Mattress for Mom

Mattress Talk General Mattresses Questions
1

This forum is great and helped me figure out the right mattress solution for myself and now I’d like some help for my mom. Her situation is more complicated than mine and we could use some expert input!

Her stats & sleep style:

  • 155 lb, 5’3”, 68 years old
  • Side and stomach sleeper
  • Wants a medium feel

What she’s looking for in a mattress:

  • Queen Hybrid construction (open to either memory foam or latex hybrid)
  • Responsive, not sinking. She doesn’t like that classic deep-sink memory foam feel
  • Needs good pressure relief, especially for shoulders (big priority), and also for knees and feet
  • Must be adjustable-base friendly, since she’s planning on getting an adjustable frame (zero-gravity)

What she’s liked so far:

  • She tried a Beautyrest Black Series 3 – Medium Hybrid and liked it
  • She also slept on my 2” latex topper over an older innerspring mattress and didn’t experience any shoulder pain in the morning which had become the norm! So this is making me think maybe latex would be good for her, but she’s very open.

Budget:

  • Around $3,000 for mattress + frame, but she’s willing to go up to $5,000 total if it’s worth it

Looking for:

  • Mattress recommendations that match the above profile — hybrid, medium, no heavy sinking feeling, good pressure relief for shoulders, knees, foot
  • Thoughts on latex vs memory foam hybrids for her body type and sleep style
  • Thoughts on adjustable bases that are zero gravity? She definitely wants an adjustable base but is zero gravity necessary if she gets a good mattress that provides pressure relief? Recommendations would be great too

Thanks in advance and happy to provide more details if needed!

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2

Shameless plug, but if she liked the Beautyrest, it might be worth considering the DLX Premier Hybrid 14" in Soft.

Folks of similar weight and sleep position find it comfortable and those who like the Beautyrest Black often find the Premier to be comfortable as well. It works on most adjustable bases and sounds like it is within your budget so it sounds like it checks all of the boxes.

We would recommend the 14" over the 12" in our Premier because the 12" uses a shorter coil and provides a firmer feel. Given that she wants pressure relief in the shoulders for side sleeping, the 14" with the 8" coil provides a little more cushioning. The Beautyrest also uses an 8" pocket coil for what it’s worth.

Given that she liked the Beautyrest Medium, we would recommend the Soft as the Beautyrest uses lower-density foams which can give a softer feel even at the same firmness rating.

The nice thing with the Premier is that it has a zipper, so if we miss the mark, she is not stuck. We ask that you sleep on the mattress for 30 days to allow your body to adjust and the mattress to break in. After that, get in touch with us. We will have some questions and a few temporary in-home tests to figure out the best solution and which layer to send out. We do a one-time adjustment at no cost within the first 120 nights.

We would not recommend starting with latex given her height, weight, sleep position, and preference for the Beautyrest. Latex is known to be buoyant and resilient where you sleep more on it than in it so it can feel firmer to some people. Please note that within the first 120 days, you can upgrade to latex. The cost would simply be the difference between the LatexLux and the Premier which are identical beyond the 3" comfort layer. We would send out a latex layer to replace the 3" comfort layer converting the mattress to the LatexLux.

Keep in mind that shoulder pain is usually a combination of having enough cushioning in the mattress to alleviate pressure and having the right pillow. For side sleeping, you want a pillow that is thick enough and firm enough to keep the head in a neutral position. If it is too thin or too soft, the head will tilt toward the mattress. As the head tilts, the shoulder is driven further into the mattress reaching the firmer support layers and increasing pressure on the shoulder.

Latex might ultimately be the right fit, but the latex topper may have helped with shoulder pain because it added additional cushioning.

As for the adjustable base, there are a lot of good options out there. Leggett & Platt makes some solid models. The main thing we care about is proper support. We want the decking which is the part that does not bend to be made of at least 5/8" thick plywood, MDF, or a similar material. Models that use a metal wire grid or widely spaced bars can be problematic because they may not properly support the mattress. The gaps can make the mattress feel softer than expected and over time we have seen wire grids deform which can contribute to sagging. Also, look for a weight capacity of at least 650 pounds which should be sufficient.

