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My wife gets back pain from every mattress we've had over the past 5 or 6 years. We've gone through three innerspring models, and now we're experimenting with an expensive, top-of-the-line Flobeds latex mattress in various configurations. But no matter what we try, her back pain persists. Through it all, one thing has consistently worked for her. The living room sofa. A modern-looking Galerkin piece with a single cushion that spans its full width. Every time she sleeps on it she wakes up without back pain. In fact, that's what prompted us to try a latex mattress, because we thought the latex foam would most closely resemble the feel of the sofa. But so far it doesn't seem to be working out that way. Maybe we can still come up with the right combination of latex layers for the Flobed but we've already tried numerous combinations, with and without the convoluted layer, with no luck. Is there any way to scientifically measure the firmness level of our sofa cushion so we can try to match it up with a specific ILD level of latex? Or...maybe we should just head on down to the one of the bulk foam stores in town with our sofa cushion, pick up a 6-inch thick piece of polyurethane furniture foam that matches it as closely as possible, throw it on top of a box spring and call it a night. I know everyone here is negative on PU foam but if that's what works then that's all that matters. And it's a lot cheaper than latex too. My biggest questions are, why would the sofa work so much better for back pain than any mattresses? And is there any way I can accurately measure the firmness of that sofa cushion in terms of ILD, to match it up with some latex or PU foam of the same firmness level for the mattress? This message was modified Sep 30, 2010 by InsoManiac
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I think it would be hard to estimate without the right equipment. I ordered some HR foam for sofa cushions, and I think it was about 35 ILD (they called it firm). It is fairly firm, but I have also felt sofa's that are firmer. Maybe you could get samples from some place to try to estimate. Also, whatever is below the sofa cushions can act as a kind of box spring. How firm is it below the cushions? Does if have some give? That will affect the firmness as well. I think you should be able to achieve a desired firmness from latex layers. What have you tried so far? |
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The sofa has a typical firm spring base under the cushion. It probably has a bit more give than a typical box spring, but I think it's in the same ballpark. I have 3 firm and 3 X-firm layers from Flobeds which I've put together in every possible combination, with and without the convoluted top layer. X-firm over firm over firm, topped with the soft convoluted layer inside the cover, produced the best result for my wife, but not good enough since she still had back pain in the morning. Softer combinations produce lower back pain, and firmer combinations produce mid back pain. Latex feels "squishier" than furniture foam, so maybe that's got something to do with why the mattress doesn't work for her while the sofa does. This message was modified Sep 30, 2010 by InsoManiac
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InsoManiac, Post up your wife's stats (weight, height, age), what kind of sleeper she is (side, back, stomach), back/spine related medical conditions, pillow usage on both bed and sofa, etc., and anything else that may be pertinent. . Maybe it can be deduced what is contributing to the pain.
Btw, what's your impression of the Flobeds mattress? I know you had demo'd many different mattresses and also held reservations of the (quasi) DIY mattresses.
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She's 33, 5'0, 110 lbs, no medical problems but the curvature of her back is pretty noticable. She's mostly a side sleeper, with some back sleep. I have a pretty good opinion about Flobeds so far. The zip cover seems to be very good quality, and the latex layers were well packaged and arrived in good shape. The only thing I don't really understand is how they put so much emphasis on customizing your bed with just the right combination of layers, but then they throw in that one-size-fits-all, 2-inch 14ILD convoluted top layer no matter what else you order. I'm wondering if that's the reason why we can't get the mattress to work for us - that convoluted layer seems a little soft, and I wonder if a one-inch thick layer would have worked better for us.
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Latex does not work for everyone. Maybe she is one of those individuals. It is interesting that firmer produces a different type of pain. That makes it difficult to resolve. It is possible that she will need the vzone, to be able to customize even more. Do you have the Flobed on an old box spring? It should be on a fairly firm surface. It is possible that a foam store would be able to try to match what your sofa cushion, if you bring one in. All PU foam is not bad (seat cushions take a beating and they can last for a while) Ideally you would want something high quality (usually around 3 lb. density). S brands often use low quality PU. A piece in my Sealy was 1.2 lb density. Too light to provide support. Any PU will probably not last as long as latex and will soften up a little after some use. I would still try to work with Flobeds on a solution. |
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Interestingly enough if she sleeps on the floor (carpeted) she doesn't get back pain, but she does het shoulder pain from the obvious pressure points. The Flobed is currently on a slatted platform, but the next thing we plan to try is putting just two of the latex layers onto a box spring. That might be the closest we can get to reproducing the feel of the 6-inch sofa cushion on the spring base. |
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Just a minor thought. Do you think it might be that she's more comfortable on the sofa because of the back, which she can lean against while sleeping? Also could it be your actual bed sagging or out of whack (frame, rather than mattress)? [I'm beginning to think this latter problem could be part of MY sleeping issue!] |
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I thought about that, the back of the sofa could be adding an extra element of support to lean against. But I'm not sure if it's a real factor or not. The bed frame is a slatted base and I don't see any sag to it. It's the kind of slats that go straight across to provide a flat surface, not the kind that bow upward in the middle like you see on some of the Ikea beds. This message was modified Sep 30, 2010 by InsoManiac
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So, your foundation should be firmer than a box spring. You have a good idea to try on a box spring with less latex. Nothing to lose. In your opinion, does the sofa feel firmer or softer than the configuration that works best for her? It is an interesting idea the back of the sofa may be helping her. It is possible that she sleeps more upright on the sofa and slumps more on a mattress. You may want to try to observe her sleeping positions on the sofa vs. the Flobed. So, no mattresses in recent years have worked for her? |
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Inso, I'm kind of in the same boat as your wife. I find PU foam much more comfortable than latex. The latex layers you have are pretty firm.....have you tried softer? Anyway, hope you find something that works. |