So after reading that heavy sleepers need "maximum support" I went out and bought the firmest mattress I could find. It's like sleeping on a carpeted sidewalk. My shoulders hurt, my hips hurt, and I keep waking up feeling like I got in a fight. My old bed was a cheap pillowtop and honestly I slept fine on it. Did I mess up? Am I supposed to just "break it in" for six months? I weigh about 260 if that matters.
Mattresses
I bought a firm mattress and now I miss my old bed
Six months of pain is not a "break in" period, that's a hostage situation. Firm isn't the same as hard. You probably just overshot it.
"Firmest mattress I could find" is the problem. Heavy sleepers need support, not a board. Support means the mattress holds you up without collapsing — it doesn't mean zero give. A lot of people conflate the two and end up miserable.
Damn,same thing happened to me. Bought a rock-hard queen online, slept on it for a month, gave up and bought a 3-inch latex topper. Problem solved for like $150. Cheaper than eating the cost of a new mattress.
A topper is something I hadn't really considered. I was thinking I either had to return it or just suffer. Is latex better than memory foam for this? I've heard memory foam sleeps hot, though.
Latex is cooler and more springy,foam is softer and sleeps warmer. For a heavy sleeper on top of an already-firm base, a firm-ish latex topper gives you pressure relief without sinking through. But honestly if the mattress is genuinely painful, check the return policy first before you spend more money on it.
Funny how the internet says firm for heavy people and then everyone who actually is heavy says it hurts. Almost like a mattress needs to be supportive AND conforming, not just a slab. Who'd have thought.
you're 260 and sleeping on what sounds like a literal slab? my guy, your shoulders were never going to forgive you. side sleeper by any chance?
Side sleeper, yeah. Apparently that makes it worse. I think I'm going to call the store about the return window and look at something medium-firm instead, or a topper if I'm stuck with it.
medium-firm is where it's at. firm is for people who think discomfort is a personality trait
Side sleeper changes everything.You need the shoulder and hip to actually sink in a little. A rock hard mattress just pushes back on your joints all night. Topper or return, don't tough it out.