Oh my aching back. Need a new mattress

C

cremeegg

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Its time for a new mattress.

I got about 7 years out of the old one, not as much as I hoped.

Has anyone any suggestions, are the advantages of the more expensive ones real or just marketing ?

Is it important that the mattress can be turned over or does that not matter.

thanks for any ideas
 
I'd recommend IKEA and in particular their 'mattress toppers' - you can make up the bed sheets without having to lift a hulking great mattress corner four times; and if you have a dodgy back that's a major advantage. Plus the cover zips off so can be washed in the machine.
 
I recently bought a top of the range orthopaedic mattress, memory foam etc. Still waking up a couple of times a night with a sore back and having to change my sleeping position.
Went to a new Physio to see if anything could be done and he recommended a soft mattress as the best option for me. My back curves inwards where those usually with bad backs have the curve outwards and so a hard mattress suits them. The softer option would mean me 'sinking' into the bed and meeting the curve in my back!

Anyways, stuck with the mattress now as the Mrs loves it
 
Do not under any circumstances buy a memory foam mattress. We had to dump ours after a year of fitful sleep and several chiropractor visits.
 
I thought I needed a new mattress, then I got a duck feather mattress topper in ALDI for about €30 two years ago, haven't thought about needing a new mattress since :)
 
Thirsty said:
I'd recommend IKEA and in particular their 'mattress toppers'
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I know many including myself that would so disagree with this - I had months of sleepless nights because of the Ikea mattress.

T McGibney said:
Do not under any circumstances buy a memory foam mattress. We had to dump ours after a year of fitful sleep and several chiropractor visits.
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However... Bought a foam memory mattress and no looking back!

I think its a matter of trying it out, its probably not one size fits all
 
Thanks for all the replies. I will definitely look into a mattress topper before buying a new mattress. If it helps great, if not not a huge cost.
 
T McGibney said:
Do not under any circumstances buy a memory foam mattress. We had to dump ours after a year of fitful sleep and several chiropractor visits.
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Good memory foam mattresses cost a lot of money. After the Tempur ones started to get glowing reviews and endorsements, there was a slew of copies with very mixed quality, the worst of which also suffered from overheating problems due to lack or airflow through the foam. The good ones will offer money-back guarantees if you're not satisfied after 90 days.
 
I recently bought a Faith and Ethan orthopedic mattress. It is Irish made, reasonably priced and extrememly comfortable. I should have changed mattresses years ago. Best buy in ages!
 
We had a top of the price range memory foam mattress, cost maybe €1600 at the time just for the mattress, it was a massive 5 foot yoke and we liked it, after maybe two years when the bed was made up especially in summer with lighter coverings it looked like there were two ghosts lying on it as we had indented it over time, eventually I got fed up and after maybe three years I called the shop that supplied it and explained that this top of the range memory foam mattress they sold me had alzheimers as it was forgetting us.

They exchanged the mattress, no quibbles giving us the full price against another mattress in store, to be fair the service was exceptional, that is us finished with memory foam, a ridiculous concept anyway as it is really a sponge, just slick marketing in my view.

We got a mattress topper on a much older mattress on a bed occupied by a son and since we got it he will not let us throw out the mattress and it must be 15/20 years old so yes the toppers are great.
 
cremeegg said:
Thanks for all the replies. I will definitely look into a mattress topper before buying a new mattress. If it helps great, if not not a huge cost.
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In light of the different experiences above it might be best to go for something not too expensive as you say yourself. I bought a few different ones in http://www.homestoreandmore.ie/ and whilst I have found them to be excellent they're not for everyone. They regularly do half price offers on them. If you check with staff they will tell which time of year the offer comes around as they seem to be on a set rota.

I have a bad back (wear and tear x-ray diagnosis) and find exercise and good hard kitchen chair is most important aspect of managing the problem. No super soft armchairs as they are the worst thing ever, unfortunately :(
 
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I bought a new bed and mattress last year for the spare room.
I was full sure I was a "firm mattress person" until I tried out about half a dozen different firmness ranges. Turns out on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being very firm and 1 being very soft, my preference is for 4!
Once I'd the firmness sorted I tried different brands. Went with King Kong in EZ Living.
As suggested by a previous poster, it really is horses for courses. In terms of type, fines and brand.
I'd suggesting giving each mattress you try 5 minutes. When you've narrowed it down, give your final choice another 15 minutes.
BTW, a "soft mattress" does not suggest that it's is squidgy or bad for your back. Just a difference on the firmness scale.
As you are at it, get a new pillow. I spent close to €290 on a Brinkhaus and it's fantastic.
They say that you should invest in good shoes and a good mattress becasseubwjwe you're not in one, you're in the other. But this could be applied to pillows too. And if you're sleeping with your head on two pillows, there's something wrong there. A good pillow is one pillow.
 
My tuppence.....

Had a memory foam mattress......mixed feelings but they are NOT suitable for women of a certain age! Sooo hot.

Ikea is a problem with beds/bed linen as their sizes are different. Ended up with a posturepedic mattress last time.
 
putsch said:
Had a memory foam mattress......mixed feelings but they are NOT suitable for women of a certain age! Sooo hot.
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The high quality foam has a more open cell construction giving better airflow and fewer heating issues. The poorer the quality, the worse the heat issue will be.

putsch said:
Ikea is a problem with beds/bed linen as their sizes are different. Ended up with a posturepedic mattress last time.
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Ikea have stocked standard Irish/UK bed sizes for a number of years now.
 
T McGibney said:
Do not under any circumstances buy a memory foam mattress.....
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Having previously purchased memory foam pillows and having a miserable time with them, I'd run a mile from any suggestion of buying a memory foam mattress also.

We bought a Sealy Matress and have never looked back - not cheap, but a really good nights sleep, relatively firm but comfortable etc. I'd recommend them no problem.
 
My problem with memory foam is not heat. But that it doesn't retain good support for long enough. I won't be getting another.

As for back problem. Exercise, Pilates, Swimming, good chairs, makes more of a difference to me than the mattress.
 
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I was in the same dilemma a few years ago with an 8 year mattress but with sore ribs rather than a sore back to complain about!! Didn't have the money for a new mattress so spent about £35 on an inch thick goose feather & down mattress topper and it did a fab job for a couple of years til I had the funds to replace the mattress. New mattress was about £400, no real science to choosing, just tried everything in the shop and picked the one I found comfy and could afford. I'm a bit weird and like a firm mattress but squidgy on top so just transferred the topper on to the new mattress when I got it and am now in bed heaven!!
 
Brinkhaus pillow
I am very interested in the brinkhaus pillow.while in Germany a few years ago,I had a brinkhaus pillow in the hotel in which I stayed. I think they had different grades. I suffer from a neck problem, I found it most comfortable. On my return I tried to get one but could not find a supplier.
Can you help with suppliers contact details.
Many thanks browtal
 
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