Hi robxyz834,
Seeking mattress advice
While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … I don’t make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components 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 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” or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your 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, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more accurate 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).
The first place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that you will need to 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 in terms of “comfort” and PPP 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 compared to your other finalists (based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you).
I would keep in mind that there is no such thing as a specific mattress or material that is best for any specific medical condition or that will slow the progression of arthritis … there is only a mattress that is “best for you” in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP; is durable enough for your body type; and that meets all your other criteria that are an important part of your personal value equation. Each person is unique and a mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on even if on the surface they appear to be similar to you or have similar health conditions.
I would also keep in mind that as long as the materials in a mattress you are considering are durable enough for your body type and meet the quality/durability guidelines here … the choice between different types and combinations of materials and components or different types of mattresses (see this article) are more of a preference and a budget choice than a “better/worse” choice.
When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
If you can’t (or are unwilling) to test a mattress in person then the only way to know whether a mattress will be a good “match” for you in terms of PPP will be based on your own personal experience when you sleep on it so in this case I would make sure that you are comfortable with the return/exchange policy and any costs involved just in case the mattress you choose doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for.
Every layer and component in a mattress will affect the feel and performance of every other layer and component above and below it so it would depend entirely on the specifics of the mattress and the layers and components inside it. There may be some mattresses that use 8" of latex that work well for you and others that would be completely unsuitable for you to sleep on just like there may be some mattresses that use 2" or 3" of latex that work well for you and others that would also be completely unsuitable for you to sleep on. The only thing that I can say for certain is that latex is a more costly material than most other types of foam layers so a mattress that has 8" of latex would likely be more costly than a mattress that has 2" or 3" of latex.
Unless you have a great deal of knowledge and experience with different types of mattress materials and specs and different layering combinations and how they combine together and can translate them into your own “real life” experience that can be unique to you (which would only be a very small percentage of people) … I would avoid using individual specs such as layer thicknesses or ILD numbers or other complex combinations of information or specifications to try and predict how a mattress will feel or perform for you or how it will compare to another mattress and focus more on your own actual testing and/or personal experience and if this isn’t possible then on more detailed conversations with a knowledgeable manufacturer or retailer. While knowing the specs that can affect the quality and durability of the layers and components in a mattress is always important … when you try and choose or compare a mattress based on complex combinations of “comfort” specs that you may not fully understand then the most common outcome can often be “information overload” and “paralysis by analysis”. Even the best mattress designers in the industry are often surprised at what a mattress they design “should have felt like” when they design it and what it “actually feels like” when they test out their new design.
There are also too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved in choosing a pillow to make specific suggestions or recommendations for someone else. There is no single pillow that is “best” for any particular situation or “symptom” because the goal of a pillow is to keep your head and neck in good alignment in all your sleeping positions and which pillow does this for any particular person or on any particular mattress will vary widely from person to person. In other words … a pillow that works well for one person may not be suitable at all for someone else .
Pillows are also a very personal choice and different people will have very different pillow preferences or different opinions about what they perceive as firm and soft or the general type of pillow that “feels” good to them but some of the information in the pillow topic here and the posts it links to can help you choose a pillow that is the best “match” for you and the mattress you are sleeping on.
The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Dayton, OH area (subject to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines I linked earlier in this reply) are listed in post #5 here.
If you are also considering online options then the tutorial includes several links to lists of the better online retailers and manufacturers I’m aware of (in the optional online step) that include a wide range of different types and categories of mattresses in a wide range of designs, firmness levels and budgets and many of them have good exchange/return policies as well. There is also more about online vs local purchases in this topic and the posts it links to (at the end of post #4).
I or some of the more knowledgeable members of the forum can certainly help you to narrow down your options, help you focus on better quality/value choices that are available to you either locally or online, help you identify any lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress relative to your weight that you may be considering, act as a fact check, answer many of the specific questions you may have along the way that don’t involve what you will “feel” on a mattress, and help with “how” to choose but only you can decide which specific mattress, manufacturer, or combination of materials is “best for you” regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or whether anyone else would have the same criteria or circumstances or would make the same choice.
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 that sell the types of mattresses that you are most interested in (either locally or online) and that you have confirmed can provide you with all the information you need to know to make an informed choice and make meaningful comparisons between mattresses and then …
1. Careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial) to make sure that a mattress is a good match for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP … and/or that you are comfortable with the options you have available to return, exchange, or “fine tune” the mattress and any costs involved if you can’t test a mattress in person or aren’t confident that your mattress is a suitable choice.
2. Checking to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in the mattress that could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress.
3. Comparing your finalists for “value” based on #1 and #2 and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
Phoenix