Mattress for back pain

Hi davess,

Thanks for taking the time to share your comments and feedback … I appreciate it :slight_smile:

[quote]My only questions is whether I should add a 4th inch of memory foam. Mike did say that they would switch out layers for us for the first 90 days if we weren’t satisfied after trying the mattress at home .

My question is (and I’ll speak to Mike about this as well) is how much difference adding a 4th inch of memory foam to the mattress will make in terms of feel. I realize that may be hard to answer, but would appreciate any thoughts. I wish I had tried that setup in the store today, but likely won’t be able to get back up there any time very soon.[/quote]

Adding the additional inch would make the mattress a little bit softer but unfortunately I can’t feel what you feel or see you sleeping on the mattress so there would be no way for me to know whether an additional inch of memory foam would be detrimental or beneficial for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP. Your own careful testing or personal experience would be the only reliable way to know.

If your sleeping experience indicates that the combination of layers that you are considering is too firm for you then adding the additional inch could be helpful but if your current combination of layers is already a good “match” for you in terms of PPP then the additional inch would increase the risk that it could be too soft which can lead to lower back pain and discomfort.

Assuming that you decide to pull the trigger … congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

You are certainly making a good quality/value choice and I’m looking forward to your comments and feedback once you’ve placed the order and received your mattress and have had the chance to sleep on it for a bit.

Phoenix

I pulled the trigger on a mattress with the specs listed above (I stuck with the 3-inch layer of memory foam). I will let you know how it’s going once I’ve had a couple weeks to try it out at home.

Hi davess,

Thanks for letting us know what you ended up deciding.

If I was in your shoes and had confirmed that the layering you tested was a good “match” in terms of PPP then I would likely have gone with the same combination rather than adding an additional inch of memory foam and taking the chance that it would have been too soft.

That would be great :slight_smile:

Phoenix

Our new Foam Order mattress arrived yesterday. So far so good, as I very much enjoyed the first night sleeping on it (and so did my wife), and I woke up with no pain. I realize that one night is not enough to really judge a mattress, so I’ll check back again in a couple weeks.

Delivery was great, as they sent two guys who brought it all the way up the stairs to our third floor walk-up and set it up on our platform. One thing I’ll note is that the layers aren’t lined up perfectly (I can feel edges sticking out), but I will deal with this once I’ve confirmed that this configuration works for us and we want to keep it. Mike from Foam Order has even agreed to come by and glue the layers together for us once we’re satisfied (although I’m not sure if this is advisable).

We also got a Foam Order organic wool mattress protector: Organic Mattress Covers | FoamOrder. Since I have no frame of reference, I can’t speak to whether it changes the feel of the mattress significantly, but so far it feels great.

We also got rid of our Leesa mattress. Leesa arranged to send 1-800-GOT-JUNK to pick up and recycle the mattress. They showed up on time and took the mattress with no issues. Leesa confirmed the pickup and told me that I will be refunded in 3-5 days (minus $25 for a Target gift card that I got as part of the purchase). So, while Leesa uses some lower quality materials in their mattresses (and I certainly wouldn’t recommend buying one), their customer service, at least is excellent.

Like I said, I’ll check back in after we’ve had a couple weeks to sleep on the new mattress.

Hi davess,

Thanks for the update … and so far so good :slight_smile:

Thanks for letting us know that your Leesa return went so smoothly as well.

Phoenix

Thanks Phoenix, it never would have happened without this website and your guidance.

Would you generally advise getting mattress components glued together (once we’re satisfied that we have the right combination, of course) or would you suggest keeping them loose so that they can be rotated periodically?

Hi davess,

There is more about the pros and cons of a “finished mattresses” that generally has glued layers vs a component mattresses with unglued layers and a zip cover in post #15 here and post #2 here.

I would personally leave the layers unglued so that you keep the advantage of being able to replace individual layers without having to replace the entire mattress if one of the layers softens or breaks down before the others (generally the top layer) or if your needs and preferences change down the road. While your layers may shift slightly with ongoing use over time or when you move the mattress … if this happens it’s a simple matter to open up the cover and “wave” them back into position again (without pulling or tugging which can tear or rip the material) so IMO the advantages of the unglued layers would be worth the tradeoff.

Phoenix

Thanks. I know I saw a post somewhere where you talk in detail about the frequency and direction that you recommend flipping mattress layers, but I can’t seem to find it. Do you happen to know the one I’m referring to?

