We’ve been searching for a replacement mattress for months now and have tried and returned numerous models. We’re hoping you can provide some guidance.
My wife and I are both in the 140-150 lb range, middle-aged but fairly healthy (no bad backs). I’ve recently begun to move a lot in my sleep, which wakes up my wife, so we’re looking for a mattress that doesn’t transfer motion.
Unfortunately, my wife sleeps hot – very hot – she described sleeping on memory foam as sleeping on a soft griddle on medium. Latex is only marginally better for her. As little as an inch of high density foam seems to create the effect.
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 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”, 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).
There is more about motion transfer in post #18 here. Memory foam is the best at motion transfer but latex, pocket coils, microcoils, and even polyfoam are generally good as well but it will depend to some degree on the specific design of the mattress. Innersprings that are linked with helicals are generally poor to fair depending on the specifics of the innerspring. The most reliable way to know whether a mattress is motion isolating enough would be based on your own careful testing with both of you on the mattress.
While it’s not possible to quantify the sleeping temperature of a mattress for any particular person with any real accuracy because there are so many variables involved including the type of mattress protector and the sheets and bedding that you use (which in many cases can have just as significant an effect on sleeping temperature as the type of foam in a mattress) and on where you are in the “oven to iceberg” range and because there is no standardized testing for temperature regulation with different combinations of materials … there is more about the many variables that can affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress or sleeping system in post #2 here that can help you choose the types of materials and components that are most likely to keep you in a comfortable temperature range.
I’m not sure what you’ve read since you found the site but 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 in terms of “comfort” 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 compared to your other finalists based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
If you let me know your city or zip code I’d also be happy to let you know about the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area.
You might want to consider looking at the Purple Mattress. It uses a unique polymer top layer which might give you exactly what you are looking for in that it would sleep cool and have minimal motion transfer. It’s definitely a different kind of mattress but might be what you are looking for.
In terms of temperature regulation … latex in general is the most breathable of the different types of foam (Talalay more than Dunlop) and natural fibers in the comfort layers or as a quilting material (particularly wool) in combination with a mattress protector that is breathable and sheets that are made with natural fibers such as cotton or flax linen (which is better yet) or semi synthetic fibers such as rayon that are breathable and wick moisture well would be the most likely to keep your wife in a comfortable temperature range.
Mattresses that contain softer foam materials that allow you to sink into the foam more will generally be more insulating and can retain heat more than the same foam material in a firmer version.
The combined effect of the layers and components that are closest to the skin will be the biggest factors in temperature regulation.
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 …
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.
Checking to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress you are considering relative to your weight range that could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress.
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.