
Ask HN: What's the most comfortable bed you've ever slept on? - whitepoplar
I&#x27;m in the market for a new mattress and I&#x27;m finding that nearly all online reviews are fake (it&#x27;s seriously depressing). I figured I&#x27;d try HN and make a thread that everyone can refer to next time they need a mattress.<p>So far I&#x27;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.<p>I noticed when traveling through Italy and Portugal that the mattresses I slept on were extremely comfortable. I slept so well. I can&#x27;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&#x27;m talking about?<p>What&#x27;s the most comfortable mattress you&#x27;ve slept on?
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twobyfour
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].

[1] [https://dixiefoam.com](https://dixiefoam.com) [2]
[http://www.sleeplikeabear.com](http://www.sleeplikeabear.com)

~~~
whitepoplar
I just tried an all-latex mattress today at Dixie Foam on your suggestion and
it felt great! Do you have one?

~~~
twobyfour
I do. It's spoiled me for other beds.

~~~
whitepoplar
I'm about to pull the trigger on one. Which firmness did you get? Do you sleep
on your side? Thanks!

~~~
twobyfour
The model I got doesn't seem to be on their website any more. It was basically
an extra-firm, without the 3-zone thing.

I sleep about 1/3 on my side, 2/3 on my back, and occasionally on my stomach
(at least on this mattress -- can't stomach sleep at all on innersprings or
memory foam). For side sleeping on this thing, I strongly recommend a good
thick pillow. For more reference points, I'm a fairly small and light person,
and grew up sleeping on foam mattresses that most people would consider rock
hard, so this is reasonably soft by my standards.

That said, in the 5 years I've had it, it's converted two boyfriends (both of
whom weigh at least 50% more than me) to foam mattresses. One bought the same
mattress but added a soft 2" latex topper (which is great for side sleeping
but was too soft for me for back sleeping); the other got a Casper (which I
found soft and saggy and a little sludgy by comparison, but is still waaaay
better than innersprings). Both swore they were never going back to
innerspring mattresses.

If you do get a foam mattress, make sure to put it on a platform or slatted
bed rather than a box spring.

Whatever you decide, good luck, and sleep well!

~~~
whitepoplar
Thanks for the reply! I used the Casper for several years and found it hot and
"mushy," for lack of a better word. I thought an innerspring mattress would
solve the problem, but nope. You really can't go back to springs after you've
used foam for a while.

I'm probably in the category of "weighs >50% more than you" but even so, the
6" latex mattress I tried at Dixie Foam felt amazing. It was the medium-firm
model. I too noticed that they're offering the 3-zone thing, but I think the
one I tried was just a slab of regular Talalay latex.

To add to that, the guy who helped me really knew his stuff, was friendly, and
seemed like the antithesis of bullshit. If this ends up being as comfortable
as it felt in the showroom, I owe you a serious internet hug. Thank you!

~~~
twobyfour
My pleasure - can't help spreading the foam gospel! ;-)

If you do get one, I'd love to hear how it works out for you.

~~~
whitepoplar
Ordered. Will let you know how it is when I get it next week. :-)

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Jach
I sleep in a hammock... Basically one of these
[https://www.amazon.com/Hammock-Sky-Brazilian-Double-
Backyard...](https://www.amazon.com/Hammock-Sky-Brazilian-Double-
Backyard/dp/B00O3YNZME?th=1) with a stand like this
[https://www.amazon.com/Best-ChoiceProducts-Hammock-
Portable-...](https://www.amazon.com/Best-ChoiceProducts-Hammock-Portable-
Carrying/dp/B00WFH3TIG/) 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. :'(

~~~
wapz
Aren't hammock's real bad for your back over longer periods of time? This is
just something I've heard and not researched but I had the impression you
needed your back mostly "straight" when sleeping.

~~~
Jach
They're pretty popular in South America... I've got Northern European ancestry
but no back problems, and I sleep well. You can actually get pretty straight
in a hammock, I think a lot of people overestimate the curvature. I think this
blog has some good pictures to show what it's like:
[http://www.treklightgear.com/treklife/hammock-
angle/](http://www.treklightgear.com/treklife/hammock-angle/)

------
jotux
A great resource I used when purchasing my last mattress:
[http://www.sleeplikethedead.com/](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.

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Nadya
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-...](https://www.amazon.com/Futon-Furniture-Traditional-Japanese-
Mattresses/dp/B003VQNM2I)

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switch007
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...](http://www.sleeplikethedead.com/bed-mattress-review-home.html)
might be useful

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Jtsummers
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.

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bradknowles
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.

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nataz
Best Blog for real answers from an industry expert:
[https://themattressexpert.com/qa-blog/](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.

~~~
whitepoplar
I found this full latex mattress that looks great, but I'm not sure if I want
to bite the bullet and buy, as there's no option for free returns.
[https://spindlemattress.com/](https://spindlemattress.com/)

------
afarrell
> when travelling through Italy and Portugal

Do you have an email record of your booking confirmations? Why not ask the
hostel/hotel/bnb operators?

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thenomad
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.

------
tucaz
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.

[1]
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13001791](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13001791)

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cylinder
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.

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chatmasta
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

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AnimalMuppet
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.

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unfunco
Memory foam might be what you slept on in Europe.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_foam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_foam)

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miguelrochefort
I've been sleeping on the floor for more than a year.

I don't miss my bed.

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sanjamia
Shifman. Try avoiding synthetic materials. I'm told they tend not to breathe.
(Organic) Fleece mattress toppers can also make a huge difference.

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neverminder
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.

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Chunklight
I had a latex matress and got an Asian-style floor mat due to size
constraints. I haven't noticed much of a difference.

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atomical
Latex mattresses off gas. I personally had no idea that this was a thing until
I ended up sleeping on one.

