These old bones ain't what they used to be
June 15, 2022 8:25 AM Subscribe
Mattress topper suggestions wanted! Plus questions about them.
Essentially I am a 45 year old woman who has been having ongoing sacroiliac pain since the start of the year and while the specialized knee pillow has helped, I didn't realize how much pain I endure getting up in the am (lower back, hips) until I slept on a guest bed in my bestie's apartment with a very nice and firm mattress topper. I couldn't believe how good I felt when I got up.
(It was this one. The same one here in Canada is nearly $400!!)
Current marital bed is a fine Casper mattress, but my aging body apparently needs more support. We'd rather not have to buy a whole new mattress--all saved income is currently going towards a long awaited kitchen reno--so a topper it is!
So, tell me, Hive Mind: what mattress toppers (medium firm, plz) have changed the life of your bones? And do you have to buy all new sheets when placing a topper on the mattress?
Me and my sacroiliac joints thank you in advance.
Essentially I am a 45 year old woman who has been having ongoing sacroiliac pain since the start of the year and while the specialized knee pillow has helped, I didn't realize how much pain I endure getting up in the am (lower back, hips) until I slept on a guest bed in my bestie's apartment with a very nice and firm mattress topper. I couldn't believe how good I felt when I got up.
(It was this one. The same one here in Canada is nearly $400!!)
Current marital bed is a fine Casper mattress, but my aging body apparently needs more support. We'd rather not have to buy a whole new mattress--all saved income is currently going towards a long awaited kitchen reno--so a topper it is!
So, tell me, Hive Mind: what mattress toppers (medium firm, plz) have changed the life of your bones? And do you have to buy all new sheets when placing a topper on the mattress?
Me and my sacroiliac joints thank you in advance.
If you have a firm mattress, adding a topper will make it feel softer and easier to get to sleep, without really making much difference to the underlying support you have.
But if you have a mattress which is already too soft, adding a soft topper will make it even worse.
Your existing sheets should be fine unless they are fitted sheets which only just cover the existing mattress.
posted by Lanark at 9:05 AM on June 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
But if you have a mattress which is already too soft, adding a soft topper will make it even worse.
Your existing sheets should be fine unless they are fitted sheets which only just cover the existing mattress.
posted by Lanark at 9:05 AM on June 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
Your sheets should be fine as most toppers are only 2-4 inches high, and most fitted sheets have enough slack to cover that.
The way these foam toppers work is there's a "firm" base layer (the gray stuff you see on the Amazon page), and a soft memory foam upper with the raised stuff. The 2-inch has no base layer, so it's extra soft. The 3 inch has half base layer, so it's medium, and the 4 inch has 2/3rd base layer, so it's quite firm.
I have no idea which version you slept on at the guest place, or what mattress they paired it with. Nor do I know which Casper mattress you have or how firm it is. Maybe you should ask them.
posted by kschang at 9:48 AM on June 15, 2022
The way these foam toppers work is there's a "firm" base layer (the gray stuff you see on the Amazon page), and a soft memory foam upper with the raised stuff. The 2-inch has no base layer, so it's extra soft. The 3 inch has half base layer, so it's medium, and the 4 inch has 2/3rd base layer, so it's quite firm.
I have no idea which version you slept on at the guest place, or what mattress they paired it with. Nor do I know which Casper mattress you have or how firm it is. Maybe you should ask them.
posted by kschang at 9:48 AM on June 15, 2022
Best answer: We are collectively close to 500 pounds of dude on top of our mattress, and this Tempur-Pedic medium firm 3-inch queen has served us well. It's a little pricier though.
Our firm-but-aging mattress is in need of replacement, and this was a "well, this will just get shipped and will probably help" stopgap in the depths of the pandemic when mattress shopping was out of the question. It's made a significant difference, even though we'll need a new mattress in the next year or so.
Our fitted sheets, with the exception of one that's a little tight, fit it pretty well.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:20 AM on June 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
Our firm-but-aging mattress is in need of replacement, and this was a "well, this will just get shipped and will probably help" stopgap in the depths of the pandemic when mattress shopping was out of the question. It's made a significant difference, even though we'll need a new mattress in the next year or so.
Our fitted sheets, with the exception of one that's a little tight, fit it pretty well.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:20 AM on June 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: It’s a tough spot to be in… any good topper is almost half the price of a whole new mattress (eg Sleep Country has Beautyrests on sale right now, they do monthly payments as well)… for that reason, we opted to get a new one rather than try to rehabilitate our sloppy, lumpy, useless-for-backs mattress. (We also read a lot that affirms what Lanark is saying.) It’s pay $500 now *and* $1000 soon or just $1000 over time.
posted by cotton dress sock at 3:28 PM on June 15, 2022
posted by cotton dress sock at 3:28 PM on June 15, 2022
Best answer: 2nd the Tempur-Pedic recommendation. As a bigger guy with lower back issues, this one was a game changer. We bought direct from TP...currently, the Queen Supreme is on sale for $320.
posted by lobstah at 5:35 PM on June 15, 2022
posted by lobstah at 5:35 PM on June 15, 2022
We just grabbed one of the top memory foam toppers from the Sleep Like the Dead mattress topper section (this one) and it made a huge difference for my hips on a similar newish bed-in-a-box mattress. It was even enough to make the cheap, thin slab of foam in my office sleepable for me (and I'm a BIG fella). The mid-range bed-in-a-box mattresses (like Casper) tend to be a little bit too hard for old bones when used on a good solid foundation.
posted by wotsac at 8:20 AM on June 16, 2022
posted by wotsac at 8:20 AM on June 16, 2022
You could consider natural latex, which supposedly is more springy than other toppers (it can be soft and supportive at the same time).
posted by Comet Bug at 9:14 AM on June 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Comet Bug at 9:14 AM on June 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
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posted by dobbs at 8:51 AM on June 15, 2022