one of them.

3. Sleepy’s suggest to rotate the mattress during the first 2 weeks:
   www.sleepys.com/en/info/mattresscare/?brdcrmb_trail=SleepGuide

This would mean that you have a whole new surface to break in and you would be starting over again. While rotating can help prevent soft spots over time (not as well as flipping a two sided mattress) and will help to even out the wear on a mattress … it would only delay the issues in your case which is finding out how the mattress will perform after the break in period is over. It could also keep you from meeting the time frame for an exchange (which could be why they suggested it).

Phoenix