I’ve begun my mattress search with reading and some showroom browsing. I lean toward a latex mattress because of the great things I’ve read about them, and I started with a bias against memory foam because of some of the reported negatives (hot, slow to change). But I have to admit I was comfortable on a friend’s memory foam topper. And though I wouldn’t try a mattress called memory foam, a lot of the mattresses I found comfortable in the showroom of national-brand mattresses had memory foam in in the comfort layer.
When I visited a latex mattress store (Flobeds), I gravitated toward what were probably inappropriately soft mattresses, I think because I was seeking some float or cushiness. I want to lay down and sigh with comfort- ahhhhhh.
What makes sense? Maybe I could forego the “ahhh” factor? Would a memory foam or soft latex topper make sense? Shredded or block latex? I don’t think I want a memory foam layer in a latex mattress because I think that layer will break down before the latex layers. Flobeds has mattresses with 2 or 3 3"latex layers. What if I made the top layer of a 3-layer mattress soft latex? Would that be pointless or worse under the convoluted latex Flobeds uses for a comfort layer?
Maybe I’d be happy with a good quality innerspring mattress with a latex or memory foam comfort layer.
Considerations-- husband is 69" and 200 lbs. I’m not much different. He usually sleeps on his side, but occasionally on his stomach (mostly naps when he doesn’t use blankets). I always start on my back, but usually spend some time on my side.
I want something nicer than our 23 year old Sealy innerspring mattress. Part of nicer is “ahhh”, and part is greatly reduced motion transfer.
Hi ja58,
Hopefully you’ve had the chance to read the mattress shopping tutorial which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that you will need to make the best possible choices.
I would keep in mind that your body can’t “feel” the “ahhh” or the “wow” factor when you are sleeping and that the most important part of healthy sleeping is that a mattress keeps you in good alignment and relieves pressure in all your sleeping positions (see post #13 here). Looking for the the “wow” factor can often lead to choices that may not be the most suitable for you when you are sleeping.
I would also keep in mind that while latex is a great material … not everyone prefers it and one of the goals of testing mattresses is that it can help you find the materials and types of mattresses that you tend to prefer. Any combination of good quality materials and components can be suitable for some people and not for others and it’s not unusual that the materials that someone may “want to like” are not the same as the materials that they actually end up preferring in real life.
Unfortunately nobody else can feel what you feel and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone to use specs (either yours or a mattress) or "theory at a distance to predict which mattress would be the best match for someone else in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences). This is the part of choosing a mattress where your own personal testing will tell you more about the materials and types of mattresses that you tend to prefer than anything else (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
You have many good options available to you and if you follow the steps in the tutorial post one by one and use the information and testing guidelines that it links to you will have the best possible chance of choosing the mattress that is the best “match” for all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
Phoenix