no memory foam! no latex?

[phoenix]

Hi Pricesspea,

Hopefully you’ve had the chance to read the mattress shopping tutorial here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choices … and know how and why to avoid the worst ones.

I am really struggling to find a mattress and could use some advice. First, a little about me and my preferences. I am a 39 year old women, just over 5’’5’ and about 130 pounds. I am narrow but heavier in the hips, with broad but lighter shoulders. I prefer sleeping on the bed rather than sinking into it, like a firm or medium firm feel, and am a side sleeper. I have mild but chronic back pain, but I have never been diagnosed with any structural damage. A sleeping surface that keeps my spine aligned is most important but so too is some pressure relief. I have had a very hard time finding a mattress that works

Unfortunately nobody else can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved to be able to predict which mattress is the best match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) based on specs (yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” outside of your own careful and objective testing or your own actual sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

I found that I had a similar reaction to both mattresses. While they were comfortable to lay on for short periods of time, when I slept on the mattress for the entire night, I found that my hips sunk deeper into the mattress than the rest of my body and I woke-up with hip, lower back, and leg pains. I sleep on both for several weeks to see if I would “get used to it” but my comfort only worsened with time. There are many reasons, which you mention on your site, to not shop with the major manufacturers. Another reason for me is that none of them offer mattresses with a quality spring set without using memory foam in the comfort layers. There just aren’t good options for people who don’t like memory foam.

There is more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here and there is also more about the different ways to choose a mattress and how to reduce the risks involved with each of them in post #2 here.

The most effective way to choose a mattress is based on your own careful and objective testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial post) but if you aren’t confident that your testing will do a good job predicting your actual sleeping experience then the options you have after a purchase will become a much more important part of the “value” of your purchase.

I would also keep in mind that there are hundreds of mattresses in every mattress category that are each very different from each other so even though you may not to well with many or even most of them, that doesn’t mean that you won’t do well with all of them and there will likely be a few that are a good “match” for you. For example you may find that many “all latex” mattresses don’t seem to work well for you but that a different all latex mattress that uses different types or blends of latex in different firmness levels may work very well. You may also find for example that an innerspring mattress with latex comfort layers works well for you even though you may not like any of the “all latex” mattresses that you try.

You may also find that a more traditional innerspring/polyfoam mattress is also your preference but in this case I would make sure that you know the density of the polyfoam in the comfort layers so that you can confirm that there are no lower quality materials and weak links in the mattress because there are many mattresses that use thicker layers of either “unknown density” polyfoam or low quality polyfoam that I would avoid completely.

1) do you know of any internet manufactures/dealers who might have what I am looking for?

There are some options in the Fort Collins area listed in post #4 here that may be helpful. I’m not clear about your exact criteria because at one point you mentioned avoiding latex and then in another you seem to be considering it but I don’t keep a list of the specific mattresses that each retailer keeps on their floor so you will need to call them to find out which ones carry mattresses on their floor that match your criteria (which sounds like it would include some type of innerspring mattress with either latex, polyfoam, or natural fibers in the comfort layers). Off the top of my head I also know that Denver Mattress has some innerspring mattresses that use higher quality polyfoam in the comfort layers that may also be worth considering if this is the type of mattress that you prefer but there would likely be others as well. The more you narrow down your options on the phone the less likely it will be that you take the time to visit a store only to find that they don’t have the types of mattresses that you are looking for.

The tutorial post also includes a link to a list of the members of this site that sell mattresses online (in the optional online step) and several of these sell innerspring mattresses that may also be well worth talking to about your specific needs and preferences to see if they carry a mattress that you believe would fit your criteria.

2) Do you think a lower ILD latex or spring system with latex might work? Or will that provide even less support and more alignment issues?

The only way to know whether any mattress will work for you is either based on your own personal testing or a more detailed conversation with an online retailer or manufacturer who will be much more familiar with and knowledgeable about their mattresses than I am and who can help “talk you through” the options they have available that would have the best chance of success based on the information you provide them and on the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you.

3) 3) There is a Bed a Room and board that is latex over wrapped springs that seems like it might be ok, but I am concerned about the longevity of the bed. The top layer is wool and it isn’t flappable—so I anticipate that there will be body impressions within a few years—sound right? www.roomandboard.com/catalog/kids/room-a...s-with-natural-latex

This mattress uses a 100% natural latex comfort layer which is a very high quality and durable material. The wool is a great temperature regulator and while it may form some slight impressions initially (it’s not thick enough to form any deep impressions) these will tend to even out over time as you sleep in different areas of the mattress over time. There are no lower quality materials or weak links in the design so if it’s a good match for you in terms of PPP then it could certainly make a suitable choice.

Phoenix