Underweight sleeper

I’m a 100 pound “lightweight” who has been trying to educate myself before mattress shopping. I have read your VERY helpful guides but I’m struggling with the right combination now that I’ve read the information, especially since I live in rural southeastern Iowa where there are very few choices to shop for mattresses. I am now 58 and have some health problems that affect my joints. I sleep alone so don’t have to worry about pleasing anyone but myself for comfort. From reading I know that I don’t need a lot of support layers due to my weight but I am a side sleeper and definitely notice that the mattress I have used for years is too firm. I have also always been a “hot” sleeper so I hesitate to purchase foam that would make me feel like I am burning up for the sake of joint comfort. I don’t mind being in a price range of $1000 to $1500 as long as it is a good purchase that will meet my needs. I’ve taken notes about the comfort layer, quilting recommendations, ticking, and latex foam (Dunlop vs Talalay) but I don’t know where to take the info around here. I did go to our local furniture store that carries only Sealy and Restonic and it was obvious I was being fed a line of bull to buy the products they offer. I would love to be able to get a couple of “expert” recommendations from you of what would be a good mattress brand/model and just shop over the Internet for price. Any direction you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! JT

Hi Thompson,

It sounds like you are on step 3 of the tutorial which is the step where you decide on the local retailers or manufacturers to do some testing so that you can “translate” the information you are reading into personal experience.

If you let me know your city or zip code I’d be happy to let you know about the better options or possibilities I’m aware of that may be in reasonable driving distance.

If there are few (or no) good local retailers or manufacturers in your area and you are comfortable with an online purchase then the optional online step in the tutorial would replace or be an addition to step 3 in the tutorial. This also includes several links to lists of many of the better online choices I’m aware of.

There is more about the different ways to choose a mattress and how to minimize the risks involved with each of them in post #2 here.

Once you have decided on the types of mattresses and materials you are most interested in and the local or online stores that you are comfortable dealing with then step 4 is about narrowing down your choices to a single finalist at each one (either based on your actual testing or your more detailed conversations with online retailers or manufacturers you are considering.

Unfortunately 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 for anyone to be able to predict which mattress will be the best match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) bases on specs (either yours or a mattress), "theory at a distance, or by brand (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

Brand shopping is one of the worst ways to choose a mattress and I would avoid brand shopping completely because the name of the manufacturer on a label will tell you little to nothing about whether a mattress is suitable for you in terms of PPP, whether there are any lower quality materials or weak links in the mattress (see this artlcle), or whether a mattress you are considering is good “value” compared to your other finalists based on all your criteria that are most important to you (see post #12 here and post #5 here about “brand shopping”)

There is more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here that can help you make more meaningful comparisons between mattresses regardless of the name of the manufacturer.

Phoenix

Thanks for the helpful suggestions! My home zip code is 52501 but I would certainly be willing to drive to Iowa City or DesMoines as they are within 90 miles of my home and have more selections for retailers.

Hi Thompson,

The closest options in and around Ottumwa, IA that I’m aware of (subject to the “value” guidelines I linked previously) are listed in posts #1 and #2 here.

There is also a list for the Des Moines area here and for the area around Cedar Rapids here.

Phoenix