Figuring out what's wrong with our mattress/bed
I'm looking for some guidance. We bought a spring mattress with a memory foam layer 4-5 years back, after spending 2 years on a memory foam mattress that got too soft rapidly. We had opted for a mattress that felt firmer, and the memory foam layer was small-ish (2 inches).
For the last 1 - 1.5 years, my partner has been feeling uncomfortable. The frequency of this being an issue has increased, so I've been trying to figure out if it's related to the base, the mattress, or changes in their sleeping needs. Whenever we'd go to a hotel, they would say the bed was nicer than ours, but that was true whether it was harder or softer.
I took the mattress off the bed frame a while back, made sure everything was level and tight. The mattress is on poplar slats, with a 3 inch gap between each slat. They are supported by a central metal beam with two supports on it, and one horizontal beam with a support on each side of the bear. This didn't resolve the issues.
I've tried removing the bed frame and putting the mattress on the ground, and my partner woke up feeling sore. I tried to find out if this means the mattress is now too firm, or if it's too soft, or if, maybe, they have been cursed by an unknown enemy.
I'm at a lost as to what to do next. I want them to have restful sleep, but I feel like even if we went shopping for a new mattress, we're stumbling blindly here. That would be a 3rd mattress in less than 10 years. Maybe third time's the charm, or maybe we've got no clue what we're doing.
I've been looking at platforms that might have harder slats, or spaced closer together maybe as a potential next step, but this is not a cheap thing to try either...