So I’m probably over thinking this.All I can do is

1. Lie on some

2. Buy one with an exchange period

3. Change it it doesn’t work

Here is the longer version. I’ suffering with back pain (off the bike so not here as much).

It is slowly easing up but some of my worst moments have been at night. Waking up around say 4, getting up for a wee, then it is full on back pain. This has partly been reduced by lieing on my front when it hurts. But I find it hard to sleep on my front. I told the physio I slept on a 20 year old cotton futon. He said buy a new mattress pocket sprung, memory foam topper. I said “I’m trying to keep my spine straight when I’m on my side” he said “yes”. Physio says I have a stiff back most likely with some degeneration. I’m 52 100kg 6 foot 4 if that is relevant.

A quick lie on some today and it looks like firm is to firm for me on my side. The one that worked seemed quite soft. So I don’t know if it would work to sleep on my front. I can post pictures of me lieing on  a couple beds if it helps

1. Any pearls of wisdom from bed shopping

2. Anything worth reading online on this subject

I know I’ve not be clear but that is what happens when you are baffled

Treat your own back .

Book by McKenzie.

A remarkably similar story to mine.

We did the mattress test at Benson for Beds and it came out that a soft mattress was what I needed. I’d always been told to go firm.

Soft memory foam was brilliant for a few years.

I then did a house swap and slept on a tempur mattress and it was amazing. Felt like a brick when it was cold but after a couple of minutes it was like lying on a cloud.

Bought one straight away to replace the worm out Bensons one.

If you can stretch to the price do a 100 night trial with tempur. They are the dogs.

I have read most of the Mckenzie book. Physio warned we are not sure it all applies to my back. But it still helped understand more about backs

The Tempur looks pricey. If I really thought it would put me back to where I was then it would be cheap…..

Thanks

Familiar story!  In recent years, I woke every morning with an aching back, so last year we replaced our old Dunlopillo foam mattress.

Just as your physio suggested, we chose a sprung mattress with a memory foam topper.  And now my back is absolutely fine each morning.

I can also recommend zip-link rather than an ordinary double bed.

Long time lower back pain sufferer here, what helped me were core exercises like The Bridge and The Plank, plus to some extent rides of longer duration.

We bought our mattress 10 years ago, and no bed in the world tops it. Pocket sprung (1200 springs) with a memory foam top built in. Slumberland I recall. You can leap on to one side, and the person on the other doesn’t move. I suffer a bad back in lots of beds. Not this one.

Also consider your pillow. I take my own pillow – dunlopillow foam supportive pillow – all round the world with me. It revolutionises holiday rental cottages !!

Try one of the mattresses with a trial period, you have nothing to lose, I tried one & sent it back before the trial period ended & bought a decent pocket mattress without a topper as I find them to warm. I found it very firm to begin with but now it has worn in a bit I really appreciate the support it gives.

PS I really wanted to try a Tempur but they weren’t doing a trial period at the time, they do now & although they are very expensive I wouldn’t hesitate to give one a go.

Cheers.

<span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”>Tempur Cloud, bought 5 years ago. Best nights sleep in my life ever since. Worth every penny of its frankly extortionate price.</span>

Rumpy pumpy is a bit odd on a memory foam mattress until you get used to it 😆

I suffer with chronic SI joint dysfunction which is more pronounced one side.  Finding a mattress which I could get comfortable on (on my side) & that the Mrs didn’t was a chore.  It was suggested that we look at a gel one & we soon found one which ticked all the boxes.  They’re not ‘gel’ per se but gel infused memory foam which helps prevent the effects of temperature on the foam and give a more consistent feel – also stops it feeling hot/cold too.

3 years later & ours is the only bed I don’t end up in agony on.

Hypnos pocket spring.

As used by your Lizard Overlords.

Interesting reading this. I’m currently getting incredible stiffness through my back every morning when I wake.

I’ve seen a physio but the exercises have so far not done an awful lot. I still get out of bed with a lot of pain and stiffness.

Could it be the bed that’s causing it?

My g/f & I both suffered from low level back pain, & went camping expecting to really suffer on an air mattress.. came away with the best couple of nights sleep for ages, so our old mattress had to go. We bought a tempur as it felt great & we’ve not regretted it, as though it was expensive, it the place you spend so much time, why skimp?

my only issue has been it compacting – as my partner loves to go to bed early & read. Her side if the bed now sinks very noticeably (it over 6 years old, so hardly failed overnight) but will expand back to it original shape when not in use, so the warranty is of no use (only covers issues that present when not in use). So I’ve ended up with the ‘dip’ on my side & a cushion shoved underneath it

we are looking for a replacement but what testing we’ve done in shops, none match the tempur, but I’m reluctant to buy another, when a load of the competition cost less than half price. Though it’s also because I want a super king size, which means new base & bed linen

Beware that a bigger spring count doesn’t necessarily mean better –  I have a 1000 spring sleepeeze which must be 15 years old and is stil brilliantly comfortable and has excellent edge support, and a newer 1400 spring Sleepeeze (both ortho range) which isn’t as good and doesn’t have as good edge support.

