Back to the drawing board (multiple mattresses - trying to narrow down)

Mattress Talk General Mattresses Questions
1

Hi there,

You have been very helpful in my mattress search so far but I find myself back to the drawing board and growing tired of trying out different mattresses.

A bit about me: 5’7", 190lbs, about 30BMI, side sleeper, apple/pear shaped (carry most of my weight in my middle and hips.) I easily get pressure points in my shoulders especially since they are very skinny and narrow.

A bit about the mattresses I’ve tried (So far my budget has been $1k):

  1. Loom & Leaf luxury firm - my first ever memory foam mattresses. Felt way too firm for me and didn’t enjoy the fact that there was absolutely no bounce. Basically felt like a rock when I laid down on it.
  2. Brooklyn Bedding BME (old version) soft - way too soft for me. Loved the bounce and the cushioning but found myself with very bad lower back pain. Made me think latex was for me though, but found myself lulled into the idea that a bed in a box wasn’t.
  3. S-brand spring/memory foam hybrid from a mattress store - worst bed ever. Worst of both worlds - too soft on top and too firm in the middle. Had hip, back and shoulder pain.
  4. SleepOnLatex soft - closest to a mattress I could love in terms of back support but had pressure points in my shoulders and a bit in my hips. Kept this one for a full 90 days hoping that it would soften up but it didn’t unfortunately. I considered adding a topper to this, but at $999 it would have put me over my budget.
  5. Flexus quadra-flex zoned innerspring/latex hybrid in soft - I was really hoping this would be “the one” but I hate it. The top latex layer (3" 20ILD talalay) is super comfy but it feels like there is zero support from the innerspring. I basically fall through the mattress and have had extreme lower back pain every morning.

Looking for advice on what to try next. I know that you cannot tell me what bed will be most comfortable for me in terms of PPP but I need guidance here. My options are to continue trying other types of mattresses (maybe a memory foam that isn’t quite as firm as L&L, a latex or latex hybrid that is firmer in the support layer than the Flexus, or go back to SleepOnLatex soft and add a talalay topper.)

At this point, I am willing to expand my budget a few hundred dollars to find the mattress that is right for me, but I probably have a hard stop at $1500.

Thanks for your help!

2

Hi sretodd,

I certainly can understand your frustration, and as you mentioned I can’t pick out a mattress for you, but I will do my best to comment upon your feedback and hopefully that can help provide some “fine-tuning” for you.

[quote]A bit about the mattresses I’ve tried (So far my budget has been $1k):

  1. Loom & Leaf luxury firm - my first ever memory foam mattresses. Felt way too firm for me and didn’t enjoy the fact that there was absolutely no bounce. Basically felt like a rock when I laid down on it.[/quote]

Memory foam will have low resilience (not much "bounce’ or “push back”) and high hysteresis (“energy absorbing”). And especially when at room temperature, depending upon your bed room environment, it can feel quite firm. As you don’t enjoy these features, I would avoid a traditional memory foam style product as you move forward.

Could be that in the “soft” configuration the upper comfort layers allowed you too much sink and the transition to the polyfoam core wasn’t substantial enough for your preference, allowing for too much sink of your low back.

While unfortunate, this one isn’t a surprise, given the lower density foams that many of the major brands tend to offer (if you were even able to find out the actual foams used in the mattress you chose), and the fact that it used memory foam, which you stated is not to your preference.

From our previous conversation I believe this was the 9" version of the Sleep On Latex mattress in the soft version, and based on your comments at that time I believe a topper was next on the list, which more than likely would have been a positive step based upon your comments then and here, as you had found an item with quality back support (which is paramount) and then needed just a bit of extra surface comfort.

The innerspring unit in this mattress tends to be quite supportive, and without being present my best guess would be that with the soft latex on top you are going through that and then feeling the contouring of the pocketed spring unit, and in this situation you may benefit from an extra “transition layer” of slightly firmer material to assist with that, but in this mattress this is not an option.

As for overall guidance, your personal experiences are paramount, and I would go back to what “almost” worked. Which would be a design similar to the Sleep on Latex that you liked the best. A firm Dunlop support core, with a transition layer of 2"-3", and then a bit of a softer layer on top of 2"-3" that is plush might be a good option, based upon your feedback. With more of your weight in your hip area, it’s important to allow for enough “sinking-in” in that area, but as you are slight in the shoulders you still need a bit of extra surface plushness. It doesn’t seem as you’re able to accomplish this with just one 2" layer on top of your support core, hence the thought that perhaps two layers on top of your support core (but not too soft combined), could provide the necessary comfort cradle for your preference (see here).

Based upon your feedback, those are the best logical thoughts I can come up with. I’m hoping this is helpful to you.

Phoenix