Mattress for a heavier side sleeper with a bad back & asthma

Hi Danny,

Thanks for getting in touch for a mattress recommendation. It can be really tricky finding a bed suitable for a heavier sleeper and also if you have back issues in bed which somewhat limits retail mattress suitabilities.
There are three things you need to assess to find the perfect mattress.

1. Choosing the right support based on your bodyweight
2. Selecting the right mattress upholstery and fibres
3. Identifying the right mattress for your sleeping position

1. Choosing correct mattress pocket spring support:

The first thing to get right before we recommend a mattress is the spring tension. 9 times out of 10 both physical bed shops and online retailers get this completely wrong. They sell a mattress spring tension as the 'comfort feel' of the mattress which is wrong.

Most mattress consumers end up choosing a spring tension for comfort instead of looking at the comfort layers. Ie you may have picked a ‘medium’ spring tension which may be totally unsuitable for your bodyweight at 18 stone.
This results in too little support and ultimately a poor night sleep.

It is the comfort or upholstery layers placed on top of the pocket spring unit that you need to look at for the feel of a bed. The spring tension is always preselected by your bodyweight, choosing a softer or firmer spring will only result in an awkward nights sleep as the mattress will either be far too supportive or will allow you to sink into an uncomfortable curve shape during the night.

At your body weight without knowing your height Danny, you will require a 1.6 gauge firm spring. If you can let us know your height we can double-check this, ie if your 6ft 4 it may be that you're better suited for a 1.4 medium gauge.

2. Selecting the best fibres for your mattress

The next step is to pick suitable fibres for the comfort layer of the mattress. This is where the true feel of the bed comes from. To be able to accurately look, compare and choose a mattress you need to know the GSM (grams per square meter) of the fibres present inside the mattress. If you can't find this it makes it really just a guessing game as to how suitable the mattress is.

Given you have asthma you will need to make sure that you follow a solid mattress care regime to help remove dust and debris. This applies to any mattress. Hypoallergenic mattresses can be misleading. Especially the way they are sold as almost impenetrable from allergens which they are not. This is because they usually refer to synthetic man-made beds, foam and polyester mainly, which when they come off the production line like all beds are relatively sterile.

However, as you sleep on them dust and debris will start to build up which is usually where allergen rashes and problems can occur.  Unless you have a certified allergy test for natural fibres we would recommend that you look at all mattress fibres and apply better mattress housekeeping instead. This is because synthetic fibres are less robust and offer weaker support properties compared to breathable responsive natural fibres. You may choose a hypoallergenic mattress that actually turns out to be incredibly uncomfortable and still doesn't address the allergens that may build up in your bedroom. You can read more on mattress hygiene here.

3. Choosing the best bed for your sleeping position

As a side sleeper Danny you will need a slightly forgiving top comfort layer. This is to allow hips and shoulders to sink in enough so your spine is in alignment. So you don't want anything too firm in the top comfort layers.
Let's have a look at the Hypnos Serenade mattress and see what detail the description gives us.

Hypnos Serenade Mattress Review:

The Hypnos Sereneade retails at £1700 for a kingsize but is often heavily discounts. If you haven't already read our article on why mattress sales are not always a good sign then we advise you read that here. Looking at the product listing sadly there is very little information to accurately assess the suitability of this mattress.

• 1800 Pocket Springs ReActive Springs
• 33mm Talalay Latex
• Hand Teased Cashmere
• Wool Layer
• Soft White Fibre Layer - A dust free white fibre filling is added to the mattress to provide softness and resilience. White fibre is formed into a deep layer for guaranteed quality and softness.
• Luxury Hair - Adds a sumptuous feel to the mattress.
• 3 Rows of Hand Side Stitching
• Hand-Tufted
• Flag-stitched Handles
• Side Air vents
• Easy Care

Without the GSM's it's really difficult to assess the true quality of this mattress. Cashmere is one of the most expensive mattress fibres, often only found in mattresses at twice this price, which makes us dubious. Again there is no detail of the wool layer, this could be 200gsm or 2000gsm and there is a big difference.

It does feature a single 3cm layer of Talalay Latex, but again there's no blend details or density. Is it a 60% natural blend if completely synthetic? Again there is a huge difference. We only use 100% natural latex in our mattress ranges as its more breathable and has a far longer shelf life than synthetic 'crumbly' latex blends. You can read all about latex mattresses here too.

The white fibre layer could be construed as quite misleading, white fibre is another word for polyester. White fibre isn't 'formed' but manufactured synthetically. Again there is no GSM given.

Luxury hair again doesn't give any detail. Is this cheaper entry-level blended cattle hair or high-end horsetail found in mattresses over £2000? It's a shame they don't say.

It features 1800 synthetic spun bond pocket springs but doesn't give a tension. It comes it too 'firmness' ratings so we believe Hypnos is using these to differentiate between the 1.4 medium pocket spring or a 1.6 gauge. You really would need to ask them to confirm that though.

The fact it is hand side stitched is a good sign as this shows a more hands-on approach to manufacture as this can not be done by a machine.

The other details are all standard on decent mattresses, such s tufts which have to be hand placed and flag handles, the same with the vents.

The real drawback is the fact this is a one sided mattress, meaning you can never turn it over. The drawback with this is that it means all the natural settlement will occur on one side with no way to even it out. This often leaves sleepers with a far shorter mattress life span and thousands of complaints online about one sided mattresses. We always advise that unless you're paying half the price you should avoid most one sided mattresses. There are a few exceptions but these are few and far.

Mattress Recommendations for Heavier Side Sleepers:

The closest comparison we have for you Danny to meet your sleep requirements is our Artisan Latex. It's a plant based mattress that also features 100% natural Talalay latex. It has a forgiving top layer, great for side sleepers but will offer you enough support for your body weight. It's also two sided and made from 100% natural fibre, no white fibre or polyester inside. The support comes from a high end calico encased vanadium coated pocket spring system, the same as Vispring and Savoir use in their mattresses. It also features a chemical free natural plant based cover along with 10% plant based fillings. It's hand made in the UK. Have a look below at the exact details.

Artisan Latex Vegan Mattress

1: 200GSM BAMBOO

2: 1500GSM REBOUND COTTON

3: 3CM TALALAY (100% NATURAL) LATEX (GRAPHITE FREE)

4: 450GSM ORGANIC FLAX FIBRE

5: 1000GSM COIR COCONUT FIBRE AS INSULATOR

6: 1500 CALICO ENCASED POCKET SPRINGS (SOFT/MED OR FIRM)

TOTAL: 3150GSM

DEPTH: 27-30CM

CHEMICAL FREE COVER

We also have listed below the mattress fibres and the price points to help you compare to other mattresses Danny. You can see there is a big variance!

We hope that helps and gives you further mattress buying guidance Danny. If you have any more mattress related questions please get back in touch on info@localhost or 0161 437 4419.

Sleep well
John & Ryan