Coil count? What's the mystery? Help me make my final decision

[Basilio]

Hi AlisonC37, and welcome to The Mattress Underground
Glad to have you here!

For the last 3 years, I’ve been sleeping on a sinking innerspring mattress + 2 inches gel memory foam topper from wayfair. I have had upper back pain for the last year and a half and never thought it was because of my mattress, but because of the sedentary lifestyle due to lockdown and bad working from home set-up

Sorry to hear of the back pain you are experiencing. As you say, it could be due to sedentary habits, improper posture, or the mattress you are using. Remember all mattresses are unique to the sleepers using it, based on their stats(height, BMI, sleeping position(s) and any underlying health issues, and their PPP(posture and alignment, pressure relief, and personal preferences). One persons’ idea of firm is too soft for another person this is why its’ best to try out mattresses in person, as you have done, to see what sort of mattress and materials feel most comfortable for you. If you have not done so, you may want to take a look at theMattress Shopping Tutorial, as well as the Mattress Specifications you need to know, and ourMattress Durability Guidelines to get an idea of what to look for when you shop, the various materials and components used, and how different materials hold up over time.

, I decided to go with the Silk & Snow (The S&S Mattress - Silk & Snow Canada). Specs for this mattress seemed okay but finally it was way too soft for me, making my lower back pain worse.

I then told myself I would forget about all-foam mattress and would just buy a solid innerspring mattress to have a firm support and would then add a 1" inch memory foam topper in high density to get some pressure relief. With that idea in mind, I bought the Haugesund in firm mattress from Ikea as the specs seemed okay too

. The foam in the comfort layers is indeed firm, but the core of the mattress isn’t supportive enough so my hips are sinking too much. But because the foam is too firm, my middle back/upper back/ribs don’t sink and therefore I end up with an even more pronounced misalignment of the spine (hope that makes sense) (for the record I am only 120 lbs…). I have never been so sleep deprived. To improve things a little bit I put my old gel foam topper that I have been using for 3 years, it’s not that bad anymore but it still not ideal at all.

Well done in ruling out the Silk & Snow; the mattress raises no red flags for a lower BMI sleeper, but as you say its ‘too soft’. You should contact a health practitioner if possible, as you say you felt ‘more pronounced misalignment’ on the Silk&Snow – this could indicate more serious issues. Most mattresses will take several weeks to ‘break in’ to see if it is truly comfortable for you, but if you feel sore after only a few minutes, its’ probably not compatible for you.

Here I am on my mattress hunt, again. I’ve been doing some mattress testing at Sleep Country (I live in Toronto, Canada) but it’s impossible to get specs for their mattress, even when you contact the brand (Serta, etc.). They just expect you to make a blind purchase at this point

Another bit of education for you! Many of the ‘big box’ retailers are not transparent about the specifications and details of the materials used in their mattresses, which may indicate excessive amounts of inexpensive low density foams. I agree they make it very hard to make an informed choice when shopping.

Hopeless, I tried the Prestige firm and I instantly felt what I was looking for: support. My hips weren’t sinking and I could feel like I was sleeping on something horizontal, but with just enough pressure relief. Going back on the website these 2 mattresses are pretty similar in their construction. The only difference seems the number of coils (see below) but I was told that the number of coil doesn’t determine the firmness/quality of the support. I need to understand what makes the difference in the feel, if there is anyone who can give me some insight I would really appreciate. I want to make that purchase, sleep on it, heal my back and move on with my life.

Excellent! The salesperson was correct; the gauge and number of coils do not necessarily indicate the firmness of the mattress; The pocket coils provide overall support for the mattress but the comfort and support layers above this are what the sleeper ‘feels’. Both mattresses you listed seem to be good, and a topper should provide additional support if you find you need it. As long as the retailer allows a decent ‘trial period’ over 90 days you should be able to tell if it is supportive enough for you. The Orthopedic Supreme Firm has an additional lumbar support layer; they are both contain CertiPUR certified polyurethane foam and are made in Canada – have you tested out the Orthopedic Supreme? I think at this point its’ entirely a personal preference, as you say you found the support you were looking for when trying out the Prestige. Perhaps other forum members can chime in with their experience with these…Either way it sounds like you have found a great mattress!

~ Basilio