[flurb]

When I was 16, I inherited a bit of money. Not a large sum at all, but enough so that I could afford a new bed, a bookshelf and some nick-nacks from my local furniture store. Being 16, I didn't exactly put much thought into how kind my new mattress would be to my back down the line, and so I managed to find the firmest mattress known to man.

At first, it was hard to sleep on, but I'm lazy, and so I kept it. That was a good decision. Today, I have a much softer mattress, and let me tell you, I'm suffering.

Whenever I go camping in the summer, where I'm not in need of any insulation, I usually opt for just a simple, thin, foam sleeping pad, and it works wonder. The first couple of nights it's usually quite rough, not uncomfortable mind you, just hard to sleep as it's not as superficially comfortable, but after the initial acclimation my back's so much better.

[tetris11]

When I was 28 at my peak fitness days, I opted for a firm mattress believing it would strengthen me as I got used to it.

I never got used it. The slightest sound from outside would wake me. Sleeping on the side was a daily chore. I learned to sleep on my back and snore like a lion.

Switched recently a soft mattress with shoulder support. Sleep on my side like a baby.

[taneq]

This sounds easy to a/b test. Just sleep on the floor for a month, then your squishy mattress for a month, and document everything. (A month is just a guess, one or two weeks seems like transitional effects would dominate, hopefully after that you'd see more of the ongoing effects?)

[flurb]

Will do, I'll record a log and document the effects.