Mattress "feel" shopping questions

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

I’ve done a fair bit of reading on this site and have gone to one of the recommended locations for my area but I’ve been having problems with choosing a mattress. They all felt pretty much the same to me, except for feeling more or less pressure around the small of my back.
I’m around 230 lbs and mostly side sleeper but also back and stomach.

There was a pocket coil with 2 inches of 1.8 foam and a one inch quilted top that felt in the ball park but still a pressure problem with lower back - when I mentioned this to the salesman he slid another inch or two of foam on top for me to lie down on and yeah it felt better but is that the best long term solution - just increasing the comfort foam layer? Is it a comfort or support issue?

Definitely it seemed anything that had a 1.5" comfort layer or less was too uncomfortable.
The beds were mostly pocket coil, one continuous and there was one fully latex that felt pretty good but not sure my wife was too keen on that one.

There was a continuous coil that felt not too bad and pretty soft but I noticed that it had I believe 1" 1.8 foam quilting and 2" memory foam and a 2" 1.5 lb foam comfort pad. It really seemed to pile on the foam but I wonder if the 2" 1.5lb might be a real weak point.

I guess I’m wondering that if I’m aiming for a mattress that feels like sleeping on a cloud how do I get there? Is it a simple alteration that the mattress manufacturer can do or is the feeling in the small of my back really more to do with. sleeping on a pretty worn out bed with a probably too soft memory foam topper?

2

Hi kad:

While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … It’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see post #2 here).

I’m assuming that you’ve read the mattress shopping tutorial here but 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”, firmness, 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 (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).

As you’re at 230 pounds, I’d lean more toward polyurethane foams that are 2.0 pounds in density or above. If 1.8 pounds, I’d keep it to a minimum of “an inch or so.” Because you sleep in all three positions (side, back and stomach), sleep ergonomic research would lean toward something that was substantial but not overly plush. If you desire the “sleeping like a cloud” feeling, you may wish to consider latex for the upper layer, as it will have more resiliency that a comparable polyurethane foam but it can also be quite plush at the same time.

You always want good firm support, and the innerspring unit is usually not the “weak link” in the mattress. If your mattress is “pretty worn out”, then that would certainly be a contributing factor to the bad feeling in your lower back.

While again nobody can speak to how any specific mattress will “feel” for someone else or whether it will be a good “match” in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances and you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress … outside of PPP (which is the most important part of “value”), the next 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 see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and 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 find out information listed here (it sounds like you’re doing a decent job at that) so you can compare the quality of the materials and components to the durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.

When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.

In its simplest form … choosing the “best possible” mattress for any particular person really comes down to FIRST finding a few knowledgeable and transparent retailers and/or manufacturers (either locally or online) that sell the types of mattresses that you are most interested in that are in a budget range you are comfortable with and that you have confirmed will provide you with the all the information you need about the materials and components inside the mattresses they sell so you will be able to make informed choices and meaningful comparisons between mattresses and then …

  1. Careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial) to make sure that a mattress is a good match for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP … and/or that you are comfortable with the options you have available to return, exchange, or “fine tune” the mattress and any costs involved if you can’t test a mattress in person or aren’t confident that your mattress is a suitable choice.

  2. Checking to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress you are considering relative to your weight/BMI range that could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress (see the durability guidelines here).

  3. Comparing your finalists for “value” based on #1 and #2 and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

Phoenix

3

Thanks for the reply. Very appreciated!
I’ve done a lot of reading here and have learned a bit on what to check for. I’ll do some more reading.

About this part:

I’ve just checked out places that have been recommended here and feel they were good recommendations but I want to feel confident I’m getting a fair deal. When I’ve talked to some of the salesmen ( and to be fair I didn’t really question or pursue the point), they made it sound like anything above 1.8 density was unusual and pointed out that higher ranges like 2.6 was just for chair cushions and not beds. So I guess I should push for 2lb density?
And you say to keep the 1.8 lb to an inch or less. This is where I’m a little confused how to evaluate - some of the beds with more than an inch of foam felt better than the thinner ones. And in fact, when I wasn’t totally happy with how one felt the salesman slid another pad of foam on top ( not sure what type) and it did feel better. But I don’t know if that was just a nice short term plushness kind of feel that would change after I was on it for a longer period of time.
I’d like to try a latex comfort layer but not sure that’s in the budget and a couple of places only had latex as a full bed, not any with it in the comfort layer.

4

Hi kad,

That’s certainly not true. It may be unusual for the items that a particular store may offer or be familiar with, but there are many products out there using 1.8 lb. or higher in polyfoam densities, and a “new breed” of higher density softer polyurethane foams are becoming more popular in the 3 lb. range. It all depends upon the manufacturer and what type of feel and quality they are looking to produce. With a higher BMI, you’ll have more durability with the higher density foams, 1.8 lb.+. 2 lb. would be better, 2.5 better yet (usually found in the deeper upholstery layers).

This means that if you have a bed with 1.8 lb. polyfoam, in your BMI I wouldn’t recommend that you have too much of this density of foam. It would benefit you to have more foam layers with higher density foams. It doesn’t mean that the mattress should only have 1" of foam, if that was what you were deriving from my post. Sorry if that was confusing. :unsure: Certainly 1.8 lb. is going to be better than anything you’ll find from the usual “S” brands, but I’m trying to provide the best recommendations for you that I can – not just “better than.” Because you’re worth it!

More foam layers can certainly offer more comfort, but you want to make sure that the foam layers you’re using are of quality that is appropriate for your particular situation. If you’re going to a store and they are changing layers for you, you’ll want to know the properties/density of each layer that is being changed (you didn’t provide the specifications in your reply). You can’t feel quality or durability – only initial comfort. And while that is important, you want to be sure that this product will serve you well for a reasonable period of time.

There are component beds that use latex as a top layer for durable plush comfort, but then use polyfoam cores or innerspring cores for the support layers to keep the cost down versus being all latex. If you’re desiring a durable plush layer (where the uppermost layers have the greatest effect upon your comfort), latex would certainly be a good choice.

Phoenix