My wife and I both have upper back issues, and need a very firm, very flat surface to sleep on. Any indentation more than an inch or so causes severe pain. We are looking for a mattress that is not only firm but does not let us “sink into” the bed. Along with initial firmness, we need to make sure there would be no softening or sagging over time. Trying to decide between Dreamfoam Bedding’s king size Ultimate Dreams (blended Talalay over 1.5lb foam) and the Ultimate Dreams Natural (natural Dunlop over 2.0lb foam). Which one of these would you think would be most suitable, and in what firmness? I know, firmness is a personal choice, but any opinoins? BTW, we sleep 60% back, 40% side.
Hi Immi,
The goal of a mattress is to keep your spine and joints in good alignment and relieve pressure in all your sleeping positions and a mattress that is too firm for your body type or sleeping positions can have just as poor support and may be just as likely to lead to alignment issues (and back pain) as a mattress that is too soft for you. You will need to sink into a mattress more than just an inch or the more recessed parts of your body may be poorly supported. With upper back pain your choice of pillow can also be a very important part of your sleeping system and upper body alignment.
Of course if you are talking about impressions in a mattress that can develop over time (either visible impressions that you can see when you aren’t on the mattress or virtual impressions that you can’t see that come from foam softening under the heavier parts of the body) then the key is to make sure that your mattresses uses high quality and more durable materials that won’t soften or break down too quickly relative to the price you paid. The “weak link” of most mattresses is the materials that are used in the top 3" to 6" of the mattress (depending on your body type) which are the layers where it’s particularly important to make sure that your mattress uses good quality and durable materials (such as the Talalay latex used in the Dreamfoam mattresses).
There is more about primary and secondary support and their relationship to pressure relief (which is also very important with some types of back issues where there are trigger points involved) and firmness in post #4 here and in post #2 here that may help you visualize what good support/alignment and pressure relief “looks like”.
There is more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here that can help you make more meaningful comparisons between mattresses. Neither one of these has any weak links in their design for most people (unless you are in a higher weight range where it may be a good idea to be cautious about 1.5 lb polyfoam under a 3" to 4" comfort layer).
The choice between Dunlop and Talalay is a personal preference (not a “better/worse” choice) and there is more about the differences between them in post #7 here.
The Ultimate Dreams Natural (along with the Ultimate Dreams Eurotop which uses Talalay) has the option to exchange the comfort layer for a firmer or softer version which can reduce the risk of an online purchase if you initially choose a firmness level that isn’t the ideal “match” for you.
Just in case you weren’t aware of it as well … if you purchase a Dreamfoam mattress from the Dreamfoam site instead of Amazon then there is a 10% discount (see their facebook page here) and you also have the “insurance” of their 45 day comfort guarantee as well.
Unfortunately there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences and sensitivities involved to be able to predict which mattress would be a good match for you based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here). A mattress that may be a great match for one person’s back issues may be completely unsuitable for someone else with the same back issues to sleep on. When you are considering an online purchase where you can’t test a mattress in person then one of the most important parts of a successful mattress purchase and your best source of guidance for firmness choices would be a more detailed conversation with an online manufacturer or retailer of the mattress you are considering who can use their knowledge and experience with their own mattresses to help “talk you through” the options they have available that would have the best chance of matching your specific needs and preferences based on the information you provide them about yourself, mattresses you have tested or slept on in the past and done well with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you.
There is also more about the different ways to choose a mattress and how to minimize the risks involved with each of them in post #2 here.
Phoenix