I’m recently divorced and lost the bed in the divorce and can’t seem to find a mattress now that is comfortable enough to get a decent nights sleep and doesn’t cause me to wake up with extreme lower back pain. After sleeping on a Kingsdown for 15 years (two different Kingsdown mattresses over this time) which I had no problem I am now on my third mattress in the last 6 months and still unhappy, unrested and in pain (I guess I am lucky to only be out $2000 at this point). To this point I have tried a memory foam (too firm), latex (also too firm) and now a hybrid of springs and foam (soft when you lay down but within 10 minutes it’s as though you sink down to another firm level). So I guess I’m going to buy a spring mattress (which I think is what Kingsdown is). I am a side sleeper and weigh 185 pounds. What brand do you recommend, model, should I buy a topper etc. Anything will help!! Kingsdown is no longer offered in my area so that is not an option unless I drive about 4 hours. – I do live an hour from Springfield Missouri and can get there easily. I have been to at least a dozen mattress stores and it seems everyone has the perfect solution - sell me one of their stores top of the line mattresses. Help - need sleep!
Hi Triangle 1,
So sorry to hear about your sleepless nights - with a bit of research and a reasonable investment in a new mattress I’m sure you’ll get back to a great nights’ sleep.
I can’t speak to spring mattresses, but memory foam and latex are available in many firmness levels, so dismissing the entire categories as “too firm” might mean you overlook “your perfect mattress”.
Specifically speaking to memory/standard foams (not latex): the industry uses the term “Initial Force Deflection” or IFD to determine the softness of a foam. Because this number is meaningless to most consumers, companies generally translate it into a “firmness” rating for their mattress lines. By your description, it sounds like you would benefit most from something medium soft.
Your foam/spring hybrid seems to have a medium-soft comfort layer, but if you’re sinking right through it then it’s likely thin and low density (less than 3lb/cubic foot). That would give it a good “upfront” feel, but leave it susceptible to acute near-term deformation, and permanent medium-term deformation. Buying a topper will only prolong the problem, particularly since your mattress already has an unstable surface.
If you decide to try another memory foam mattress, go with something high-density, with a comfort layer at least 3" thick, and “medium soft”.
Best of luck,
Novosbed
Hi Triangle 1,
I would agree with Novosbed’s comments and every category of mattress comes in a wide range of designs and firmness levels. As you can see in a similar answer from yesterday (see here) … excluding an entire category of mattresses because you didn’t like one model out of hundreds that may be available would be a little like never eating fruit because you didn’t like the taste of McIntosh apple.
The first place I would start with any mattress research is post #1 here which has the information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible decisions (and perhaps more importantly avoid some of the worst ones such as Kingsdown and other major manufacturers, chain stores, or any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the quality of the materials they use inside them).
Brand recommendations are mostly meaningless because it’s always the quality of the materials in a mattress that determines its quality and value … not the name of the manufacturer that puts the materials inside a cover.
As you will see in the guidelines I linked … smaller manufacturers that are open and transparent about the mattresses they make and are sold either factory direct or through better sleep shops across the country are by far the best choices in terms of the quality and value of their mattresses.
Post #4 here includes some of the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your general area.
Phoenix