Hi
Can someone recommend which mattress would be best for 330 lb person side sleeper prefers firm who suffers from spinal stenosis.
Foam or latex . Which are the best ones in that category.
They are sleeping on a sagging bed and need make decision soon.
Thank you for any help
There is no one best mattress for larger individuals. The key thing is to make sure that whatever componentry is contained within the mattress you’re selecting is quite durable.
For innerspring mattresses, a strong LFK or knotted offset unit can work quite well. Some larger individuals even prefer a stronger version of marhsall (pocketed) innerspring units, especially if they sleep upon their side.
For the comfort materials used on top, for polyurethane foams I’d recommend starting in the 1.8 to 2.0 lb range and above for density. These will tend to be more durable than the typical 1.0 - 1.2 lb polyurethane foams commonly used. Also, slightly firmer (higher IFD) foams can be a bit more durable, although density is more important. If you’re considering memory foam, a higher density starting in the 4.0 - 5.0 lb range would be desirable, although memory foam isn’t very resilient and for larger individuals it can create areas of too much “sinkage”, depending upon the amount and location within the mattress. If you’re considering latex, this can be a very durable material, and I’d advise to avoid too much of the ultra plush latex, as even though it is a durable material it won’t be as durable as latex that is slightly firmer (not necessarily “hard”).
Some larger people do choose a mattress using a polyurethane foam or latex support core instead of innersprings, and if so a firmer polyurethane core starting around the 2.0 lb density range is a good starting point. A firmer latex core, Dunlop or Talalay, can also be an excellent and durable choice.
Overall, the decision is quite subjective and it comes down to learning about the componentry contained within anything you’re considering and then finding a comfort that works best for the personal preference. Side sleepers generally like a bit more surface plushness, but be careful not to have too much plush padding on top. There are hundreds of products out there which are appropriate for larger individuals, so it all comes down to education. This subject has been discussed frequently on this forum, and I believe if you perform a forum search on “heavy” you will come up with quite a few detailed topics in this area, along with some specific items that people have sampled. Hopefully that gives you a good starting point!