We went to the mattress warehouse, which seemed like a good idea. Realized after, that they’re owned by Tempur-pedic. Pulled the trigger on the ProBreeze but research came up with tons of negatives. Sagging, not cool, etc. Plus, reading thru some of the info here, seems that foam isn’t ideal for my frame – 120/5’6" . I’m a side sleeper. We plan to purchase the adjustable frame so that I might be able to convert to a back sleeper. I was so excited to get a new mattress but now I’m overwhelmed with all the research and finding so many mattrtesses have foam. I tested out the Stearns & Foster which felt good, but then read this one sags after a while too. What the F? I’m sleeping on the lowest end Avocado which I’ve had for about 5 years and with my issues, it’s not been comfortable. Thinking of a separate pillow top too so I’m not stuck with one that might not be ideal. Thoughts?
Tempurpedic is a scam company in my opinion. Loads of marketing and it’s simply layers of foams.
I’ve got a simple and easy recommendation - nest and wild. Visited their factory and became an aquaintance with the owner.
It’s a fairly simple build, but once you’re familiar with materials and everything you realize it doesn’t need to be complicated.
Their top layer is soft/medium latex/memory foam blend so its not smushy, but also not bouncy like latex
Under that is a layer of high density med/firm foam
Then for the base he uses a 7" quad spring system from texas pocket springs on top of a 1" layer of firm high density foam to protect both the cover and the lifespan of the springs.
The top of the cover is cooling, so it feels very silky.
He has a 15 year warranty and pre-stresses his foams by making them a bit extra dense then running it through a machine, so that any amount of wear a human could put it through isn’t a worry with sagging.
Im not affiliated with the company. I use a glacier apex that i love but it’s $1400. The nest and wild hybrid is $1000.
You could do that for an easy one and done bed, and it’s firm enough for back sleeping. Im 215 pounds and learning that it uses the “medium” pocket spring from texas pocket spring i thought it’d be too soft for me. But it conforms and at the same time doesn’t feel saggy.
There are other options you could do like diy, but the nest and wild is a one and done easy recommendation workhorse mattress, and my parents love the one i bought for them.
If you do try them out if you could let them know Virgil recommended them to you. Not because i get any benefits..theyre just good people and i wanted the owner to know how much of a fan i am
Hi lynnbro64.
Welcome to our Mattress Forum 
I completely understand why you’re feeling frustrated. You go in excited, make what feels like a solid choice… and then the internet convinces you every mattress ever made is going to sag, sleep hot, and ruin your life. This is why we caution against reading other people’s reviews. None of them are you. None of those reviews address your specific support or comfort needs. Take all reviews and advice from others with all the grains of salty. So much salt.
At 5’6”, 120 lbs, side sleeper foam is not automatically wrong for you. In fact, lighter-weight side sleepers often need softer comfort layers to get proper pressure relief at the shoulders and hips. The “foam isn’t ideal” advice usually applies more to heavier sleepers or people who need very firm support that isn’t going to buckle and fail. At your BMI, it’s very unlikely you’d see foam sagging/dipping for quite a long time, even in some of the cheaper mattresses.
As for the ProBreeze…every major brand has negative reviews about sagging. Like I mentioned earlier, durability issues tend to show up faster with higher body weights atop cheap foams. Temperature-wise, no foam mattress stays “cool” all night in the way marketing suggests, but the issue comes from foam collapsing under your body heat throughout the night.
Stearns & Foster…Long-term, the concern is usually the softer foams in the comfort layers compressing over time. Again, your weight reduces that risk, but construction still matters.
Now your Avocado. The base model is quite firm. For a 120 lb side sleeper, that’s often the bigger issue. Not enough surface plushness = pressure at the shoulder and hip. That doesn’t mean latex is wrong. It just means that configuration probably didn’t match your needs. Which is why your instinct about a separate topper is actually smart. A supportive base + adjustable topper gives you flexibility.
If I were narrowing this down for someone your size, I’d look at:
- A true medium/medium-soft latex hybrid (not firm unless you plan to throw a soft topper on it)
- A quality memory foam designed for pressure relief (maybe something from @Glacier)
- Or a supportive hybrid with a removable comfort layer
If you want to dig in further, tell me:
- What exactly feels uncomfortable on the Avocado? Shoulders? Hips? Lower back?
- Do you prefer feeling more “on” the mattress or more “in” it?
- Do you genuinely sleep hot, or is that more of a worry from what you’ve read?
NikkiTMU
Good Afternoon Lynnbro64,
Purchasing a mattress that works for your individual size, and needs can be extremely difficult with so many options and google at your fingertips it can be down right daunting. I of course am bias, but believe that everyone is built differently there fore your mattress should be too! Not only do you want a mattress that holds up, but one that is comfortable and suites your individual body type, and preferences.
At FloBeds, we recommend different densities on each side of the bed, based on each sleeper, and nothing is set in stone. If its too soft or too firm, you can always change it, from day 1, to year 20! For side sleepers, we’ve designed a zoned sleep system. We first started playing around with zoning (different densities for the shoulders, lumbar and hips) in 2005, and have come a long way. We learned that customers of the same exact weight can have very different needs, based on where they carry that weight, so we made an adjustable vZone. Based on your specs, i would recommend our “soft” vZone configuration. That would look like this:
And lets imagine you have a sleeper on the other side weighing 160-200lbs, i would recommend this:
You would then have a 100 night trial allowing you to request any density from head to toe at NO ADDITIONAL COST. You just listen to your body, we listen to you and get you what you need. For example: If your hips are sinking too much, we send you a firmer hip section.
When shopping for a mattress in a show room, everything can feel pretty darn good, making the decision very hard. Once you sleep on a mattress for a night or two, your body is really going to let you know what you need, so having the option to adjust it, slightly one way or the other, is well, in my opinion, PRICELESS!
If you have any questions about what we do over here, feel free to give us a call. If you call during business hours, you’ll always get a live sleep specialist! And, members of this site get a discount on top of any sale we are offering!
Remember, your dreams may vary. . .
Dewey
I completely understand why you’re feeling overwhelmed — mattress shopping today can feel like a rabbit hole. There are so many materials, brands, and opinions online that it’s easy to start second-guessing everything.
At your height and weight (5’6", around 120 lbs) and as a side sleeper, the most important things to focus on are pressure relief for your shoulders and hips while still keeping your spine in good alignment. If those two things aren’t balanced correctly, it can lead to discomfort pretty quickly.
One mattress that might be worth looking into is Back Science. It’s a hybrid mattress designed by Dr. Rick Swartzburg, a Doctor of Chiropractic, specifically to help maintain healthy spinal alignment while you sleep.
A few things that make it unique:
• Doctor-designed lumbar zone – the center third of the mattress provides extra support to help keep your lower back properly aligned through the night.
• Softer shoulder zone – the upper portion is designed to allow more give for your shoulders, which can be especially helpful for side sleepers so you don’t feel pressure there.
• Hypergel comfort layer + individually wrapped coils – this combination provides pressure relief while still keeping your body lifted and supported.
• Breathable bamboo cover to help with airflow and temperature regulation.
• 365-night sleep trial so you have plenty of time to see how it works for your body.
• 30-year warranty, which is significantly longer than most mattresses.
I am more than happy to discuss this in more detail over the phone (800-667-1969) - Kaylee