My mattress has been killing me lately. I sleep 50% or my stomach, 40% on my back, and 10% on side. I used to only get problems on my stomach , and was able to remedy it with a body pillow, but lately I’m getting pain in all positions, no pillow arrangement seems to help. I’m awake half a night because of it. I tried putting a folded towel under my hips, but it didn’t seem to make a big difference.
A new mattress would obviously be the best solution, but finding a good one will take a while… and I really need to get some sleep now! Are there any temporary fixes? A topper maybe? or some other tricks?
Sleeping on your stomach generally demands a high level of support from your mattress to avoid hammocking which results in lower back strain. The fact that you’re now experiencing back pain in your other sleeping positions would tend to indicate that your mattress is not providing the level of support that it used to or that you require. So as you stated a new mattress with firmer support to maintain your spinal alignment would be the solution. Adding a topper can be effective in making too firm a mattress softer and more conforming but can’t really account for a lack of sufficient support in the mattress. One thing you can check is that whatever you have your mattress on needs to be solid with little to no flex, as that’s what most modern mattresses are designed to work on. If the foundation or platform under the mattress is sagging that can be part of the problem or making it worse. You can check by temporarily placing the mattress directly on the carpeted floor to see if it feels more supportive and if so then you may need to address the foundation. You may still need a new mattress but might be able to buy some time by using your existing mattress on a more solid foundation.
Hope that helps,
- Bill
It`s already on the floor. I wanted to add that I’m pretty lightweight (105lbs and 5’8) and that I don’t seem to do well on very firm mattresses. I keep tossing and turning due to all the pressure points.
Sorry, I can’t edit the smile out. It was meant to be 105lbs and 5’8
Mattress firmness rating is quite subjective, and as a lightweight low BMI sleeper you will perceive a mattress to be even firmer than how it would likely feel to someone significantly heavier. As a result it’s not surprising that you would feel uncomfortable on a very firm mattress which might work for heavier individuals. So I wouldn’t suggest such a mattress for you, however you seem to need one that provides more support than the one you currently have. It’s very possible that your mattress initially had the support you need but that over time it has softened too much and now lacks the support needed to maintain proper spinal alignment. I wish I had a quick fix or temporary way of increasing the support you’re experiencing with your current mattress but especially considering that you already have it directly on the floor I’m not aware of such an option.
- Bill