So I’m in need of some help, everywhere I look on line, I get more and more confused. About 10 days ago my wife and I purchased a Medium Brooklyn Bedding Mattress.
I thought I did enough research and had my wife read up on them enough but that’s just not the case. The mattress arrived in a quick manner, we got it set up and in about 5 hours went to lay down on it for the first time. It felt a little firm at first but I expected that from what I read.
We slept on it the first night and my wife woke up saying she had major lower back pain! She’s NEVER complained of back pain before, that was left up to just me!
She’s been a sport and giving it a try but 10 mornings of her waking up with back pain just isn’t worth it so far. She says her issue is that she doesn’t feel like she’s sleeping “in” the mattress but “on” it instead. She much prefers to feel like she’s “in” it.
BBM is sending me a complimentary mattress topper so we’ll see if that helps at all but now we’re looking at others that would give her the feeling of sleeping “in” a mattress.
So here’s what we know we’re looking for:
Sense of sleeping “in” the mattress
At the same time trying to be as cool as possible (I tend to sleep hot)
Good for all positions of sleep
Good at motion isolation (bbm is ok but not great at it)
Not too firm, maybe a medium or medium soft
Good for lower back pain
Can anyone give me any feedback on these mattresses or recommend others? I’m looking to stay at the sub $1,000 but would go up to $1,500 for the right mattress! I just can’t justify more than that like the tempurpedics would cost.
[quote]So I’m in need of some help, everywhere I look on line, I get more and more confused. About 10 days ago my wife and I purchased a Medium Brooklyn Bedding Mattress.
I thought I did enough research and had my wife read up on them enough but that’s just not the case. The mattress arrived in a quick manner, we got it set up and in about 5 hours went to lay down on it for the first time. It felt a little firm at first but I expected that from what I read.
We slept on it the first night and my wife woke up saying she had major lower back pain! She’s NEVER complained of back pain before, that was left up to just me!
She’s been a sport and giving it a try but 10 mornings of her waking up with back pain just isn’t worth it so far. She says her issue is that she doesn’t feel like she’s sleeping “in” the mattress but “on” it instead. She much prefers to feel like she’s “in” it.
BBM is sending me a complimentary mattress topper so we’ll see if that helps at all but now we’re looking at others that would give her the feeling of sleeping “in” a mattress.[/quote]
There will be a break in and adjustment period for any new mattress or sleeping system as the mattress loses any of it’s “false firmness” and the cover stretches and loosens a little and the materials settle and your body gets used to a sleeping surface that is different from what it is used to (see post #3 here). This could typically be a few weeks but it can be shorter or longer depending on the specifics of the person and the mattress (higher density materials can take longer) and it can be surprising to some people how much their sleeping experience can change over the course of the first few weeks.
If you continue to have “symptoms” of soreness or discomfort after the first few weeks then it would be more likely that the mattress you chose just isn’t a suitable “match” for you in terms of comfort, firmness, or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) and you could either add a topper (if the mattress is too firm), exchange it for a different mattress, or return it for a refund and choose a different mattress that will hopefully be a better “match” for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP.
As far as sleeping “in” a mattress vs sleeping “on” a mattress … this is just part of the feel and performance of latex and is the reason that many people like it as much as they do and others don’t like it as much as other materials. In other words this is just a preference. Memory foam would typically have a more “in the mattress” feel and there is more about some of the differences between memory foam and latex in post #2 here.
Assuming that the materials in a mattress you are considering are durable enough for your body type and meet the durability guidelines here relative to your weight range … the choice between different types and combinations of materials and components or different types of mattresses are more of a preference and a budget choice than a “better/worse” choice (see this article). The best way to know which types of materials or mattresses you tend to prefer in general terms will be based on your own local testing or your own personal experience.
Each mattress category can also include hundreds or sometimes even thousands of different mattresses with a very wide range of different designs, different “feels”, different characteristics, and different firmness levels. Every individual layer and component in a mattress (including the cover and any quilting material) will affect the feel and response of every other layer and component both above and below it and the mattress “as a whole” so each mattress category will generally include some mattresses that have a design that will be a good “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP and others that use the same type of materials and components and are in the same category and may be just as durable but have a different design or firmness level that may be completely unsuitable for you to sleep on … even if it uses the same general type of materials and components.
