Do you or anybody you know of have a memory foam mattress, and do you or they like it?

I had one and I didn’t like it. It was too soft for me. I like a firm and exact mattress.

I’ve known two people that have one and say it is the best mattress they ever had.

As I wrote in another memory foam mattress thread here, I found it excruciatingly bad for my back. I’m a larger man who has lower back support problems. A recent girlfriend had a Tempurpedic, and every time I spent a few hours on it, I couldn’t get up off the bed by my own power, and my lower back hurt for days.

GIve me a firm (or extra firm) mattress with plywood underneath every day of the week over memory foam.

that said, my former girlfriend swears by her memory foam

@Neurotic_David Is that why she is your “formal” girlfriend? Bad mattress? :-)

I have one, memory foam on latex foam and then on a boxspring. I call it superbed and I love it. I have arthritis and my right hip Is pretty painful. Superbed eases it. Superbed cost a super price, too. I had a memory foam topper on my regular mattress which was on plywood on a boxspring. It was good, too. I don’t find my superfoam too soft at all- it hugs me.

@chyna Heh, heh – you can’t judge a girl by her mattress!

I just left a sublet for two months, where she had a memory foam bed. I found it quite comfortable, but not as good as a regular mattress. I also put a small (thin) one I bought at Costco for about 150 on a futon which was very hard, and it made the bed comfortable again.

My BIL loves his. I have tried them several times, and never pulled the trigger to buy it. I don’t feel comfortable. People say you get used to it, and then you never want to go back. I understand the foam can be hot, so if you tend to be hot at night, you might want to rethink. That would happen with the foam topper also. I actually am never warm enough usually, so that would not deter me, but my husband probaby would have been uncomfortable if it is true.

Memory foam seems gross to me, it just feels like it absorbs everything, germs, sweat, and what not…. Am I crazy?

I know mattresses do the same thing, but memory foam feels grimmier for some reason.

Here are the replies I got to this question a few months ago.

I have a lovely thick mattress pad, washable, on mine as well as a thick mattress cover.

I have one that I bought from Ikea several years ago. It wasn’t super cheap (around $200) but still a decent price.

I have used it in two different ways. First, on top of a boxspring which is OK for temporary but not as firm as I prefer.

The ideal way is how they do it in Europe with interconnected bed slats. I don’t mean just the three or so slats on American beds but the ones with 20 or more spaced about an inch apart and connected with canvas strips running down both sides which Ikea also sells. This basically provides support similar to a platform but is so much easier to just roll up together come moving time rather than maneuvering a huge Queen sized platform or box spring.

Check out their catalogue online and you’ll see what I mean.

Those who have complained about the foam being too soft are most likely placing it on a typical boxspring whichjust isn’t firm enough.

Those with back problems would be much better off putting it on a plywood platform or the closely spaced slats.

For those who sweat a lot, you can get mattress toppers made from lambswool which are great for ventilation and aeration.

Another thing I like about mine is that it can be folded in thirds and secured with a bungee cord at each end and put in the back of trunk of a car. Even the Queen size which I have. No struggling with a huge bulky awkward boxspring and a huge regular mattress that weighs a ton and really difficult to move.

For me, even tho the wood slats are heavy, they aren’t huge and bulky and the mattress is a cinch.

It works for me and I have back problems. As long as it’s on a firm surface like a platform, slats or even the floor, it’s great.

I was determined to buy one and the sales people at 2 different stores talked me out of it because they are so hot. But of course I live in the tropics, in a climate of 4 seasons (and for non menopausal types) it would probably be fine. I love the way they feel when you lie on them.

I’ve had a Tempurpedic and initially I liked it but eventually, part of it sunk and it didn’t feel right.

@rooeytoo The hotness is why mine is latex foam as well. I don’t find my bed too warm and I’m busily doing hot flashes. There is material as the mattress cover and mattress pad to act as ‘wicking’, so they told me.

@faye – I don’t quite understand, is the latex foam the top layer? If so then what is the point? If not, then how does it avoid the hotness? Do you use a special mattress pad or regular cotton one?

I still want one, maybe when we leave the tropics!

The memory foam is on top and I don’t know if the latex being more breathable is just hype. I feel like Coloma wrote in another question, I don’t notice any extra heat in summer but I get a lovely warm cave inside my duvet-pillow fort in winter.

Sounds wonderful, thanks for your response.