First off, thank you for this! From someone who is constantly accused of “over-engineering” every decision, I am excited to see that there is a community of people who understand how important proper sleep is and can provide the actual details to make a difference! I have read thru the tutorial and plan to research this site more in the coming week. Details at end of post.
I am in the market to replace our second-hand spring mattress with a non-spring variation. Current bed is not very comfortable and there is too much vibration. We both prefer really firm (like the kind we sleep on in Thailand) non-spring type. Almost as firm as floor-sleeping, These mattress’ don’t seem to be more than 8" thick. When we are over there, I always wake up early & refreshed and she barely snores. A strong second consideration is a material that keeps cool; She gives off crazy heat while sleeping and I like to be covered. I would like to take her to a store-front to get a quantitative comparison of what is available online,
Anyway here are our stats…I’m 6’ 280lbs’ back sleeper with apnea, usually cold. She is slightly shorter and half my weight, heavy snore. Hot sleeper. In our current bed, she sleeps in all positions. She prefers back sleeping when we visit more comfortable accommodations. Sometimes our 80lbs pit bull sleeps with us. We have a box spring and multiple pillows (bamboo brand memory foam, MyPillow brand memory foam, and a pair of down pillows). We are not that concerned with a long mattress lifespan, but affordability. Our zip code is 60148, for any info on local retailers.
anyway, thanks and I look forward to diving into the wealth of information available on this site!
Welcome … and it’s great to see that you’ve read the tutorial.
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.
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 and some people may rate one mattress as being firmer than another and someone else may rate them the other way around. This is all relative and very subjective and is as much an art as a science. In other words … the only reliable way to know whether a mattress will be “firm enough” for you will be based on your own careful testing or your own personal experience.
While it’s not 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 (some people can sleep warmer on mattresses that most people are generally fine with) 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.
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 (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) 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).
Unless you are only planning to keep your mattress for a year or two (or possibly even less) before you may need to replace it I would also make sure that any mattress you purchase uses materials and components that are durable enough for your weight range … regardless of your budget range.
The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the Chicago area (subject to the quality/value guidelines here) are listed in posts #2 and #4 here. I would make sure you include a visit to My Green Mattress/Quality Sleep Shop in your research who are members of this site which means that I think very highly of them and I believe they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, and transparency.