How thick does a ...
 

Mattress topper have to be to relieve pressure points?
Problem: Being forced to sleep on my back due to heart surgery. I'm a stomach sleeper. This morning my left leg was numb from the pressure on a nerve at the top of my hip joint in back. I have a 'hard' mattress, firm is how it is described. Usually I love it. Not so much now.
Looking for input on a 'pad' I can add to the top that will 'soften' the ride so to speak.
I've slept on memory foam and find it too conforming/hot.
Will a new 'egg crate' do what I want?
I 'think' there may be one on the bed now, but it's worn out I'm sure. I haven't looked in a long time.

Any input is appreciated.
Getting old suks but beats the alternative.

Hey Scott glad you joined the "zipper" club if you have that big scar down your chest? We have a foam mattress since our water bed sprung a leak many years ago. I bought the 3 or 4 inch, forget which one at Costco and it is the second one now. The first was thrown out when out old Pug got sick on the bed and then peed also so that is not cleanable at all! If is GREAT and comes with a nice cover. I still use three pillows to help me keep my chest and head at an angle and got those pillows at Costco also. I hope the surgery recover goes well and hope you are not coughing too much as when I had my quad bypass everytime I coughed it hurt! Good luck

I used to sleep on my back all night and not move. Then trained myself to sleep on my side to reduce snoring (now can't sleep on my back) . The matress we have seemed a bit too firm after using it for some time and we bought a topper from Costco. It has good air circulation and is supple. The problem for me is its suppleness seems to have changed the angle of my hips at night making for joint ache wakiing me up. An acetaminophen in the middle of the hignt helps out. So you might take the resting angle of your joints into consideration if making a change.

I have a firm mattress we bought 9 months ago, but it’s too firm. I bought a 3” memory foam topper which helps, but may get another one. I still find I have a pressure point on my hip, depending on which side I sleep on.

Sleeping on my back causes me to open my mouth and get dry mouth. Weirdly, I also seem to have more vivid dreams on my back.

The one downside is that you sink into the foam and it’s like getting out of a hole some times.

Thanks for the input guys.

Yeah, I've found that when I'm not in my 'chosen' position I end up with a sore back.
Man, the beds in the hospital sucked big time and were changing the pressure points every five minutes it seemed like. Not the way to get any rest.

I will see what we can do here. I'm sure my wife will be thrilled as she's been after me to replace our mattress, but that's not happening here/now. Just an egg crate topper should do it.

Thanks again.

I've been into mattress design as an amateur for 20+ years. Mattresses are one of the most highly marketed items yet misunderstood. My first "discovery" involved buying a Latex mattress from a local factory. I used it as is for awhile and it did not get hot like foam. However, after a few months I added 2" of pretty dense memory foam. This is when I began to understand the dynamics of a mattress. I ended up buying a Tempurpedic. It wore out, they all do.

After that I stepped up to a Sleep Number that I bought used for a good price. It had been in a guest room and seldomly used. It was clean enough for that to be believable. It was a low end model and if you know anything about these companies, they have a long list of 'upcharges' which amount to nothing more than more layers of various foams and filled cotton covered inserts. Each helps but the costs for these upgrades is where the profit is.

The point being whether you have a water bed, an air bed, a layered foam bed, or a spring mattress, you need to find the toppers that work best for you.

I think the perfect bed starts with 6" of Latex covered with a 2" layer of really dense foam and 1" of the lighter foam, egg crate or not. Then the highest quality of mattress cover like feather or some really trick synthetic. For some time I was using an Ogallala. That was wonderful but they also wear out and they are not really cleanable. Ogallala is not the only company that makes a feather filled topper, so shop around if you like this idea. And you can skip the 1" layer if you go with a feather topper. They sleep nice and cool.

Of course, YMMV. And that's the point, again, get something you can work with until you get it right. Recently I took the Sleep number all the way down to the air chambers and bought my own foam layer (it requires a 3" which is in conflict with my ultimate bed) and installed that in the zippered pocket above the chambers. I wish I had gone ahead and bought some Latex for that under layer but Latex in a queen size is a LOT of money.

After that, there is one more zippered pocket designed to receive a 1 to 1-1/2 layer of your choice. That's the one you will feel when you lie down more than other aspects. Yes, you can adjust the air pressure but it doesn't do much more than create a hammock. That's because most of your weight is from your neck to your knees, if that far. It doesn't work like water.

So, my conclusion is to start with a Latex base and work up. I have an articulated frame so many mattress materials, like a spring mattress are not suitable.

And if you've ever slept in a real feather bed, you know what I'm saying about that layer just below your regular washable mattress cover. However, they require daily complete shaking and fluffing. I'm not stripping my bed every day so that's simply a once in a long while luxury.

There is, as mentioned, a lot of YMMV, but FWIW I’ve found that putting a mattress pad (I already had one) on top of a memory foam topper took care of the heat problem from the memory foam.

Memory foam is cheap to produce (that's why it's everywhere) and not that great. Latex foam is much better (IMO, more comfy, cooler and lasts much longer).

I can vouch for the quality of the products from this place (https://sleeponlatex.com/ - we have 4 pillows at home, 4 at the new home, a king size topper here, and then purchased Queen, full, and 2 Twin XL toppers for the new home.

I don't know if it would be good enough for you, but the 3" soft topper is really nice.

Keep well Scott.

We need more Clan Douglas people around!

I found my cheap Amazon foam mattress very comfortable. Probably the same price as a topper.

Or try a Lazy Boy chair.