My husband and I had a Tempur-Pedic cloud supreme for about 11 months. I loved it, he was hot. After about 9 months I noticed what seemed like my hips sinking in more than normal which caused lower back pain. I started sleeping in the middle which helped while searching for another mattress (we were still under trial period with Mattress Firm). We decided to just go back to an innerspring since we were fine with our old fashioned 9 year old $300 mattress. We got a plain Simmon’s beautyrest recharge (individual coils with about 1 inch comfort layer), and I am in HORRIBLE back pain (mostly lower). I added a 2.5 inch memory foam topper which makes no difference. I am now sleeping on an air mattress which is amazing compared to that mattress.
I am a side sleeper about 128-130 pounds with big hips and a small waist. While searching, my main issue is mid section support. The small part (waist) before my hips start, dips down causing an alighment issue resulting in my pain. Either that or my hips are too high on the mattress which I’m assuming causes the same issue. I had the wrong idea and thought that the more comfort layer on top=not as supportive (which is why I thought this mattress was a good choice), but now I realize that is not true and I just need to find a correct amount. I’m assuming maybe it is because this particular innerspring isn’t supportive enough? It does have a lot of give to it. I do realize that a lot of the traditional innerspring mattresses seem to give me better alignment. I do like foam beds, but worry about it breaking down soon, especially if the Tempur-Pedic did, and it is supposed to be a higher quality.
I am from Oklahoma, close to the Oklahoma City area. I do know about Oklahoma Mattress Company. I went there a few times, but none of the latex beds he has to try seemed to give me the proper alighment. I did go back the other day and laid on 2 different mattress toppers stacked together and it seemed to be better. So, maybe I just need to play around with the different layering to get the right fit. Is there any other good quality local stores that would be good for me to try? Anyone do foam beds? Also, do you think you could help me figure out what type of comfort layer and support I would need for my body type? Should I give you my measurements? Am I gettting WAY too technical? Hahaha! Thanks in advance.
If you haven’t read it yet … the first place I would start your research is the tutorial post here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you with how to make the best possible choices … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.
As you mentioned both a mattress that is too soft and a mattress that is too firm can cause support and alignment issues and like the three bears the goal is always to find a mattress that is not too soft and not too firm but is “just right” in terms of both support/alignment and comfort/pressure relief. Too much or too little of either one can mean a mattress that isn’t a suitable choice in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences).
I would tend to avoid “theory” though because it can take a long time to become an expert in mattress design and theory and the learning curve never really ends. The most effective approach is normally to use careful and objective testing (using the testing guidelines in the tutorial post) where your body can tell you which mattress is a good match for you along with the guidance of a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer who already knows what you would otherwise need to learn.
Unfortunately I can’t feel what you feel or see you on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and preferences involved for anyone to use “theory at a distance” or specs (either yours or a mattress) to know which mattress may be best for you (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here). Having said that … outside of the links there if you are interested in some of the theory behind mattress design then post #4 here has more information about primary and secondary support/alignment and their relationship to comfort/pressure relief that may be interesting to you. There is also more in post #6 here that can help you visualize what good alignment “looks like”.
The quality/durability of the materials in a mattress will also play the most important role in how long you will sleep well on a mattress and post #4 here and the posts it links to has more about the many variables that can affect the durability and useful life of a mattress relative to each person but it’s also important to make sure that a mattress you choose isn’t “on the edge” of being too soft for you when it’s new because then only a very small amount of foam softening can take you “over the edge” and even a mattress that uses relatively good quality materials may not last you very long (see post #2 here).
The better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the Oklahoma City (including Jim at Oklahoma Mattress) are listed in post #2 here.
Thank you so much! I wish I would have started this forum a long time ago. I only have until September 16th to figure all this out (that is when our trial period ends with Mattress Firm). I was very surprised when I saw Lady Americana in your suggestion list. I always just assumed those mattresses were crap. I did like one of their latex on foam eco friendly mattresses when this all started a year ago. Maybe I should go check them out again. Thank you for the other Oklahoma City companies you listed. I will be busy reading all the imformation you suggested. Thanks again, you are a blessing!
The name of the manufacturer that makes a mattress isn’t particularly important because most manufacturers have access to the same materials as every other manufacturer. Outside of the suitability of a mattress in terms of PPP (because this has nothing to do with the quality or durability of the materials) … a mattress is only as good (and as durable) as it’s construction and the quality of the materials inside it … regardless of the name of the manufacturer. Once you know what is inside a mattress (see this article) you can identify any lower quality and less durable materials and any weak links in the mattress and you are in a much better position to make meaningful comparisons to other mattresses.
Hi Kristine
You sound a lot like me.
What I found works is a hand-tufted inner coil mattress (pocket springs) by a local manufacturer (I got mine at Gardner Mattress in Salem Ma - check out there website then see if there’s a good manufacturer near you like them) plus a small amount of memory foam or latex as a topper (not too thick if you sleep on your stomach at all - start with 1.5".)
I didn’t want chemicals so I ordered natural latex from KTT Enterpises (least expensive around.) if you can stand memory foam, get that as the density is nicer, or try blended latex instea of natural as the density is also deeper with blended.
My handmade bed was $1500 for a full size - a little more expensive than most but worth it. Gardner tends to be more $ than most manufacturers. Mine is a bit too hard for me so I’m trying to soften it up with the right comfort layers now.