As a side note, I’m impressed by your ability to pull up relevant posts at seemingly a moment’s notice. You must have a very good record-keeping system.

Hi davess,

I think you are referring to post #2 here.

I kind of “cheat” because I keep a list of several hundred reference posts that I use in my replies.

At some point in the future they will all be in a separate “research center” under itemized topics that will be easier to find than searching through the forum (and getting hundreds of results besides the post you are looking for) which will save me time in linking them in reply to questions but it will take some time to re-write or update or amalgamate some of the posts that contain duplicate information and remove any “extraneous” information as well before this happens.

Phoenix

That’s the one. Thanks again!

The mattress is breaking in a bit, and we’re still loving it. I took the cover off today to try to align the layers better, and it turns out that they’re not lined up because they are all slightly different sizes (the upper polyfoam layer is wider than the lower layer and so hangs off both sides, etc.). Functionally this doesn’t really make much difference, but it seems strange to feel the side of the mattress and not have it be even. Is this normal?

Hi davess,

It’s possible that one or more of the layers is either stretched or bunched and if you pick up the edge of the layers and “wave” them into position like you would a sheet (rather than pulling or pushing on the foam) then it may even out the layers.

It’s also not unusual for foam layers to have variances in their size in the range of =/- an inch but if one of them is clearly larger than the others then it’s not difficult to trim the excess off. There are some instructions for cutting foam in post #3 here and some additional posts about cutting foam with more comments and some pictures in post #19 here and post #1 here. Foam Order would also be able to trim it for you as well.

Phoenix

Thanks Phoenix. We will probably let it break in for a few more weeks, and then if we’re still happy with it ask Foam Order to come adjust it. Will keep you posted.

I’ve been sleeping on my new mattress for almost a month now, and it’s been great, with one exception. It supports me well, and I haven’t been having back pain, and I like the feel of it a lot. The only issue is that my hand has been falling asleep. I used to sometimes sleep with my arm under the pillow, which would cause that arm/hand to get numb, but that’s not the case here. After I got the new mattress I also bought a new pillow (after some trial and error with latex pillows that weren’t quite right I ended up with the Biogreen Trillow, which I like a lot) and so have been sleeping with both arms free.

Strangely (at least to me) it’s the opposite hand that’s been falling asleep – I’m a side sleeper, and mostly sleep on my right side with my left arm resting on top of my body. I’ve been waking up generally once a night with my left hand very much asleep. Any ideas what could be causing this?

Hi davess,

Thanks for the update … I appreciate it

It’s great to hear that your mattress is working out well for you and that you aren’t experiencing any back pain.

While it doesn’t sound like a mattress issue … I don’t know what could be causing this except to say that there is most likely something in your sleeping posture that is causing some restriction of circulation in your hand or the arm above it (wrist, elbow, or shoulder) that is causing your hand to fall asleep. It may be worth putting a thin pillow in between your upper arm and your torso to see if it helps.

Phoenix

Thanks Phoenix. I’m excited to finally have a mattress that works for me, and I have a feeling that, with the quality of the materials that Foam Order uses, it will last for quite a long time!

davess wrote:

I’ll add to the comments that Phoenix left.

It certainly could be something environmental (a change in your body) that coincidentally corresponds to the mattress changes you’ve made. With the pillow change it could also result in a different lateral angle of your cervical region that could be causing this phenomenon.

Besides the pillow idea Phoenix mentioned, you could also try using a large pillow or a body pillow up against your torso, creating a ledge upon which you could rest your free arm. This happens to work well for me.

Additionally, you can consider performing some basic flexibility movements for your upper torso / neck area.

You should be able to feel some relief between the ideas presented here and from Phoenix.

Good luck!

Thanks!

Just a quick update here: 9 months later and still loving the mattress. It’s broken in nicely, and provides exactly the support and comfort I needed. Very happy with the purchase.

[quote=“Phoenix” post=62343]Hi davess,

Thanks for the update … I appreciate it

It’s great to hear that your mattress is working out well for you and that you aren’t experiencing any back pain.

While it doesn’t sound like a mattress issue … I don’t know what could be causing this except to say that there is most likely something in your sleeping posture that is causing some restriction of circulation in your hand or the arm above it (wrist, elbow, or shoulder) that is causing your hand to fall asleep. It may be worth putting a thin pillow in between your upper arm and your torso to see if it helps.

Phoenix[/quote]

Hi davess,

Thank you once again for taking the time to provide an update. I’m happy that you’re still sleeping well and are happy with your purchase. :cheer:

Phoenix