Again … sleeping “in” or “on” a mattress is about the type of materials that you tend to prefer.
It’s not really possible to quantify the sleeping temperature of a mattress for any particular person with any real accuracy because there are so many variables involved including the type of mattress protector and the sheets and bedding that you use (which in many cases can have just as significant an effect on sleeping temperature as the type of foam in a mattress) and on where you are in the “oven to iceberg” range and because there is no standardized testing for temperature regulation with different combinations of materials … there is more about the many variables that can affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress or sleeping system in post #2 here that can help you choose the types of materials and components that are most likely to keep you in a comfortable temperature range.
In very general terms … the materials, layers, and components of a sleeping system that are closer to your skin will have a bigger effect on airflow, moisture transport, and temperature regulation than materials, layers, and components that are further away from your skin and softer mattresses or foam toppers will tend to be more “insulating” and for some people can sleep warmer than firmer versions of the same material.
While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … It’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
Again … the only way to know for certain whether any mattress will be a good “match” for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP will be based on your own careful testing or your own personal experience when you sleep on the mattress.
There is more about motion transfer in post #18 here. Memory foam is the best at motion transfer but latex, pocket coils, microcoils, buckling column gel, and even polyfoam are generally good as well but it will depend to some degree on the specific design of the mattress, on your relative weight ranges, and your sleeping style (such as how close you sleep together). Pocket coils are generally good for motion transfer unlike innersprings that are linked with helicals which are generally poor to fair depending on the specifics of the innerspring and the foam layers above it. Just as an example most people will tell you that a mattress that uses latex comfort layers such as the BME would be relatively good at motion isolation but there are also some that will tell you otherwise which is a good example of why once again the most reliable way to know whether a mattress is “motion isolating enough” for you would be based on your own careful testing or your own personal experience with both of you on the mattress in the positions you normally sleep in.
There are no “standard” definitions or consensus of opinions for firmness ratings and different manufacturers can rate their mattresses very differently than others so a mattress that one manufacturer rates as being a specific firmness could be rated very differently by another manufacturer. Different people can also have very different perceptions of firmness and softness compared to others as well and a mattress that feels firm for one person can feel like “medium” for someone else or even “soft” for someone else (or vice versa) depending on their body type, sleeping style, physiology, their frame of reference based on what they are used to, and their individual sensitivity and perceptions. There are also different types of firmness and softness that different people may be sensitive to that can affect how they “rate” a mattress as well (see post #15 here) so different people can also have very different opinions on how two mattresses compare in terms of firmness. This is all relative and very subjective and is as much an art as a science.
There is no such thing as a type of mattress or material or a specific mattress that is good for back pain in general terms … there is only a mattress that is good for “your” back pain regardless of whether the same mattress would be good for anyone else that has similar back pain.
The single most important function in a mattress is to keep your spine and joints in neutral alignment in all your sleeping positions over the course of the night and a mattress that keeps you in good alignment and that also provides good pressure relief would have the best possible chance of preventing back pain for someone that doesn’t have any pre existing back pain and would also be the best choice for someone that does have pre existing back pain to help prevent the mattress from making it any worse s much as possible. Again though the only way to know whether a mattress keeps your spine and joints in good alignment and/or provides good pressure relief will be based on your own careful testing or your own personal experience.
While other people’s comments about the knowledge and service of a particular store or business can certainly be very helpful … I would always keep in mind that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress so I would be very cautious about about using anyone else’s suggestions, experiences or reviews on a specific mattress (either positive or negative) or review sites in general as a reliable source of information or guidance about how you will feel on the same mattress or how suitable or how durable a mattress may be for you. In many if not most cases they can be more misleading than helpful because a mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person or even a larger group of people in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (even if they are in a similar weight range). In other words … reviews or other people’s experiences in general won’t tell you much if anything about the suitability, quality, durability, or “value” of a mattress for any particular person (see post #13 here).
I’m not sure what you’ve read since you found the site but if you do decide to return the mattress and start over again then the best 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 … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.
Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” and PPP that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
While again nobody can speak to how any specific mattress will “feel” for someone else or whether it will be a good “match” in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances and you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress … outside of PPP (which is the most important part of “value”), the next most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new so I would always make sure that you find out information listed here so you can compare the materials and components to the quality/durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.
