Mattress Poor - here we go again - need help

This is my first post, so I hope you’ll be patient with me. My wife and I have spent well more than $15k on mattresses over the past 10 years. For the most part, it’s because like so many others, I have chronic back pain. I’ve tried several major brands, Original Mattress Factory, Tempurpedic, a major brand version of the Tempurpedic, kings down and others. One was too firm, the next too soft. I now have dual adjustable off brand memory foam. My wife sweats a lot in (and I do mean in) it, and my large size 6’1" 270, has made my side lower than hers, with a big space in between us. That makes romance on the bed almost impossible. I’ve read a lot on this site, which is very helpful. I’m counting out any more memory foam. I was going to try air chambers, but I’ve decided thats out too, I don’t want more ridges or lumps. Ideally, I’d like to try a coil spring bed with a latex top comfort layer. That will reduce motion transfer, more than continuous coil, I think, and give a resilient comfort layer that should be less not than foam. I also want to try a latex bed, with the better latex (forgot the name). I live northwest of Atlanta. Original Mattress Factory sells a latex bed (so I can try it out) but they don’t accept returns. After all I’ve spent, I don’t want a non returnable bed.

Do you think latex is much less hot feeling than memory foam? How much does it soften over time? I read Amazon reviews on one of the latex beds highly thought of on this site and there were negative reviews that it got much softer over time, so people should buy a “4” firmness instead of a “6”. That worries me.

i read on this site that the comfort layer will normally go before the coils in almost any bed. True? Do individually wrapped coils have an advantage over non wrapped coils? Does a coil box spring really provide an advantage? Can you suggest anywhere either in my area or online (or a manufacturer) of a good individual coil bed with a latex and or gel comfort layer worth trying?

I’m looking for a regular king sized bed and box spring combo. My ideal price is $2000, but as you’re site says, I’d go higher if I found the perfect bed (even to $3k). I really look forward to your guidance. I’m going to try a couple of latex beds locally, but can’t seem to find any individual coil beds. My wife loved the Heavenly bed at the Westin, but I’ve read recommendations against hotel,beds, so that is likely out as well. I’m willing to try online as long as the return policy is true and honest. I can’t keep spending money on mattresses, so trying to do a better job this time. Please help.

Hi Jonathan,

The first place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice that fits all your criteria … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.

Post #3 here also includes more information about choosing a mattress for those that are in a higher weight range because you will need to pay even more attention to making sure that any mattress you purchase uses high quality and durable materials.

You can read a little more about memory foam and sex in post #2 here and there are many others that prefer more resilient materials for the same reason…

There is more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here but all latex is a high quality and durable material compared to other types of foam.

There is more about the many variables that can affect sleeping temperature in post #2 here but in very general terms latex is the most breathable and “coolest” of all the foam materials and memory foam tends to be the warmest. I would also keep in mind that the type of cover and quilting that is used in the mattress along with the type of mattress protector, any mattress pad, or the type of sheets and bedding you use can also have a significant effect on the sleeping temperature of a mattress regardless of the type of foam that is used in the mattress.

There is also more about how latex compares to memory foam in post #2 here.

This depends on the specifics of the mattress and the person sleeping on it so there is no way to quantify this specifically but there is more information about the many variables that can affect durability and the useful life of a mattress in post #4 here and the posts it links to. Latex in general though will soften and break down more slowly than other types of foam materials.

I would be very cautions about using reviews (either positive or negative) as a meaningful source of information see post #13 here.

When you see reports of “foam softening” with latex … outside of the very rare material defects that can happen from time to time … it’s usually the result of someone who chooses a mattress that was “on the edge” of being too soft for their body type and sleeping positions so that even a very small amount of foam softening that will happen with any material (less with latex than other types of foam) was enough to put them “over the edge” of the comfort and support range that was suitable for them or are the result of other layers in a mattress (besides the latex) that are lower density than would be suitable for someone’s body type (especially if they are in a higher than average weight range). These types of comments are almost always the result of making unsuitable firmness choice in the first place or the result of deeper layers that are lower density than would be suitable for the body type of a particular person rather than from any unusual latex softening. You can see more detailed comments about this in post #2 here.

As you can see in the previous posts I linked … this is usually true yes.

There is more about the different types of innersprings in this article and in post #10 here.

The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the Atlanta area (subject to the guidelines here) are listed in post #2 here but you will need to check their websites or call them to see if any of them have a mattress on their floor which meets your specific criteria (I don’t keep a record of all the thousands of individual mattresses that are available at the manufacturers or retailers that are included in the hundreds of local lists in the forum which would be more than anyone could keep up with in a constantly changing market).

The tutorial post also includes a link to a list of the members of this site that sell mattresses online (in the optional online step) and some of these also make latex/innerspring hybrids. There are also some sources for latex/innerspring hybrids in post #2 here.

Phoenix