I need a very soft mattress or my back kills me. Maybe because most of my teens and 20s I slept on a water bed? I had to buy a memory foam mattress topper for my new mattress I got a few years back, even then it took many months before the new mattress softened up a so that I didn't wake up with back pain. If any of you are having trouble with you mattress try a topper, they can make a huge difference.