Ask HN: What's the most comfortable bed you've ever slept on?
I'm in the market for a new mattress and I'm finding that nearly all online reviews are fake (it's seriously depressing). I figured I'd try HN and make a thread that everyone can refer to next time they need a mattress.
So far I've tried both a Casper and a Nest Alexander Hybrid Medium. The Casper was just ok comfort-wise, but slept hot to the point that I would wake up covered in sweat. I currently have the Nest and while it does sleep cooler, I wake up every morning with a backache.
I noticed when traveling through Italy and Portugal that the mattresses I slept on were extremely comfortable. I slept so well. I can't seem to find this type of mattress in the US: thin, foam (I think?), and firm yet pressure-relieving. Does anyone know what I'm talking about?
What's the most comfortable mattress you've slept on?
Try latex foam. Not cheap, but firm yet soft, durable, and sleeps very cool.
There's an old-school outfit in NYC called Dixie Foam[1] that sells amazing firm latex mattresses and toppers. (They also sell less expensive polyurethane mattresses, which have a slightly different feel, and are warmer, but come in both softer and even firmer modes. You might combine a poly mattress with a latex topper.)
And I really like the latex foam pillows from Talatech/Latex International, which I could only find online at one place[2].
I sleep in a hammock... Basically one of these https://www.amazon.com/Hammock-Sky-Brazilian-Double-Backyard... with a stand like this https://www.amazon.com/Best-ChoiceProducts-Hammock-Portable-... It's worked out for me for the last few years. Previously I slept on a cot, before that it was an air mattress / floor when I was too lazy to reinflate the mattress, and a regular double-size mattress or a couch before then. Occasionally I'll travel to San Francisco or Vancouver for work and haven't slept on anything amazing, in fact it sometimes takes me some time to get used to sleeping on a bed again since I'd rather have my hammock.
If you have a SO though I've no data on how well it would work out. :'(
A great resource I used when purchasing my last mattress: http://www.sleeplikethedead.com/
My wife and I ended up with a foam mattress, which we really like. Our only complaint is that it's noticeably warmer in the summer than our previous regular mattress.
I sleep on this [0] and occasionally the foam that is recommended as a "Others also buy this item".
After a trip to Japan I found sleeping on a futon was the best sleep I've ever had. After returning home, the first thing I did was buy a roll-out futon. Been sleeping on it ever since. It's cheap, I can store it during the day to "reclaim" space in my room.
I'd probably do just as fine on a firm mattress - but the futon is cheaper than a mattress. I can also roll it up and take it with me when visiting friends or relatives who do not have the luxury of having a "guest room".
[0] https://www.amazon.com/Futon-Furniture-Traditional-Japanese-...
My favourite type of mattress is pocket sprung (with mostly or all natural layers). They supportive, comfy, breathable, bouncier than foam (wink) and will last a long time treated well.
In the UK you can find smaller companies hand making them with only natural layers (and telling you what each layer is made of!) offering 10 year guarantees. They're not cheap though, you're looking at minimum $1,500 and easily $3,000 for a larger size.
I've also slept on an expensive latex mattress and it gave me shoulder and lower back ache. Initially it felt great but the pain started after a couple of nights.
http://www.sleeplikethedead.com/bed-mattress-review-home.htm... might be useful
If you're waking up with a backache, you need to be looking not just at the brands, but the firmness. I can actually sleep fantastically on concrete with a book for a pillow, but put me on a too soft mattress and I may sleep well but I will have to spend my first hour in the morning relearning how to stand up straight and stretch out my back.
My present mattress is a firm Tempur Pedic mattress. I probably could've gone with anything of similar firmness. I live in a one-bedroom apartment. I give up my bed for (most) company and sleep on the couch, I got a softer topper for it (can't remember the brand) that some people prefer to the firmness of my bed.
One thing to consider when you're looking at mattresses is whether you are intrinsically hot or cold when you sleep?
Then consider how the technology actually works.
Me, I'm hot. So, a Tempurpedic mattress would be a really bad idea, since they use body heat as a way to alter the viscosity of the material, and thus also reflect that body heat back at you. I tried one briefly at a store, and after just a few minutes, I was burning up.
My wife has always been intrinsically cold, so for her a Tempurpedic mattress would be perfect.
But we weren't just buying a mattress for just one or the other of us. We had to find one that worked for us both.
Best Blog for real answers from an industry expert: https://themattressexpert.com/qa-blog/
There was a more recent version, but it seems to be down.
Best sleep ever was on a king size mattress at a high end Marriott before they switched to foam toppers. Avoid "memory" foam at all costs if possible.
Invest in a high quality latex mattress topper and pillows. As long as you don't have an allergy it will change your life. If you have lots of money to spend, full latex mattresses are amazing.
> when travelling through Italy and Portugal
Do you have an email record of your booking confirmations? Why not ask the hostel/hotel/bnb operators?
A counter-suggestion here: my girlfriend and I just tried the Leesa.
It's an amazing piece of materials science, and it feels luxurious as hell, but it was waaaaay too soft for both of us. She woke up in considerable pain. Also, it was pretty hot.
Fortunately, the Leesa customer service people were awesome, and they immediately took it away again and refunded us.
I asked the same question a few months ago here [1] and ended up with a Cocoon mattress which I like, but not love. My wife, on the other hand, really loves it.
Foam is more for the convenience of shipping compressed, they are not going to be the highest quality mattress. Saatva is pretty good I think for the price. No idea about the expensive ones.
You need to figure out whether you prefer a soft mattress or firm. You could go demo a Sleep Number in their store and see which level is best.
The mattress market is heating up and most companies offer deferred payments and free pickup/refund after three months. You could try all the popular mattresses for three months each on their free trials!
This was once my plan.... a year later I was still sleeping on the first one I bought. :P
I like a SleepNumber bed. I've tried setting it to 60 to 75. What's interesting is that I can move a kink up and down my back by adjusting the number. More recently, I've been running it at 100. That seems to work pretty well for me.
Memory foam might be what you slept on in Europe. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_foam
I've been sleeping on the floor for more than a year.
I don't miss my bed.
Shifman. Try avoiding synthetic materials. I'm told they tend not to breathe. (Organic) Fleece mattress toppers can also make a huge difference.
Tempur hands down. It's also the most expensive bed you could probably find, but also worth it. Should be at least 20 cm thick though.
I had a latex matress and got an Asian-style floor mat due to size constraints. I haven't noticed much of a difference.
Latex mattresses off gas. I personally had no idea that this was a thing until I ended up sleeping on one.