So, currently I’m in the market for a new mattress because my current one is too firm and is hurting my lower back.
I’ve been on a search for days now and have really been stuck on deciding on one. Bare in mind, I am in the UK and all the things bought will be in the UK version.
I have somehow managed to narrow down my search to the Leesa, Casper, Simba, Silentnight Geltex 1000 or 1850 mattress.
I am a side sleeper, with occasions sleeping on my back. Rarely a stomach sleeper.
Does anyone know if any of the ones I mentioned are better for side sleepers etc?
I’m sorry your current mattress is too hard feeling for you. While I know this is not a direct answer to your following questions, have you considered a quality topper to create bit more of a plush surface? If your mattress is still providing good support and relatively new, this may be a viable (and more affordable option). If you’re curious about this, there’s quite a bit of good information about selecting a topper in post #2 here.
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 (such as your sleeping style), 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, options, and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
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 and some people may rate one mattress as being firmer than another and someone else may rate them the other way around. Knowing that you tend to sleep more upon your side, you’ll want to avoid anything with too hard of a surface comfort (as you’re already experiencing), but only your definition of what is “plush enough” matters, so if you’re considering something online I would make sure that you become completely familiar with any potential return/exchange policies, should your purchase unfortunately not turn out as well as you had hoped.
While I can help with “how” to choose a mattress, I can’t help with “what” to choose, as the only way to know for certain whether any specific mattress will be a suitable choice will be based on your own careful testing or your own personal experience when you sleep on it because different people can have very different needs and preferences in a mattress in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences).
I’m not sure what you’ve read since you found the site but just in case you haven’t read it yet … the first place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones. The steps contained in the tutorial will be assistive in the UK just as they are here in North America. When looking at mattresses, outside of comfort, the next most important thing is durability and how long you can expect to sleep well upon the product, so I would always make sure that you find out the information listed here so you can compare the quality of the materials and components to the 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.
I can help with information that I have available here on the mattresses you mentioned, but I would be sure to confirm that the specifications are equivalent to what you’re finding in the UK.
Leesa:
Comfort Layers: 2" 3.65 lb Avena polyfoam (20-26 IFD), 2" 3lb Memory foam (9 IFD)
Support Layers: 6" Polyfoam 1.8 lb density (32-38 IFD)
Caution: The 2" of 3 lb. memory foam in a potential weak link in this mattress.
Casper:
Comfort Layers: 1.5" 3.5 lb ventilated polyfoam, 1.5" 4 lb 10 ILD Memory foam, 1.5" 2.5 lb polyfoam
Support Layers: 5" 1.5 lb 36 ILD Polyfoam
I’d advise a slight caution for those in higher weight ranges for this mattress.
Simba:
Comfort Layers: 50 mm (2") Simbatex (a synthetic latex) 75 kg/M3 (4.67 lb/ft3), 20 mm (.8") Conical pocketed spring layer (similar to nanocoils), 30 mm (1.2") 50 kg/M3 (3.1 lb/ft3) Memory Foam layer.
Support Layer: 150 mm (6") 33 kg/M3 (2 lb/ft3) Polyfoam base with channels on top and seven zones.
In a “normal” Dunlop latex, the Simbatex would rate out to be a “medium” plushness, but I don’t have information about the blend of their latex or if it is continuous pour or not. I would advise caution with the 1.2" of 3 lb memory foam, but it is a thinner layer deeper in the mattress, so it is in the “inch or so” range and wouldn’t be as much a cause for concern.
Silentnight Geltex 1000 or 1850 mattress:
There are different versions of both the 1000 and the 1850, but unfortunately there isn’t any meaningful information on the Silentnight web site to allow me to comment upon the componentry within those mattresses. At least the Silentnight seems to be a line that you can sample in person at a variety of retailers.
If you can find out the information here about any of the Silentnight mattresses you are considering and post it on the forum then I’d certainly be happy to make some comments about the quality of the materials and the mattress “as a whole” and let you know if I can see any lower quality materials or weak links that would be a cause for concern.
Without this information it’s really not possible to make any meaningful comments about the quality or durability of any mattress and if a manufacturer or retailer or manufacturer is either unable or unwilling to provide the information you would need to make an informed choice then I would avoid it because you would be a completely “blind” purchase which would be very risky.
