I am so grateful for all the information and guidance on this site! I’ve read the tutorial pages, and many forum entries, and have wandered around this site for a few months now, inching closer to my perfect mattress but still unsure, partly because I am feeling overwhelmed. My details: I’m female, 5’8" and 135lb; mostly side sleeper. I hate memory foam. Queen size, I prefer natural / organic, and a mattress 12" thick or less.
Previously I had an Avocado mattress. It was a bit firm but I figured I could work around that with a topper or even a good mattress pad. But I could not stand the smell of the organic wool. Even after a few months it was strong enough to filter into other rooms. I raise sheep so understand that the smell of wool can be strongly influenced by both breed and sex as well as cleaning and processing. So, in my research I have been looking at how the organic wool is processed to avoid the smell of residual lanolin. I discovered Sleep-EZ offers an organic mattress made with eco-wool ( – I’m totally impressed that they give information about this process!) and a hybrid with Joma wool that has been thoroughly scoured. So eco-wool, or Joma wool are okay. I am worried any other organic wool will smell.
I also like the Nest Owl and was pretty much sold until I watched the video of the couple sitting on the bed and it seemed they were sinking nearly to the bottom. I’m worried it will be to squishy.
Before the Avocado I had an all latex mattress bought from a local manufacturer and I did not love it. It was okay, but not great, and I couldn’t pinpoint why except now that I know more about quality, perhaps the latex was the wrong type or lesser quality… And it was so heavy that making the bed was a real chore as was the monthly rotation.
Right now, I am sleeping on a 25 year old air mattress with two yoga blankets for my “comfort layer”. While it’s not a great sleep it is actually better than the Avocado, but I need a real bed. It’s had its bright moments though: after some of the air leaked out and the air mattress got more squishy, I discovered I am not the combo sleeper I thought I was but actually prefer to sleep on my side, only switching to my back when the mattress is too hard.
Any suggestions or thought? Recommendations of other mattresses I could research?
Hi Judith H and Welcome to The Mattress Underground
Thank you for your kind feedback!
It’s perfectly understandable to feel a little ‘analysis paralysis’ and become overwhelmed when considering a new mattress purchase. As a you likely know you already discovered, any mattress you choose will be unique to you based on your Stats (height, BMI, sleeping position(s) and any underlying health conditions) and your PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) which means that whatever insight you get you will still be the final judge if it a great fit for you. Since you have read the Mattress Tutorial as well as the Specifications You Need To Know and theDurability Guidelines , you have a great deal of “data points” which are very helpful in narrowing down to only a few finalists only you will be able to determine whether a mattress will be suitably comfortable for you. and done a bit of research on what you might prefer - no memory foam, organic latex, and only specifically processed wool - you have done a good job so far!
Yes, Avocado is well known for being better suited for those who prefer a firmer feel for front or back sleepers. It looks like you are set on getting something with wool. As you know by “raising sheep” this is one of the best natural materials for temperature regulation but you do have some limitations there as the lanolin odor depends on the wool processing. I am glad that you are knowledgeable about it and were able to narrow it down to eco wool Woolgatherer Carding Mill which produces high-loft, good quality wool and batting.
You mention Arizona Sleep EZ and Nest Bedding , both of which are Trusted Members of the site and offer quality mattresses with generous exchange/return policies…I’m not sure which video you watched but I wouldn’t totally exclude it from your finalists for several reasons that you may want to consider.
When sitting on a mattress the entire body weight is concentrated on a smaller surface area, which means that there will be more “sink in” so it would be difficult to assess comfort of sitting vs laying on the mattress. If the couple was sitting also very close to each other that will also deepen the “sink in”
Nest also has several comfort options for each model so it may be that the video was showing a mattress in plush or soft, instead of a medium soft.
At your normal range BMI I’d keep in mind that generally a thicker mattress may feel softer for most people given the same materials used in different layer thickness.
You might want to also look at Latex Mattress Factory as they offer the Luxerion Latex Hybrid which has a 9" profile, plush comfort level and Joma wool. Or the Cascade Latex Mattress , from Shepherds’ Dream at 6" thickness, which contains Eco-Wool. Another option would be something like Luma Sleep who offer an 11.5" Natural Latex Hybrid , which has a Tencel cover.
Since you have a lower BMI, you have a many options. If you provide a little info to them about your Stats, PPP and mattress history they can help guide you to a mattress compatible for you.
Ouch! I’m not sure I would even try a sleep setup like that, but the “air bed and yoga blankets” proved useful as you now know you are not a combo sleeper and also, it’s telling that you are in need a bit of customization … more than in a top tier mattress!
I’d also keep in mind that Dunlop and Talalay Latex have different feels; Talalay is considered ‘bouncier’, and Dunlop feels denser(the common comparison is the difference between angel food cake and pound cake) so you might want to try both at a local retailer if possible just to see which feels more comfortable for you. Many side sleepers prefer Talalay instead of Dunlop.
I think with a bit more leg work and maybe consulting with any of the knowledgeable and experienced mattress manufacturers and retailers I mentioned above (or any other ones that do business the right way outside our Trusted Membersdirectory, I am sure you will be able to find a great replacement/ Please let us know what you chose and your experiences with it once you have found a sleep solution.
This is brilliant, Basilio! Thanks so much for your input and suggestions. I feel refocussed and ready to do a bit more research, clearer on both my goals and options. I’ll let you know what I finally decide and how it works out. Love this site!
I’m glad you found it helpful and thanks for the kind words about the site. I trust you are going to find a great new mattress- please do keep us updated!
