Need help narrowing down

It is time for a new mattress, and I’m excited, yet kinda overloaded with the amount of options. For years I slept on a 4 inch rollable mattress which rested on a wooden cot. Although this seems like it would be uncomfortable, I actually got the best sleep of my life on that mattress. Not sure if there are other factors that contributed to that, possible the stress and fatigue of military school helped me fall asleep, but I have fond memories of that little mattress.

However, for the past three years I have slept on a traditional spring mattress, which I find extremely uncomfortable, and after only 3 years it is noticeably worn. It now has a sizeable indentation in the middle of the bed, and needs to be changed immediately. Also, I constantly wake up fatigued and rarely feel well rested.

Last month I went to my brother’s place and layed on his new bed. I had gone there after work, and was a little fatigued, within 5 minutes (or felt like 5 minutes) I was knocked out. When my brother woke me up and told me to get off of his bed, which i had been sleeping on peacefully for two hours, i felt very refreshed.

My brother’s mattress is apparently a latex/foam hybrid. It is made by a subsidiary company to Brooklyn Bedding. It is extremely soft and you sink into it. I don’t necessarily think this is a good thing, since I likely need more support, and I assume durability in the mattress I purchase. I am now pushing 250 lbs and am only 5foot 8 inches. I am extremely dense, lots of muscle, and now lots of fat.

I really enjoyed the softness of the latex that my brother’s bed had, however, i have read that some of these foam/latex beds can get hot. I definitely do not want that since, I already sleep hot. I need a bed that will either be neutral or cool. The bed must be able to hold up to my weight over several years, and yet not be overly firm. I have a cooling foam pillow which is way too firm, and is uncomfortable to sleep on.

What type of layering should I be looking for, and are there any products that meet these requirements. Also for me, I am on a budget. I basically want to get the best bed around $500. I have found several affordable models on Amazon.com. I have started looking at a lucid bed, and wanted to know if anyone thinks this bed would fit my needs. It seems in the price range for a queen sized bed, which is what I am looking for. Is the Lucid 16 inch Plush Memory Foam and Latex Mattress Four-Layer - Infused with Bamboo Charcoal - Natural Latex and CertiPUR-US Certified Foam. Is this is a quality mattress?

The ratio for that mattress is 1 inch bamboo charcoal memory foam, 3 inch gel vented memory foam, 2 inch natural latex, and 10 inch supportive high density base foam.

Hi Bigdon2013,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum!:slight_smile:

Surface comfort (softness) and support are two different things, and you can have good support and still a soft surface comfort. You may personally prefer a firmer surface comfort, having a higher body mass. For a higher BMI, the key will be finding componentry that will be of appropriate quality for your specific situation, which will then give you the best chance at have a successful comfort life, so I would always make sure that you find out information listed here so you can compare the quality of the materials and components. Those in a higher BMI range want to be especially prudent in the choice of their components. For those in a higher BMI range, there is more information about selecting a mattress in the durability guidelines here. Specifically, if your BMI is 30 or higher:

Higher BMI ranges will need more durable materials and components in a mattress and in a BMI range of 30 or higher I would include any 1.8 lb polyfoam or 4 lb memory foam as a “lower quality/density” material (relative to a higher BMI only) and minimize their use to a total of “about an inch or so or less” in the mattress.

Polyurethane foam: If your mattress is one sided then I would look for 2.0 lb per cubic foot density or higher. If the mattress is two sided then I would use a minimum density of 1.8 lbs per cubic foot or higher.

Memory foam (or gel memory foam): If your mattress is one sided then I would make sure that any memory foam is at least 5 lb per cubic foot. If the mattress is two sided then I would use a minimum density of 4 lbs per cubic foot.

All foams are insulators to some extent, and they are just one part of your mattress microclimate. Post #2 here can help you choose the types of materials and components that are most likely to keep you in a comfortable temperature range. Generally speaking, Talalay latex is your most breathable foam, flowed by Dunlop latex, polyfoam and memory foam. An innerspring mattress can offer a bit more air circulation than some all-foam mattresses, but the items closest to your skin will have the greatest impact upon temperature. A firmer surface comfort, or a mattress that you are “on” more than “in”, will also tend to sleep a bit cooler. Don’t forget top of bed products like sheets and your mattress protector, your pajamas, bedroom temperature and even humidity. There really is quite a bit involved to assist you with sleeping as cool as possible, and the post I linked to covers this in great detail.

