First off let me say I am so happy I found this site. I’m a new grad buying a mattress for the first time and I am amazed at how many choices there are when it comes to what one sleeps on. I was particularly interested in a memory foam mattress and have only recently thought about a latex mattress. I tend to carry stress in my shoulders and back and my current worn out mattress is causing me to not sleep. Basically I need a new mattress and I don’t really want to spend over $750 but could go higher if convinced it’s
worth it. So in the end would a latex or memory foam mattress be better for my back/wallet?
Hi SleepyGirl557,
The first place I would start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that you will need to make the best possible choice … and know how and why to avoid the worst ones.
There is no specific material that is either better or worse for backs. The goal of a mattress is to find a design (regardless of the materials or components inside it) that keeps you in good alignment in all your sleeping positions. The type of mattress and the materials or components inside it are a matter of personal preference.
Post #2 here also has more information about latex vs memory foam.
Phoenix
Hi SleepyGirl557, I think there are tradeoffs with either. The biggest difference is going to be which one feels better to you. Some love memory foam, it can be very pressure relieving (although doesn’t necessarily mean good for bad backs). They tend to be more affordable than latex (all latex at least). Some get just as much pressure relief from latex, while others’ bodies tend to ‘struggle’ with it causing tension. You won’t know if that’s you unless you’re able to try one for awhile.
I don’t have any concrete ‘proof’ but I would think most latex would last longer than most memory foam mattresses. They’re also usually more money up front. (9" thick queen, about the least expensive for all latex is around $1000 or $100/inch last I checked). On the other hand latex is probably more similar between options since there are fewer manufacturers of latex. Memory foams from what I’ve read can be a real roll of the dice as far as finding a foam that holds up, retains it’s memory properties, resists softening up prematurely since there’s so many different manufacturers from high end (tempur) to low end imports. Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be any general consensus that I’ve run across. Some people have had good luck with imported budget memory foams, others have had less than stellar performance from name brand u.s. made foams - and vice versa. It’s not as simple as saying low cost imports don’t work and tempur brand is the only way to go. Seems like everyone has their own special formula for memory foams. Also depends on the other base foams used in the mattress as to how well it holds up or how soft/firm it is.
In the $750 and under range, I’m guessing that would match memory foam or latex hybrid mattresses. The best way would be to find one that offered an in home trial of some sort to give you several nights sleeping on it to make sure it works with your back the whole night through. Sometimes something that feels comfy for 20-30min may have a different feel several hours into the night. Another thing that might help, if you come across one you’re interested in is to post it here and ask about it. There are a few ‘latex’ mattresses that are being sold cheap (for latex) online and fail to mention they’re either synthetic or engineered to ‘feel’ like latex (while not being latex at all - synthetic or otherwise) and just a fancy name for mystery foam that may be unpredictable. Hope this helps you out some.