I have been sleeping on a plush pillowtop Beautyrest for 3-4 years, but I don’t feel rested and I wake up with back pain… because the middle section of my body sinks in pretty far.
I am 5’9’’ and 150-155 pounds, and I sleep strictly on my back like I’m in a coffin lol. I like my head elevated slightly, I normally use two flattish pillows.
BME recommended the medium BUT I almost think I should get a Firm? I want something that will keep me flat, but at the same time will not create uncomfortable pressure points.
I am no expert though, so if you think a different type of mattress may suit me better, feel free to recommend one.
Hi stevejarek,
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 (which would certainly include Brooklyn Bedding) 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, 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 and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
They also have a great 120 day trial period and refund policy so you can test the mattress in your bedroom instead of a showroom with little risk although of course you won’t be able to compare it in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP with any other mattresses that you may also be considering.
While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … It’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
Assuming that the materials in a mattress you are considering are durable enough for your body type and meet the quality/durability guidelines here relative to your weight range … the choice between different types and combinations of materials and components or different types of mattresses are more of a preference and a budget choice than a “better/worse” choice (see this article). The best way to know which types of materials or mattresses you tend to prefer in more general terms would be based on your own testing or personal experience.
Having said that … I can certainly confirm that all the materials in the BME are high quality and durable materials and there are no lower quality materials or weak links that would be a cause for concern in terms of the durability and useful life of the mattress relative to any weight range.
Phoenix
I understand that you cant make a specific recommendation but.
my main concern is that the top comfort layer on the medium will be too soft and compromise support. Am I just being crazy? I really need something that will keep me flat yet comfortable.
Is there much real world difference here?
Medium = 28ILD Talalay Latex with 32ILD Dunlop Latex
Firm = 32ILD Talalay Latex with 34ILD Dunlop Latex
Hi stevejarke,
[quote]my main concern is that the top comfort layer on the medium will be too soft and compromise support. Am I just being crazy? I really need something that will keep me flat yet comfortable.
Is there much real world difference here?
Medium = 28ILD Talalay Latex with 32ILD Dunlop Latex
Firm = 32ILD Talalay Latex with 34ILD Dunlop Latex [/quote]
Yes … there will be a real world difference but they would be much more familiar with “matching” their different firmness levels to different body types, sleeping styles, and preferences and would be a much better source of guidance than I am.
There is more information in post #2 here about the different ways to choose the most suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for but the “bottom line” is that when you can’t test a mattress in person then you would be dependent on the suggestions of a retailer or manufacturer you are working with in combination with the trial period because there isn’t a formula that can use complex combinations of specs (either yours or a mattress) to predict with any certainty which of their firmness levels would be the best match for you and would have the best odds of success that can possibly be more reliable than either their own “best effort” suggestions or your own personal experience when you sleep on the mattress.
Phoenix
I ordered the medium and it is definitely quite a firm mattress… but I like it, it has just enough give but I can feel the mattress pushing up into my lower back pretty hard to give me support.
I just slept on it for the first time haha, its actually pretty weird.
So my old mattress, I would lay down… and I would feel fine at first, but wake up sore all over.
The BB BME Medium, when I lay down my lower back actually hurts for 5 minutes right off the bat, because I have terrible posture, and I can feel my back stretching and popping as its forced into a good posture and shape by the mattress.
So I fell asleep for about 6 hours, and I was shocked when I woke up, because I got out of bed 100% pain free, and actually felt pretty rested. I will see how it goes over the next week or so!
Hi stevejarek,
Thanks for letting us know what you ended up deciding … and congratulations on your new mattress 
[quote]The BB BME Medium, when I lay down my lower back actually hurts for 5 minutes right off the bat, because I have terrible posture, and I can feel my back stretching and popping as its forced into a good posture and shape by the mattress.
So I fell asleep for about 6 hours, and I was shocked when I woke up, because I got out of bed 100% pain free, and actually felt pretty rested. I will see how it goes over the next week or so! [/quote]
Your initial experience sounds very promising so far!
I’m looking forward to any additional updates you have the chance to share.
Phoenix
So Phoenix in your expert opinion, now good of a value is the BME, and what do you think a comparible mattress would sell for at a traditional retailer?
Hi stevejarek,
While price is certainly one of the more important parts of “value” … the “value” of a mattress purchase is what is most important and price is just one of many factors that can affect the “value” of a mattress purchase. There isn’t a “formula” that can be used to assess or “calculate” the value of a mattress because there are so many different variables and criteria involved that can affect the price of a mattress that can each be more or less important to some people and not to others who may have completely different criteria or definitions of “value”. The “value” of a mattress purchase is also relative to how a mattress compares to the other finalists you are considering or to other mattresses that are available to you in your area (or online if you are also considering online options). There are many reasons that a mattress that may be “good value” for one person or in one area of the country may not be good value for someone else that has very different needs and preferences or that lives in a different area.
There is more about the 3 most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on suitability, durability, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).
I don’t know of another mattress off the top of my head that has the same design and uses the same materials and components so I don’t have a reference point and there are also many different variables involved in how different retailers or manufacturers price their mattresses (see post #14 here) so it’s not really possible for me to guess what any specific retailer or manufacturer would sell the same mattress for except to say there would probably be a range of prices but depending on how you are defining a “traditional retailer” (and not a specialty sleep shop or a factory direct manufacturer) … it would probably be safe to say that it would sell for substantially more than Brooklyn Bedding is selling it for.
While they don’t mention the type or blend of latex in the top layers or the density of the polyfoam in the base layer so it’s not really an apples to apples comparison … as an example the Sealy Optimum Meadowcrest here also contains two 2" layers of latex over a polyfoam support core and has a list price (but probably not a “final price”) that is more than double the price of the BME.
Phoenix
Thanks for the reply! Lots of interesting information there as usual!