Went out about 8 months ago and dropped $700 on a new queen mattress. Semi-soft, but also had the plush top comforter thingy. Felt great in the store.
Now I’m finding I’m having real back trouble - one muscle in particular, but also “the spine” I guess sometimes aches. I just know it’s the mattress (well, that plus I"ve put on about 25 pounds in past 5 months).
What’s the general thinking on how firm a mattress should be, especially if you’re experiencing back pain?
Consumer Reports has a big article this month dealing with mattresses; if you don’t sub to their website, you can pick up a copy at the newsstand. They discussed the high-end gimmicky mattresses such as TempurPedic and Select Comfort as well as one extremely expensive (~4K) import called Duxiana.
IIRC, they didn’t find that the high-end mattresses yielded any happier customers than more standard ones, in general.
Our own experiences: we had a soft-sider (i.e., looks like regular mattress, takes regular sheets) waterbed for years. Loved it. Didn’t love the fact that after a few years, the first one leaked. Then the replacement mattress developed a leak 3 months after going out of warranty. And it was a bitch to drain, and impossible to drain completely, and that liner weighted 100 pounds even when “empty” because of the residual water. But it was so comfy to sleep on. And lovely in the winter when we cranked up the heater in it.
We replaced it with a Select Comfort, after trying out a Tempur Pedic at a store. Didn’t like the feel of the Tempur Pedic but I know people who love them. I like the SC, Papa Zappa has had trouble with it since the day we got it 3 years ago.
I’d consider another waterbed but the leaks are really a problem. We never had water on the floor (there’s a second liner that prevents that from happening) but it’s disconcerting to wake up wondering if you’ve suddenly developed a bedwetting problem!
Anyway, the CR article said that you should spend at least 15 minutes resting on a mattress in the store (part on your back, part on each side), to try it out. And their people rarely changed their opinions after longer use (as in, try 15 minutes, love it, took it home, still loved it a month later).
My ex used to complain that my futon was hard as a rock, and caused her back pain. She liked a much softer mattress. We slept one night on a very soft mattress, and she woke saying “Finally, a good night’s sleep!” I woke up barely able to walk from the pain.
I’m currently sleeping on a wooden plank covered with 3" of foam. It’s bliss.
So I guess the message here is: People who like soft mattresses are terrible liars, and only very hard mattresses are any good at all.
rexnervous are you a side (fetal position) sleeper? I found that any additional weight can really make for back problems in that case. For me, losing weight was the best thing for my back while sleeping.
FTR, I do have a Select Comfort matress and I love it.
Yes, as a general rule I sleep on my side - or at least that’s the position I fall asleep in. But even on my back, especially once the pain has started, it still aches.
Am trying to lose weight too
Thanks, had a friend with a subscription print out the article(s) for me.
Don’t expect a mattress to fix your back. I went though physical theraphy a few years ago for a soft tissue back injury. Exercise & stretching was the only thing that helped. After that I was able to sleep on hard or soft mattresses with no back pain. When I don’t get proper stretching in I can get sore in anything but my own bed that I’m used to.
That said I prefer a firm mattress with a soft pillowtop. I’ve got a Serta but it transmits too much motion when one person moves.
I’m 54, so I’m a lot more apt to get back pain than I used to be.
I was sleeping on a waterbed, but after a couple of years that was killing me. So I put in a board and a bunch of foam, while leaving my wife’s side a waterbed. Stayed like that for several years, then all of a sudden my hands and feet started falling asleep.
Since the waterbed was bothering my wife, too, by this time, we tried out a Tempurpedic. It felt fairly comfortable, except that the entire right side fell asleep, which I decided was not acceptable.
We finally ended up with a Sealy, high end, not too firm, no pillow top. It kind of bothered me, so I added a foam pad (which is essentially a cheap pillow top). Since then my back has generally been better, and my limbs don’t go numb. On the other hand, it causes lower back pain if I lie on my right side for a long time(left is fine).
Morals:
Everybody is different, even the same person on one side vs. another.
Perfection is elusive.
We got a waterbed (full motion) just after we got married. My husband wasn’t too happy with it at first, but loves it now. Because of our cats, we cover the queen size water mattress with a king size comforter and tuck it in all around - and we have had to replace the mattress twice in 15 years because of kitty claws! As far as comfortable sleep - we just returned from a 2 week vacation during which we stayed in a hotel. Both of us woke up stiff every morning. We were really glad to get back to the waterbed! (and the cats!)
The fat woman who sits next to me swears by the Tempurpedic. She says it is The. Best. Thing. for a chronically bad back. She is easily 150 lbs overweight in addition to residual problems from an accident years ago. I’d try one, but they are pretty expensive. I think a good mattress generally runs about $1000 or so, but I’m told you can wheel and deal at those mattress shops and get a pretty decent one for a bit less.
If you’re a side sleeper, put a pillow between your knees. If you’re a back sleeper, put a pillow under your knees. This may solve your problem without the cost of a new mattress.
