back seeks stable lying

October 18, 2010 1:13 AM

I am suffering through Insufferable Mattress Syndrome and it's taking a toll on my back. I am doing downward-facing dog and some other back-happy yoga routines morning and night but it doesn't seem to be really helping. Can anyone suggest a mattress topper that would offer a little more oomph for a single bed that is also available in Great Britain? I can't get rid of the mattress...
posted by parmanparman to Health & Fitness (6 answers total)

Before chiming in with a lifelong experience of oomph pursuit, I would need more info about your comfort threshold - oomph target (since people have such ridiculously varying preferences), and what type of not-to-be-gotten-rid-of mattress you actually have, and what kind of trouble you experience with it.
(also, generally, substantially less oomph, wobble and especially sag is much better for downward-facing dogs and other happy backs. If you agree, consider a plank and a medium-thick futon on top of your non-discardable assembly)
posted by Namlit at 2:28 AM on October 18, 2010

very quick and dirty help: get eggcrate. every other home improvement store or ikea should have it, it's fairly cheap and it will make you at least temporarily more comfortable.
posted by krautland at 3:27 AM on October 18, 2010

Weirdly enough, your name is an anagram for "my pillow, my pillow" in Hungarian, and I have found sometimes it's not the mattress as much as it is the pillow.
posted by Dee Xtrovert at 4:48 AM on October 18, 2010

I'm not sure what "oomph" is, but if you're looking for stability, the topper might not do as much as a hard piece of wood underneath the mattress. This is what's worked for my dad since his back accident 20 years ago. (I see Namlit has also mentioned using a plank. You have to admit, it's pretty cool to sleep on a plank.)
posted by Beardman at 6:20 AM on October 18, 2010

Depending on what you're looking for (harder mattress/ softer mattress) you can do as Beardman said and put a board between your mattress/box spring which works wonders for sagging mattresses, OR do what I did for softness - get about ten cheap (I used second-hand and washed them throughly) pillows and sew them together and voila! a pillowtop cover that's less than $100, just put a fitted sheet over it.

Or combine the two of them and see how that works.
posted by patheral at 7:02 AM on October 18, 2010

I have found sometimes it's not the mattress as much as it is the pillow.

I had serious and near-constant back pain for a long time, until I got a full-length body pillow. Makes all the difference.
posted by coolguymichael at 12:42 PM on October 18, 2010