Hello,
I purchased a mattress from one of the big-box stores. I spent several weeks running around, during this pandemic, trying to find a suitable mattress. I’m on bed #2, which is a Stearns & Foster that I bought reluctantly. The craftsmanship is not great for the money and the medium is proving too plush for my degenerative back issues. I recently tried the Avocado mattress w/o the pillowtop and I found it to be much more supportive, but I’m concerned that the mattress will be too small (it’s 11 inches) for my large frame. I’m also concerned about pressure points over time. Given my back concerns, it’s important for me to test out a bed first. I would go to Houston Mattress Factory, but they aren’t enforcing masks and the owner was kind enough to note there’s not much ventilation in the space. I visited Texas Mattress Makers, but they specialize in Talalay latex, which is much too bouncy for me. I really do like the Dunlop. I’d spend $4,000 on a Naturepedic, but I don’t have that kind of money. Do you have any suggestions? If I order the Avocado with a higher ILD topper, might that be too firm? I’m 51, 5’10" 212 lbs. This is such a great resource, so thank you in advance!
PS. I tried the Winkbed & didn’t care for it. Again, I’m open to something local.
I’m re-posting this. I didn’t get any replies and there seems to be a flag on the post…
Hi houstontodc.
Welcome to our Mattress Forum. 
Thanks for sharing a bit about your recent mattress shopping experience. I’m sorry to learn of your degenerative disc back issues as well as your multiple attempts to find a mattress that meets your specific needs. 
At your BMI of 30.42 a 11" hybrid mattresses is certainly quite capable of providing good deep support and alignment, as long as the comfort layers are adequate in terms of plushness for your specific needs. From your mattress testing experience, it sounds like there may be some hope with the Avocado. This mattress uses high-quality materials,
2" D65 / 14-19 ILD Dunlop Latex (this is considered “soft” or “plush” on the ILD scale)
8" Zoned Pocket Coils (5 zones, 1414 coil count, zoned perimeter edge)
1" D65 / 14-19 ILD Dunlop Latex (stabilization layer)
Unfortunately, we have to rely mostly on your experience as there is no specific configuration or type of mattress that is “good for DDD” because each person is unique and the needs vary with individuals, (as well as varying day to day) I am not an orthopedic spine specialist but generally a firmer sleeping surface helps with this condition. You did not mention what your sleeping position is but you may wish to see the recommendations in this article about sleep positions for back pains.
Avocado mattress is rated as medium-firm on their internal scale but many of our subscribers tend to report a firmer than expected feel so you may have found just the right niche for your needs.
You’d obviously want to consider something that is resilient enough and provide enough support while sleeping while still overall allows for enough surface comfort and assists with pressure point relief,. Overall, the two basic functions of a mattress are to support and to provide comfort (you can read more about that here if you like), with alignment being the first priority and then comfort coming second.
Because it only has 2" of Dunlop in the comfort layer, you may benefit – like you mentioned – from adding a slightly firmer Dunlop topper. I wouldn’t add more than 2 additional inches, though. Otherwise, you can create a situation in which you’re creating too much of a cradle/achieving too deep of a compression in the foam, which may result in exacerbating your back issues.
I completely understand needing to test mattresses before you commit, especially when it comes to special support needs. In a pre-Covid world, we would like for everyone to do extensive mattress testing to be able to identify what they need and want from their ideal mattress! We even have this whole section from our Mattress Shopping Tutorial dedicated to mattress testing.
It may be worth talking to Texas Mattress Makers about whether they would consider customizing one of their latex mattresses with a Dunlop layer instead of Talalay. Since they make all of their beds in house and customize mattresses for customers rather frequently. it’s possible they may be able to source a Dunlop foam for you.
If that is not an option, or if you find yourself considering a mattress that you haven’t been able to test, the next best thing is a detailed conversation with an experienced and knowledgeable manufacturer/retailer that has your best interests at heart, and who will tell you whether or not the feel you are looking for is close to your needs and preferences.
If you’re willing to go that route and prefer Dunlop – the following retailers and manufacturers in our Trusted Members listing may be worth exploring and contacting:
Arizona Premium
Sleep EZ
Flexus Comfort
Foam Sweet Foam
Latex Mattress Factory
My Green Mattress
I hope I’ve given you enough information to help you move forward in confidently making a decision!
Please keep us posted.
Phoenix
Thank you much for the welcome & the detailed response! I’m a back and side sleeper and, from the link you sent, it looks like I should lean more towards side-sleeping based on my back issues.
I hadn’t thought to ask if one of the local mattress makers could use Dunlop instead. That makes a lot of sense.
I will make a decision soon and report back with my findings.
Cheers,
N
Hi houstontodc.
You are welcome! and thanks for the clarification about your sleeping positions. I hope the local mattress makers can accommodate your need.! It would be good out of the box solution.
Please keep us posted!
Phoenix