Buying a new mattress - confused!!

lisa701

I'm hoping there may be some mattress experts on here as I'm looking at buying a new one but I'm not sure if the advice being given to me by the stores is accurate or they just want to sell us the most expensive.

I suffer from hip, back and neck problems and our existing medium/firm sprung mattress is doing me no good. Its more comfy to sleep on the sofa than in our bed.

Having tried a few out in store we are considering getting a medium firmness, memory foam mattress. I notice there are two different types - one is sprung with a thick layer of memory foam on top (cheapest) the other is unsprung foam with a thich layer of memory foam on top (most expensive).

Anyone know if there is any benefit in buying the unsprung foam with memory foam top over the sprung version? Its it really worth the extra (which is some cases was double the price of the sprung version).

lisa701

If its any help we have a wooden bed frame with sprung slats.

Pinkypants

What advice did the shop give you?

There are both very cheap foam mattresses and springs and memory foam mix too.

Likewise tempur is very top end of the all foam market, also you can spend well over a £1,000 on a spring with memory foam mattress.

All foam mattresses are generally cheaper to produce as it's normally just 2 bits of foam stuck together with a cover on it. They have the feeling of wet sand, you slowly sink into it. They will not have bounce and life as much as a sprung mattress. Main advantage is that roll together is also nil. Some people say that they got hot in them as you are surrounded by foam.

Memory foam is just a very hard wearing filling, it doesn't remember anything apart from it's original shape. It needs a foundation underneath it or some kind be it springs or foam. So having said that all foam matts are generally firmer, because if the foam under the memory foam is too soft it'll began to sag and lose it's shape very quickly, therefore a shorter life span.

Pocket springs have been the King of sprung mattresses for years and we are selling far more springs and foam combo then all foam. They feel more like a traditional mattress and we hear less about heat problems with them too.

Pocket sprung mattress come with a spring count which is always based on a 5ft size. Varying from as little as 600 through to silly amounts like 7,000+. 1000 and upwards tends to be the best to go for, more springs normally equals more support as the body is being held and cradled by more springs.

What about a traditional pocket sprung mattresses? Or do you like the idea of memory foam?

Hope that helps a little.

lisa701

Thanks for your reply.

We tried out various mattresses in store and found the memory foam ones the most comfortable so we will definately be going for memory foam whether it be on top of a foam or sprung base. The question is which one to go for.

I was advised in two different stores that the all foam ones are better for joint problems as they allow you to 'sink into' them more than the ones with a sprung interior and memory foam top which tend to be a lot firmer. Now I don't know if that is true or if they were telling me porkies because the all foam ones they had were more expensive than the ones with sprung interiors. The best one we tried was £799 - I steered clear of the Tempur £1000+ ones

I thought all foam ones came rolled up but these were too solid to roll up, they seemed much more solid than our existing regular mattress which needed squashing slightly to get it up our stairs.

So am I best finding a sprung mattress with memory foam top, rather than one which is foam all through? Is the lifespan likely to be the same or longer with the sprung version?

Pinkypants

If you've looking to spend that sort of money, then the foam ones won't be cheap and fall apart after a couple of years.

Healthbeds make a fantastic all foam mattress called the memory flex.....http://www.mattressman.co.uk/mattresses/healthbeds-ltd/dmg-894-healthbeds-memory-flex-double-mattress.aspx

All foam mattress generally will feel firm as the underlying foam is quite firm, much firmer then springs normally. Unless comparing it to an orthopaedic sprung mattress.

You are best finding a mattress that you find comfortable, if you're looking to spend over £500 then what ever you go for shouldn't be rubbish, unless you get very unlucky.

You haven't said what size of mattress? If a 6ft for example £500 is not a lot of money to spend on a mattress! But 4ft6 or 5ft then your budget is fine.