Side sleeper and pressure points - wasted money on mattress that didn't work.
Jul 20, 2012 2:24 PM
Joined: Oct 26, 2008
Points: 8
I'm 64 years old. I'm a side sleeper because of apnea. I can breathe on my sides. But I've been having pressure point problems for several years now. If I sleep on the left side, my right hand gets numb, and vice versa, always the hand on top. Then I have to turn over, and after soe hours of this, both shoulders get sore from it too, and I have to turn at sort of a 45 degree angle sideways, to still be able to sleep and breathe.

I don't know if it's age related or not, but I seem to wind up sleeping 5 or so hours, then waking up, having to watch TV for an hour or two, then getting a couple more hours of sleep.

I was using a hard old mattress, from the days when they thought everyone should sleep flat on their backs, so we tried getting memory foam mattresses a few years ago, and spent $3000 on them ( for two queen sized adjustable beds ) hoping that it would solve my problem, but it didn't. Same pressure point problems, no difference.

I just don't know what to do anymore. One of the biggest problems with this, is that I go into a bedding showroom and lie on a bed for a few minutes and it feels great, so I think, this is the soft one that I need and it will solve my problem. But then after spending all that money, it doesn't.

And I bought it because I saw all those commercials of the woman sleeping on her side, and the memory foam mattress keeps the spine straight and everything aligned, but then it doesn't work that way for me. In fact, I have big hips and they sink into the mattress, so my leg in the side I'm sleeping on, goes up in the air and the knee joint winds up hurting, unless I sleep with the top leg on top of the bottom leg, to make it sink in enough not to do that.

It's VERY frustrating.

And now we don't have thousands more to experiment with this, it's taking years just to pay off these memory foam mattresses.

This message was modified Jul 20, 2012 by Melissa2008B
Re: Side sleeper and pressure points - wasted money on mattress that didn't work.
Reply #3 Jul 21, 2012 9:45 AM
Joined: Mar 15, 2012
Points: 182
Melissa2008B wrote:

5'11, 287

Respectfully, your age and your weight may be converging to make it difficult for you to sleep comfortably no matter the mattress.  The most the perfect mattress can do is distribute your weight as evenly as possible to minimize pressure points.  But this may not be enough relief for your given conditions.

GK

Re: Side sleeper and pressure points - wasted money on mattress that didn't work.
Reply #4 Jul 22, 2012 8:21 AM
Joined: Jan 24, 2012
Points: 70
Been there.. done that.. you poor thing.. get out of that memory foam ASAP!!!  you will find yourself in deep Doctor bills eventually as I did..  it will never support you because it simply cannot.. go back to the basics.. coil and med firm.. with a decent top of med density, meaning not a foot of soft this or that either.   You were taken to the cleaners with your purchase.. I wish people on this site would wake up and stop the nonsence of creating their own beds, worse yet cutting them up and adding to them as if they were designing and constructing it.  Your best bet is to get out of these as fast as you financially can and move on or your body will reward you with a life of HELL.... I feel your pain and wish I could save others from making the same mistakes I did costing me mega dollars..  I am so mad at the mattress industry it isn't even funny, and the sales people in most of the stores are  far from competant experts to help the shoppers.. they want to make a sale and one with high commissions.  You are their PREY...  Good luck and hopefully you can get out of your nightmare..!!
Re: Side sleeper and pressure points - wasted money on mattress that didn't work.
Reply #6 Jul 23, 2012 9:03 AM
Joined: Mar 15, 2012
Points: 182
crazydiamond wrote:

Just a WAG, I have no experience with this model or manufacturer.

http://www.absolutecomfortonsale.com/specialty-mattress-bed.htm


 

 

They say:

  • Top Layer: 2" of 32 ILD Latex Foam with a medium firm feel. This super comfortable surface layer reduces pressure points and lessens the ability of the capillaries to contract. Thus, tossing and turning is considerably lessened or eliminated, allowing for a deeper, more healthful sleep.
  • Second Layer: 3" of 36 ILD Latex Foam with a gently firm feel. This layer provides gentle cushioning to the upper and middle torso. As gravity draws the sleeper into the mattress, this slightly firmer layer of Talalay latex senses the spread of the body's weight and provides subtle, consistent resistance as the sleeper transitions into the next support layer.
  • Third Layer (Support Layer): 5" of Ultra Cell High Resiliency base foam.
  • I sleep on 3x3" 28-36-44 Talalay Latex blend.  The above looks to be more firm, so suitable for more weight.  But hard to say what more firm would feel like... one could top it later to tune it for surface comfort, as required.  At Least they put 5" of what would seem to be the right Latex on top.

    They also say:

    Memory foam is not a foam that is appropriate for someone who weighs over 250 lbs. A weight of 250 lbs and over will cause the memory foam not to fully recover.

    I have not shopped memory foam so I'm wondering if this is true... memory foam is not for heavier sleepers?

