How to cover both back and side sleepers

Mattress Talk General Mattresses Questions
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Hello and thanks in advance for your advice,

I’ve had a Ghost Bed for about 10 years now, and in the past three months my lower right back has been hurting when I wake up in the morning. I suspect it is due to the bed because I had a week away at a conference, and my back didn’t hurt in the mornings from the hotel bed, which felt a bit “firm”.

I typically stay in the same position throughout the night, on my back, while my wife is a combination sleeper. I am 6’ 155lbs, she is 5’1" and 115lbs. I think I would like a medium firm hybrid bed and our budget is under $1600, though I am also considering Latex (Nolah’s Natural, specifically). We are in Silver Spring, MD.

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Hi there ZachBasa,
Welcome to the Mattress UnderGround,

Happy to have you here.

Well first, wow. Your Ghost Bed gave you 10 years of service, I would say that is a pretty good run. Have you tried rotating the mattress to determine if the mattress is the issue or your preferences have simply shifted.

Most hotel mattresses are designed to hit that medium firm sweet spot (for as long as they hold up) and by happenstance many hotel guests will feel rejuvenated on the mattress because the one at home is typically on the way out. This a common theme that happens, and usually folks run to the hotel bedding website for a costly, non returnable mistake.

Latex mattresses can be very resilient, made to accommodate dissimilar sized sleepers preferences and be made in a hybrid or full on latex combination.

If it is latex you seek, most of the TMs here at TMU are the best in the industry when it comes to latex mattresses. You need only to go as far as picking one and collaborating with them to find you a perfect fit when it comes to latex and latex hybrids.

The nolah natural is nice offering and reasonably priced. It is a tri-zoned mattress, which will boost support in the lumbar and typical problem areas. Given both your lighter weights, and the fact you sleep on your back, you may not feel the effects of the zoning as much as sleepers who carry more weight in the middle.

Zoning has its pros and cons.

If the zoning is too pronounced or not well matched to your body type and sleeping position, it could lead to discomfort. For instance, if the lumbar zone is too firm or too soft, it could exacerbate rather than alleviate back pain.

For combination sleepers, zoning can sometimes cause issues as the support might not adjust well to different sleeping positions. However, since you primarily sleep on your back, this is less of a concern for you compared to a combination sleeper.

Shorter sleepers (under 5’5 ) might find that the zoning in a mattress doesn’t align well with their body, especially if the zones are designed with averages in mind. For example, if the lumbar support zone is placed too high or too low, it could lead to discomfort or improper spinal alignment.

Zoning that is not well-adjusted for shorter bodies might not effectively alleviate pressure points, which can affect comfort and support. For instance, if the mattress has firm zones where a shorter sleeper’s body needs softer support, it could lead to discomfort.

Some mattresses offer adjustable or customizable zoning options, which can be beneficial for shorter sleepers. These options allow for better alignment and support adjustments based on individual needs.

Before diving into a zoned mattress, you need to speak with the mattress expert wherever you are looking at their mattress to ensure it is a good fit for your height and weight.

On the positive side, the TMs here ship nationwide and have experts on staff to tackle these issues.
Staying under the $1600 price point should not be much of an issue for a latex hybrid. @Arizona_Premium ultimate hybrid, this is a combi zone spring layer, but arranged slightly different, as it offers nice edge support, @Sleep_EZ hybrid offers an enhanced edge support zone, and is flippable with a firmer side and a softer side based on how you flip it. There are just a couple of examples of latex hybrids within your stated budget and preferences.

If you feel ambitious enough, these folks can help you design a latex hybrid to to meet exacting specifications.

In the online genre, you may find the Ecosleep or Ecosleep Luxe, or birch natural more suitable from 3z brands over the nolah, made by the same company. Naturally, all of these are not customizable, but hit your checkboxes, made in the USA, offer nice support systems, and latex combined with other natural fibers to make nice quality offerings.

Hope this helps get you jump started.

Maverick

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Thank you for the detailed write-up, Maverick!

I was concerned about the zoning in the Nolah, especially with our height differences. I will ask them about it. I also didn’t think about how our lighter weights would affect the support. One question I have is what is the difference between hybrid and full latex beds?

I would love to hear the advice from Arizona or SleepEZ. Should I move to those forums or keep the discussion here?

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The difference between a full latex and hybrid is the full latex uses a latex support layer. This is commonly a more dense and firmer either bottom of the mattress (if one sided) or center of the mattress (if flippable) with varying levels of comfort layers to compliment the support given by the firmer core support layer of the mattress. The mattress is then finished off with either a stretchy or quilited or non stretchy cover panel, which can alter the feel of the mattress a bit to final tune to the sleepers needs or preferences.

The hybrid, uses a pocketed coil spring layer as the support core of the mattress, in place of the solid core of latex in a full on latex mattress.

You need not move the discussion into the expert forum as you mentioned @Arizona_Premium and @Sleep_EZ (the @symbol prefix before their name, alerts them you have a question on your mind you would like to have them address.

Glad it was helpful.

Maverick

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Hi Zachbasa and thanks for the inquiry! Latex and coil hybrids typically last 10-15 years and all-latex mattresses typically last 15-20 years. All-latex mattresses offer a much finer degree of adjustability than latex and coil hybrids do. All-latex mattresses can be adjusted to be slightly softer, moderately softer, much softer, or slightly firmer, moderately firmer, much firmer. You can increase the pressure relief slightly, moderately, or vastly. You can increase the back support slightly, moderately, or vastly. Since latex and coil hybrids normally have only 2 components (3” of latex and the coils) you really have limited options to adjust the mattress, and any change that is made is normally a big change. Not everyone needs the level of adjustability that the all-latex mattress offers. As such, customers will choose latex and coil hybrids if they’re 250 pounds or less; like the feel of a latex and coil hybrid; want a mattress with more edge support than all-latex mattresses; like the lower price point; and / or want to retain some of the feel of a standard spring mattress while getting some of the benefits of latex.

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Thanks Sleep_EZ. With those points, I think we would prefer the Hybrid approach. Do you also find that the Hybrid is cooler than the full latex? Or does it not matter?

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We don’t get complaints about either one sleeping hot, so if there is a difference, it’s probably very minimal.

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