Best mattress for chronic back pain? I've tried everything

[phoenix]

Hi vegister,

So I am wondering if the 2" is too thick, or the foam is too soft?

It could be one or the other or a combination of both but the only way to know would be based on your own sleeping experience and “symptoms”. Thickness and softness work together and are two of the variables that can affect how firm or soft a material feels (see post #4 here). If you were to use the same material in the same firmness/softness but reduce the thickness or if you were to use the same material but increase the firmness and the topper was on the same mattress then the risk of alignment issues would be lower in both cases but they would each have a different effect on the feel and performance of the mattress/topper combination and would “feel” different. If a mattress needs a “little to a fair bit” of additional pressure relief then I would tend to use a 2" topper in a slightly firmer version so you would have better pressure relief than only using a 1" topper which may only make a “touch to a little” bit of difference in pressure relief.

And if it would be helpful to have a slightly softer, medium-firm support layer? I am trying to get a basic idea of what I should look for in a latex mattress when I get around to buying one…though I imagine latex foam will have a totally different feeling, so perhaps it is not possible to say based on my past experiences what thickness and firmness of latex layers I should look for when I go mattress shopping.

I would avoid trying to choose a mattress based on theory or specs because there are so many variables involved that it can quickly lead to information overwhelm or “paralysis by analysis”. Every layer or component in a mattress will have an effect on every other layer or component but from a consumer perspective the only thing that is important is how well a mattress “as a whole” matches your own unique needs and preferences in terms of PPP. Even the most knowledgeable mattress designers with years of “hands on” experience with hundreds of different combinations of materials well often be surprised at the difference between how a mattress was “supposed” to feel and perform based on theory or the specs of individual layers or components and how it actually feels and performs in “real life”.

Will probably order from sleepez or one of your other members once I have tried out a few locally. I am 5’7" and 135 pounds and hubby is 5’11" and 180; we also usually have about 80 pounds worth of dogs on the bed. Would we likely do OK with a 7" mattress?

This would depend entirely on your own individual needs and preferences because the thickness of a mattress is really only a “side effect” of the combination of materials and components inside it and the overall design of the mattress. There is more about the effect of thickness in post #14 here but you may do well on one 7" mattress and another one that uses different materials or components or different firmness levels may be completely unsuitable for you to sleep on.

If you can’t test a mattress in person so that you can answer these types of questions based on your actual testing and experience then your best source of guidance will always be a more detailed conversation with a knowledgeable retailer or manufacturer that sells a mattress you are considering that can help “talk you through” the options they have available that would have the best chance of success based on the information you provide them about you, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept well on in the past, or any other information that may affect which mattress would be the best “match” for you that can help them to help you make the best possible choice (see post #2 here).

Phoenix