This mattress business is overwhelming. I am 5’8" 175lbs (male). I usually fall asleep on my back and wake up on my side. I’ve looked at Helix/Birch/SleepEZ/Saatva/etc. I’ve been interested in the SleepEZ Hybrid because I think I like the traditional feel of coils, but am unsure about the latex. I’m open to coils/latex but probably want to avoid foam (foam is too easy to indent in my experience). If it helps, I normally sleep on my right side with my right arm under my pillow. I normally wake up with pins and needles in my right arm (this morning I woke up with a pinched nerve and my fingers have been tingling all day). The mattress I currently sleep on is medium-firm and I don’t think I want to go much softer than that. I also don’t like sinking into the bed.
Any suggestions or experiences are welcome. Looking to stay under $1500 USD.
Hi RetroAvenger, and welcome to The Mattress Underground
Happy to have you here.
You are right, shopping for a new mattress can be overwhelming… To begin with, if you have not already, you may want to take a look at the Mattress Specifications you need to know here as well as the Mattress Durability Guidelines to get a better idea of what to look for in a new mattress, and also the Mattress Shopping Tutorial The more basics you know(without having to become an expert at it), the easier it will be to narrow your choices down. This said you seem to be on the right track.
You are also correct that lower density foams can prematurely ‘break down’ or indent – especially memory foam of more than 1.5-inch thickness that is below 3.5 lbs/cuft. Latex is a durable material and with your BMI, you should not have this problem, I see that you are gravitating away from memory foam or polyfoam products but I’d still recommend you go to a local shop and determine if you like the feel of latex. I am not sure if your selection from Helix or Saatva is for hybrid memory foam/polyfoam combo but if that’s the case you’d need to be aware of the density of the components in a hybrid mattress to assess the potential for it to wear prematurely.
A mattress is unique to the specific sleeper(s) using it, and is based on your PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) and your stats (height, BMI, sleeping position(s) and any underlying health conditions. Good job on providing your stats – you have a slightly high BMI, you say you sleep on your side, and that you get ‘pins and needles’ in your arm when waking. This could be an indication that your current mattress is not providing enough comfort for your side sleeping position. The “pins and needles in the right arm” positioned under the pillow may be caused by blood circulation obstructions due to pressure from both sides. There is a bit more information about sleeping positions and posture this in this article here .
Also in arm numbness and shoulder pains cases, Phoenix often points out that “if the mattress is too firm then if you sleep on your side, your shoulders may not sink in enough to relieve pressure and your upper body can “twist” away from the pressure so your upper body is “twisted” more forward while the lower body is still on its side. This spinal twisting or torsion can twist the spine in the upper body and lead to soreness in the area of the twist. There is some much more detailed information on shoulder and arm issues in posts #2 and #3 here. I’d first try to determine if sleeping on a softer surface (more comfort) will address the “nerve pinching” and the pins and needles. You can accomplish this by placing a 1”-2" thin softer comfort layer atop of your mattress and see if this relieves any arm pains. A medium-firm mattress is a good choice for support and spinal alignment, but it may be a counterproductive when it comes to comfort especially for a side sleeping position. Can you determine what percentage of the night are you sleeping on your side? If the pains persist despite changing what seems to be an improper sleep setup for your side sleeping, you may also want to consult a medical professional as the tingling in your fingers may be something more serious.
The good news is that you have lots of options in your price range, Ideally, you would want to test out mattresses in person; some the mattresses you mentioned seem to be available in many ‘big box’ stores; These may be perfectly suitable for you, but a word of caution if you are considering any mattress with memory foam or poly materials. I would not buy anything without fully knowing both materials they use, (density and layer thickness being the most important in terms of durability and how long the mattress will maintain its shape). You say you are looking at Hybrids as you ‘like the traditional feel of coils’ – this feel is very popular among side sleepers. For comparison, you may also want to take a look at the offerings of theTrusted Members of the site. There are quite a few hybrid mattresses available from them that are close to or within your budget, and these manufacturers are of good quality with transparency in their materials and components and have great customer service.
You mentioned Arizona SleepEZ . I am guessing you are looking at their Latex Hybrid Mattress which is well within your budget. SleepEZ excel at matching sleepers with the right comfort and support providing you call and give them a bit of history and explain the pains you are experiencing,
Once you decide if you like the feel of latex or if you’ll stick with the old memory/polyfoam feel we can certainly comment on any specific mattresses you have narrowed your search to.
