Trying to pick a mattress and sort of stuck on a final two

[phoenix]

Hi theGovment,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum!

found this particular thread as I was running searches on my last couple mattress picks, which are the Nest Alexander Signature Medium and the Novosbed Medium.

The Nest Bedding Alexander Signature Medium uses:
1" polyfoam quilted to cover
2.5" 4 lb gel memory foam
1" 4 lb memory foam
2" 1.8 lb ventilated SmartFlow polyfoam
8" 1.8 lb polyfoam core.

The Novosbed Medium uses:
2" 5 lb AirFlow memory foam
2" 5 lb memory foam
7" 1.8 lb polyfoam core

The good news is that both of these products do use good quality materials, and for those of a more “moderate” BMI range they would be appropriate items. And as you may already be aware, both Novosbed and Nest Bedding are members of this site which means that I think very highly of them and that I believe that they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency.

As for the indecision between the two, the Alaxander really addresses the issue of sleeping hot on many fronts (phase-change cover that’s also quilted to give space/breathability above the memory foam layers, gel memory foam, and even the air-flow foam further down), and I really love that because sleeping hot is my one and only reservation with upgrading to memory foam.

As I posted in an earlier reply in this thread, both items use similar amounts of memory foam, with the Novosbed having their layers closer to the surface (the Nest Bedding has the 1.5"quilt layer). It’s not really 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.

Regarding cooling memory foam claims, you can read more about phase change materials in post #9 here and at the end of post #4 here) and you can read more about the various different types of gel foams in post #2 here. In general terms gel foams will tend to have a temporary effect on temperature while you are first going to sleep until temperatures equalize but have less effect on temperature regulation throughout the course of the night.

However, their foam is also lower density (4lb) and looks like it gives up some of that true memory foam feel for springyness/airyness (only have been able to watch videos, so huge grain of salt)). Meanwhile, the Novosbed uses higher density foam (5lb), and in fact it’s the highest density that I was able to find among any of the mid-price online manufacturers, and based on the videos I have been able to find/watch, it’s response/look/feel is the closest I’ve seen to my own testing of the tempur-pedic mattresses I have available to try at the local shops. I also absolutely love the concept of the comfort plus option, to tweak the firmness of the mattress if we find it too had/soft.

I think that most people would describe both of these mattresses as having a “memory foam feel”, but of course until you sampled them only you would be able to determine if you had an affinity for the feel of one versus the other. The Novosbed does have the memory foam directly beneath the surface, where the Nest Bedding places a small amount of polyfoam quilted to the covering.

Yet the Novosbed doesn’t seem to address the issue of sleeping hot as thoroughly - the top layer of foam is perforated, but aside from that, it’s just memory foam. The awesome customer service rep I talked to at Novosbed about the concern of sleeping hot reassured me that I should be fine, and if I do sleep hot that a wool mattress protector (St. Dormeir) would likely solve the problem… Still, I’d really love for the heat issue to be addressed better in the design of the mattress, without the potential need for aftermarket add-ons… But then again, “sleeping hot” on these newer memory foams may just be a boogeyman that won’t really apply to me…

The perforated memory foam in the upper layer of the Novosbed allows for quite a bit more airflow that the same piece of foam without perforations, so that definitely can assist with thermoregulation. Again, you’d want to see my links listed previously about the effect of gels and phase change materials in memory foam. And you are correct, you may not be impacted by either product regarding temperature.

Anyway, Just thought I’d chime in as someone else who had reached the conclusion that it’s gonna be the Novosbed or the Alexander Signature. I’ll be sure to stop back in to follow up on which I choose and how it goes.

I’ll be interested in learning what you ultimately decide to do, or if you have more specific questions.

Phoenix