How to look for and find the best mattress ... for YOU! ***READ FIRST***

[phoenix]

Hi Just Right,

On the website here, you say that it should be hard to push your hand under the persons body if the support is right. Probably much harder under hips/shoulders than lumbar region?

Yes … there should be firm contact under the Lumbar curve and no obvious gaps or areas where the foam is barely compressed or only makes minimal contact. Of course it won’t compress the top materials as much as the pelvic area or the upper back and shoulders because the compression of the foam would be less but it shouldn’t be easy to slide your hand underneath.

I would also keep in mind that alignment is a little more difficult to test for and that both eyballing and “feel” along with the ability of your muscles to completely relax and “let go” with good support under each area of the body can be an important part of testing for alignment. Being completely relaxed (like when you are sleeping) so that the mattress is doing the work instead of muscles is important. The key is to make sure there is no obvious sagging of the spine into the mattress.

I’m a side (and sometimes) back sleeper, male, 140 lbs, 5’ 10". Knowing that and the construction of the ‘Skipper’, what do you think I will discover, alignment wise?

There would be no way for me to know this because it depends on your body’s weight distribution (not on just your height/weight), shape (waist/shoulder differential or hip/shoulder differential which determines how far you may need to sink in), the relative surface areas of each area of the body (more surface area spreads weight out more and sinks in less), and on differences between the mattress/body interface in different sleeping positions (each position has many variations which can also change the surface areas that are in contact with the mattress). There are also natural variations in each person’s anatomy so for example if you are a back sleeper your natural curves may be somewhat different from someone else’s (although for side sleepers a “straight” spine is always the goal unless there are health or medical conditions involved).

I would also keep in mind that a slight “bend” in the hips (not the lower back) with the lower legs raised a bit above the hips is actually a good thing because it slightly flattens and decompresses the lower spine (which is also why elevating the legs slightly on an adjustable bed in the back sleeping position can reduce lumbar pressure) so that you don’t confuse a slight bend in the hips with a sag in the spine. The goal is always a straight spine (side) or neutral curves (on your back) but not necessarily a straight body from head to toe.

I like the softness of Talalay latex to relieve pressure points on my head, especially my ears. But I’m not sure if the entire pillow should be made of it. What should I be looking for?

The goal of a pillow is also to fill in the gaps between your head and neck and the mattress and the shape and size of the gap also depends on each person’s body and their sleeping positions. Beyond this basic “need” though … pillow choices are much more preference based because the face and head is so sensitive. There is some good information and links to some pillow resources and information in the pillow thread here.

There are many people who sleep on “solid” Talalay latex pillows (I have one that is zoned and like it) as well as shredded latex pillows that can be scrunched more to change the shape for those who need or prefer this for multiple sleeping positions). Others don’t like the more resilient or bouncy nature of latex (depending on its softness) as much under their head and prefer less resilient materials with a different feel. As long as the pillow keeps your head and neck in good alignment in all your sleeping positions … the rest is preference.

Phoenix