Edge Support, Cooling, & removable cover (important?)

Like many, I’ve spent more time researching mattresses than probably any other purchase. A few things are clear:

  1. it’s difficult to determine which brand is more comfortable - soft/firm - as it’s very subjective.
  2. knowing material construction is essential
  3. many review sites - unlike this one - are probably supported by the brands they recommend.

I’m looking for input on two factors very important to me: edge support (sleeping near edge and sitting near edge while putting on shoes) and sleeping hot. I realize these topics are also somewhat subjective.

I ordered the Leesa and Tuft & Needle King-size and it was CLEAR that the Leesa had much better edge support, while the T&N ran cooler. I’m considering trying the Yogabed and a few others. One reason for the former is the cover is removable which seems like an important consideration in regard to the accumulation of dust mites, sweat, etc.,

So is there a way to discern which brands excel in these two specific areas? I’m not really interested in durability, comfort, price, etc. as there is ample information available. Much thanks for a great site, the most informative on this subject of the many choices.

Hi yazfan,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum!.

I would be very cautious about brand shopping in general because you are buying a specific mattress not the brand and most manufacturers have access to the same or similar components and materials. Many manufacturers make a wide range of mattresses that can vary from lower quality and less durable materials to higher quality and more durable materials in a wide range of prices. The name of the manufacturer on the label or the price of the mattress won’t tell you anything about whether a specific mattress is suitable for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP or whether there are any lower quality materials or weak links in the design that would affect the durability and useful life of the mattress. There is more about the risks of brand shopping in post #5 here and post #12 here.

There is more about the 3 most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on suitability, durability, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).

In terms of durability you are certainly right. While nobody can speak to how any specific mattress will “feel” for someone else or whether it will be a good “match” in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances and you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress … outside of PPP (which is the most important part of “value”), the next most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new so I would always make sure that you find out information listed here so you can compare the materials and components to the quality/durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.

This site is also supported by the manufacturers and retailers that have been invited to become members here but unlike most “review” sites that are really just “revenue sites” … I don’t review mattresses at all and the criteria for membership is much more objective and based on specific criteria. There is more information about the membership criteria in post #2 here.

While I do recommend the members of this site “as a group” because I believe they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency … I don’t make specific recommendations or suggestions for mattresses, combinations of materials and components, or specific manufacturers because there are too many unknowns and variables involved that are unique to each person and there are also there are also many other sources of good quality/value mattresses across the country or online that aren’t members of this site (at least yet).

While other people’s comments about the knowledge and service of a particular business can certainly be very helpful … I would always keep in mind that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and I would be cautious about about using anyone else’s suggestions, experiences or reviews on a specific mattress (either positive or negative) or review sites in general as a reliable source of information or guidance about how you will feel on the same mattress or how suitable or how durable a mattress may be for you. In many if not most cases they can be more misleading than helpful because a mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person or even a larger group of people in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (even if they are in a similar weight range). In other words … reviews or other people’s experiences in general won’t tell you much if anything about the suitability, quality, durability, or “value” of a mattress for any particular person (see post #13 here).

Unlike many innerspring mattresses … most foam mattresses (latex foam, memory foam, or polyfoam) don’t have (or even really need) edge support as long as the firmness of the support core and the thickness of the comfort layers are suitable for your body weight when you are sleeping. Foam mattresses will generally feel softer and compress more deeply if you sleep with most of your weight concentrated on the very outside edges of the mattress or if you sit on the very edge of the mattress because your weight is more concentrated when you are sitting than when you are sleeping on the mattress. There is more about edge support in foam mattresses in post #33 here.

While there are always exceptions for some people that have a strong preference for a mattress that has a specific edge support system … in most cases and for most people this is just a matter of getting used to a foam mattress (particularly if you are used to a spring mattress with edge support) and perhaps sitting or sleeping a little bit more towards the center of the mattress rather than on the very outside edges of the mattress.

I would always keep in mind that the only way to know for certain whether the edges of a mattress are firm enough for you or whether a mattress is a good match for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) will be based on your own personal experience when you sleep on it because a mattress that would be “perfect” for one person may not be suitable for someone else that has a different body type, different sleeping positions, or different needs and preferences.

While it’s not possible to quantify the sleeping temperature of a mattress for any particular person with any real accuracy because there are so many variables involved including the type of mattress protector and the sheets and bedding that you use (which in many cases can have just as significant an effect on sleeping temperature as the type of foam in a mattress) and on where you are in the “oven to iceberg” range and because there is no standardized testing for temperature regulation with different combinations of materials … there is more about the many variables that can affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress or sleeping system in post #2 here that can help you choose the types of materials and components that are most likely to keep you in a comfortable temperature range.

In very general terms … the materials, layers, and components of a sleeping system that are closer to your skin will have a bigger effect on airflow, moisture transport, and temperature regulation than materials, layers, and components that are further away from your skin and softer mattresses will tend to be more “insulating” and for some people can sleep warmer than firmer mattresses.

There is also more information about Leesa, Tuft & Needle, Yogabed and many of the other what I call “simplified choice mattresses” in post #2 here in the simplifed choice topic and post #1 in the same topic would be well worth reading as well.

A mattress protector is important to protect your mattress from stains and the body fluids, skin cells, and oils that we release each night, to protect against spills and accidents, and to keep your sleeping surface in a clean and hygienic condition. It will also protect your warranty because most mattress warranties are usually voided with any type of stain on a mattress. They can be easily removed for washing and are usually designed to have the least possible effect on the feel and performance of the mattress itself. There is more about the pros and cons of different types of mattress protectors and some examples of each of them in post #89 here.

A removable cover wouldn’t replace the need for a mattress protector and if you have a good mattress protector then occasional vacuuming should be all you should need to do with a cover.

There is also more information about dust mites and allergies in post #2 here.

Phoenix

[quote=“Phoenix” post=65349]

A removable cover wouldn’t replace the need for a mattress protector and if you have a good mattress protector then occasional vacuuming should be all you should need to do with a cover.
Phoenix[/quote]

Thanks for the quick reply, maybe that’s why most online mattresses don’t offer a removable cover.

I concur that many factors contribute to whether one feels cool/hot… On that note, I used the same foundation, mattress protector, sheets and tried both the Leesa and Tuft & Needle during the same month; the Tuft & Needle was much cooler. In regard to edge support, the Leesa was noticeably stronger in like conditions.

Hi yazfan,

Thanks for sharing your comments about the Tuft & Needle and the Leesa … I appreciate it.

While it’s unlikely that most people would have any issues relative to sleeping temperature on either mattress and many people seem to rate them as being similar in terms of temperature regulation … the Tuft & Needle doesn’t contain any memory foam and uses a high performance polyfoam in the comfort layer which is very breathable so your experience certainly makes sense even if other people may rate them differently than you do.

Your experience with edge support also makes sense even though neither of them have an edge support system because the latest version of Tuft & Needle is softer than their previous versions and their polyfoam base layer is probably softer than the Leesa.

Phoenix