Seeking a Queen Mattress Recommendation

[phoenix]

Hi Schmurg.

Welcome to our Mattress Forum!

Seeking recommendations for a new queen mattress for my wife and myself. Ideally would prefer it be under $1,100. Currently we are on a 7 year old Eurotop innerspring mattress. She hates it and between my side and hers there is quite the elevation difference.

While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … It’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components, or even shopping within a budget range because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person (or to seeping partners) to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

You mentioned that you started your research, but I’m not sure what you’ve read since you found the site. Just in case you haven’t read it yet … the first place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.

Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you and your wife in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress

In its simplest form … choosing the “best possible” mattress for any particular person really comes down to FIRST finding a few knowledgeable and transparent retailers and/or manufacturers (either locally or online) that sell the types of mattresses that you are most interested in that are in a budget range you are comfortable with and that you have confirmed will provide you with the all the information you need about the materials and components inside the mattresses they sell so you will be able to make informed choices and meaningful comparisons between mattresses and then …

1. Checking to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress you are considering relative to your weight/BMI range that could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress. (As you are both average BMI you have more options available.) See the durability guidelines here and find out the information listed here so you can compare the quality of the materials and components.

2. Comparing your finalists for “quality/value” based on and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the budget range you mentioned of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you both hoped for).

I am about 180lbs and a pure stomach sleeper who tosses and turns side to side. She is around 125 and alternates between back and side.

For your stomach sleeping position you may wish to review the guidelines in this [url=Your sleeping style, preferences, and statistics - Your sleep positions - The Mattress Underground] Sleep Positions Article [url] so that you avoid hyperextension in a swayback positon that can cause back issues.

Because your sleeping position is stomach you would need a more supportive surface than your wife who sleeps on her side and back. This is because the weight of hip/stomach area for a front sleeping position if not properly supported would throw your spine out of alignment in hyperextension of the lumbar area (The stomach is the weakest sleeping posture).

For some reason I keep coming back to the Loom & Leaf one and the Alexander. I know everyone’s experiences will be different but are these two suitable for such different sleepers?

Saatva’s 12" Loom & Leaf specs are as it follows:
Comfort Layers:

[Indent] Soft solid gel lumbar layer,
2" Convoluted gel memory foam (4 lb density),
2.5" memory foam (5 lb density). [/Indent]
Support Layers:

[Indent] 2" Transition layer (1.5 lb or higher polyfoam material),
5.5" Polyfoam (1.5 lb or higher polyfoam).
[/Indent]
This mattress uses 2" convoluted gel Memory Foam and 2.5" of memory Foam. Because you are a stomach sleeper I would advise caution with using too much plush material in the top layers of your mattress as this can allow you to sink too much in a swayback position which can lead to lower back pains. This mattress also uses 1.5 lb of polyfoam core which is lower than I usually recommend. I would use a guideline of 1.8 lb density for polyfoam unless once again you are in a lower budget range in which case I would use 1.5 lb density as a minimum density polyfoam support layer (support layers are not usually the weak link of a mattress). Using slightly lower quality/density support layers is a better budget tradeoff than using lower quality materials in the comfort layers.

Nest Bedding Alexander lines
As you may already be aware Nest Bedding is one of our members here, which means that I think highly of them and that I believe that they compete well with the best in the industry who has mattresses that use good quality and durable materials They offer two different Alexander lines the Signature and the Hybrid. I would recommend that before you decide on a purchase from them that you give them a call and ask for their suggestions and the best configuration to match your needs and preferences especially because the sleeping positions of both you and your wife are so largely different.

I hope this gives you a good start and if you have some more specific questions I will do my best to answer them.

Phoenix