Background - 200lb (side and back) and 175lb (side sleeper) going from a temper pedic that started causing him pain after about 2 years (the foam was already starting to degrade even with rotating the mattress - I was still sleeping fine - other than hot) to an avocado from Costco. We’ve had it about a month. We immediately had to get a topper as it caused me so much pain right out of the gate. We put a 3" dunlop topper on it which seemed to help for a few weeks - got progressively better and better, but then suddenly got worse, for me and him and we are both waking with lower back pain now. I love that I sleep so much cooler on this bed, and I go to sleep fine, but wake after 4-5 hours in enough pain that some nights I get up and foam roll and stretch or I can’t get back to sleep.
We have swapped the latex topper for memory foam hoping that it will mimic the comfort of a tempurpedic, but I am not optimistic. Any advice would be very much appreciated.
REMfinder.
Since the pain seemed to come on gradually and hasn’t fully resolved even after swapping toppers, it might be worth taking a quick step back to make sure there’s not another factor at play. Sometimes, especially with lower back or sciatic-type pain, it can be tricky to tell whether the issue is fully mattress-related or if it’s being aggravated by something else (like muscle imbalance, inflammation, or spinal misalignment that’s showing up most when you’re still for several hours).
That said, a few mattress-specific thoughts:
- The Avocado from Costco is on the firmer side for many side sleepers, and adding a 3" Dunlop topper can actually make it a bit “bouncy” and uneven if the layers below don’t contour well enough. For some people, this can create subtle misalignment even if it feels good at first.
- The switch to memory foam might help relieve pressure at the shoulders and hips, but if it’s too soft or not supported evenly underneath, it could cause the lower back to sag slightly, which may explain the morning pain.
- Sometimes people also find relief by rearranging the layers…for example, trying a thinner (2”) comfort layer or a slightly firmer topper that allows the core to do more of the alignment work.
If you’re confident this pain is truly coming from the mattress (and not something your doctor or PT might want to take a closer look at), then fine-tuning the balance between plushness and support could be the key. You might even experiment with a*zoned or hybrid setup-something that keeps your hips supported while letting your shoulders sink in just a bit more.
How long have you been on the memory foam topper? Sometimes it takes a few nights for your body to adjust, especially after switching from latex.
NikkiTMU