Hi Bluebutterfly,
There are so many variables and possibilities involved that it’s not really possible to deal with complex health or physiological issues on a forum and it would be like trying to “diagnose” a medical condition from a distance without specific diagnostic tools or tests or the ability to do a medical examination in person. Trying to find a good match when you are outside of the norm in terms of PPP can involve some trial and error and there may not be a perfect solution as far as a mattress but I’m happy to make a few suggestions that may be worth trying.
The good news is that it sounds like your first mattress configuration was a good match in terms of alignment and that you may just have needed some fine tuning to provide some extra pressure relief to the mattress with the least possible risk to alignment. When you were sleeping on this configuration was the cause of your tossing and turning pressure points and actual symptoms of pain or discomfort on shoulders or hips that caused you to change position to avoid them (either turning to the other side or switching position to your back) or was it just a matter of the “feel” of the sleeping surface without specific symptoms (or were there other reasons for the tossing and turning). Do you generally go to sleep on your side (which may have pressure points) or on your back (which isn’t nearly as likely to have pressure points)?
Are you sure that the larger holes are in the hip area? Zoned layers are usually symmetrical in both directions and the shoulder zone would typically be below the hips in the other direction. The center of a zoned mattress is typically firmer to “hold up” the heavier pelvis area but the specifics of the zoning and how well the zones match each person depends on the number of zones, the specific zoning scheme, and on the person’s body type and proportions. Zoning can either be detrimental or helpful depending on how well it “matches” the needs and preferences of the person sleeping on it.
It sounds like yours is a 7 zone layer made by Moutaintop … is that correct?
The main benefit of zoning is that it can allow for more firmness under the parts of your body that need firmer support (generally under the pelvis or under the recessed lumbar curve) while being softer under the lighter parts of the body (such as the shoulders) to “allow” them to sink in more deeply. There is a little more about the potential benefits of zoning in post #11 here.
All the layers of a mattress compress at the same time and when you have a softer layer on top it will compress proportionately more than a firmer layer in the same position but in all cases some of the compression will be coming from the layer below it. It’s not so much that you are sinking into the second layer more but that the top layer is compressing more which increases the overall depth of the pressure relieving cradle. This is the reason for softer or thicker comfort layers (to increase the depth of the pressure relieving cradle). The benefit of zoned layers is that they can “allow” the pressure points to sink in more while at the same time “holding up” the heavier parts of the body or the parts of the body that need firmer support. In other words it’s desirable to sink in more with the pressure points so that pressure can be distributed away from them. When you say that you still can’t lay on your side is it because this combination is still too firm for you for your side sleeping even though it’s softer and more pressure relieving than the original top layer? How much each layer may be compressing relative to the other isn’t really important because it’s your actual experience and the degree of pressure relief that they provide as a combination that matters.
Zoning doesn’t have to be in every layer of the mattress although multiple zoned layers can compound the effect of zoning (for better or for worse) or in some cases zones can offset each other to some degree. Again everything depends on how well any zoning scheme (either with a single or multiple zoned layers) produces the specific alignment that your body needs.
This sounds like it would be close to the same firmness under your pressure points as the layer you have now so the effect would probably be similar except it may be less firm under the parts of your body that need more support (depending on how well the zoned layer matches the “contouring support” needs of your body). You won’t bottom out on any soft layer on top with the layers you have underneath them (all you will be doing is changing how much each layer compresses relative to the other) but if your current zoned layer isn’t working then I would guess that this one wouldn’t either since the ILD’s are very similar and the thickness is the same.
How does the current layer you have compare to the original layer you had. Is it more pressure relieving than your previous layer but still not quite enough? Have your sleeping symptoms changes since you changed the layer? What I’m looking for with these questions is did the new layer move things in the right direction but just “not enough”.
It may be worth considering doing some fine tuning with a topper instead of changing the layers of your mattress. A wool topper or a shredded latex topper can both help with pressure points and with lowering the resilience and surface tension of the sleeping surface (which can affect some people with fibromyalgia) and both have less risk to alignment than a solid layer.
Phoenix