Mattress Forum

I’ve decided on the Select Sleep 8500 from SleepEZ but need to make a final decision on layers.  First, I’ll lay out (no pun intended) my stats and requirements:  I am a 51 yr. old female, 5’2” tall, 155 lbs.  I have lower back issues (degenerated disc at L5/S1), osteoporosis of the spine, osteopenia of the hips and a joint disease similar to Rheumatoid Arthritis.  To top it all off, I’m an insomniac and a stomach sleeper (at least to fall asleep – when I sleep at all).  This means that I need firm support but enough “cush” to avoid waking up with a frozen shoulder or an arm that’s asleep as I do now (currently extra firm innerspring with convoluted memory foam topper). Sean recommended firm/med/soft to play around with, but  I’ve laid on a “ready made” latex mattress that was 5.5” of medium latex (30-32 ILD) and felt like it gave me a sway back when laying on my stomach.  From reading this forum I’ve seen repeatedly that more than 1” of soft is too much and that the first 3” are what really counts.  My current thinking is extra firm / firm / medium.  If I find that to be too firm, I can add a 1” soft topper.  Your thoughts?