Help w/ choosing LMF components 170# side sleeper

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I’m male 6’ 165-170 pounds. When falling asleep, always on side. According to sleep study for insomnia, I move around a LOT compared to most people, side to side to back to stomach.

I have some cervical and lumbar degeneration. Willing to spend some money to keep those from getting agravated.

I’ve mostly slept on horrible free couches for many decades. Our main bed for like 20 years was a super firm king size that I’d have some back pain when sleeping all night on it. I was going through a period of pretty bad insomnia and was being forced to really take sleep more seriously. We bought a Tempurpedic Proadapt medium hybrid to replace the old one. My wife is heavier/shorter than me so it works great for her. For me, my back has mild discomfort if I sleep on it all night. It feels like a 1" or so layer with a little give, on top of a board.

So to replace the seriously crappy sleeping couch, about 3 years ago I got a Nectar basic hybrid and a twin bed. They replaced the mattress with minimal fuss when it started to sink down so much, all night I felt like I was climbing out of a hole. The replacement is getting to the point where it won’t be viable as it continues to sag over the next couple months.

I was basically happy with it, slept a lot better than anything else I’ve ever had. But obviously I’m not into a mattress subscription where I rely on Nectar’s good will every 18 months to keep replacing it, let alone the environmental catastrophe.

So where I’m starting is I want something that will last! And secondly, I’m afraid of too-firm.

In my cart are 6" springs (I like the edge stiffening idea), medium dunlop 2" and 3" soft talalay. Headed in the right direction? At some point in all the reading I’ve done I became pretty sure I wanted springs instead of all latext. I don’t remember what pushed me in that direction.

What would happen if I went with 3" medium dunlop instead of the coil springs? 3" firm dunlop? 6" of latex instead of springs? I have a hard time imagining what the differences might feel like to sleep on. I assume there’s not much use in more than 9" of latex (with no springs)?

Should I plan on a bottom layer under coil springs? Current bed is slats but it would be eaiser to cut a piece of thin plywood to make the bed a one-piece support rather than change the mattress to suit the bed. I’ve seen 1" HD? HR? polyfoam mentioned.

I think I get that a thin/stretchy cover is good to get the most out of the soft latex top layer? I’ve seen people mention SOL’s topper covers that go from 1" to 12" so that seems like a good one to try.

Any advice or options to explore sincerely appreciated.

Edit: I forgot to mention - cooling is a huge priority also.

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HI LamontGrady and welcome to the forums!

The 6" springs should be just fine, we don’t normally recommend springs for folks 250 pounds and up because it may lead to back pain from a lack of support, otherwise it should be just fine!

If you’re looking for an all-latex mattress, I’d recommend 3" of soft Talalay over 3" of medium Dunlop over 3" of firm Dunlop. Anything more than 9" of latex would be more money than you need to spend unless you just want a taller mattress or weigh 300 pounds or more.

Regarding the differences between an all-latex mattress and a latex and coil hybrid: Latex and coil hybrids typically last 10-15 years and all-latex mattresses typically last 15-20 years. All-latex mattresses offer a much finer degree of adjustability than latex and coil hybrids do. All-latex mattresses can be adjusted to be slightly softer, moderately softer, much softer, or slightly firmer, moderately firmer, much firmer. You can increase the pressure relief slightly, moderately, or vastly. You can increase the back support slightly, moderately, or vastly. Since latex and coil hybrids normally have only 2 components (3” of latex and the coils) you really have limited options to adjust the mattress, and any change that is made is normally a big change. Not everyone needs the level of adjustability that the all-latex mattress offers. As such, customers will choose latex and coil hybrids if they’re 250 pounds or less; like the feel of a latex and coil hybrid; want a mattress with more edge support than all-latex mattresses; like the lower price point; and / or want to retain some of the feel of a standard spring mattress while getting some of the benefits of latex.

You can put an inch of firm HD foam between the coils and cover if you’d like, it will keep the coils from digging into the cover over time and will keep the coils from slipping into the gaps of the slats over time. Or you can use the plywood if you’d like, that’s really up to you. Latex foam is a naturally breathable, open celled product and a slatted foundation is not necessary for the mattress to sleep cool. A slatted foundation will enhance the breathability but certainly isn’t necessary because the mattress will breathe on all exposed sides.

I think the stretch cover should work just fine! It will make the mattress feel softer and sleep a bit cooler than if you were to get the cotton & wool cover.

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