Trouble finding a new mattress

[Sensei]

Hey Paleimagination,

Welcome to The Mattress Underground ! Thanks for dropping by and for your question.

New member to the forum and it has been so informational as I am in the market for a new mattress. I have not found one in a store that is comfortable/meets my sleeping needs. For reference, I am a 26 year old male, 5’9" 175 pounds. I have an SI joint issue that causes lower back pain that came to light about 6 years ago while playing college sports. One of my legs is slightly longer than the other; it throws my back to out of alignment and causes the muscles to tighten up around the SI Joints. I am predominantly a stomach sleeper who also sleeps slightly on my side where most of my weight is on one hip and my other leg is in an L shaped position.

Congrats on your new mattress shopping adventure, Paleimagination ! Glad to hear that you’re finding the forum helpful for your research, there is definitely no shortage of resources available for your use. I am sorry to learn of your ongoing SI joint issues, those must be difficult to manage with your stomach sleeping preference. Just curious: has your doctor recommend changing to a side sleeping position and use of any special body pillows to help ease the pressure of your lower back?

I have been to many different mattress stores and tested a lot of different ones. They are either too firm and do not provide pain relief for the lower back pain or they are too soft and cause my hips to sink when I am on my stomach. I have been pondering the idea of a DIY Latex mattress but I seem to get more confused the more I go down the mattress information rabbit hole. I have listed the information for a bed below that was the most comfortable from my in store trials. It is not detailed information but it was all that was provided to me by the sales person I was speaking to. The main issue that I found with the mattress was that the comfort layers were just a tad too soft for when I was laying on my stomach. It provided the contouring that I need for the lower back pain relief but did not have the firmness for stomach sleeping. I am not sure how they would translate to the different layers of an all latex mattress.

Good work on the showroom visits and mattress testing ! Which stores did you visit? Are you mainly considering latex hybrids? What type mattress are you currently using? What size is it and how old is it? Thanks for including the details of the one mattress you liked best, although to your point, the sales person didn’t give much to go on. You may find that you need thicker comfort layers with a bit more firmness for your stomach sleeping profile, as too thin/ too soft of a comfort layer will allow your pelvis to sink down more than it should and cause you further SI stress. Agreed; a 3" comfort layer of a medium firmness (or firmer) over pocket coils should work well, which allows you to either pursue a DIY project or find a similar showroom build.

I was thinking of a making a 9 inch mattress but am not sure how many different layers/what the firmness of each should be. Any recommendations on what they should be as a starting point on this DIY project? Any advice would be appreciated!

Comfort Layers
Super Stretch Knot Quilted to 9/16" HD Ultra Soft Gel Foam and 1.5" HD Convoluted Comfort Foam
Support Layers
3" luxury firm latex
1.25" HD Extra Firm Foam
Support Unit
759 Quantum Individual Coils (Pocket)

A QEE pocket coil unit is a good choice; however, you may also consider a Combi-Zone unit, it would provide better support for your stomach sleeping preference. This recent post has more about Combi-Zone pocket coils. You can find both QEE Elite Bolsa and Combi-Zone pocket coil units atArizona Premium Mattress, expert trusted member Ken Hightower is deeply experienced in the DIY category and would be happy to answer your questions. Good luck with your research and keep us updated as you have time .

Thanks,
Sensei