Mattress recommendations please- bonus points if you suffer from disc/lower back problems!

[ClarkGriswold]

My physio has advised if I'm going to throw money at the problem then a new mattress is the way to go. Definitely due as ours is 10 years old and a bit knackered. Think I prefer a medium/firm mattress but bamboozled by the sheer number available and nervous about just trying in-store as can you really tell by lying on one for a few minutes? If anybody can recommend a particular brand etc, I'd be v grateful. I have a bulging disc in my lower spine and usually sleep on my back/side. Thanks!

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Hi
I have chronic lower back pain.
I have had a temur and love it you can do a home trial for a month and can get VAT discount on medical grounds.

Tempur

I had back problems for decades and surgery for L4/5 prolapse 7 years ago. Medium soft if you are a side sleeper so your hips are balanced. I have pocket sprung - the more the better. I tried memory foam but felt hot and stuck!

Please don't get a Mammoth mattress. It was recommended to me but if you read the reviews it is a "marmite" mattress. Sadly it is the most uncomfortable mattress ever. I purchased it from a specialist back shop (beds are a small section of their sales) and once purchased there was no ability to return. Some larger bed stores do trial periods.
I made a very expensive mistake.

I love my Tempur mattress almost as much as I love my kids
I have had several slipped discs in my lower back over the years and this mattress is a godsend. Worth every penny and more.

Thanks all- I was worried that Tempur would be a popular suggestion, they are sooo expensive!

My DH had lower back pain for the first 5 years or so of our marriage. We got a cheap IKEA foam mattress for about £65 and put it on the floor instead of on a bed frame, and his back problems more or less completely resolved within a few weeks. He's slept like that for the last 2 years now - it's not great for our sex life but it's done wonders for his back 🤷🏼‍♀️

Go to the shops and try every mattress! I’m in the market for a new mattress after buying a hybrid mattress online with a free trail and having to send it back as it is not very comfortable, so I have been in and out of bed shops for weeks. There really is no substitution for trying them out. I’ve found the Sealy mattresses are a slightly cheaper alternative to Tempur but almost as comfy.

They are expensive, but the newer ones are less hot than previously and it’s worth it to get a decent night’s sleep regularly.

We bought one that was supposed.y good for backs. It was dreadful and we got rid. Bought a new generation Tempur in the spring and it’s so much better.

I say this on every mattress thread, but the Ikea Hovag is the best mattress I’ve ever bought. I’ve got the medium firm one, but have heard very good things about the firm as well.

I have psoriatic arthritis in my back and it’s so bloody comfy and supportive. Bloody cheap too!

Ikea Hovag. I was so dubious about getting an Ikea mattress but they're so good. My back has been much better since buying it.

We have an Emma at home and an Ikea Hovag on a bed we also sleep on a lot. I prefer the Ikea one and reckon if we have to replace it every couple of years that is ok since it is so cheap. It has to be worth a try. (Side sleeper, medium firm)

Ooh three Ikea's in a row- that's encouraging, we have one down the road so can go and have a lie on them.
@JonnyPocketRocket - the floor is not ideal but I'm at the stage I'll try anything including sacrificing sex- my back is usually too sore for it anyway

Tempur mattresses are expensive but they do guarantee them for 10 years.
Ours cost £1500. 10 years is 3600 nights so that works out 41p per night- 21p each for me and DH! Not bad when you look at it like that
Also, they actually last longer than 10 years. My parents have had theirs going on 15 years now and it’s still going strong.
Make sure you get a good mattress protector (I think Tempur might even throw one in with the price of the bed if you get one during a special offer period)

I have an Ikea Hovag and love it, just bought my daughter one

I've got an L3/4 prolapse, had issues for over 30 years. There is not actually a bed on the planet that stops my back pain, but have recently (3 weeks ago) got an Emma that I put an IKEA tempur topper over and so far I'm not having sciatica flare ups at all and I can walk normally in the morning. This is huge for me! I am still slightly pins and needley in places, but nothing like before, fingers crossed it continues.

I've got a Hypnos mattress arriving tomorrow, they were my favourite when we went on a shopping mission. Ended up buying the "premier Inn" version, a pillow topped pocket sprung something or other.

I've got severe back issues in my lower spine, and this bed (in medium) has given me the best sleep I've had in 10 years. I'm a side sleeper, but usually end up on my back at some pint during the night.

www.dreams.co.uk/flaxby-nature-s-finest-16500-dnair-mattress/p/131-00610

I've had spinal surgery for herniated L5/S1 with cauda equina
Have springs with memory foam which I like. Memory foam on its own I get stuck and can't turn over! Sleeping with a pillow between my knees is also a must have for me

Sealy Singapore here. Best mattress I've ever slept on. On our way back from hols we always both say "at least we can sleep in our bed again"

DH has had significant lower back problems for years with repeated physio. So we tried every mattress in multiple shops and it came down to the Sealy Singapore or a Vispring (we were that serious about throwing money at the problem!). Singapore was half the price and just as comfy, so we have gone for that. Geltex, which we hadn't come across before, but 3 years on and it's still as comfy as when we bought it. And DH's back problems have improved massively, and he no longer wakes up stiff and sore which has made a massive difference to his quality of life.

The physio recommended lying on the bed for about 20mins to see how it was going to feel properly. So we explained this to the salesman and he was happy to allow this, even if DH did feel daft at the time!

Oh and take into account the fact that different mattresses will feel different, and offer different support on different bases. It can feel like a different bed.

And So To Bed were really helpful in helping us pick the right sort of bad frame for mattress type, even though we didn't buy from them in the end, they're worth a visit to talk to someone properly knowledgeable

I have really bad/serious back and joint problems. Last year I bought a 3 or 4 inch latex matters topper and I love it. The problem with memory foam if you sort of sink into it and it has no bounce. With this latex rubber topper I can almost bounce myself into a different sleep position. it makes getting out of bed easier as well.

I'm in the US and bought it on Amazon.

In addition to the latex mattress topper mentioned above, I have a U shaped pillow. It's similar to the one in the link below, but I use it with other way around, so the joined part of the U is down by my feet. I have had it almost two years and I couldn't sleep without it now.
www.amazon.com/ARTALL-Maternity-Pregnant-Women-Comfort-Pregnancy/dp/B07QB18LZG/ref=sr_1_174?s=baby-products&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1568440021&sr=1-174

IKEA hovag here as well but I also have a 4 inch memory foam topper.

It goes halfway but what really helps is a wedge pillow underneath my arse and a pillow between both my knees and ankles to stop me rolling over/twisting in the night.

Warren Evans, the one they now call Organic 6000. Everyone in our family now has one from them.