New member to the forum and it has been so informational as I am in the market for a new mattress. I have not found one in a store that is comfortable/meets my sleeping needs. For reference, I am a 26 year old male, 5’9" 175 pounds. I have an SI joint issue that causes lower back pain that came to light about 6 years ago while playing college sports. One of my legs is slightly longer than the other; it throws my back to out of alignment and causes the muscles to tighten up around the SI Joints. I am predominantly a stomach sleeper who also sleeps slightly on my side where most of my weight is on one hip and my other leg is in an L shaped position.
I have been to many different mattress stores and tested a lot of different ones. They are either too firm and do not provide pain relief for the lower back pain or they are too soft and cause my hips to sink when I am on my stomach. I have been pondering the idea of a DIY Latex mattress but I seem to get more confused the more I go down the mattress information rabbit hole. I have listed the information for a bed below that was the most comfortable from my in store trials. It is not detailed information but it was all that was provided to me by the sales person I was speaking to. The main issue that I found with the mattress was that the comfort layers were just a tad too soft for when I was laying on my stomach. It provided the contouring that I need for the lower back pain relief but did not have the firmness for stomach sleeping. I am not sure how they would translate to the different layers of an all latex mattress.
I was thinking of a making a 9 inch mattress but am not sure how many different layers/what the firmness of each should be. Any recommendations on what they should be as a starting point on this DIY project? Any advice would be appreciated!
Comfort Layers
Super Stretch Knot Quilted to 9/16" HD Ultra Soft Gel Foam and 1.5" HD Convoluted Comfort Foam Support Layers
3" luxury firm latex
1.25" HD Extra Firm Foam Support Unit
759 Quantum Individual Coils (Pocket)
Welcome to The Mattress Underground ! Thanks for dropping by and for your question.
Congrats on your new mattress shopping adventure, Paleimagination ! Glad to hear that you’re finding the forum helpful for your research, there is definitely no shortage of resources available for your use. I am sorry to learn of your ongoing SI joint issues, those must be difficult to manage with your stomach sleeping preference. Just curious: has your doctor recommend changing to a side sleeping position and use of any special body pillows to help ease the pressure of your lower back?
Good work on the showroom visits and mattress testing ! Which stores did you visit? Are you mainly considering latex hybrids? What type mattress are you currently using? What size is it and how old is it? Thanks for including the details of the one mattress you liked best, although to your point, the sales person didn’t give much to go on. You may find that you need thicker comfort layers with a bit more firmness for your stomach sleeping profile, as too thin/ too soft of a comfort layer will allow your pelvis to sink down more than it should and cause you further SI stress. Agreed; a 3" comfort layer of a medium firmness (or firmer) over pocket coils should work well, which allows you to either pursue a DIY project or find a similar showroom build.
A QEE pocket coil unit is a good choice; however, you may also consider a Combi-Zone unit, it would provide better support for your stomach sleeping preference. This recent post has more about Combi-Zone pocket coils. You can find both QEE Elite Bolsa and Combi-Zone pocket coil units atArizona Premium Mattress, expert trusted member Ken Hightower is deeply experienced in the DIY category and would be happy to answer your questions. Good luck with your research and keep us updated as you have time .
Thank you for your response Sensei! They have not recommended any switch or the use of special body pillows. Ultimately, it seems like it will be a chronic pain issue since it is due to my joints not being properly aligned. I visited a few independently owned stores where I live. I have been mainly considering full latex but wouldn’t be opposed to the latex hybrids.
I am currently sleeping on a Haugesund Full sized Mattress that is about 5 years old. I got it second hand after a year of use by a friend. The sales person did not have much information from the manufacturer, or at least that is what they told me. I will keep the thicker comfort layers in mind.
I have done a lot of reading on the forum and thought some type of 3 3" construction (F/F/M) would potentially be a good starting point or some type of 3", 3", 2", 1" build with various firmness levels but with you saying that I would need thicker comfort layers, I believe the 3 3" build would be better as a starting point. I am leaning more towards the DIY category over a showroom purchase. Might be a silly question but how would I get in contact with Ken?
That’s not good news regarding your chronic pain; I am sorry to hear that further pillow modifications to your sleep environment are of no benefit for your situation. I am happy to hear that you have local access for store visits and mattress comparisons. It sounds like you’ve narrowed choices down to the latex category; good job! Now that you know what you prefer, the real work can begin.
[quote]I am currently sleeping on a Haugesund Full sized Mattress that is about 5 years old. I got it second hand after a year of use by a friend. The sales person did not have much information from the manufacturer, or at least that is what they told me. I will keep the thicker comfort layers in mind.
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Ikea’s Haugesund model features polyfoam comfort materials and a pocket coil support core. Ikea’s site doesn’t offer much in the form of specs, but the mattress is available in either medium-firm or firm, indicating a firmer feeling product. Ikea is known for its European design and minimalist approach; it is a decent value for the price, especially for you as hopefully your friend either offered it as a gift or at a discounted price. From your mattress testing, you likely found latex to feel much different than your Haugesund, and probably in a better way .
If you’d like to reach Ken Hightower/ expert trusted member Arizona Premium Mattress, you may post a question directly on their forumspace. He is quite responsive and will be happy to offer his thoughts on your DIY plans. My apologies for the delayed response and hope things work out well with your project .
I think the latex category would be the best choice due to the comfort and durability - at least from my research it seems like those two things are most talked about when discussing latex. I am hoping to try and train myself to sleep on my back in hopes to relieve some of the chronic back pain. Regardless I believe a firmer mattress will be more beneficial for the pain relief and since that is what I am used to.
I am currently on the firm option I believe which I enjoy. They gave it to me as a gift so the free aspect is what made it very appealing at the time. The latex hybrid that I tried was much nicer than my current mattress!
Thank you for Ken’s information! I have been browsing his site and have found a lot of my DIY components on there. I will move my questions over to his forum space. Thank you for your help.
! Thanks for dropping by and for your question.
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