Have tried several memory foam mattress with different bases including adjustable base (most recently have Casper Wave) but ALL have caused back pain which disappears when I sleep at a hotel or on other coil mattress, so what kind of coil mattress would be best? I’m a side sleeper about 5’ on the heavier side and my husband who comes to bed late is a side sleeper about 6’2" about 230 lbs. Thanks for the help! #sickofsuffering #foamfatigue
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Hi Wally,
Thanks for being a subscriber/MUGster on the MattressUnderGround, we are happy to have you.
It is understandable that it is frustrating to deal with back pain from mattresses at home but not when you’re away. Coil mattresses might indeed be a better fit for you, especially considering your preferences and sleep positions.
Before diving into potential solutions, there are a few factors to consider. It’s not uncommon for people to discover that the mattress they sleep on during vacation or business trips outperforms the one they have at home. Often, the mattress chosen for home use may not align with the sleeper’s personal preferences, posture, alignment needs, and pressure relief requirements (we call it PPP’s). This discrepancy can occur due to inadequate advice or choosing a mattress based on marketing rather than personalized considerations, leading to disappointment later on.
Hotel mattresses, on the other hand, are typically selected to meet the needs of a broad range of sleepers, aiming for a middle-ground comfort level that satisfies the majority. While not necessarily the ideal mattress for everyone, they often fare better than many poorly chosen home mattresses.
Before choosing a mattress, it’s crucial to assess whether the manufacturer provides transparency regarding its build, materials, and construction. This isn’t about immediately disregarding high-end mattresses like Hastens, Vispring, or Royalpedic (if within budget) just because they may not list every detail, such as spring gauge. Rather, this applies more to the majority of mattresses found in local showrooms or online retailers.
Having detailed specifications is important as they can indicate a mattress’s durability, longevity, and overall quality. However, it’s essential to note that while specifications are valuable, they can’t guarantee comfort, which is highly subjective and personal.
Here are a few recommendations to consider:
Hybrid Mattress:
These mattresses combine coils with layers of foam or other materials. They provide good support from the coils while offering some contouring comfort from the foam layers. Look for hybrids with thicker comfort layers if you prefer a softer feel.
Innerspring Mattress:
These are traditional coil mattresses with fewer foam layers on top compared to hybrids. They offer more bounce and tend to sleep cooler due to better airflow through the coils.
Firmness Level:
Since you and your husband are side sleepers, you’ll want a mattress that provides enough pressure relief for your hips and shoulders. Typically, medium to medium-firm mattresses are recommended for side sleepers to ensure proper spinal alignment.
Edge Support:
Given your husband’s height and weight, good edge support can prevent the feeling of rolling off the bed and provide more surface area for comfortable sleep.
When using HD Polyfoam, it’s recommended to choose a minimum density of 1.8 lbs, and for individuals over 200 lbs, opting for 2.0 lbs would be preferable. For ViscoElastic Memory foam (like Tempurpedic), a minimum density of 4-5 lbs is suggested.
For most couples and improved mattress design, employing edge-to-edge coils is beneficial. Some mattresses offer a reinforced edge support spring perimeter to enhance edge support without being uncomfortable for those who occasionally sit or sleep near the edge.
However, mattresses with perimeter edge support foam tend to provide an initial feeling of superior edge support, akin to sitting on a chair while putting on shoes and socks. Yet, many users find that this edge support foam deteriorates more quickly compared to mattresses with edge-to-edge coils, leading to discomfort as the foam breaks down from repeated use.
When trying to evaluate the Casper wave, for example, this is what they provide on their website:
All our polyurethane foams are CertiPUR-US® certified. They are made without ozone-depleting chemicals and phthalates regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The foams have been tested for low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) emissions for indoor air quality (less than 0.5 parts per million).
Planet-friendly textiles: up to 121 recycled bottles in each cover
Top layer of breathable polyurethane foam coated with phase change cooling material
Second layer of natural latex
Third layer of zoned memory foam
Fourth layer of polyurethane foam with gel pods
Durable base of polyurethane foam with encased springs
Although it may appear to be useful and full of information, it basically tells you nothing. A mattress is only as good as its weakest layer. One bad layer can sabotage an entire mattress, whether that layer is within the mattress components or is a poorly supportive foundation.
Here is an example of another mattress company listing of components.
Our Classic Mattress is a meticulously crafted two-sided design, constructed using high-quality materials for both comfort and support. Here’s a walkthrough of the construction, starting from the top layer down to the bottom, and remember, it’s flippable so the bottom could also be your top:
- Luxurious Hyperflex Fabric: This is the topmost layer of the mattress, which provides a soft, breathable surface that promotes airflow and a cool sleeping environment.
