My husband and I are looking for our third mattress in just the past few years.
When my husband started having more back pain, he wanted to try a foam mattress (I think we had a latex one before that?) It just wasn’t giving either of us much support, so we ordered a Satvaa luxury firm in November. It’s going back soon (way too firm and very little comfort material on top, arms falling asleep, etc.).
We’ve tried Sears, Mattress Firm, and Murmaid Mattress (Chattanooga, TN area), and I keep going back to the Sealy Posturepedic Hybrid with core support. I’m mostly a side sleeper, and almost all the mattresses we tried made my back hurt from lack of support in a side-lying position. The core support in the Sealy really seemed to help (although I’ll admit it wasn’t perfect).
My husband doesn’t seem to picky about the mattress, because he thinks an adjustable base will be the answer for him. When he’s having back pain, he’ll sometimes sleep in a chair that allows him a similar “zero-G” position, and he says it helps. I think the adjustable is neat, but I’m worried that I won’t be comfortable on my back – I very rarely end up there (I used to be a stomach sleeper, but my lower back is not in great shape, and I just can’t do it anymore). I guess I was hoping I’d be able to sleep on my side, but the more I read, the more I doubt that (we have a queen, so no split).
Any advice for me? I know the Sealys are not held in high regard here, but I just want both of us to have less back pain.
I would keep in mind that “foam” is just a generic word (like “fruit”) that only means “a material with air bubbles inside it”. There are three main types of foam (memory foam, polyfoam, and latex foam) that are all very different from each other and all of them come in a very wide range of firmness levels that are used in many different mattress designs. The specific design of a mattress will have much more to do with whether a mattress is a good “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) and how well you sleep on it than the type of materials that are inside it.
Assuming that the materials in a mattress you are considering are durable enough for your body type and meet the quality/durability guidelines here … 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 first place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that you will need to make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.
Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” 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 and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase 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 all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you).
While I can’t speak to how any mattress will “feel” for someone else in terms of firmness, “comfort”, or PPP because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances … outside of “comfort” and PPP the most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress always depends on knowing the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new so I would always make sure that you can find out the information listed here so you can compare the materials and components to the quality/durability guidelines here to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links that would be a cause for concern or compromise the durability and useful life of a mattress you are considering before making any purchase.
All the major brands (such as Sealy/Stearns & Foster, Simmons, and Serta) tend to use lower quality materials in their mattresses than most of their smaller competitors that will tend to soften or break down prematurely relative to the price you pay and I would generally suggest avoiding all of them completely (and the major retailers that focus on them) along with any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the type and quality/durability of the materials inside it (see the guidelines here along with post #3 here and post #12 here and post #404 here).
The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Chattanooga area (subject to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines I linked earlier in this reply) are listed in post #2 here.
There is more information about choosing an adjustable bed in post #3 here and the main adjustable bed topic that it links to that can help you choose an adjustable bed based on price vs features comparisons and also includes some retailers that you can use as good sources of information about the features of the adjustable beds they carry and as pricing references as well (in post #6 in the main adjustable bed topic). Of course there are many other sources as well and prices can change on a regular basis so I would also include some internet searching in your research and I would also keep in mind that online advertised prices are often price controlled so make sure you contact the stores you are considering to find out their best prices rather than just looking at websites.
An adjustable bed that is elevated at the head or foot isn’t really suitable for side sleepers (unless the elevation is very slight). If you would prefer to have the ability to elevate each side of the bed independently then you would need to purchase two twin XL mattresses to go with a split king base so that each side can be raised and lowered independently. There is more about the pros and cons of a split king mattress in post #8 here and in this topic.
You can also purchase split queen adjustable beds and there are some custom manufacturers can also make split queen mattresses but these are much less common and would reduce the choices that are available to you significantly.