What is blendd latex? Blended with foam? When you say deeper density, do you mean more like a memory foam feel? I’ve laid on a lot of beds that are gel infused latex, which seems pointless to me. I’ve also heard of synthetic latex… is that sometimes blended with natural latex as well? I’m assuming it isn’t as durable? Thanks for your reply.
I also wanted to ask you what you thought of the Southerland brand. My mom has a really comfortable and nice quality (so it seems) pillow top. But, it is hard to find a store around here that sells them. There is a place close to me called Mattress Monster. They sell two types of Southerland mattresses: Hybrid and latex on foam. Both have gel infused latex (seems pointless). But, I do like the hybrid that they have there. What do you think of hybrid mattresses? I’m scared of them only because we had one for a few days that was WAY WAY too soft and had the worst back pain of my life (that was before I knew how to shop and just went off of the initial feel when testing out.) Thanks for everything.
Blended latex is latex that is made with a blend of natural and synthetic rubber. There is more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here. All latex is a durable material compared to other types of foam such as polyfoam or memory foam. Latex is also a highly resilient and fast response material and is nothing like memory foam which is a temperature sensitive and slow response material. There is more about how latex compares to memory foam in post #2 here but the best way to know which material you tend to prefer would be based on your own testing and personal experience.
The brand of a mattress makes little difference to me because outside of the suitability of a mattress for your body type and sleeping positions in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) the most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is the quality/durability of the materials inside it and all manufacturers have access to the same or similar materials so brand shopping is among the worst ways to buy a mattress because the name of the manufacturer doesn’t tell you anything about the suitability of a mattress or the quality of the materials inside any mattress you are looking at (see post #5 here).
The most important factor in the manufacturer of a mattress is their transparency and the likelihood that you will be able to find out the type and quality of the materials in a mattress you are considering. As you can see in the list of the top 15/16 largest manufacturers here … with Southerland there is “some possibility” that you will be able to find out the information you need to make an informed buying decision with some of their mattresses but not others (see this article). If you can then you would be able to identify any weak links in a mattress and make meaningful comparisons to other mattresses. If you can’t then I would pass the mattress by regardless of the name of the manufacturer.
This would depend on the specifics of the mattress and the quality of the materials inside it. There is more in post #13 here about the most important parts of the value of a mattress purchase but if some kind of hybrid mattress (and most mattresses are a hybrid of some type) was a good match for someone in terms of PPP and it used high quality materials and there were no weak links in the mattress and it compared well with all the other mattresses they were considering based on all the parts of their personal value equation that are important to them then I would certainly consider it to be a good choice for that person.
My describing synthetic and blended latexes as having a “deeper density” than natural latex means that to me, it has a little more like a memory foam feel, yes, in that it doesn’t “bottom out” and holds me up better, without having to be “hard” to do so.
I find this especially true for talalay latex, which is lighter than Dunlop latex.
I tried two 3" talalay toppers on top of a coil mattress. The blended talalay held me up much better than the natural talalay.
BTW I would never buy an all-talalay bed. If i was going to try all-latex again, I would do blended or synthetic Dunlop with maybe a thinner talalay topper
Oh, I also want to know your knowledge on gel used in memory foam and latex. I’ve heard it actually makes makes you sleep hotter because once it absorbs your body heat, it has nowhere to go (which a lot of manufacturers say the gel helps “wick” heat away). Can some memory foam actually be “open cell”?
I’m assuming why some companies put the gel in their latex (comfort layer) beds is because maybe it’s synthetic or blended latex? Or, just a marketing tool. Do synthetic and blended retain heat?
Just to keep all the suggestions you will receive on a forum such as this in perspective … what works “perfectly” for one person or even for a group of people may not work at all for someone else and each person’s preferences or experiences on the same mattress or materials can be very different from someone else. There are people in the 400 lb weight range or higher that do very well on a Talalay latex mattress and find it very supportive while others may prefer different types of latex. Just as an example in my own family … my own personal preference is an all talalay latex mattress (which doesn’t mean it’s better than other types of latex or even a different material completely for someone else) yet my daughter’s preference (who is much lighter than me) is an all Dunlop mattress. Clearly preferences for the type of latex that someone may prefer doesn’t run in families :). Others yet like LookingNow may have other preferences yet but preference choices (which all of these are) are not the same as “better worse” choices and can be misleading if you read them as applying to others (or yourself) or to different mattress designs that use the same materials. They only apply to people that have that specific preference.
There is more about the differences between Talalay and Dunlop in post #7 here but once again … the choice between them is a preference choice not a better/worse choice.
All type and blends of latex comes in a wide range of firmness options and there are also thousands of different latex mattress designs that use different types, firmness levels, and thicknesses of latex that would be suitable for different body types and preferences so if a mattress that uses one type of latex isn’t “supportive” for a particular person or a good match in terms of PPP … the odds are very high that a different design using different firmness levels or layer combinations of the same type of latex can be perfectly supportive and a good match for that same person in terms of PPP.
There is much more information about the different types of gel materials in post #2 here and the many posts it links to.
As you can see in the previous link … this is “partly true” because the temperature regulating effects of gel tend to be temporary (depending on the type of gel, the percentage of gel, and on the material it’s added to) but once temperatures equalize then the properties of the material that the gel is added to become more important and dominant. In other words the gel won’t make things hotter but their effect on temperature regulation is usually temporary. All memory foam is an “open cell” material but some are more open celled and breathable than others. There is more about the different ways that can be used to cool down memory foam in post #6 here.
There is also more about all the many variables that can affect sleeping temperature in post #2 here.