- Airsoft Viscose Fibers: The next layer is composed of airsoft viscose fibers. These are ultra-soft and offer excellent temperature regulation, ensuring you stay cool throughout the night.
- ¾” LoftAdapt Foam (Density: 1.8 lbs.): This layer provides initial body contouring, offering a perfect balance of softness and firmness for optimal comfort.
- ¾” LoftAdapt Foam (Density: 1.8 lbs.): A second layer of LoftAdapt Foam reinforces the initial layer, further enhancing body contouring and providing pressure relief.
- Refresh Performance Foam (Density: 1.8 lbs.): This performance foam layer is designed to provide deeper support and body-hugging comfort. It also enhances breathability, ensuring you stay fresh all night. [1.5" Foam in 14" or 3/4" Foam in 12"]
- 8” Advanced Hybrid Spring: The heart of the mattress, this layer provides robust support to align your spine correctly and reduce pressure points. Its hybrid design also ensures efficient airflow, adding to the cooling performance of the mattress.
- Refresh Performance Foam (Density: 1.8 lbs.): Mirroring the fifth layer, this foam layer offers deeper support and body contouring for the other side of the mattress when flipped. 1.5" Foam in 14" or 3/4" Foam in 12"
- ¾” LoftAdapt Foam (Density: 1.8 lbs.): A replica of the third and fourth layer, this foam layer provides body contouring and pressure relief when you opt to use the other side of the mattress.
- ¾” LoftAdapt Foam (Density: 1.8 lbs.): An additional LoftAdapt Foam layer reinforces the initial layer, further enhancing body contouring and providing pressure relief for the other side of the mattress.
- Airsoft Viscose Fibers: This layer, mirroring the second layer, provides extra cushioning, breathability and temperature regulation.
- Luxurious Hyperflex Fabric: The bottom layer of the mattress (or the top when flipped) is made from the same luxurious Hyperflex fabric for a soft and breathable surface.
As you can see, they list the thickness, density and position in the mattress. This information tells you what is inside the construction and you now can compare to other mattresses that offer this type of information.
By the way this mattress has no viscoelastic memory foam.
Given the differences in your and your husband’s body profiles, choosing a mattress that offers customization for each of you is likely the best option. Many of our Trusted Members provide mattresses with split internal firmness comfort layers. These allow you to tailor the mattress to each sleeper’s preferences and make adjustments at home, eliminating the need to return the entire mattress to address individual comfort needs.
Hopefully this will provide you with a better starting ideology of how to approach purchasing a mattress that matches each of your profiles.
It should be said, that finding a comfortable choice must come at some absorbent price tag. Given that your king casper wave is over 2k, most of the options in a quality mattress without memory foam align with this budget.
All the best,
Maverick
If you want to investigate a particular Trusted Members Mattress options and would like more detailed advice and precise recommendations, just use the @ symbol ( eg @Maverick) as a prefix before their name, and they will get an alert to answer any additional questions you may have.
Thank you so much for your detailed and educational response. This is really helpful! Hoping we can find a brand and mattress that works for us. Any specific suggestions are much appreciated!
Hi Wally,
As it turns out, the example I used was @DLX classic hybrid mattress 2nd one down on the list show above.
@EngineeredSleep Offers a Classic Style Mattress in addition to other non memory foam versions in a hybrid design.
There are also a nice variety of hybrid latex Trusted Members at TMU such as @Sleep_EZ, @Arizona_Premium, @TheCleanBedroom along with a few others who offer non memory foam hybrid options. I would suggest for your body profile, you would need to collaborate with those latex hybrid manufacturers to optimize your best options. They typically nail that comfort over 90% of the time, so be assured you will be in good hands with any of them.
Maverick
Hi Wally, welcome to TMU!
Some things we talk to our customers about when looking at a coil mattress:
Number of coils
Pocketed Coil means there is more independence of movement
How are the coils made
We have a couple lines you may be interested in looking at. Naturepedic as mentioned by @Maverick makes a high-quality hybrid and you can choose from 5 levels of firmness. They also offer a layer swap option.
Vispring is a high end mattress, but even their lower end models are high quality and have strong pocketed coils and a good coil count.
(The site I linked is a division of our company).
If you want to chat with someone online, or give a call, we can meet your personal needs and hopefully help direct you to some options.
Good luck with your search and let us know if we can help!
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