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Foam bed problems?

Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 6:32 am
by gsabc
Anyone out there in BB Land have a latex foam mattress? Ours arrived Saturday morning, and the last two nights have not been fun for me. It's supposed to help with pressure points and such, and cure morning backaches, though the latter has never been a problem. Until now. Sleep has been WORSE these last two nights. My back also aches horribly, which is what I think wakes me. We went out and got a bed topper yesterday, thinking that the softer surface would help. Didn't seem to. GW is apparently sleeping okay on the thing. It's just me.

It doesn't help that I'm fighting a cold. Scratchy throat and post-nasal drip, mostly, but annoying.

At least I remembered to set the VCR for frogman's show this morning. Now, back to the double coffee and an attempt to stay awake.

Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 6:40 am
by Bob Juch
Are you taking about something like a Temperpedic or just plain foam? I'd think the latter would be terrible to sleep on.

Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 6:43 am
by wintergreen48
That's nasty-- people buy these kinds of mattresses specifically to AVOID the problems you have been having.

There are differences in the types of foam. I have had one of those 'Temperpedic' things for about five years, and it is GREAT. When I sleep on a 'regular' mattress, I prefer a pretty firm mattress, and Temperpedic foam is like that; I am one of those people who misses his mattress when he is away from home. Perhaps your mattress is just the wrong kind of foam for you? That is, maybe you like/need a really soft one, and the one you have is one of the rigid foam ones (like Temperpedic), or you need a really firm one and you have a softie?

I wake up with the same symptoms you have when I sleep on what is for me an overly soft mattress, whether it is foam or otherwise.

Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 7:07 am
by gsabc
wintergreen48 wrote:That's nasty-- people buy these kinds of mattresses specifically to AVOID the problems you have been having.

There are differences in the types of foam. I have had one of those 'Temperpedic' things for about five years, and it is GREAT. When I sleep on a 'regular' mattress, I prefer a pretty firm mattress, and Temperpedic foam is like that; I am one of those people who misses his mattress when he is away from home. Perhaps your mattress is just the wrong kind of foam for you? That is, maybe you like/need a really soft one, and the one you have is one of the rigid foam ones (like Temperpedic), or you need a really firm one and you have a softie?

I wake up with the same symptoms you have when I sleep on what is for me an overly soft mattress, whether it is foam or otherwise.
Answering both Bob and wg:
It's a latex foam, similar in nature (no pun intended) to a Tempurpedic and the other "memory" foams. Everything I've read about it says that it's just as good, and has some advantages. The most notable for us is that it's not as temperature-retentive as the memory foams. GW has had problems with that on our old pillowtop mattress. First she's cold, then she's hot, then she's cold again, etc. (To me, she's always hot, but that's another issue.)

Our beds have all been at least medium firmness. We don't like the stiff-as-a-board types, nor the sink-till-you-drown softies. The bed at the hotel where we stayed for the wedding was the board type, but even then I didn't wake up with a backache. Our new one felt pretty good in that regard at the store. And your pressure points are supposed to sink into it so you're level and supported evenly to prevent backaches.

I may just need to get used to it for a few more days. Whatever. I'll try not to snore too loudly during the rabbi's sermon tomorrow.

Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 9:23 am
by Ritterskoop
I read a long while back that water beds are bad for your back because they allow you to get in a bad posture position and stay there.

The past week or so I have been wondering if memory foam is the same. I like it when I go to sleep, but I often wake up hurting.

New chiropractor says I have a pinched disc, which he is fixing. I will ask him about the mattress. I need an excuse to buy a Westin hotel bed......

Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 9:53 am
by sunflower
One of my friends that got one said it took about 2 weeks to get used to it, and now she loves it.

Another friend hated the one she got, but luckily the bedding store had a 30 day retun policy, so minus 15% she was able to go back to a standard mattress/boxspring.

I say give it a week or two before you totally swear it off...and keep the caffeine coming!!