What's the best mattress?
Question:We need to get a new one and I'm looking for recommendations. We're both in our mid thirties and healthy so it's not for any back issues. Like one that's not too hard.
Answers:
You should consider several factors when selecting a mattress:
1. Are you a back, side or stomach sleeper.
2. Are you male or female.
3. Does your back ache before you go to bed or when you get up in the morning?
4. Weight.
5. Body style/type.
Back sleepers disperse their body weight over a greater surface area and can therefore utilize a firmer mattress without creating pressure points on any given part of their body. Be cautioned not to get one that is as hard as a rock however.
Side sleepers need more cushioning on the top of the mattress because the pressure points are then concentrated on the hip and shoulder areas. This is also where being a male or female comes into play. Males are for the most part, 'straight' along the hip and abdominal region, therefore not requiring as much padding. Females, on the other hand, are generally more 'curvy', typically with AT LEAST a three inch difference between the hip bone and the waist (if you held a straight edge along the side of your body.) Therefore, females that are side sleepers require at least a three to four inch pillow top, depending on the distance between the hip and abdominal region. Some may require more.
If your back aches before you get into bed at night, there is likely more than one cause. If it is fine during the day and only aches when you get up in the morning, it is likely your mattress--if your a female side sleeper, it may be to firm or just worn out--especially if it is over 10 years old. If you're a back or stomach sleeper, the mattress and/or box is likely sagging and worn out, allowing your body to sag and put pressure on your spine, causing it to ache from being in an unnatural position, and not being supported properly.
Weight: The heavier you are, the better quality bed you need. All innerspring units are not created equal. There are light duty innersprings, good for children and people up to 150 to 175 lbs. Then there are heavy guage innerspring units that will last longer for heavier individuals. You may also want to consider a mattress that is 'foam encased' around the edges (extremely high density foam) which provides additional support around the edges and adds more 'body' to the mattress as a whole.
Body type/style: As partially discussed earlier, body type and style encompasses many factors. Your weight, the shape of your body on the front (do you have a 'beer belly' or something similar), the shape of your body on the sides (are you pretty much straight up and down along the side or are you really curvy in the midsection), and any issues that you may have with your back, whether spinal, muscle or tendon related, do you have any medical conditions such as fibromyalgia which have inherent, painful pressure points on the shoulders and hips, etc.
As a side sleeper, look for a mattress that allows your hip and shoulder to be absorbed into it, yet conforms to and supports your abdominal region. The average person cannot tell this by 'laying' on a mattress. They don't know what to look for and what to pay attention to.
So what do I pay attention to? you ask. 1) Lay on the bed in the position that you typically sleep. Just plop down there like you usually do. 2) Now the concentration begins. 3) Conciously, with your mind, check out what each area of your body is feeling. 4) What is my shoulder feeling? Is it comfortable? Lay there for 5 minutes. Is it starting to tingle (an indication of pressure points). 5) What is my hip feeling? Comfort, pressure points, tingling, etc. 6) What is my abdominal region feeling? Is it being supported straight and comfortably? 7) Do I feel pressure on my lower back in my spine and is it starting to ache?
Do the same for back and stomach sleepers.
Remember, the quality of a mattress is not determined by the price. Society in general has been brainwashed into associating quality with price. This isn't always true. It depends where you shop. If you shop at a Big Box store, expect to pay $2-3,000 for an excellent quality mattress. At the same time, YOU MAY NOT NEED AN EXCELLENT QUALITY MATTRESS! Personally, I could spoil myself with a $1,000 mattress from a small local store. However, all I really need is a $2-300 mattress set. Then again, I sleep on my back.
Hope this is helpful. If you have any more specific questions, feel free to contact me at 801-746-1295
Thanks,
Shaunell
I found them here on ebay
The best mattress is the one that fits your budget, and feels right to you!
Don't go try out mattresses when you're tired, or they'll all feel great...and plan to stay for a while. You actually have to lie down for a while, in several positions. Bring your own pillow, so it feel right. It may be embarrassing, but worth it! It's every night of your life for the next 10 years.
Some companies will let you do an in home trial. That may be your best bet!
We just bought a simmons beautyrest... seemed to be best for us because it is designed to limit the motion of one side of the bed when the other person is tossing and turning. It is a very personal thing though and I suggest going to a large store that sells nothing but beds and testing each bed individually, ignoring the price tag if you can and if you like one but think its too hard or too soft, ask the salesman about getting that bed with a different firmness.
Buy the mattress on the infomercials that the astronauts use. The one with the foam. The one where you can put a glass of wine on the bed and jump and it doesn't tip over. Thats the one you should get. Good luck.
Try ebay.
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