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After reading at length here about the various options, I think we have decided to "build-a-bed" If only it were that easy <sigh>. Currently on a 7 yo Bassett pillowtop (Sealy?) that is sagging and oddly leaning to the right?! In any case, I believe it to be a major contributor to my low back pain/sciatica. Ive had problems on and off since an injury about 9 years ago. I wake up basically crippled and unable to walk. After several hours of "moving" I feel just fine... Starts over next morning. The only time I actually have the pain at this point is when I am lying in the bed. Once Im up, its just a matter of getting myself to walk "straight" again. Enough of that... Stats: me: 5'6', 140 lbs, female, side sleeper, low back pain. Spouse: 6'0', thin (170?), side back and stomach sleeper. Both of us seem to prefer a bit firmer sleep surface as we both feel we sleep best in the camper (2 inches of 10yo PU over plywood ;) ) Wouldnt want to sleep on it every night though. My impression from reading is that latex may not be my friend. I am planning on trying one however. Will a store tryout really tell me if latex will be a problem for my back? or would it take longer? At this point am assuming we will get a firm supportive quality bed and build comfort layers on top (questions on that below). I have taken the liberty of ordering the 1 " memory foam topper from overstock for $49 already. Good? Should I assume I will need and go ahead and order a latex topper? 1"? 2"? These are quite a bit more expensive, so I hesitated before ordering. Which ILD/thickness should I start with? Firm supportive base bed: This is what I think I need to look for in a bed (PLEASE correct me if Im wrong, this is all new to me)... Am I missing anything important here? I have looked for a local manufacturer (we are in Salt Lake City) and have had no luck. Most seem to just re-sell rather than manufacture other than visco beds. So it looks like Im stuck with the "s" companies. Seems Simmons gets best ranking, but they do pocket coils? so Im confused about that... I have access to RC Willey, Sears, Ikea, Macys, Costco... Thanks for any help! |
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Well, hopefully I did okay, because I just bought a mattress... Kingdom Mattress (regional company) I laid on this and was in heaven. I could frankly sleep on it with no additional padding. It was the firmest mattress they had. It was a closeout 2008 model and very well priced. Done deal. Would still love opinions on toppers though... I laid on a Serta Perfect Day latex, Natures Rest Latex, and Vera Wang and none of them did a thing for me. In fact, the Perfect Day actually made my back ache. The Tempurpedic wasnt bad until I tried to roll over... The most comfortable I laid on all day (other than the one I bought) was a $1400 firm Simmons Beautyrest set. The salesman even told me it was a comfortable bed, but plan on replacing it in 6-8 years.... oy! Jodie |
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I think you did the right thing. I would have gone with an offset coil rather than a Bonnell, simply because they have more turns per coil and offer more support for an adult body, but Bonnells will provide exactly what I think you need--rigid support for your lumbar region. Latex probably would not work for you and I would have recommended against it for the reason that latex conforms to your body and will press against the nerves that aggrivate your sciatica. I would even have steered you away from a latex topper for the same reason. You may not need it since your mattress has 1" of MF built in, but I have the 1" overstock MF topper. I find it's just enough to provide a little extra cushiness without undermining support. Then again, you may find that if you put the topper on the bed the total of 2" of soft foam may start giving you a backache. You'd be amazed how just a bit more foam can become too much. Especially if you can sleep on just 2" of PU foam on a piece of plywood. Ouch! That would even be too hard for me and I like it firm! Please let us know how this mattress works out for you. |
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If I HAD to get one of the big three, I guess I'd go with the Sealy Signature line, as it as open end offset coils...which will support your back. It has to be the signature line, tho, not their regular stuff. Even the low end of the signature line has like 7 inches of foam, I think, tho. They make their own coils they say. I'd go with the least amount of foam padding over the top of these as possible. More foam, more give, more breakdown, more backache. I've had the same problem as you. However, if you look really hard at larger towns around where you live, you might find a bed maker. It's an almost lost art these days. Ask people, check the net, check the yellow pages, check everywhere. I just brought home my new bed. Handmade, with offset coils, covered with burlap and lovely cotton batting, then just a few inches of nice foam. Box springs have real springs. I'm pretty darn happy now. Oh, and it is flippable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will report back. Kait |
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Thanks Kait. I actually bought a bed from a regional manufacturer with a Bonnell unit and just 1 " memory foam... It was as close as I could find to what I wanted and was a great deal too. So far it is working out beautifully although I think the memory foam topper I have coming will help some. Congrats on the bed. It sounds wonderful!! Forgot to add... when they took the old mattress out (and before they brought in my new one, I discovered that my old box springs (which Im keeping) have SPRINGS... well who knew, but I guess thats a good thing! Jodie This message was modified Nov 10, 2008 by utcarsons
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Hey, Jodie; How are you liking your bed? I got mine a week and a half ago....was firmer than the showroom bed, so I've been experimenting with foam toppers. My rear-end sat on the bed and didn't sink much, my shoulders were in pain when I slept on my side. I am in agreement with Cloud9 about too much foam can cause backaches. I started with a 2", 4 pound memory foam...too soft. Shoulders were happy, low back ached. Dropped to memory foam shoulders and legs, with 2" pu foam med density in the hip area. Kind of okay, but second night not good. Last night did memory foam shoulders and pu foam legs and hips. Bad. So ripped it all off and did 1" soft pu foam shoulders, and 1" slightly firmer pu foam legs and hips. It feels better but tonight will tell. I swear I am the Princess and the Pea! Bed has offset coils, insulator, burlap, lots of soft cotton batting, then a little built in topper(both sides!) of 2" polyurethane soft foam. Feels hard to my body. I think I cannot sink deeply enough into it. I will probably do toppers rather than bring it back to add more foam inside. Plus I'd need to know what works before I ask them to do anything. Any feedback from anyone? I dislike the boingy feel of latex, and typically memory foam is too sinky. Kait |
| Cotton is pretty hard for sleeping I find. two things you might try are the lambswool topper from overstock, which has had very positive feedback on the site. or the 5" featherbed, which also at overstock, can be fluffed up for more height or flattened for less. both had near uniformly positive feedback. I had a great sleep on the W mattress in a westin hotel. they use a featherbed on top of a high support mattress. not sure if either of these will solve it for you but may be worth a try. |