I bought one of these years ago and it has saved shed-loads of money on osteopaths :

http://www.backstretcher.com/en/backstretcher.html

it works by the weight of your head pulling you across the rack and tests have shown it working.

Where it is really good is when your back is stiff from muscles locked up, I get that a lot on the right side of my spine, a few days on this (12 minutes a day) and your back loosens up a lot and you can feel more movement and flexibility resulting.

I use it before bed so I am as ‘loose’ as possible ready for the overnight decompression of sleep.

I prefer the one shown and not the one with the rollers.

I have an occasional bad back, only really flares up through inactivity.  Best thing for it is moving about, walking, swimming, gentle stretching.  In fact, any gym class that involves me doing something i would not normally do is really good for it.

Sorry no help re mattress selection.

+! for tempur, although ours is now getting old and I have noticed its not so comfy anymore for a full nights sleep, or my back/hips are getting worse

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Step 1 forget the sales blurb ‘orthopaedic’ was a sales pitch started in the 80’s, if you have a bad back what you need is a matress that supports all of you in contact with the bed when in your slepping position/s the only way to find this is try some….the pillow can be just as inportant as the bed too.

http://www.backstretcher.com/en/backstretcher.html

it works by the weight of your head pulling you across the rack and tests have shown it working

I’m liking the look of that medieval device. I have a plastic one that does do something similar.

Before bed definitely.

So I have had a lie down on lots of beds.

My gut feeling today is that I need to go fairly firm. But it is a tough call, The softer one let my hip dig in more and my spine is straighter. But that dip is also a sort of sag which I have always found crippling. When I say softer I mean rated firm but a more compliant design

I have lane on a Tempur and I don’t think it is for me

The shop “dreams” lets you swap any matress they sell between days 30 and 40 after delivery

But currently looking at Ikea

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/mattresses/mattresses-toppers/hesseng-pocket-sprung-mattress-firm-natural-colour-art-30258734/

I’m popping back on Thursday for a longer lie down. I’ll take my Kindle

John Lewis has a good selection of beds you can try.

Nicest mattresses I’ve found are Sealy Orthopedic, but they don’t do European sizes, so we have one on the spare room double, but our Euro King has a Simba, who do a 90/100 day return.

Last time I bought a mattress was pre-Internet ones (at least they weren’t common from what I remember) so I just took a chance (pocket sprung with integrated memory foam topper) and got lucky. If I were buying now I’d probably go with something with at least a 60 day return policy as it can take a while to get used to them.

I’ve caused myself back problems over the years with pillows (neck strains can cause pain elsewhere, such as middle of the back). Too thick or thin and I start getting back problems after a few days, using box shaped pillows at the moment which seem to work for me but I’d def think about changing your pillows first (especially if they’re old).

The “firm mattress is better for backs” tosh has caused all sorts of pain down the years.

Buy something that feels the most comfortable when you lie on it with a good return policy – as has been said previously.

Also, don’t neglect a good and suitable pillow. Finding the right size for your neck/shoulder is crucial as is the most comfortable firmness and filling that suits you. Run a mile from memory foam as it just doesn’t breathe imo.

Thanks folks. It is interesting how many people have been through this

I’m not wedded to form as the right thing for a bad back. I’m just trying to use my experience of different mattress. The At Easter in  a rental quality I think my back took a turn for the worse on a mattress which was to me sottish but seemed high quality.

Pocket sprung is the way to go – and yes, it will feel softer than you expect.  As others have said, it can also be your pillow, Dunlopillo latex foam win hands down for me, memory foam is rubbish for both mattresses and pillows!

Ten years ago I thought I was getting old and creaky with a bad back every day.

Sleeping away from home and my back was fine so it finally got through to me that the problem was my bed…

I spent more money than I had at the time on a Waterlattex mattress – it’s like memory foam but not technically the same and I was better instantly. It was brilliant – not too firm, not too soft.

I was proper broke at the time but I didn’t regret it for an instant. They are probably not that expensive in the scheme of things and really worth a look.

They have a 12 year guarantee – mine has done ok for 10 years. I’ll replace it in a couple of years I reckon.

I’ve had back surgery due to chronic pain and I’ve found that Tempur is the answer. We’ve had an original Tempur mattress for 10 years and recently upgraded to the Tempur cloud. Just as beneficial for the back but super comfortable from the get go. Like being cuddled gently to sleep.

Tempur – they are an awful lot of money for a memory foam, but they work.

I had my spine broken in late 2015 (car driver v bike) and I now have half my T1 missing and a damage disc.

Our existing mattress had been fine – it was a pocket sprung with built in memory foam topper – over £1k.  That was then a nightmare and I spent most nights on the settee.  Tried an additional topper, that didn’t help.  Changed it for an Ikea one with an additional topper – helped, but it did enable my wife to sleep better as she couldn’t feel me wriggling.

About 6 months ago I decided to try a Tempur – took a few weeks to get used to it, but it’s relieved the back pain. I can only sleep on my sides now, but it helps make the spine align nice and straight. My back is still bad, but it’s helped me seep.

We did buy in in a sale from Dreams when they had £500 off so keep an eye out.