I recently made the mistake of purchasing a Bed-in-a-Box mattress which I am not satisfied with. I am approx 200lbs and feel my tailbone sinking in deep into the mattress causing lower back and neck discomfort. Based on what I have read on this forum, I am thinking of trying either the Restava Delano or Astoria once I send back the B in a B mattress. Which would you recommend for a back sleeper looking for better support? I did speak with Restava on the phone and they said their Delano bed is like “sleeping on a board” so I was leaning towards the Astoria… I’m just nervous that it won’t be any more supportive than the B in a B mattress I currently have. At some point I plan on calling Restava again to have them give me the IFD of each layer. What IFD ranges do you consider to be adequate for support?
Hi nc11383,
I would certainly avoid 3 lb memory foam when you are in the 200 lb range. You can see my thoughts about Bedinabox in post #2 here.
IFD is not a particularly meaningful specification with memory foam because the IFD changes with heat, humidity, and the length of time the foam is compressed. Specifications such as temperature response, density, recovery time, and layer thickness along with the layers above and below the memory foam layers would have much more to do with the feel and performance of a specific tye of memory foam than IFD. Higher density memory foam tends to be more “supportive” than lower density memory foam because it has a higher compression modulus (how quickly it gets firmer with compression) but this will also vary between different types of memory foam.
I would avoid choosing a mattress based on IFD specs which are only one part of a mattress design that provides good alignment for different body types and sleeping positions. It would be somewhat like choosing which foods to eat based on vitamin D content alone.
One of the two main functions of a mattress is good alignment (the other is pressure relief) so that your spine and joints are all in the middle of their neutral range of motion. The best way to visualize this would be to imagine yourself floating in the air with “good posture and alignment” in the position (or positions) you normally sleep in and then slowly being lowered onto the mattress. Some parts of your body would need to sink in more and others less so that they all “stop” sinking in at the same time. Some parts of your body are heavier and need to be “stopped” with firmer support in deeper layers so they don’t sink in too far while other parts of the body that are lighter and/or wider need softer or thicker comfort layers so that they are “allowed” to sink in more. You also need to sink into a mattress enough so that the recessed parts of your body (such as the waist or small of the back) can make firm enough contact with the mattress to prevent any sagging underneath them.
A mattress that is too firm or has too little softness or thickness in the comfort layers can result in poor alignment (because the support isn’t even along the entire length of the body and some areas of the body may be completely unsupported). A mattress that is too soft or where the comfort layers are too thick can result in poor alignment because the heavier parts of the body (the pelvis in particular) can sink down too far before they are “stopped” by the firmer support layers.
Each manufacturer will have more knowledge about their own mattresses and how well they “match” different body types, sleeping positions, and personal preferences “on average”. When you are considering an online purchase … a more detailed conversation with them that includes more specific information about your own body type, sleeping style, preferences, and your personal experiences in testing mattresses will be the best source of guidance about which of their mattresses may be the best “match” for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences).
The memory foam they use in their mattresses are higher density than the BIAB mattresses so they will tend to be more durable and probably more suitable for higher weights as well (see the memory foam guidelines in post #10 here).
Again though … they know more about their mattresses than anyone and also have the most interest in helping you make the most suitable choice (to avoid a return) so I would tend to follow the guidance they provide after a more detailed conversation with them.
Phoenix
Phoenix,
Thanks for the quick and comprehensive response! I really appreciate the good information. I will get back to you once I receive more information from Restava regarding the specs of their material layers. In the mean time, would you recommend that I try laying on some of the Tempurpedic mattresses that they identify as similar to their models or will that be misleading?
Nick
Hi nc11383,
I think that would be a good idea and can provide a useful reference point because many online memory foam manufacturers use Tempurpedic (or sometimes other larger or more widely available brands) as a reference point that can be used as a guideline for which of their mattresses may be most suitable for you.
Phoenix
So I spoke with Restava again today and got some additional information. Their Astoria model that I am interested in has a 2" layer of memory foam in the cover and a 4" layer in the comfort layer. Both foams are 5.3lb density. She didn’t know the specific IFD’s of the foam, but stated that all of their foam is >32lb IFD. Do you think that having 6" of memory foam is too much? Will a 200lb guy sink in to far or do you think this foam has a high enough density and IFD to feel supportive? Restava also said that their memory foam is manufactured by Visco. She claimed they were the company who originally made memory foam for NASA, and that its made in the USA. However, I haven’t been able to find any information on that company on the web. Do you have any information on Visco’s foam product?
Hi nc11383,
The IFD of memory foam isn’t really relevant anyway because it changes with temperature, humidity, and the amount of time it is compressed and it’s also not comparable to IFD ratings for polfoam (although it can provide some general idea of relative firmness between different memory foams). The 32 IFD would be the base foam but this also isn’t particularly important unless you have a specific reference point of mattresses you have tested in person.
This will vary from person to person and depends on how evenly you sink into the mattress and your weight distribution. They would be a better source of guidance here than I would because they deal with customers that purchase this mattress every day, have more direct experience with the mattress and the specific materials it uses than I do, and there are many variables that can be involved that may need a more extended voice conversation. Overall though the foam density is more than 5 lbs which is more “supportive”, the top 2" of memory foam are tack and jump quilted (which would pre-compress the foam and add to it’s firmness), and gel memory foam also tends to have a higher compression modulus (also called support factor) than regular memory foam so this all works in its favor.
Regardless of this though it would also depend on your specific body type and sleeping style so I would also tend to be cautious with thicker layers of memory foam because it can continue to soften over the course of the night. I would also tend to carefully test some mattresses (including the Tempurpedic Rhapsody which is a reference point for the Astoria) with thicker layers of memory foam over a more extended period of time (say 30 minutes or so to give the foam time to warm up) to make sure as much as possible that you are in good alignment.
Phoenix