You can see some comments about Leesa, Brooklyn Bedding, Lull, and Ghostbed and the type and quality of the materials they contain inside them along with many of the other what I call “simplified choice” mattresses in post #2 here and the first post in the same topic would also be well worth reading. Forum searches on each of them (using the search tab on top of the forum) will also bring up much more information and feedback about them as well.
When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
I would always keep in mind that there is no such thing as “one mattress fits all” and any specific mattress may be the “best” match for a relatively small percentage of people, a “good” match for a larger percentage, and an “OK” match for a larger percentage yet but the only way to know for certain whether a mattress you end up choosing will be a “good enough” match for you to keep it (even if it isn’t the “best match” out of all the mattresses that you “could have tried” instead) will be based on careful testing in a store and/or your own personal experience when you sleep on it.
Many online mattresses (including the ones you mentioned) have a good trial period and return policy so you can try them in your bedroom instead of a showroom with little risk (outside of the time you spend sleeping on it and/or returning it if that becomes necessary or any costs involved in the return process) so if it’s not a “good enough” match for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP you can just return it and try another mattress if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for but once again you will only know whether it’s “good enough” and you won’t know whether it would have been better or worse or how it compares to other mattresses that you could have purchased instead that you haven’t actually tried in person. This is one of the disadvantages of buying a mattress online that you can only try “one at a time” vs local testing in a store where you can compare many mattresses side by side at the same time.
If you are considering online options in general then outside of the simplified choice list the mattress shopping tutorial includes several other links to lists of many of the better online options I’m aware of (in the optional online step) that include many different types and categories of mattresses that use different materials and components in a wide range of designs, budgets, firmness levels, and with different return/exchange policies that may be well worth considering.
If you are interested specifically in memory foam mattresses then this link in the tutorial is to a list of some of the better online memory foam options I’m aware of. Several of them make memory foam mattresses that they describe as being reasonable approximations of the general firmness of many of the Tempurpedic mattresses and many of the other retailers or manufacturers that are on the list that don’t specifically describe their mattresses as being similar to one of the Tempurpedic models would probably also be able to give you more information about which of their mattress would be the closest approximation to a specific Tempurpedic mattress that you prefer as well so you can do some local testing on Tempurpedic mattress to give you a frame of reference that can help you choose an online memory foam mattress.
If you are also interested in local mattresses that you can test in person and compare to each other before a purchase rather than “testing” online mattresses one at a time then if you let me know your city or zip code I’d be happy to let you know about the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area.
I know this is a lot of information but you asked many questions that can only be answered based on your own careful testing or your personal experience but in its simplest form choosing the “best possible” mattress for any particular person really comes down to FIRST finding a few knowledgeable and transparent retailers and/or manufacturers (either locally or online) that sell the types of mattresses that you are most interested in that are in a budget range you are comfortable with and that you have confirmed will provide you with the all the information you need about the materials and components inside the mattresses they sell so you will be able to make informed choices and meaningful comparisons between mattresses and then …
Careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial) to make sure that a mattress is a good match for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP … and/or that you are comfortable with the options you have available to return, exchange, or “fine tune” the mattress and any costs involved if you can’t test a mattress in person or aren’t confident that your mattress is a suitable choice.
Checking to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress you are considering relative to your weight range that could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress.
Comparing your finalists for “value” based on #1 and #2 and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
Thank you Phoenix for your comment. It gives me a lot of helpful information that I didn’t know.
I have beeing using Lull mattress before and I would “a little bit” prefer Lull over the others.
I’m glad you found us, and I hope you truly did take the time to read the information presented in my earlier post, as if you did, you would have read about finding out about the quality of componentry within any mattress in order to make an educated decision and make sure that there are no lower quality components within that mattress. As the Lull mattress doesn’t list the density of their foams on their web site, you would have seen from the information I linked to in the previous post that I would caution against purchasing this product or any other like it until you knew the specifications of the foams on the inside of the product. As it stands, and this being your first post, I tend to err on the side of caution and I removed the link you contained, as overall this comes off as a more promotional post, which is against the forum rules.
