My fiance is 5’10" and roughly 150 lbs, I’m 6’6" 200 lbs. She sleeps on mostly her chest with some side while I sleep mostly on my side and trade off between chest and back.
I have slept on a traditional pillow top mattress for the past three years that sank and became a pit after about a year and was hoping this new mattress would make it more than a month before having the same.
My fiance and I purchased an iComfort Revolution Cal King and have been mixed on if we like or dislike the mattress. We both fall asleep relatively easy in it but wake up in the early parts of the morning unable to get back to sleep as no position is comfortable.
This iComfort was purchased at the end of August and already has a noticeable dip in the middle of the bed and we will most likely be returning it. Unfortunately for us, we bought it from a Serta mattress store and will have to choose another one of the mattresses there if we wish to get anything besides the iComfort with our $2,300 of store credit.
I have read assorted threads on this site now and am looking to find a mattress there that isn’t as expensive as the iComfort that can be improved by mattress toppers such as the latex ones mentioned in recent threads.
My fiance likes the pocketed coil Vera Wang mattresses at the store and I’ve leaned her towards the barebones ones without any type of pillow or eurotop.
I am sure that most any mattress in the store will not last very long but I am looking for advice regarding the pocket coils and if mattress toppers are a good idea to achieve a more durable and form-fitting support.
We most certainly won’t be buying from there again but are stuck in a corner for this one.
As you’ve probably read … stomach sleeping generally does the best with the thinnest firmest comfort layer possible because a thicker softer comfort layer leads to stomach sleeping in a swayback position which can lead to back issues and general discomfort. Unfortunately, many of the Vera Wang models (like most of the iComforts) are too thick and soft on top and they are “targeted” towards many women who tend to have more pressure issues while side sleeping in their hips especially. These types of “thick/soft” comfort layers are the least suitable for a stomach sleeper. I also would avoid any pillowtops or eurotops as they are also not a good idea for primary stomach sleepers (or for anyone or any type of sleeping if they contain polyfoam or low density memory foam). he weakest link in any mattress is the low quality soft polyfoam or low density memory foam in the upper layers of a mattress (as you have discovered).
The needs of stomach sleeping are in “conflict” with side sleeping which needs a thicker softer comfort layer to relieve pressure on the hips. This also can become more difficult when the “conflicting” needs of two people need to be met in the same mattress (without side by side “split” zoning). In these cases the thinnest possible layer that provides good pressure relief for side sleeping would be best for all the other needs. She would need some softness for her pelvis and any other pressure sensitive areas and perhaps a little thicker than normal for a stomach sleeper to accommodate for her time spent on her side but again the thinner and firmer the better.
One other advantage (as you mentioned) of getting a firmer mattress is that you can always soften a mattress that is too firm or thin on top using toppers but it’s very difficult to “fix” a mattress that is already too thick or soft on top. Toppers also allow for a layer on one side of a mattress and not the other to accommodate different needs and sleeping positions. You also have the advantage of both being on the tall and slim side so your weight distribution may be fairly similar. A firmer “zone” in the middle of the support layer may also help here. It may also help if she were to use a pillow under her pelvis/lower abdomen and used a thin soft pillow for her stomach sleeping.
So all in all … I think you are on the right track and doing the best possible with the more limited choices you have available. Either the firmest/thinnest comfort layer in the Vera Wang line or similar in the Perfect Day line that fits the side sleeping or even better … the firmest thinnest comfort layer they have and then toppers to customize to your needs. The less polyfoam and low density memory foam you have in your mattress comfort layers the better.
The America’s Mattress store that we bought from has all serta but also tempurpedic mattresses. We can’t afford to go above the 2,300 we have invested in the iComfort Revo now but want to know if going with a lower-level tempurpedic might be a better option than the latex pad intervention method.
I’ve read through the light but curvy thread about the toppers but would prefer one solid piece if the tempurpedics under 2,500 are a better option.
Any feedback about the name-brand memory foam mattresses from TP?
Tempurpedic is certainly a high quality mattress and uses high quality memory foam and also has high quality polyfoam under the memory foam for support. The problem though is that it is overpriced as well compared to comparable quality memory foam over polyfoam mattresses. Memory foam is also very different from latex in many ways so the layering schemes between the two (the light and curvy thread is about latex layering) are not directly translatable.
I would base my decision on whether I liked a memory foam comfort layer better than a latex comfort layer as they have different qualities and feels. Memory foam changes with heat and humidity and also has no resilience or supportive qualities so its important to make sure that the memory foam layer isn’t too thick. In the Tempurpedic mattresses, this is rarely an issue although different layerings and thicknesses are an important part of choosing the “best” model for each individual. With memory foam in general … the first step is to make sure that the memory foam is good quality (which Tempurpedic has), the second step is to make sure that the layering is suitable for the individual. This would depend on what I call PPP which means pressure relief, posture or spinal alignment, and preferences. The articles about memory foam here and latex here may help you decide which is best for you.
You can have great pressure relief with either latex or memory foam (although they feel different they are roughly equal in this respect). The “trick” is to make sure that the thickness of the memory foam or latex layers on top of the mattress are suitable for your height/weight/ and sleeping positions. In your case as I mentioned in the previous post, the thinnest possible layer that works for your side sleeping would be best. Because memory foam has a tendency to “creep” (you sink lower into it over the course of the night even if the temperature and humidity don’t change), it is not as good a choice for back issues or stomach sleeping in many cases but this too is not an “absolute” and depends on the layering of the materials.
Tempurpedic in your situation may not be a bad choice as it is certainly a quality mattress and you are in a position where getting “good value” is not an option. If I was considering these I would test out the Contour collection and avoid the Cloud series (because of the thickness and softness of the memory foam) and the HD series (because of the cost).
Without knowing the specific models of the Sertas they have available it’s difficult to make a recommendation but my own personal preference would be to go with the “bare bones” latex and then add toppers if necessary (a European style mattress). If you do decide to go with the Serta … the option with the absolute least amount of polyfoam would be the best and then you can add comfort using a much better material.