I am Soooooo confused as to what to get. Sadly and almost embarrassingly I have been sleeping for years on an inexpensive air mattress w/electric control. It had worked well for me for years because I could adjust the air to give me a lot of firmness for my hips. I am a side sleeper (or occasionally go partway to my stomach) and anytime i have been on a bed that didnt give me a lot of support in the hip area I would wake up in a couple of hours in a lot of pain. (Obversely I cant sleep on the floor or on the ground because its too hard!) But NOW I have for a while been having pretty moderate to sometimes severe issues with pain in my shoulders and while I cant really afford a new bed I feel I cant afford NOT getting one either. Clearly I feel that I still need a lot of support for my hips and at one point was going to follow reviews and good recommendations here for an all latex bed that was sold by Brooklyn Bedding at that time. Now I am wondering if I need something softer for my shoulders. My other two criteria along with firmness for my hips and soft/pressure relief for my shoulders is that I really need to try and keep this under $1000 ($1100 tops), AND if at all possible I would prefer a more natural organic mattress. For the right comfort I might sacrifice the latter however if I have to, plus I am aware of the cost issue there. I was looking at the Purple bed and was so attracted to that top layer because it resembled the really expensive intellibed well recommended by chiropractors, etc for support, health, and pain. But it looks like it may or may not be soft enough for my shoulders. I have also looked at Needle and Tuft and the Green Mattress . I do also need to add that something cooler is preferred and that I really dont like the density and sinking in of a memory foam mattress. ( did lie on a weightless temper pedic once in a store that I likedâŚIt was the only memory foam one that I would have EVER considered in big brand conventional stores⌠the regular memory foam) So with complex needs and cost considerations, I keep reading the same reviews, etc âŚand dont know what of the above (or any other) might be best to try. All advise and suggestions welcome!!
Hi mt_huckleberry,
You have too many questions in your post for me to reply to completely, most of which will be unproductive to you in your search. The very best thing I can recommend for you to do is a complete âresetâ on how you are going about looking for a mattress.
Your first step should be to read the mattress shopping tutorial here but two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure youâve 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 âmatchâ for you in terms of âcomfortâ, 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 doesnât turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the âvalueâ 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 (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesnât turn out as well as you hoped for).
While I can certainly help with âhowâ to choose ⌠Itâs not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first âruleâ 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 âmatchâ for you in terms of âcomfortâ, firmness, or PPP or how a mattress will âfeelâ to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or âtheory at a distanceâ 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).
While again nobody can speak to how any specific mattress will âfeelâ for someone else or whether it will be a good âmatchâ in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances and you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress ⌠outside of PPP (which is the most important part of âvalueâ), the next most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you canât see or âfeelâ and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new so I would always make sure that you find out the information listed here so you can compare the quality of the materials and components to the durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.
When you canât test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help âtalk you throughâ the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and âfeelâ of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc.) and the options they have available that may be the best âmatchâ 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 âaveragesâ of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about âmatchingâ 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.
In its simplest form ⌠choosing the âbest possibleâ 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 âŚ
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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 âcomfortâ, firmness, and PPP ⌠and/or that you are comfortable with the options you have available to return, exchange, or âfine tuneâ the mattress and any costs involved if you canât test a mattress in person or arenât confident that your mattress is a suitable choice.
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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.
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Comparing your finalists for âvalueâ based on #1 and #2 and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
If after reading through this information you have more specific questions, Iâll do my best to answer them for you.
Phoenix
Hi Phonenix,
Thanks for your reply. I have pretty much over time looked at all of that which you posted. In my own post I thought I was providing background and stating some preferences (for types , price, and possibly more natural/green) rather than asking a lot of questions. What I really need is some recommendations between specific mattresses in the price range I am looking at. I know that ultimately no can predict exactly what will be best for my own unique issues and I know I need to talk to a couple of companies in more detail, but I would like more input and would like to narrow this down a bit more first.
I think that most of the mattresses that I have looked at would do well in terms of providing support for my hips while sleeping on my side. My BIG concern is whether they will be âtoo firmâ for my shoulders ? ( I might also add that I am under 140# and am 5â5 so not a heavy person) At this point, I am comparing MyGreenMattress and Tuft and Needle mostly, with some consideration to others such as Purple, or ISO because of the two zones . Do you have any thoughts about those mattresses in relation to my primary concern above??
thank youâŚ
OK⌠adding further. I DID put in a call to Mygreen mattress and spoke to Kathy who was very nice and helpful. She did say I was a tough one but shared the following. I had thought that Natural Escape would lean toward the medium firm supportive side due to the dunlop latex (rated a 6) , but she said that she thinks that it is a softer mattress and may not provide the hip firmness I am looking for. (although not for sure unless I tried it, of course) She said I âcouldâ try the pure echo which is a more firm mattress. It doesnt have the latex but has a spring/coil system and a 7 rating for firmness. She said that if it was too firm they could offer a half price latex topper for that (which would make it a bit more like the natural escape anyway) She did say I was a tough one, btw.
I also learned that while this company did not have any sales over the 4th of july, and they dont do them all the time, that they would be having one over labor day if chose to purchase from them and was able to wait till then.
Hi mt_huckleberry,
As I stated in my previous reply, there are unfortunately far too many variables involved for me to predict what mattress model or brand may best suit your needs. I can only assist you with learning how to evaluate a product, but after that nothing will replace your own personal testing. There are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved in choosing a mattress for someone else to make specific suggestions based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or theory at a distance that can possible be more accurate than your own careful and objective testing (using the testing guidelines in the tutorial post) which is always the most reliable way to predict which mattress will be the best match for you in terms of PPP (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
I or some of the more knowledgeable members of the site can 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, act as a fact check, answer many of the specific questions you may have along the way that donât involve what you will âfeelâ on a mattress, and help with âhowâ to choose but only you can decide which specific mattress, manufacturer, or combination of materials is âbest for youâ regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or whether anyone else (including me) would have the same criteria or circumstances or would make the same choice.
Unfortunately, there would be no way for me to know if any of these mattresses would be âtoo firmâ for your shoulders â no one can predict your own personal preference via an online forum.
My Green Mattress ( a site member here, which means that I think highly of them), has quite a few mattress offerings, so being of a âslighterâ build, you may wish to phone them and ask for their suggestion for one of their items that allows for better surface contouring to allow your shoulder to âsink inâ a bit more while still providing good deep support. (I see in your follow-up post that you did exactly that â excellent!)
Tuft and Needle uses two different layers of polyfoam (you can see their specifications in the Simplified Choice thread here), and the density of the foams would be suitable for someone of your BMI, but I wouldnât know if you would enjoy the comfort.
The specifications of the Purple mattress are also listed in the simplified choice thread. It also features componentry that shouldnât be an issue quality-wise for your BMI, but like the Tuft and Needle it comes in only one comfort choice.
OSO (also a site member here, and their specifications are listed in the simplified choice thread as well) does have the option, as you mentioned, to have a softer area under the shoulder zone and the density of the foams would be adequate for your BMI.
Phoenix