I have a S & F Newgate Luxury Firm Euro Pillow top. It’s 4 years old now (10 year warranty). I thought I was doing myself a favor by getting a pillow top mattress but I now regret it because despite being labeled a “firm” mattress, the pillow top is not giving me the support I need and my back is overarched. This is causing lower back pain and a lot of tossing and turning throughout the night. I am mostly a stomach sleeper and sometimes do a stomach-side combination. Because of this variance in sleeping position, I am unsure about thickness and firmness of a topper.
I am of average weight: 155 lbs. My weight might determine a medium topper. However, if my goal is to firm up a pillow top mattress (which is “firm” under that), do I need a firm topper?
I want to straighten out my back while I’m sleeping on my stomach but I don’t want to have pressure point issues with a firmer surface either. Is a medium-firm Dunlop the way to go… would a firm Talalay be too soft in this scenario? What is a good ILD for me? Is it better to start out with something firmer and work my way softer or vice versa? And if you have any suggestions on brands, please let me know. Thanks!
Unfortunately there isn’t really an effective way to firm up a mattress that is too soft without removing and replacing comfort layers that are too thick or soft or a support core that is too soft because a firmer topper will tend to “bend into” any softer layers or any soft spots or dips underneath it and the results are usually partial or temporary at best and at worst they can make your support issues even worse.
There is more about primary or “deep” support and secondary or “surface” support and their relationship to firmness and pressure relief and the “roles” of different layers in a mattress in post #2 here and in post #4 here that may also be helpful in clarifying the difference between “support” and “pressure relief” and “feel”.
It’s quite likely that your mattress has developed soft spots or “virtual” impressions after 4 years of use because of the lower quality/density materials that are likely in the pillowtop but there are some suggestions in post #2 here that may be helpful in situations such as yours.