    GK

    Re: Side sleeper and pressure points - wasted money on mattress that didn't work.
    Reply #7 Jul 23, 2012 11:13 AM
    Joined: Aug 2, 2008
    Points: 10
    I should find out about that last question/statment soon. I am 6'3" 250lb (ish) side sleeper with large shoulders. Just ordered a mattress that has 5lb memory foam. But there is little debate that the standard poly foams don't hold up to someone like me. 
    This message was modified Jul 23, 2012 by crazydiamond
    Re: Side sleeper and pressure points - wasted money on mattress that didn't work.
    Reply #8 Jul 27, 2012 1:59 PM
    Joined: Oct 26, 2008
    Points: 8
    Glenbury wrote:

    Been there.. done that.. you poor thing.. get out of that memory foam ASAP!!!  you will find yourself in deep Doctor bills eventually as I did..  it will never support you because it simply cannot.. go back to the basics.. coil and med firm.. with a decent top of med density, meaning not a foot of soft this or that either.   You were taken to the cleaners with your purchase.. I wish people on this site would wake up and stop the nonsence of creating their own beds, worse yet cutting them up and adding to them as if they were designing and constructing it.  Your best bet is to get out of these as fast as you financially can and move on or your body will reward you with a life of HELL.... I feel your pain and wish I could save others from making the same mistakes I did costing me mega dollars..  I am so mad at the mattress industry it isn't even funny, and the sales people in most of the stores are  far from competant experts to help the shoppers.. they want to make a sale and one with high commissions.  You are their PREY...  Good luck and hopefully you can get out of your nightmare..!!


    Don't see any way to turn on message notification by email, so I just saw these.

    Well the problem is, we're tapped out on money, so we need more income or something.

    Like the OP said too, this is complicated by age and weight. It's also complicated by this being an adjustable bed.

    But when you said the part above about what kind to get, can a coil mattress really support me better as a side sleeper and still work well with an adjustable bed where the motor goes up and down?

    Re: Side sleeper and pressure points - wasted money on mattress that didn't work.
    Reply #9 Jul 27, 2012 2:06 PM
    Joined: Oct 26, 2008
    Points: 8
    GKDesigns wrote:

     

     

    They say:

     

     

  • Top Layer: 2" of 32 ILD Latex Foam with a medium firm feel. This super comfortable surface layer reduces pressure points and lessens the ability of the capillaries to contract. Thus, tossing and turning is considerably lessened or eliminated, allowing for a deeper, more healthful sleep.
  •  

     

     

     

  • Second Layer: 3" of 36 ILD Latex Foam with a gently firm feel. This layer provides gentle cushioning to the upper and middle torso. As gravity draws the sleeper into the mattress, this slightly firmer layer of Talalay latex senses the spread of the body's weight and provides subtle, consistent resistance as the sleeper transitions into the next support layer.
  •  

     

     

     

  • Third Layer (Support Layer): 5" of Ultra Cell High Resiliency base foam.
  •  

     

    I sleep on 3x3" 28-36-44 Talalay Latex blend.  The above looks to be more firm, so suitable for more weight.  But hard to say what more firm would feel like... one could top it later to tune it for surface comfort, as required.  At Least they put 5" of what would seem to be the right Latex on top.

    They also say:

    Memory foam is not a foam that is appropriate for someone who weighs over 250 lbs. A weight of 250 lbs and over will cause the memory foam not to fully recover.

    I have not shopped memory foam so I'm wondering if this is true... memory foam is not for heavier sleepers?

    GK


    Now I'm confused. I  don't know a thing about these materials, all I know is that I'm a heavy older side sleeper with an adjustable bed and need something different than what I have, and cant afford it.

    Re: Side sleeper and pressure points - wasted money on mattress that didn't work.
    Reply #10 Jul 27, 2012 3:37 PM
    Joined: Mar 15, 2012
    Points: 182
    The cheapest and best thing to do first is lose 100lbs.

    GK

    Re: Side sleeper and pressure points - wasted money on mattress that didn't work.
    Reply #11 Jul 28, 2012 5:07 PM
    Joined: Jan 24, 2012
    Points: 70
    Melissa..  I do not believe you can use a coil mattress on an adjustable....so sad the issues we consumers have at a big expense to only find ourselves frustrated and unhappy with our beds..Sad to say there are just too many choices and you want to believe everyone but beware they do not have your best interest at heart.. Good luck.. and to the guy who told you to lose 100 lbs.. honestly...how rude..hope you resolve your problems for a pain free sleep..
    Re: Side sleeper and pressure points - wasted money on mattress that didn't work.
    Reply #12 Aug 9, 2012 6:07 PM
    Joined: Aug 2, 2012
    Points: 8
    Hello

    I am side sleeper too. I am using Memory foam mattresses from last 6 years and they are really comfortable to me. They can be adjusted according to shape of body.  I have no comlaints relalted to comfort or anything else. I think you should try them too.

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