This makes things a little tougher for you, as the better quality and higher density materials will tend to be more expensive. I would not recommend the amazon mattress you mentioned. Instead, as you have a more restricted budget, post #4 here and the posts it links to include many of the better lower budget online options I’m aware of. You can see some comments about Lucid and other Chinese mattresses that are shipped compressed from overseas in post #6 here . A forum search on Lucid (you can just click the link) will also bring up more comments and feedback about them as well. Lucid mattresses tend to use low quality memory foam (3 lb density or less) which would be a weak link in the mattress in terms of durability and they generally aren’t a mattress that I would consider.

Even though you’re on a limited budget, the mattress shopping tutorial will have quite a bit proof useful information that can guide you through this process, in addition to the information I just provided you.

Let me know if you have other questions after you’ve had the time to read through this information.

Phoenix

ok, so the two cheaper models of the dream foam bedding are ULTIMATE DREAMS LATEX, and ULTIMATE DREAMS EUROTOP. I am not sure if these mattresses are one side or two. I asked the girl in the IM chat on their website, and she doesn’t know the difference between one sided or two… and neither do I. but according to their website, the Eurotop model uses 2lb poly foam and the cheaper ultimate dreams uses 1.8lbs poly foam. I spoke with my brother and he has a full size version of the ultimate dreams latex, which put me to sleep in minutes. since i am a heavy guy, I am guessing that I should probably go with the eurotop, which is a little out of my price range?

with the eurotop at $900 for a queen, are there any other mattresses that would be comparable to quality with a lower price tag out there? any other brands that i should be looking at?

also i saw your post for coir fiber layer under the mattress. since i will be modifying the supports for my current bed, and also incorporating a sheet of plywood into the design, i think that would be an excellent solution to potential air flow issues that i may have with my bed frame when i am done modifying it.

Hi BigDon2013,

I find it extremely odd that the chat representative wouldn’t know that the mattress you’re asking about is one or two-sided. I’m also not quite sure what you mean by that you “don’t know the difference between one or two-sided” - I’m guessing you mean you’re not sure if their mattress is a one or two-sided product (as opposed to not knowing the difference between one and two-sided)? Just to be clear, as I don’t want to misunderstand your question, the mattress is one-sided and not a product that would be flipped. This has been the “norm” in the mattress industry for approximately the past 15 years. The photos on their web page show a one-sided mattress, as well as the cutaway photo. Perhaps you were wondering if the item was flippable with alternate feels on either side? In which case, it is not. I hope I didn’t make that too complicated, but I want to be sure I’m addressing any question you might have

The Ultimate Dreams Eurotop mattress uses a 2.0 lb. polyfoam core with 3" of Talalay latex on top, and 1.5" of polyfoam in the quilt. This mattress is customizable, offering you the ability to exchange a layer in case you initially choose the wrong comfort with your initial choice. The Ultimate Dreams Latex Mattress (which is more difficult to tell if it is one-sided from the photo until you look at the cutaway) uses a 6" 1.8 lb. polyfoam core with 3" of Talalay latex on top with 1.5" of polyfoam in the quilt. This mattress is not customizable.

Between these two items, The Eurotop uses a more durable base foam and has options for customizing the comfort, so it would be more appropriate for your mass. With both mattresses, you would phone Dreamfoam when placing your order and they will help select the firmness of the product that they feel will best suit you and your sleeping style. Both mattresses do come with a 90-night risk free trial, so you can return these mattresses if they unfortunately don’t work out as well as you had hoped.

If you decide to up your price point to the Eurotop level, you may wish to peruse the members listed in post #21 here who are all very experienced and knowledgeable and specialize in providing the type of help and guidance on the phone that can help you make good choices. There are a wide range of latex and other options included in the choices there and I believe that all of them compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, and transparency. Many of these products will be quite a bit above your price range, so I don’t know how many you’ll find that will fit your specific requirements, but it’s worth a look. Dreamfoam does offer some very good values in this price range.

Excellent idea!

Phoenix