Danielle writes:
Hi Peter,
I injured my back in August 2011 and thought that purchasing a new bed might help improve my back. I purchased a Simmons NXG Plush Mattress and slept on it for about 2 weeks. I started getting muscle spasms in my legs shortly after purchasing it but was unsure if it was the bed or the fact that I had been moving some furniture around the same time I started sleeping on the new bed. Luckily I went to a store that has the sleep comfort guarantee so I went back to the store and told them that I thought the new mattress might be causing my, what I considered, new pain and that I had borrowed my mother's egg crate for added softness and thought it was making a difference. They looked at me like I had two heads and said it was one of their best beds in the store. After talking to them for about a half hour they thought maybe the same bed with just more memory foam would be better for me. A Simmons NXG 400 Plush Mattress was delivered to me yesterday. I was looking forward to sleeping on it thinking it would indeed be way more comfortable then the original I first purchased. My muscle spams had decreased quite a bit 3 days before getting this bed but after sleeping on it last night I woke up with tight muscles in my legs once again and burning feet with pins and needles. I find that the bed is not as soft as it was in the store. Can this be true or am I grasping at straws. I just feel like its too dense for me and I think I need something that I sink into a little better. I'm scared to exchange it for a pillow top as I think that will probably be too soft. I did try the latex beds that they had but I found them to be too springy. I like a bed that I feel wrapped in but at the same time gives me the support I need for my back. Any advice?? I think this will be the last time I'll be able to exchange so I want to make sure I make the right choice this time.
Thank you, Danielle
Hi Danielle,
What I see when I read your question is a case of the blind leading the blind. And just in case you're feeling a little insulted just now, you should know that this same scenario plays out day in and day out.
First off, "one of their best beds" means it's one of their best sellers....which has nothing to do with quality or what may be right for you. Even at the factory level when we, the retailers, go for a sales presentation, nobody talks about quality or how well their product is made. They talk about how well it will sell.
As far as consumers are concerned, many of of you have adopted the notion that comfort is all there is to buying a mattress.
The blame for this way of thinking falls, partly, on the mattress industry, which is pushing that idea...taking advantage of the self-indulgence society that we have become, generally speaking....the "more is better" mentality.
In other words, what you think you want can be very different from what you need. For healthy people, the odds of what you want being what you need is iffy, at best. For someone, like yourself, who has some damage to their back, those odds get much shorter.
Your primary assessment was, likely, correct. Your back injury probably did require a new mattress. However, "any new mattress" wouldn't necessarily do the job. The one you chose was too soft. The one you followed up with was even softer. Adding more memory foam is not the answer.
Your sense of comfort is contrary to the needs of your back. We all require firm support for a lifetime of spinal health.
But after an injury, your back can no longer withstand the lack of support that goes with buying a soft mattress.
It's not unlike the food you put in your body. There's no question that the Italian Hoagies, (subs), that I absolutely love to eat, are not good for me. As a younger person, it seemed to be a pleasure without consequence. At the age of 60, my doctor and triglyceride levels tell me that if eat them, I will die sooner than later. In fact, I shouldn't have been eating them all along....that my triglycerides are as high as they are because I indulged myself all those years.
I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the damage to your back wasn't aided by your habit of sleeping on a too soft mattress....which will make your back weaker and more easily damaged.
And now, you can't. Your back won't allow it.
The problem with your choice is, the softer the mattress, the more you sacrifice in support and durability.
The firm mattresses, that you now need, aren't terribly comfortable.
Memory foam and pillowtops are good for making the sale, but not much else.
In today's mattress market, there's only one way to get close to what you want....buying a mattress firm enough for your back and adding a layer of soft latex to the surface. Latex is infinitely better than memory foam. Adding a 2" layer of soft latex to the surface of a firm mattress gives you comfort without sacrificing support, and durability...as latex is the most durable of all the foams.
But, before any of this will work you you, you have to change the way you're thinking about it.
Thanks, Pete
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