So I’m pretty sure I’m a serial mattress user (we’re on our third mattress in less than a year) — we decided to give these bed-in-a-box companies a try. Some small background information here on both of us:
Myself: 5’8, 230lbs, broad shoulders (46" across), muscular build. 100% side sleeper. I sleep very hot. Most mattresses I’ve been on usually end up with shoulder / hip / rib pain, where I have to toss from side-to-side to keep swapping pressure points on each side. I usually prefer a medium-soft to medium mattress because I prefer to have some body hug/contour because I have an issue with pressure points sleeping on my side.
My Wife: 5’3, 135lbs, more broad at the hips, average size build elsewhere. She sleeps mostly on her side, but sometimes on her stomach. Never on her back. She usually prefers a more medium to medium firm mattress. I want to note that she is not a picky sleeper, she can sleep on mostly anything.
To preface this information, I recently found a GREAT pillow made of talalay latex that keeps my head aligned, where my neck does not curve up or down. So before we get into the mattresses, I just wanted to clear that up. It’s even stopped my snoring almost over night because my head stays in a good position.
Our first attempt was with a Tuft and Needle mattress. That lasted almost the entire break-in / trial period of 90 days and it ended up being too firm for both of us. The top layer wasn’t enough of a comfort layer and I ended sinking right through to the support layer.
Our second attempt was a Loom and Leaf (Relaxed Firm) mattress and we’re in our 6th week with it. To me, it’s as hard as a rock. I don’t feel like there is any give to this mattress. I wake up with sore shoulders, sore sides (rib area) and lower back pain.
At this point, I’ve gone through countless spring mattresses and now two memory foam mattresses. My search clearly goes on. I’m driving my wife crazy with all the mattress switching.
After reading a few posts on here and with the fact that I LOVE my pillow made of talalay latex, I’ve become mildly curious about latex mattress (Brooklyn Bedding, OSO Bed, etc.) and wanted to see what your recommendation would be at this point.
I am definitely intrigued with the OSO Bed features with the latex coils to provide cushion for the shoulders and wanted to see where you would recommend me turning at this point. Any help would be appreciated! HELP! lol
I’m sorry your T&N mattress didn’t work out for you. I think what you’re describing is that the upper comfort layer (3" of 2.8 lb polyfoam) didn’t have enough resilience for you and you “felt through” to the firmer polyfoam core, or perhaps the overall total amount of upper comfort material wasn’t think enough for you.
The Loom & Leaf uses a total of 4.5" of memory foam above a 2" transition layer of polyfoam, and beneath that is a 5.5" polyfoam core. Memory foam will be quite plush, but will have a very low resilience (<20%), so again this may be an issue where you are “feeling through” the comfort layers into the polyfoam beneath.
For the sake of clarity, the Tuft & Needle is not a memory foam mattress, but comprised of all polyfoam. The Loom & Leaf does use memory foam in the upper comfort layers.
I’m sorry to hear that!
While the material used in a pillow won’t necessarily have any correlation to what you might prefer in a mattress, you do seem to be describing in your comments a preference for something with more surface resilience, which a mattress using latex in the upper comfort layers certainly could provide. Whether or not this would be comfortable to you, though, can only be determined by your own careful personal testing. You may wish to read these comfort layer overviews about the differences between latex, memory foam and polyfoam.
Unfortunately, recommending a mattress for you isn’t something I’m able to do. While I certainly can help with the “how” to choose, there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula to predict a style or specification for any individual 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), 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.
The first thing I would have you do is read the mattress shopping tutorial here. 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 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, including the price as well as the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for.
Outside of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences, which is the most important part of “value”), 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 can’t see or “feel” 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.
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/BMI 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.
As you’re a side sleeper and quite “dense” with a self-described mesomorph somatotype, and based upon your previous comments, I would want to make sure that anything you consider has enough resilient materials in the upper comfort layers, as you seem to be requesting something that contours well but also provides some “surface support”. There is more about primary or “deep” support and secondary or “surface” support and their relationship to firmness and pressure relief and the “roles” of different layers in a mattress in post #2 here and in post #4 here that may also be helpful in clarifying the difference between “support” and “pressure relief” and “feel”.
As you mentioned, latex can be a good option for someone seeking such a comfort combination, but I would have no way of knowing whether or not this would work well for you. When you can’t 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 “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using 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 the mattresses that haven’t worked out well for you 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, options, and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
A good place to start when looking online would be the members listed in post #21 here who are all very experienced and knowledgeable and specialize in providing the type of help and guidance on the phone that can help you make good choices. There are a wide range of options included in the choices there and I believe that all of them compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, and transparency. Posts #1 and #2 in this topic also includes more information about the new "breed’ of “simplified choice” mattresses (aka “one choice fits all” or “universal comfort” or “bed in a box” or “disruptor” or “millennial” mattresses) that are available online as well.
This would be the best advice I can provide at this time. If you have more specific questions after doing some reading, I’ll do my best to answer them.
