I’m new here, and I was hoping I could get some advice were to go from here.
I’m kind of looking to replace my current mattress, a Tuft and Needle Original Mattress. I’ve had it for about almost 4 years now and I’ve noticed that it’s starting to compress too much on the side of my bed. IT definitely feels softer and well, I am not sleeping all that great. I toss and turn and when I wake up I feel stiff all over. I was thinking about getting a T&N Mint and seeing if maybe that’ll do better for me and the wife. But after going through this web site and reading the guides and Forums I am not so sure that is going to be the best bet.
Some details about us.
I’m 6ft 320lbs and mostly sleep on my back or stomach.
She’s and sleeps mostly on her sides or back.
For the most part we prefer the foam mattresses as we have found the any type of spring leaves a lot of soreness or discomfort in our bodies, but it could be that we haven’t found the right one.
Thank you for your time and any advice you can offer.
In the simplified Choice Mattress aka Disruptors post #3 you can see the complete set of specs for the Tuft and Needle Original and the caution for the higher BMI range sleepers.
It is not surprising that this mattress reached the end of its life only after 4 years of use. With the 1.8 lb support core, I would place a caution for those who are in the mid 200’s or higher because the durability of the base layer will play a more important role with higher weight ranges and could reduce the useful life of the mattress.
You are correct … outside of whether a mattress is a good match for you in terms of PPP(Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal Preferences) … a mattress is only as good as the quality of the materials inside it so regardless of the name of the manufacturer … I would need to know the specifics of what was inside any mattress you were considering to make any meaningful comments about the quality of the materials (see this article ). Throughout this website, it is often mentioned to avoid “major” mattress manufacturers. This is primarily due to a clear lack of transparency about the quality and specifications of the materials used in their mattresses vs. smaller independent manufacturers that make similar mattresses with the same or better quality, are transparent about their materials and designs and often times sell for better prices. This article will give you a better idea of who the largest 20 manufacturers are, which manufacturers to avoid, and some who are possibilities in terms of their transparency, quality, and relative value.
Tuft & Needle, is a Serta/ Simmons merger since their acquisition in 2018 one of the major mattress manufacturers. You may want to read Major Mattress Manufacturers article here. They use many buzz words on their website but do not list any of the mattress specifications you need to know so you can compare the quality of the materials and components to the mattress durability guidelines here
If you can list the specifics of the layers inside one of their mattresses you are considering then I’d be happy to make some comments about the quality of the materials inside it or whether it has any obvious weak links in terms of durability.
You may want to reach out to Latex Mattress Company that manufactures mattresses for Plus Size People. Their Luxerion Hybrid Mattress may be a good choice for you, but you’d need to call and determine the ILD for the comfort layer suitable for you. Or you can ask them about their All latex option for Plus size people and they will help you build a DIY based on your particular stats. They are a Trusted members of our site and also aTMU mattress expert with their own dedicated forum Alternatively you can reach out to their sister company Sleep EZ that would provide similar services.
A high BMI presents special challenges and generally requires firmer materials (in the support layers especially). There are also a number of forum posts and threads about mattresses and higher weights and a forum title search on heavy Some examples include:
As a brief synopsis, higher BMI ranges will need more durable materials and components in a mattress, and in a BMI range of 30 or higher I would include any 1.8 lb polyfoam or 4 lb memory foam as a “lower quality/density” material (relative to a higher BMI only) and minimize their use to a total of “about an inch or so or less” in the mattress. For polyurethane foam, if your mattress is one-sided then I would look for 2.0 lb per cubic foot density or higher. If the mattress is two-sided then I would use a minimum density of 1.8 lbs per cubic foot or higher. For memory foam (or gel memory foam), if your mattress is one-sided then I would make sure that any memory foam is at least 5 lb per cubic foot. If the mattress is two-sided only then I would use a minimum density of 4 lbs per cubic foot.
I hope this gives you a good idea of how to start looking for better options and what to look for in your search for a new mattress.
Phoenix
