GREAT SITE!
I have BME and its soooooo comfy! i am keeping it for the guest room i do love it. However i am having some back and neck pain and am considering T&N. i know its a hard question to answer but if i experienced the above with BME would the same hold for T&N? in other words knowing how i am feeling / knowing what I now now know about me should i consider T&N
thanks
So the BME is so comfy except for back and neck pain? Doesn’t sound comfy to me. Did you have back and neck pain prior to the BME or did the BME cause this pain?
It’s probably a good idea to read the mattress shopping tutorial before purchasing a one mattress fits all product.
thanks for the reply. its very comfy when i get in but in the morning i have neck and back pain. i had some pain in my back prior from a different mattress bme has made it better but not got rid of it all. the neck pain i didnt have prior to bme so i bought new pillows hoping that will remove the neck pain. again getting into the bme feels amazing but getting up in the morning i am in pain. but its better than my previous mattress.
i guess my question is i like the firmness feel of bme however for me i think i am sinking in too much hence the neck pain. would t&n work for me in that regard or would it be way firmer than the bme?
thanks!
Hi rossrossell,
The first “rule” of mattress shopping is to remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more accurate than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
It’s also not possible to “diagnose” mattress comfort issues on a forum with any certainty because there are too many unique unknowns and variables involved that can affect how each person sleeps on a mattress in terms of PPP or any “symptoms” they experience but there is more about the most common symptoms that people may experience when they sleep on a mattress and the most likely (although not the only) reasons for them in post #2 here.
There is also more about primary or “deep” support and secondary or “surface” support and their relationship to firmness and pressure relief and the “roles” of different layers in a mattress in post #2 here and in post #4 here that may also be helpful in clarifying the difference between “support” and “pressure relief” and “feel”.
These posts are the “tools” that can help with the analysis, detective work, or trial and error that may be necessary to help you learn your body’s language and “translate” what your body is trying to tell you so you can identify the types of changes that have the best chance of reducing or eliminating any “symptoms” you are experiencing (at least to the degree that any symptoms are from your mattress rather than the result of any back issues you may have)
Outside of any back issues that you may have … the most common reason for lower back pain in the morning that is related to your mattress is a mattress that is too soft (either support layers that are too soft or comfort layers that are too thick or soft).
Upper body or neck issues are often the result of a pillow issue and you may need a pillow that is either thicker or thinner to keep your head and neck in better alignment in all your sleeping positions over the course of the night.
There is more about the different ways to choose the most suitable mattress (locally and online) that can help you assess and minimize the risks involved of making a choice that isn’t as suitable for you as you hoped for in post #2 here.
While your own careful testing or personal experience is the most reliable way to know whether a mattress is a good “match” for you in terms of comfort and PPP … when you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
There are also no “standard” definitions or consensus of opinions for firmness ratings and different manufacturers can rate their mattresses very differently than others so a mattress that one manufacturer rates as being a specific firmness could be rated very differently by another manufacturer. Different people can also have very different perceptions of firmness and softness compared to others as well and a mattress that feels firm for one person can feel like “medium” for someone else or even “soft” for someone else (or vice versa) depending on their body type, sleeping style, physiology, their frame of reference based on what they are used to, and their individual sensitivity and perceptions. There are also different types of firmness and softness that different people may be sensitive to that can affect how they “rate” a mattress as well (see post #15 here) so different people can also have very different opinions on how two mattresses compare in terms of firmness as well and some people may rate one mattress as being firmer than another and someone else may rate them the other way around. This is all relative and very subjective and is as much an art as a science.
The “bottom line” is that the only way to know whether any mattress will be a good “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP will be your own careful testing or personal experience.
I’m not sure how long you have been sleeping on your new mattress but I would also keep in mind that there will be a break in and adjustment period with any new mattress so I would make sure that you give things enough time (a few weeks) for your mattress to break in and for your body to adjust to a sleeping surface that is different from what it’s used to … especially if you are seeing improvement in your back issues compared to your old mattress (see post #3 here).
I don’t know which firmness level you chose for your BME but it may also be worth talking to Brooklyn Bedding about your experience because they also have different firmness levels that may be more suitable for you.
Phoenix
thanks for the very detailed informational post! i hear what you are saying and will look through this.
bottom-line its been over a month and while i want to love what i have i just dont at this point. i will try the new pillows i bought but i suspect that its just not supportive enough for me i got the medium. my wife loves it and i hate to get rid of it and get something worse for her but my back does hurt.
Hi rosswell,
While it may or may not be an issue in your case … if the support system under a mattress isn’t a suitable choice for you and the mattress and either has too much flex or allows the mattress to sag too much into any gaps in the support surface then it can also have an effect on how well you sleep on it. You can check to see if this is an issue by putting your mattress on the floor for a few nights to see if this makes any difference.
Phoenix
i have an adjustable base its a solid good base. not a bad thought though to sleep with it on the floor though. i dont want to drive these sellers and myself crazy. i know its personal preference but does does the firm BB compare to the t&n? firm wise? would a firm bb give me more support than a t&n?
thanks
Hi rosswell,
An adjustable base wouldn’t have any flex underneath the mattress and would provide the same solid support as a floor so it wouldn’t make any difference and wouldn’t be worth trying the mattress on the floor.
Firmness and support isn’t about preference as much as it is about the differences in body types, sleeping positions, and subjective perceptions between different people and would be too subjective for anyone but you to decide based on your own personal experience (see my previous reply).
Outside of your own personal experience … the most reliable source of information about how one mattress compares to another one will be a conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced online retailer or manufacturer that is familiar enough with both mattresses you are comparing to be able to provide reliable guidance about how their mattress may compare to another one that they are familiar with based on their own personal experiences and comparisons and the “averages” of their customers that have tried both (although not everyone will share the same opinion about how two mattresses compare in terns of firmness and/or support/alignment based on the “averages” of other people’s experiences which may be different from your own).
Phoenix