I’ve searched this site and others and feel that I understand more about mattresses now. I’m grateful to those who put this site together. I’d like to go the DIY route because I like the idea of customization and feel that I can choose better quality components than what’s available off the shelf without spending a fortune. My spouse is against this after a recent fiasco where I ordered a memory foam topper to try to make our current mattress more comfortable. We received the wrong size and it was a pain to roll up such a huge, floppy piece of foam so I could take it to UPS to be returned. And I had to spend $23 on a box since it wouldn’t fit in the box it came in, which just added insult to injury! My spouse is reluctant to buy anything that we can’t try in person, but I’m more open to that option.
Our current mattress is a Serta Trump mattress that’s ~10 years old. We initially liked the comfortable pillow top combined with the support provided by the coils. I think the coils are still supportive but the comfort layer is shot and has body impressions, so it’s worsening my hip pain and causing my spouse shoulder pain. Partly because I hate the thought of the whole thing ending up in a landfill, I’d like to try deconstructing it, saving the coils and adding new comfort layers and a new cover, but would consider purchasing a new coil unit as well. There is a mattress recycler in our area so that’s an option to make me feel less guilty. At our second home we have a Parklane (now-defunct local Pacific NW company) mattress that is ~8-9 years old; it has a foam core with a latex top. While it’s more comfortable than the Serta, it’s like sleeping on a giant sponge (kind of like the Purple mattress we tried), feels like it’s bottoming out, and has no edge support. It’s ok for the time being as we only sleep on it 1-2 times a week, but the Serta Trump mattress needs to be replaced ASAP.
Our stats: me: early 60s, F, 5’6", 200#, hips wider than shoulders, sleep almost exclusively on my side, have arthritis and trochanteric bursitis in both hips, which has required steroid injections. Spouse: early 70s, M, 6’1", 185#, narrow shoulders, sleeps mostly on his side, has shoulder pain from the Serta Trump mattress. We both tend to sleep hot.
We have tried mattresses in local stores but there wasn’t anything I loved. My spouse was ready to drop over $5k on a Tempurpedic LuxeAdapt Soft with an adjustable base. I think this will sleep too hot and I didn’t feel supported enough (felt a gap between my shoulder and hip when lying on my side). While the Luxebreeze initially felt cooler, that feeling dissipated quickly and I don’t think it’s worth the extra cost. I don’t think we need an adjustable base since we mainly sleep on our sides, but feel like we’d have to buy an overpriced Tempurpedic base to be eligible for their warranty. I actually prefer the support of the ProAdapt medium hybrid, though I think I’d need to add a topper to make it softer/provide better pressure relief. The salesperson insisted that Tempurpedic’s hybrid coil system was better than other brands but couldn’t back that up with data. As far as other brands we’ve tried, I’m reluctant to buy anything plush (which I feel I need) as the salespeople don’t seem to be able to tell me anything about foam density, so I have doubts about longevity (and consequently potential guilt about the environmental impact).
I feel that the best mattress for us would be a hybrid with coils and latex (and perhaps a separate memory foam topper) or a 100% latex mattress (again possibly with a separate memory foam topper to provide additional pressure relief). I think all memory foam will be too hot. I’d like to stay under $4500 for a king size, but would consider spending more for the right mattress.
While I don’t expect anyone to be able to resolve the conflict between my spouse and me, if any of the experts on this site have suggestions for a commercially available mattress that would suit our needs, I’d appreciate the input. I’m also interested in hearing suggested DIY configurations in case I can convince my spouse to go that route.
Thank you!