Hope this helps!

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3

I don’t find this a shameless plug at all, not in the very least. My mother-in-law, who unfortunately passed this past November, had purchased a $3k+ BeautyRest from a respected large regional furniture chain store just over few years ago or so (without consulting me first, stubborn!). Just prior to that time, she had undergone hip and knee replacement surgery.

In less than 14 months, the BR developed a basketball-sized sag in the mattress right under her hip. Despite the fact that they included their “own” extra warranty, the process was going to be time-consuming and a hassle. Pictures, emails, phone calls, anything they could do to stall. As a result of a newly diagnosed ailment, time was not on our side.

I contacted @DLX and had them craft a Premier Hybrid in a queen, with the side she normally slept on in a firm and the opposite side in a medium. Since she was not in a position to test the mattress, I knew she liked the feel of the firm premium BeautyRest, so in my mind, DLX was the logical choice for her. They built and had the mattress delivered in less than a week, and @yawnder was able to deliver their yawnder4 adjustable base with the massage feature, which turned out to be great for her leg circulation.

The @DLX firm met every bit of her expectations, and her hip pain almost completely disappeared during the nearly two years she slept on the mattress. I was obsessed with checking the mattress for any abnormalities that might have developed, and even after she was gone, the mattress looked like the day it arrived, not a mark, depression, sag, nothing.

I always say, quality matters. Materials matter. Thoughtful construction matters. DLX hits the mark every time. Of course, comfort is personal and subjective, but with DLX there are at least 7 different firmness levels they offer in their Premier Hybrid/LatexLux series. So one would be hard pressed not to find a comfort level they find appealing.

The other nice thing is their customer service and their no hassles guarantee. Are they the only mattress out there that will work? I am certain there are others, but this is one that first hand experience tells a story with a happy mattress ending, that relieved the pain she endured with her previous mattress.

And if you are wondering about mattress warranties from the big box Legacy Brand players, you might find this conversation I had in this forum a while back, very interesting.

Hope this helps.

Maverick

4

A latex hybrid will give you a floating feeling vs sinking feeling. We introduced the very first latex hybrid that could be rolled and shipped back in 2014 on this very forum. Memory foam has no push back aka support so stay away from anything with memory foam. You might want to take a look at our Eco Sleep Hybrid which used pocketed coils and 3" of Talalay latex on top. It also works perfectly on adjustable bases - Eco Sleep Hybrid Latex / Coil Mattress, Latex Mattresses-Talalay and Dunlop, All Products, and don’t let the price fool you, this is a quality built mattress. You have 2 options for the coils and I would choose the upgraded Bolsa coil system which works very well especially for side sleepers. In addition I would choose the Medium Talalay for the comfort layer. Let me know if you have any questions after viewing.

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5

Thank you all! This is really helpful info. I’ll talk to my mom and if we have more questions I’ll come back or reach out directly. But I’m already feeling more confident we’ll be able to find a solution to help with this pain. I appreciate it!

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6

Where are you located? I would recommend going into the store to try them. Latex is the best for most people, but not all the time. It can be on the firmer side for some people, and also does not off the best edge support for sitting if there was mobility issues and someone needed a firmer edge.

Do not get me wrong, I sleep on a latex and it is by far our most popular mattress, but it doesnt mean its the best for everyone.

Do not hesitate to reach out if you had any additional questions.

-James

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Thanks James! She is located in Philly and could travel around the Philadelphia area to try it out. I haven’t been very successful in finding showrooms with latex mattress. Do you have suggestions for that area?

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8

Unfortunately I dont have suggestions for showrooms. Our showroom is about an hour and a half from center city and we deliver to Philly almost weekly. I know its a bit of a drive, but for something that is so important, it may make sense to make the drive.

Anything else, feel free to reach out directly.

James
Shovlin Mattress Factory
908-322-4178

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9

Go with dlx premier hybrid medium i think

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