[sabrina]

Our King Size bed is 5 years old and when we bought it felt great. Now that I have sore joints and getting older it has become rather uncomfortable. How do you pick a good bed? Its not as if you get to sleep on them for a night to see if it is the one for you. We had a water bed which I loved until I had back trouble and found getting out of it rather difficult. Back was not caused by the bed but wear and tear on my spine. Has anyone tried the mattress toppers and if so do they make you overheat as I get to warm in our bed which has lambs wool in the mattress. Any advice would be great as OH and I just cannot agree on what we should buy.

[lachlanandmarcus]

Bed base is irrelevant, I was told to buy the cheapest bed I could and buy the most expensive mattress I could afford. It was very good advice!

We got a few years back a cumfilux super duper orthopaedic quite firm mattress and it has been excellent. Very comfy but very supportive. It was about £400 (just the mattress, double size) but is as good now as when we got it.

Some people do complain that the memory foam makes them too hot, I also dont like the fact they arent breathable and are all manmade. I prefer a trad mattress but a really good one

[Sandy]

People who stay here like our Ikea mattresses, they were not too expensive and are memory foam, we bought a used bed with mattress and that is brilliant, I have a bad back too and hot flushes. When we had our pups, I slept on a cheap camp bed and had the best sleep ever....horses for courses I suppose.

[faith0504]

A few bales of straw with a duvet on top 

[northfifeduckling]

I swear by memory foam (new from ebay) mattresses. 2 inches or more memory foam. After years of pain I mainly wake up without. Trouble is that they can get very hot in the  summer and if you tend to sweat a lot (like my OH) you might get a mould issue, not so good, so they don't last forever and need to be checked over...

[doganjo]

I just bought a new bed - it was a package deal - base with two drawers, covered in suede type fabric, headboard to match, and a memory foam mattress - not a topper.  I have had great sleep since I bought it, not hot at all, and extremely comfortable.  No back pain at all, and my arthritic left side ribs don't hurt either.  Not sure that a topper would suffice tbh.

[melodrama]

we have a silent night memory foam and its great!  make sure you have a good lie about on it in the shop before you buy, you might feel a little odd but its well worth it.
Mel

[Skirza]

A few bales of straw with a duvet on top 

How posh...we use sacks 

[northfifeduckling]

and a memory foam mattress - not a topper.  Not sure that a topper would suffice tbh.

no, toppers are not the same thing - as in providing sleep quality 
if you buy an MF mattress, check the thinckness of actual memory foam - most of the matress will be made of ordinary foam, so the actual quality bit can be anything from 1 inch to 3,  - if you can get more, even better. There seem to be no regualtions as to when they can call it Memory Foam Matress....

[Rosemary]

I wonder if we should get a new mattress, reading this. I'm always sore in the morning, or if I get up in the night to let cats in / out.

[deepinthewoods]

i invested in a memory foam mattress a few months back,im just about getting used to it, with hindsight i would have bought a good quality sprung one, just cos i like the springyness, that a foam one doesnt give you.

[Beewyched]

I've got arthritis (in my neck, hip & knee) & fybromyalgia.  I've found that I'm better (slightly!) with a medium orthopedic mattress (for my arthitis) with a thick mattress topper.  I don't find the topper makes any difference to how warm I am, but it certainly helps lessen the pressure on my joints.

[DJ_Chook]

I swear by the memory foam too. We have a 10 inch box (that's the depth) 6 inches of foam and 4 of memory foam on-top, not as a topper but all built-in one mattress. It also came in a choice of base foams ie soft, medium & firm. But the memory foam top part of the mattress only came in one firmness. It's 'zoned' with a layer of firmer foam on the base of the mattress in the middle of it where it supports your butt & back. We found it a bit too firm on a solid bedbase so changed from flat slats to sprung slats on the bed. The slats in the middle have weakened over the years but this is easily dealt with my just changing them with the slats from the foot & head of the bed.

[Slavo]

People who stay here like our Ikea mattresses, they were not too expensive and are memory foam, we bought a used bed with mattress and that is brilliant, I have a bad back too and hot flushes. When we had our pups, I slept on a cheap camp bed and had the best sleep ever....horses for courses I suppose.

My girlfriend has curvature of the spine following an impact from falling debris from a tall roof as a child. Once we were together a little while, it became time to replace my bed & mattress which had no support, dodgy springs and several improvised mattress toppers with a new one. We bought ours from Ikea too. It wasn't the most expensive or cheapest but the most comfortable for her; I can sleep on anything.

[sabrina]

I over heat all the time so I think memory foam may not be for me. I suspect that it will be just get out there and try  a few. I would love a good nights sleep